Well about half way. Got the front ones done, thinking ohh the rears are going to be a piece of cake. But the damn lower shock bolt will not come out for the life of me. On one side, it's completely seized. On the other side, the nut is spinning inside the bracket, which nissan thought would be a great idea (NOT). The bracket is suppose to prevent the nut from poping out, therefore you have to undo the bolt itself. We tried PB blaser, a torch, and also tried to stick a screw driver into the bracket to prevent the nut from spinning, but nothing. So I called some auto mechanic and I am going to bring the car in to have him do it. He'll probably just cut the nut and bolt off and put a new one on and call it a day.

The front looks good though :)

damn i cant wait until i get my tein ss

Well about half way. Got the front ones done, thinking ohh the rears are going to be a piece of cake. But the damn lower shock bolt will not come out for the life of me. On one side, it's completely seized. On the other side, the nut is spinning inside the bracket, which nissan thought would be a great idea (NOT). The bracket is suppose to prevent the nut from poping out, therefore you have to undo the bolt itself. We tried PB blaser, a torch, and also tried to stick a screw driver into the bracket to prevent the nut from spinning, but nothing. So I called some auto mechanic and I am going to bring the car in to have him do it. He'll probably just cut the nut and bolt off and put a new one on and call it a day.

The front looks good though :)

Oh man, that brings back bad memories... I had one seize up on me & I stripped the head on it too. It was a HUGE pain to get out. I ended up having to cut it off... sucked so bad man. Good luck with it.

Congrats on the SS coilovers BTW :thumbsup:

Hey congrats....quick questions....I got into the university of michigan the other day....and I know i will be making trips their with my car from new york....i've alwayz wanted to put the tein coils on my car..however is it really practical for daily driving and in winters?...im asking you cuz i know vermont is cold as hell during the winter and the roads probably are worse then down here.....Do you think the tein coils will be annoying and cause maybe some suspension maintenance issues?

The Tein SS is suitable for all weather conditions. Once installed it will require no more maintenance than a stock suspension. The only concern would be that the car is lower and the spring rates are higher, so pot holes will hurt your back more.


- Greg -

Ya and the car will basically be a snow plow from now on. There is no more fender gap. It's pretty damn low. I'm just hoping I don't scrape when there is people in my car and when the 18's are on. Also the front ones are impossible to adjust without taking the who friggin suspension out. Anyone found a way??

Hahaha. Koojo, I had a fun time with the front disassembling that "cup" holder that holds the shock in. Half the fun was trying to get it back into place and align to the lower arm.

Luckily the rear didnt give me any issues.

How you like the tiens? I was gonna go with those, but I drive the car in snow too. And I remember those winter months when the S4 got stuck in 3 inches of snow. :x

Lol the fronts weren't too hard, because I had a couple buddies helping me out. After we did one side, we knew exactly what to do with the other one, and that side took us probably 30 minutes to get out and get the others in.

Well the roads here are usually clean, unless it snows like 12" or something. They plow often so theres not much on the ground, so hopefully it wont be that big of a deal.

The fronts just need the outer end of the top link disconnecting from the third link to allow enough room to adjust my D2s. I assume that wil give you enough room to adjust your Teins...

Pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!

Later today :)

Good :)

It seems like I'm getting a much smoother ride in the front (the back ones are getting installed later today) than with the Tein S springs and AGX. There is this one hump near my house that I have to drive over everyday,and it was smooth as silk with the front tein ss coilovers, than the springs. I thought the ss coilovers were suppose to have a higher spring rate? I have the front dampers set at 8, and will set the rear at 10.

I am getting some kind of clanking noise when i go over a bump on the front passenger side. When I put the front top mount and put the rod nut on, the spring and the top collar seemed really loose. I figured that once the the spring compresses everything would be fine. I guess this is a common problem though. Can I put some kind of padding in there to prevent metal to metal contact?

The reason it's easier over bumps than the Tein/AGX is because it has much more travel b/c of the shorter shocks, whereas the AGX were the same size as the factory shocks.

