NEX SS Coilover Review

NEX SS Coilover Review

Well they came finally. I've been holding my breath this entire time. LOL I have pictures up, but I won't get around to installing them until this coming Monday due to my too busy schedule. On a lighter note, they seem to be very well made. The upper strut mounts are solid steel and very durable. Well, enjoy!

Box


Open box


Front strut


Front strut upper mount


Rear strut (Very long. Couldn't fit into the entire pic. )


The whole family



More pics to come after I lower the car even more. A review will posted up on the ride quality and handling as well. Look forward to it.

makes me want to sell my xbox and tv to buy a set and drop my car like its hot

Get some adjustable camber plates before you install!

I can't afford those those now. I have perfectly brand new camber kits that I'll use for now. If you can find me a good deal on adjustable plates, I might change my mind though.

and then ill buy your camber plates from you so i can fit my 16 in enkeis on without rubbing haha

You mean, my camber kits. LOL I want the plates for myself.

I just looked up the prices for adjustable plates.

1)159.99 + shipping for AE111 TEIN's
2)299.80 shipped for AE111 C-One's.
3)246.23 shipped for Cusco's.

Damn. And that's only for the front too.

notice how the top strut-to-wheel hub bolt hole is elongated.. it was made that way to allow for camber adjustment.

So you're saying that only the front struts are capable of having adjustable plates? The rear isn't elongated, so I'm assuming it's fixed and can't move. I can still use a traditional camber kit in the rear though?

I know I should get the car lowered to my likes before getting an alignment, but does it need a break in period before doing the alignment? My friend says at least 500 miles to let the springs settle in before bringing it in to be aligned. In the manual that came with the coilovers, it says to get an alignment soon after the ride height is decided and then break it in. So now I'm not sure what to think.

in case you werent aware already...

adust the collar that controls the spring height all the way up, just before there is preload on the spring. then use the adjustable lower mount (that the hub assembly bolts to) to adjust ride height. only use the spring adjustment for fine tuning.

good stuff.

The springs were already preloaded from the factory with the locking perches tight in position already so I only need to adjust height from rotating the lower mount itself now. But you're right, if I want to go lower, I will have to use the spring adjustment.

Actually, I might just bring my car in to a shop to get the coilovers corner balanced. They'll adjust everything for me according to the weight at each corner for best handling.

how much were the co's?

you bought it off on ebay?

775 shipped.

No. I bought them from prostreetonline. I got a discount too. It ended up being cheaper than buying them from ebay.

are these good brands? i've never heard of them before

installation day is tomorrow everyone ready for the real review?

what are the spring rates?

8/6

i get my tokicos tomorrow...

Random LOL

Speaking about tomorrow though... I'm installing these tomorrow. I'll let everyone know how it turns out and how it handles and drives.

its not random =] we were talking about tomorrow....and suspension....so i added in

775 is not bad, did you do an alignment afterwards?

Update: INSTALLED and TESTED

Install
The entire process took about 3 hours since a lot of the suspension components were seized up from not having been taken apart in so long. Even with full impact tools, it was time consuming. The camber kits were a once time use only, so the stripped coming out. I ended up throwing them in the garbage. I'm looking around for a good deal on camber plates for the front coils. The rear coils have adjustable camber on the knuckle. I'm thinking of getting the TEIN camber plates since they are the cheapest at the moment brand new. Another plus is that they're gold which matches the gold theme of the coilovers. All the brake line clips were detached and the old units were pulled out, still in pretty good condition. Like my mechanic told me after he inspected them, they're still good for a long while. The units pretty much popped right in except for the rear left. The studs were a little crooked so me and my friend had to use an air drill to bore the strut mounts a little wider to accommodate. Other than that, it was pretty straight forward. I adjusted the height by rotating the strut mount bottom itself. The stock height of the coilovers compared to the old strut setup are so much lower that I didn't have to lower it that much. I think I did 1.5 inches in the fronts and 2.25 inches for the rears. The front have absolutely no wheel gap. I can fit only one finger in there. The rear is actually somewhat tucked into the wheel well. Luckily the rear fenders are rolled pretty well and I don't scrape or rub on any turns. After I order and install my front camber plates, I'll lower the front 0.25-0.5 inches and bring the car in for an alignment. The alignment at this time isn't that bad, so I'm not too worried about my tires wearing out that bad. The camber in the front is a little bit negative. It certainly helps in turns. LOL

Test run
It only runs a little bit stiffer than my old units, but the dampening is much better matched. I can actually feel the road better through the steering wheel. Pitch and lean is reduced even further and my tires actually protest through hard turns. The car feels like it can go faster, but the tires can't keep up. I'm already running on V speed tires. I also think that my tires are too meaty, since I'm running 205's on a 6.5 inch wide wheel. The tire wall is too thick and flexes through the turns. I need tires with less sidewall for less flex. When I get new tires, I'll switch to 195/55/15 Falken Azenis RT615's. I also wanted to stagger them for better neutral handling with wider 195 up front and 185 rear, but my friend talked me out of it due to economical issues. The steering is very responsive now. I'm not afraid to attend some autocross events now. However, I would still like to get a Whiteline rear sway bar to stiffen up the rear for more neutral handling. Understeer is still quite prominent, but so much better with these coils.

Overall, I'm very satisfied. It's the best money I've ever spent on the car. It's got a pretty smooth and forgiving cruising ride and yet it gets aggressive and unyielding on the turns. The coils are pretty stiff and I found myself three wheeling the car over some driveways or ditches. It does the teeter totter before the drive wheel hits the pavement and chirps. haha

did you just put "rear" and "steering knuckle" in the same sentence?

so when do i get to test drive the car?

haha my bad. I was too excited and was typing in a hurry. I meant the rear strut knuckle. LOL I stand corrected.

When's the next meet?

nice review but knowing nex is not a good brand to being with,anyways let us know how well the coilover hold up for the next 3 months.

got any pics?

What are you basing your judgment on? I did research on this for months. I've read reviews on NSX's, WRX's, and IS300's running these and they love it and haven't had any problems. There are also other reviews from other cars and models too which they haven't complained either.

There's no point. LOL The car just looks lower. And the coils I've already taken pictures of. Plus, I can't fit a camera in there.

btw, I love the new ride feel. It's responsive, yet not bone jarring.

Drop by my office! I want to see it!