The MacPhearson strut/coil design is both well suited to the light weight of the S13 chassis, but because of it's ease of packaging and development for the auto manufacturer, it is an easy place for the OEM to save money or tweak the car for certain characteristics. In the case of the US-spec S13, the springs are weak at best, and the damping of the struts/shocks is designed for soaking up train-track bumps, not keep the car flat under braking and ease weight transition on the track. But here is also the easiest place for the aftermarket tuner to truly ruin a great car.

 

 

Most builders set up their cars for the track. That is great in theory, but unless the car is a race car, it will more than likely see street use more than you think. Once again, a proper tuning mentality must be observed, and the decisions on ride height, spring strength, and dampening levels are all vital to a car that is as fast as the driver can make it. While my car sees occasional track time and time trials, it is also what gets me to class and out wit da ladies on Friday nights, so the car needed to be fast in one arena and soft in another. Hmmm. Here I turned to the wizards at Nismo.

 

Nismo is the racing arm of Nissan Motor Co. LTD. and has a 30+ year legacy of dominance of Japanese and international motorsport. The Nismo S-Tune Coilover (Street Tune) shock/spring combination was designed for the purpose of creating a car that is stable on the track, but is also comfortable and easy to drive on the street. They are priced very low now that Nismo has returned to the USA full force (after a 5 year lapse), so the price has gone down considerably since I purchased them about 16 months ago. The front drop is 25mm, while the rear is an even more conservative 15mm. This keeps the car off the bump stops and allows room for shock compression so that the suspension can actually work. Lower may look good, but in the real world, it usually equates to slower lap times (this statement is more in depth in reality that I have made it, but for all intents and purposes, on a road car, lower does not equal faster) For you nerds, here are the numbers. All shocks were tested on dyno measuring max. compression velocity at 1cm/sec. Scroll down for pictures.