You cannot even compare the Tein Suki Suki's to the AGX/Spring combo

Damn so I guess I need to order the rear lower shock bolts. The mechanic also said that I might need to get the arm bushings too....the two bushings that sit on the each side of the shock. WHAT IS THE PART NUMBER???????? Infiniti can't find it

What bushings ?? The ones in the bottom of the damper ?? They come in the dampers and aren't available seperately.

Damn so I guess I need to order the rear lower shock bolts. The mechanic also said that I might need to get the arm bushings too....the two bushings that sit on the each side of the shock. WHAT IS THE PART NUMBER???????? Infiniti can't find it

The lower bushings are part of the shock assembly. You dont need to order anything other than new bolts. That's why I was warning you that it's a Beee-otch to cut off the bolts... make sure your guy doesn't cut into the lower shock bushings, or else the shocsks will be ruined. He's going to have to use a small cut-off wheel & cut the head of the bolt off very carefully... it's a tedious job.

There are no bushings other than the ones that come on the shock itself...maybe hes referring to the trailing arm bushings, get the superpro ones from chuck.

But that little nut in the cage, you need an impact wrench to free the bolt, I ran into the same problem, had to cut the cage to get the nut off and reweld it back together.

Oh ok, I thought I saw bushings that were on the outside of the shock to prevent it from sliding around, nevermind. Alright, I guess I'll get the bolts overnighted. Thanks guys

How about the nut itself?? On one side, the nut is stripped from trying to jam a screwdriver in between the prongs and the nut, and turning the bolt. Does it come with the bolt? What size is it anyone know?

P.S. I'm still amazed at how smooth the front of the car is. It goes over bumps and holes in the road like nothing. It feels like my grandfathers buick, but it's slammed lol. The front tires seem to roll a lot more though than before, probably because there is less body roll now. I can see a line on the sidewall of the tires where they have touched ground, wierd..

Oh ya here is a pic of the front, the tires are tucked, you can't really see it in the pictures because of the lighting. I didnt take a pick of the back because the coilovers arent installed there yet, OH ya don't mind the dirt :):

http://video.phatg20.net/koojo/pics/frontdrop.jpg
Compared to the drop with Tein S Springs + KYB AGX shocks
http://video.phatg20.net/koojo/pics/olddrop.jpg

About 1" lower on stock setting of the coilovers

Now your a real snow plow !

I love the drop, but im afraid of having to drive on unpaved roads when it snows hard. :(

P.S. I'm still amazed at how smooth the front of the car is. It goes over bumps and holes in the road like nothing. It feels like my grandfathers buick, but it's slammed lol. The front tires seem to roll a lot more though than before, probably because there is less body roll now. I can see a line on the sidewall of the tires where they have touched ground, wierd..


http://video.phatg20.net/koojo/pics/frontdrop.jpg
Compared to the drop with Tein S Springs + KYB AGX shocks
http://video.phatg20.net/koojo/pics/olddrop.jpg




hey man, damn that bring back good memories. glad you're enjoying them. did you left them at the settings i had? yes! another person thinks tein ss's ride smooth even when it's slammed to the ground! :teeth:

David, I raised it to about stock settings, where the lower seat is about 1.2" from the base of the shock, or something like that. Not much though from where yours was.

lookin good man, did you already sell your AGX and Teins?, how does the ride of the SS compare to the AGX+Tech-s

Thanks man, I left a comment on your 'rims choice' thread. Well the SS are a full suspension system, and the shock+springs+bumstops, everything is perfectly matched, that's why they are so expensive and what not. But before I got the Tein SS, I had the TechS+AGX combo and it was really good, probably one of the best lowering springs+shock combo money can buy for our cars.

lookin good man. im the same height on my GC, and i was just in killington the past few days ... no problems.

I can see why it feels smooth with coilovers.....that's a lot of sidewall, what's the tyre size ??

Well I was comparing coilovers to s-techs with the same tires...

These are 195/65/15, stock size

I would have thought the S-techs would be a lot softer. The dampers must be less harsh on the coilovers.

