What suspension should i use

[Panda express]

Hey guys, Right now I have unknown chopped suspension on my 510 im tired of pogoing down the road with old suspension (The front doesn't absorb anything). Im looking for what rating i should get, what brand, ect.... The research ive done I came to the conclusion of 350lbs in the front and 900lbs int the back. I want to to be low but not get stuck on speed bumps low! (Im new on Ratsun forgive my noob questions) Am i way off or not too bad? And i know it matters on the driver but still what do you drive on? By the way its a 1972 510 with a l16 and with almost everything stock if that helps!

[Dat Lurka]

I will help ye with thy quest. But thou must give forth pics.

[datzenmike]

Well first you need to know what you have and where you are before going maybe stiffer. 350 front is on the high end of stiff for a 510. The back should match the front and to do that you would need over a 1,300 pound rear spring. to get a 350 rear rating. Everyone is different but somewhere between 200 and 275 fronts. A 900 pound spring in the rear is felt as a 236 pound because of the 3.8 cantilever ratio so this would agree with a 230 pound front. (you can always go stiffer later)

 

 

Some pictures of your front springs maybe.??

 

Define pogoing down the street.

 

Someone may have taken too much spring off and it's bottoming out the strut perhaps?

 

Or is it bouncing too much?

[Panda express]

[Panda express]

Here she is! and yes bouncing so much! in the front you can put all your wight without it moving!

[Uber Deaf One]

350 lbs is way too stiff for the front.. I run 275 lb front springs with a heavier KA and have no desire to go stiffer. The springrate you decide to go with depend on what you plan on doing with the car. If it's 100% driven on the street I wouldn't go any stiffer than 200 lbs up front.

 

If the bouncing is that bad it sounds like your shocks are blown. But I wouldn't drive around on random unknown cut springs either.

 

Do you have coilovers up front?

 

It's pretty much impossible to get stuck on speed bumps in a 510.

[yellowdatsun]

You're not even remotely close. How did you come up with those figures?

 

More than likely you're riding on the bump stops, hence the lack of travel. Investigate this first before you do anything else. With how low the back is, I'd bet money on it.

 

Shocks can also go bad, causing them to basically seize. Causing a super rough ride. Check this too.

 

You might just need new struts in the front, and not springs. You'd be amazed with how much difference a new pair of struts makes.

 

What do you plan on doing with the car? Daily driver, track car? Daily with some track days? How are the roads around you?

[datzenmike]

Here she is! and yes bouncing so much! in the front you can put all your wight without it moving!

 

If you can put all your weight on it without movement then it stiff. It's not what I would call bouncing as there seems to be very little suspension movement. Perhaps you mean the ride is harsh/hard/uncomfortable? When the spring rate is too high the tire has to give.

 

A picture of your front spring may help.

[datzenmike]

You're not even remotely close. How did you come up with those figures?

 

350 /900 may work for a much heavier 240sx of zx car but the 510 is just over 2,100 pounds. Beware reading racers and street bragging comments in magazines and thinking they apply to a street car. By street car I mean expected to be driven daily in all conditions on real roads. By race car I mean purpose built cars intended for extremes of acceleration, braking, speed and suspension travel and handling. Very little 'racing' equipment and theory works well on a 'street' car. (spoiler, drilled rotors, header...) By all means almost any car will benefit from a slight shift towards being a 'race car'. Bigger brakes, lower, suspension mods, tires, engine power. Keep in mind that you are going from 'street' to 'race' and at some point your car won't navigate the speed bumps in the 7/11 parking lot and it's so stiff that you piss blood at night.

 

"Enjoy your car, don't endure it"....... 'Musings of a Datsun Owner' (1976) by M Rogers

[banzai510(hainz)]

I dont think your even low enough

to me you just got big tall tires

 

take tires off and take photos of everything.sabe them cause we will want to see. also take photos of motor, elelctrical ect. maybe we can see a hack job

[Panda express]

Ok guys ill try to get the pics up this saturday! i don't have coil overs! by the way how do people like the ground control coil over kit? So my front rate is off how is 900lbs in the back? Yes the ride is very harsh. Ya i want to go lower and im mid putting a new harness because of how bad the wiring was when i bought it.

[datzenmike]

900 is 236.

[Panda express]

[Panda express]

[Panda express]

Can these pictures help at all?

[datzenmike]

Yup, looks like a stock 510 strut. Can't tell if the spring was cut or not.

[Panda express]

What kinda options of strut do i have?

[FiveTenzo]

People always say 300lb springs are to stiff. I have 300lbs all around, front agx shock, rear qa1. It's As smooth as tits! Might go 350-375lbs.