Suspension

[SDSI_2000]

I am currently restoring my '71 240Z and was thinking of upgrading the suspension. Any suggestions? The car is not put back together and figured now was the time to do it. I'm looking to spend less than $1000.

[Royce]

Yes, a very subjective topic, but here goes...

I have non-adjustable Tokico strut inserts and Tokico lowering springs (about 1 - 1.5"). I put them on in '89 and unfortunately, I don't know the spring rates but I believe this setup is the same or very similar to the one MotorSport Auto(MSA) currently offers. Otherwise completely stock suspension, including all rubber bushings and stock front swaybar. Oh yes, I did change the length of the steering knuckles, I put in shorter ones that make the car turn more quickly. In other words you turn the steering wheel less to change lanes. And I do have camber adjustable, front inner control arm bushings. I don't know if these help much but I do like the way the car drives.

I suspect it improves performance over the stock setup and was good as a daily driver but it would certainly not be a very competitive setup for all out competition. The car rides well and handles well but not as stiff as a winning racer would be.

If I were to do it again I would probably go with a coil over strut setup because it would give more options. Also, I don't drive the car as much any more and am planning to do track events in the future so may want to go a little stiffer. Also, the coil over strut setup would give me a little more clearance for larger tires. I currently have 205R60x15 on 15x7 rims with 10mm offset. To me the tires look a little narrow on the wheel but I would probably need a 1/2" spacer to get any wider tire to fit. This is because the tire is very close to the spring perch on the struts. Coil over shock setups would replace this spring perch with a different spring mount that should allow me to put on larger tires without spacers. Tire hight should also be considered with your suspension as it will have a lot to do with you overall ride quality as well.

I do plan on changing the front suspension bushings to polyurethane in the future.

It's been a while since I did mine so I don't know what the cost is these days but should be close to your budget. You may be able to get coil overs for close to the same price.

So you know where I am coming from, I have been vintage racing (not a Z car) for the past 15 years. I feel a softer car is often much more fun to drive. Especially if you are learning performance driving, don't need to be #1, or the car is also to be driven on the street. A stiffer car will be less forgiving and can take longer to learn how to drive fast.

That's all I can think of now. Hope it helps!