Those tyres have 1" more sidewall than my 16" stock P11 (GTLE/GTSE) tyres and 1.4" more than the stock size on the P10 :surprised

Well these tires are temporary until the spring...when the 215/40/18's go on :)

LOOKS GREAT!


Well these tires are temporary until the spring...when the 215/40/18's go on :)

and then youll have to raise it because youll be rubbing. ;)

Get ready to buy some 35 series tires

Really? Where would it scrape? The only thing that scraped with the 18's and the Stech/agx was the rear top fender lip when I went over bumps with people in the car. But I also had 1/4" spacers in rear, which I will get rid off, and roll the top of the fenders some. I will still scrape?

Really? Where would it scrape? The only thing that scraped with the 18's and the Stech/agx was the rear top fender lip when I went over bumps with people in the car. But I also had 1/4" spacers in rear, which I will get rid off, and roll the top of the fenders some. I will still scrape?

Same here, but my N/A's with the full 2" drop scrapes when I hit dips, and with people in the back its horrible (not puny 110lb chicks) but two 160lb+ dudes yes. I doubt theres anyway with your tire setup that youll be able to run those tires with that kind of drop, but hey you can try it. I think youll have to roll the fenders and get some thinner tires man.

Think of it this way, look at the picture above that you posted, imagine the tire is the wheel (15" + 3") = 18" rims, now add the fat tires that you have = scrape.

True, but the 18"s don't stick that that much out further than the stock ones do due to the offset. What kind of tires do you have? Do you scrape in the rear or front?

True, but the 18"s don't stick that that much out further than the stock ones do due to the offset. What kind of tires do you have? Do you scrape in the rear or front?

I scrape mostly in the rear, but when I hit dips I scrape in the front and in the back, but thats VERY rare for it to scrape in the front.

Kev, what tires do you have? Also do you have your fenders rolled, or a spacers in the rear?

I always used to get a lound "thunk" in the rear when I either went over a big bump or had passengers in the back. I assumed it was my 3" exhaust hitting the rear beam axle because of the Tein SS. Then one time while dropping my exhaust, I noticed there is a solid metal bracket underneath one of the heat shields towards the back of the car. It's the shield that turns 90deg and heads towards the passenger side of the car. Anyway that bracket is SOLID. I guessed that my exhaust was hitting the heat shield and the thunk was because of the solid bracket underneath -- so I pulled out the heat shield and bracket. No more thunk :)


- Greg -

Kev, what tires do you have? Also do you have your fenders rolled, or a spacers in the rear?

I told you already, 215/40R18's (same as yours) with Toyo Proxes. I dont have my fenders rolled or have spacers in the rear.

I guess just try throwing on the 18's to see what happens.

Good news, I saved a bunch of money on my car.......haha jk

I got the rears installed today. The guy had to bend the prongs that hold the nut in place so he could get a wrench in there and hold it in place. The rears are dropped to the stock tein ss settings, which is a bit lower than the s-tech springs. In the spring Ill see how the drop goes with the 18's, and either raise it or lower it.

Pics will come in a couple of days.

Good news, I saved a bunch of money on my car.......haha jk

I got the rears installed today. The guy had to bend the prongs that hold the nut in place so he could get a wrench in there and hold it in place. The rears are dropped to the stock tein ss settings, which is a bit lower than the s-tech springs. In the spring Ill see how the drop goes with the 18's, and either raise it or lower it.

Pics will come in a couple of days.


cool :thumbsup: definitely update with pix

I've got the Tein SS setup with 215/35/18 on there and it only rubs on the highway when I hit one particular dip. With 40 series I think it might rub alot. It's set at Tein stock height and no spacers 45mm offset. Oh yeah them mudflaps on the front are gonna hafta come off, mine scraped on every speedbump and anthill.
http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/8233/teinss0025pl.jpg

I'm guessing yours rub in the back? My 18's rubbed only in the rear at the very top of the fender lip when I had people in the rear seat and I went over a bump. That was with a spacer. I'm hoping that with the fenders rolled a bit + spacers removed it be a little better. But that would completely suck if mine rub...not fun

I'm guessing yours rub in the back? My 18's rubbed only in the rear at the very top of the fender lip when I had people in the rear seat and I went over a bump. That was with a spacer. I'm hoping that with the fenders rolled a bit + spacers removed it be a little better. But that would completely suck if mine rub...not fun
Its one of the other. I say get some 16's and slam the fucker :lick:

No but all in all, those tires are too big for such a drop on the 18's Kahren

Well we'll see how it goes I guess. For now Ill ride around with the stockers.

