swift spec r spring

Bauran · 04-03-2015, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onzedge

You are right, my original reply was snarky and inappropriate.

So here is my learned opinion. It is not advice as I do not give advice. It is fact based on my 34 plus years' worth of experience with the Z in all of its forms/iterations. I have built, restored, modified, raced, wrecked and rebuilt Z cars since my first 1971 240Z I acquired in 1980.

Anyone who tells you that you can install the Swifts without other aftermarket parts is correct. I say correct if your objectives are a poor, even dangerous, ride quality and seriously shortened tire life. If your objective is to install the springs correctly and gain the full advantage they offer, then you will at least replace the rear camber arms and perhaps the toe bolts.

Alignment on the 370Z is critical and it is not possible to get the rear alignment in specification without replacing the rear camber arms with aftermarket units. SPL and SPC are commonly chosen. SPC arms have been known to break under severe load. SPL arms, although pricey, are better built and dramatically stronger. I run SPL rear camber arms. On a side note, I also run SPL end links with my Hotchkis sway bars.

Regarding the toe bolts, it is hit and miss. The first few 370Zs I have worked on, with which I have been associated, needed the aftermarket toe bolts; the last few have not, including my current 370Z.

In terms of the front alignment, I have been able to get in spec every time without aftermarket upper control arms, but am always very close to the spec limit on camber.

If It were me in your shoes, I would buy the springs, rear camber arms and toe bolts (just in case), take it somewhere where they can align it, install springs and camber arms, check alignment and then install toe bolts I f needed.

I hope this helps and I hope you have a great day.

onzedge™ has written

Thank yor this is precisely the answer I was looking for. Tires are expensive and I think we'd all like them to last as long as possible.

as to my previous post, it was not meant at you directly but the culture of the boards I see it going to. I hope there are no hard feeling...as I said I value the opinion of the members on this board, hence why I ask questions here and not else where.

Again thank you guys for the info, I'd rather spend a comparatively little amount of cash to ensure tire life than to forego the expense now and have to spend a lot of cash later on new tires.

Thanks

onzedge · 04-03-2015, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bauran

Thank yor this is precisely the answer I was looking for. Tires are expensive and I think we'd all like them to last as long as possible.

as to my previous post, it was not meant at you directly but the culture of the boards I see it going to. I hope there are no hard feeling...as I said I value the opinion of the members on this board, hence why I ask questions here and not else where.

Again thank you guys for the info, I'd rather spend a comparatively little amount of cash to ensure tire life than to forego the expense now and have to spend a lot of cash later on new tires.

Thanks

You seem to have some solid thinking around this topic. I am happy to have helped.

NoHyperbole · 04-03-2015, 02:06 PM

What onzedge has written is good information and should absolutely be followed.

I just had Swift springs, SPL camber links, and SPC toe bolts installed yesterday. Today, I had the car aligned. The tech was able to put the rear wheels almost exactly in the middle of the stock alignment specifications, which is probably adequate for a car that is not tracked (-1.7 / -1.6 camber and .12 / .13 toe). I'm sure the SPL/SPC parts guaranteed this outcome, so I recommend that you get these parts if you get the Swift springs. It's the smart way to go for $300 in parts.

The front wheels, however, are a different story. The front camber and caster are not adjustable unless you buy the SPL front upper arms, which cost $700+. Most people choose not to go this route because this will effectively double the cost of lowering your car. Also, they are not as necessary as the rear suspension pieces.

Anyway, the tech was able to set the front toe just about perfectly (.07 / .08). Excellent. The caster is 5.1 / 4.8. The left-to-right variance is a bit high, but okay. So that brings us to camber. I knew beforehand that the negative camber would increase when lowering the car. I had the car aligned 700 miles before I installed the springs, and the front camber was -.8 / -.9 at that time. The max spec is -1.4, and I was fine with going to that point or even slightly higher (maybe up to -1.8). What I didn't expect was the cross-camber variance I got of .5 (-1.2 / -1.7).

Again, as far as I know, the only way to change the camber and caster on the front wheels is to buy the SPL front upper arms.

So my questions are these: Is there any detriment to having cross-camber and cross-caster variance? If so, how big does the variance have to be?

I hope that people will find this thread useful and that it will save them time when researching Swift springs.

04-03-2015, 02:06 PM	#3 (permalink)
NoHyperbole Base Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 216 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 13	What onzedge has written is good information and should absolutely be followed. I just had Swift springs, SPL camber links, and SPC toe bolts installed yesterday. Today, I had the car aligned. The tech was able to put the rear wheels almost exactly in the middle of the stock alignment specifications, which is probably adequate for a car that is not tracked (-1.7 / -1.6 camber and .12 / .13 toe). I'm sure the SPL/SPC parts guaranteed this outcome, so I recommend that you get these parts if you get the Swift springs. It's the smart way to go for $300 in parts. The front wheels, however, are a different story. The front camber and caster are not adjustable unless you buy the SPL front upper arms, which cost $700+. Most people choose not to go this route because this will effectively double the cost of lowering your car. Also, they are not as necessary as the rear suspension pieces. Anyway, the tech was able to set the front toe just about perfectly (.07 / .08). Excellent. The caster is 5.1 / 4.8. The left-to-right variance is a bit high, but okay. So that brings us to camber. I knew beforehand that the negative camber would increase when lowering the car. I had the car aligned 700 miles before I installed the springs, and the front camber was -.8 / -.9 at that time. The max spec is -1.4, and I was fine with going to that point or even slightly higher (maybe up to -1.8). What I didn't expect was the cross-camber variance I got of .5 (-1.2 / -1.7). Again, as far as I know, the only way to change the camber and caster on the front wheels is to buy the SPL front upper arms. So my questions are these: Is there any detriment to having cross-camber and cross-caster variance? If so, how big does the variance have to be? I hope that people will find this thread useful and that it will save them time when researching Swift springs. onzedge and Zipper 104 like this.

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