thxone

I was searching..."with the search button"...for some info on the camber of the rear tires and did not come up with any info. Now my rear tires lean out at the top of the tire kinda like this \ / if you view the car from the rear but not THAT extreme. My rear suspension is very stiff, I am 180lbs and even with all my weight on the hatch I can barely move it. Now if I get new shocks and springs like the Tokico HP's will they correct the camber issue or is it something else that makes the tires do that? I do like the fact that the car does not squat when I launch though, but it can't be too good to corner when the rear tires sit like that...coincidently my front tires do the exact opposite!! / \ looks goofy as all hell and the front end is soft and bounces a little...so, shocks and springs? Or am I looking at a problem suspension? Edit: 1982 280zx NA Coupe.

SHADY280

there are kits for the front, but i believe the rear kit is out of production, so just cut the springs lower, if there diff from stock to achieve the proper stance, then buy new stock fronts or the camber kit

NismoPick

What rear springs are you using right now?

Unfortunately, the 280zx rear suspension isn't easily adjustable. The easiest way to get a lil negative camber, is to get shorter, stiffer springs. I have posted info about using Mercedes 300D springs & cutting them to the right height.

Other than that, the only other good way, is to cut vertical slits in the contol arm bolt holes, to drop the arms down about .5" allowing the bottom to move out & the top in some. MSA used to sell a 280zx camber kit, but have now discontinued it. Bleach & I have similar plans to use spare suspensions & test ways to make the camber adjustable.... Over the summer I'll be doing that.

thxone

I think the springs and shocks in the rear may have been changed...so is it possible that because they are so stiff it makes the top of the tires do that? I am going to be getting the Tokico shocks and springs but want to make sure that will fix the problem...if indeed that is the problem...it makes sense being the fronts are doing the opposite and those are the factory stock 82 springs and struts...did I just answer my own question? I was trying to find out if any of you had the same problem out back and if shocks and sprigns fixed it, they are not out that much, but enough to bother me appearance wise.

thxone

I think they are just parts store replacement shocks and springs, but the car does sit real high in the rear...man the more I think about it the more I want to get the other shocks and springs.

SHADY280

just cut them down till then so you dont wear your tires on the outside edge

Skully

when i went to get springs...they said only one available was a "cargo spring" for stock replacement which is 1" higher then stock...that is why it sits like that...

thxone

I have been told that it is not safe to cut springs or heat them up to lower them so I am not going that route. The cargo spring thing makes sense, I would assume then the Tokico's are not as stiff and being they will lower the car properly should fix the problem.

SHADY280

cutting is fine providing you take off equal amounts, heating them on the other hand IS dangerous

jfairladyz

cutting can be foolish however. On a streetcar it's not going to be such a big deal other than making the ride stiffer. But for something used for racing or something along those lines you an easily destroy the balance of a car if you're not careful while cutting. Cutting too much off can also result in unpredictable spring behaviour and binding of the spring and bottoming of hte suspension.

Cutting half a coil isn't likely to have any adverse affects though. Heating can change a spring rate without you even knowing it. And having a different spring rate at all 4 corners isn't exactly safe when it comes to handling and predictability. It will take considerable heat however to change the properties of the spring. Heating is a common method of flattening the bottom of the spring so it will sit flush in it's perch. This isn't neccessary with these cars due to the design of the perch. It has a recess for the portion of the coil that hangs down. So heating the springs on a 280zx after cutting isn't neccessary.

colin_barnes

I have recently replaced the entire suspension on my '83 coupe. I initially bought all stock ride height springs from my local AutoZone. I had the exact same problem that you are having with your rear springs. The front springs were the correct ride height, but I believe that they sold me the rear springs for the 2+2. They fit fine, but they were obviously a higher spring rate to compensate for the increased rear weight of the 2+2. They made the car look like it had air shocks that were pumped up on it.. I removed and returned them. I then bought the Eibach ProKit set. They make the car sit a little lower but the quality in the spring metal is substantial.. They don't 'bounce' near as much now and they are, of course, stiffer.. I looked into the camber kit option to remedy the camber problem, and you can buy them, but I decided to go with the Eibachs.. Hope this helps..

thxone

It helped alot, I called my buddy in Ga. with the 2+2 because I helped him put springs and shocks on the rear of his car from Advance Auto a while back...long story short his numbers are the same as mine. Advance only offers those numbers and they expect it to cover both the coupe and 2+2. If anyone is going to buy parts from them, have them check to see if it is the same part number for both models that year. You could be buying one part to fix a problem only to have it cause other problems like tire wear and back pain from the stiff ride.

The shock is the culprit for the camber problem and the spring is helping it keep the top of the tire outward with added tension or vise versa...After spending almost $60 to fill my gas tank up and loading about 350lbs in parts in my hatch for my buddies 96 Cobra we both noticed the tires were sitting straight up and down and the body of the car was 1 1/2 - 2 inches lower making the car sit level. This was the physical proof I needed to say the shocks and springs were just too damn stiff for this car and made me check the numbers both with the auto parts store and my buddies 2+2.

I know I want progressive springs now, now that I have felt what they do. We put some on my buddies Cobra and was able to feel the before and after...HOLY CRAP!! Smooth ride when just cruising but when we took it through some fast corners it got pretty stiff and the body roll was reduced (Eibach Pro-Kit). I hope it works that good on my coupe. Thanks guys for the help.

SHADY280

thats also the shocks helping the ride quality, they sell the spring as "general" fit, and can be cut as desired, i use progressive 1 ton chevy van front springs on mine, and need to cut the back down.

wake2wake

TEN DOLLAR FIX go to an auto parts store and they should have coil clamps that will pinch one coil to the other like this / / / // / /