Nah mine only rubs in the front, but like I said only on one dip on the highway.

I've said it about 40 times before, but it's the rear bumper mounts that the tires will rub on, once you use shortened shocks & large tires... spacers make it much much worse. You'll only rub the rear fender lips if you have a 35mm offset or lower. I've found out all of this the hard way...

I used to have 215/35-18s on 18x7.5 with a 45mm offset, with no rear rubbing when I had the B+G coilovers installed. Adding 8mm spacers made for some seriously heinous tire scrapage on the corner of the rear bumper mounts. I shaved the bumper mounts down to the bolt heads & no more rubbing. Later on, when experimenting with wider tires & lower offsets, I had to cut out the bumper mounts completely, & drill new ones about 1-1/2" further back & then trim down the fender lips & the edge of the bumper too.

Up front, you'll rub the plastic tabs that attach the inner linings to the fender lips like crazy with 215/40-18s... guranteed. Ask anyone using that tire size. If you keep it raised up high enough, you can simply remove a couple of the plastic tabs, & maybe trim the linings slightly. if you want to lowere it more than 2.5" or so, you will have to trim or roll the metal fender lips. I used a cutting wheel & a dremel to trim off probably 8-10mm from the front lips, & I still rub every once in a while with a 3" drop, even on 195/60-15s & stock wheels.

I think I've posted this about 3-4 times now at least... sorry to repeat myself.

Here are some pics I took today....(WHAT! Rain in January in Vermont??! haha)

http://video.phatg20.net/koojo/pics/lowered(1).jpg

http://video.phatg20.net/koojo/pics/lowered.jpg

http://video.phatg20.net/koojo/pics/lowered(3).jpg

http://video.phatg20.net/koojo/pics/lowered(2).jpg

http://video.phatg20.net/koojo/pics/lowered(4).jpg

AHH BLUR!
http://video.phatg20.net/koojo/pics/lowered(5).jpg

Looking good Kahren!

looks good, i like your turbo badge

Koojo, What height did you set these at? Did you set them up with a zero drop right now, for winter, or did you do a further drop. Talking with MEP, he said the the Tien SS already have about a 1" drop over stock due to the Tein SS shorter shock body & springs. I p/u the same set in late December, but I'm going to wait until the spring to install them due to unpredictable winter weather here in Canada.....

BTW, the car looks sweet! Did you have the wheels refinished or did you get them that way?

Lou: Here is Koojo's great write-up on the wheels.

http://www.g20.net/forum/showthread.php?t=41012&highlight=DIY

Koojo, What height did you set these at? Did you set them up with a zero drop right now, for winter, or did you do a further drop. Talking with MEP, he said the the Tien SS already have about a 1" drop over stock due to the Tein SS shorter shock body & springs. I p/u the same set in late December, but I'm going to wait until the spring to install them due to unpredictable winter weather here in Canada.....

BTW, the car looks sweet! Did you have the wheels refinished or did you get them that way?

I believe the front ones are just a tad lower than stock, but basically the stock setting. In the back it's stock setting. Here the snow is pretty crazy at times, but they usually plow the roads here quickly, so its not a big deal. The ride is very nice :)

Ya I did the wheels myself.

koojo...do u regret buying the agx/tein combo and wish u had bought the Tein ss from the begininning? and how has vermont winter driving been with the drop?? Im not sure which one to get

I dont regret having the agx/tein combo at all. I didn't want to spend $900 for a new set of tein ss, so i just settled for the other. Agx/tein combo is great, and I would recommend it. Unless ofcourse you can save up and buy the tein ss coilovers. I really like both, but basically it comes down to how much money you are willing to pay

gotcha...thnx