Suspension, Tires, Rims (and some other oddities...)

[InKonCysTanT]

I just got my eibach prokit, and AGX shox, what i am wondering is, when i install these, what else should i get?
I always see camber correcting things, and polyeurothane bushing and all this junk.
What exactly do i need when i change out my suspension system, that is 200K old.?
Also, I think my bearing plates are hosed, but i am not certain yet, do the KYB Strut mount towers have those bearing plates in them? And if not, do i even need those tower mounts?

Secondly, I wana get nice rims and badass tires for my car, but i know alot of you know aobut wheel gap and all its horridness, so, can I fit 18's on an s13? or no?
and if i am stuck with 17's, should i look into a taller series to make up for the wheel gap? or keep it within spec so my spedometer is on the money? (what is it? 215, 40, 17? to match the factory 195, 60, 15?)

Lastly, this is just a cosmetic question, but I own a 1991 240SX, the production date is 7/90, the vin says its a 91, the title says its a 91, it has a 91 bumper.
Then, why does my spedometer go up in 5, 15, 25, 35, etc, while all the 91' gauges i have seen go up in 10, 20, 30, 40<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>
can anyone explain this?

(some quick background on my car, guy sold it to me telling me it was a 91 with 66k on it, i was stupid, and 240 n00b, and bought it believing him, finding out later, its has a 90' engine in it with 60K miles on it, and a body with 200K miles on....)

Also, I have my tranny out right now, installing an ACT clutch, cuz this one just went out, is there anyway i can do a manaul checkup on my tranny to make sure its shipshape without spending 80$ to have some grease monkey look at it?


Thanks!
-Eric

[drift freaq]

wow a lot of questions at once:) &nbsp;lets see . yes you need the top part of your stock strut mounts to mount the new KYB's .
Second off yes you can replace bushings with polyurethane given the mileage on your car I would say you should first off replace your tension control rod bushings. Two ways you know these are bad . One is your steering goes clunk when you turn the wheel and make a low speed turn like moving out of a parking space.
Two if you actually at them you will see that they are cracked and oozing goo (that is if they are bad) Now if you don't have a repair manual yet I would say go get one.
As far as tires and wheels go that is going to be a preference issue on your part . You have to decide what size tires and wheels you want. I would suggest looking at pic of cars with different tire and wheel sizes / Go to tirerack.com they have a wheel fitment web browser setup that allows you to see different rim and tire sizes on your car to help in your decision and yes they have the 240sx.
you do have a conundrum in your car. I will say that with a production date of 7/90 your car is a 90.
It probably sat on the lot and was not sold and registered till 91.
this happens sometimes. If the production date was october of 90 then it would be a real 91 because Nissan always starts next years production in late summer early fall. Hence the 2003 350z will be available this august. Which is why they are taking orders for it now.

hope this helps

[InKonCysTanT]

tranny?
and btw, Yes, I get this sound when i steer, its like a Clunk sound, or metal rubbing agaisnt something, low speeds normally.
(les schawb thought it was the bearing plates)

Ok, how much are these bushings normally?
and how much are the strut mounts?


&quot;Two if you actually at them you will see that they are cracked and oozing goo (that is if they are bad) Now if you don't have a repair manual yet I would say go get one. &quot; &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>? what are you talking about?

I do have a repair manual...

I dunno dude, the bumper looks stock.
but, is there any other ways to tell a 90 froma 91 that would be hard to change?

[InKonCysTanT]

oh, I have been to tire rack
but they dont list 18's on there.
i think maybe one pair
I just wana know what everyone here has, and if they have pics (perferably with the agx, and eibach setup so i can tell how it will look with those springs since i have them)

<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>
CAN you fit 18's is i think what i am asking, and also, what tire size should i have on an 18, or 17 so that my spedometer is correct?

[MorganS13]

so thats what that clunking noise is when i'm turnin at low speed!!! &nbsp;is it normal for a car like mine with 94k miles to have this wear out? &nbsp;btw i also have pro-kits and AGX shocks that have settled for a couple months now. i have stock 7-spoke SE rims but i'm gonna be posting pics once i get them scanned. &nbsp;so anyways yea i'd really like to know how much those bushings (tension control rod bushings, right?) are to replace and am i doing a lot of damage by driving on them now? thanks a lot

[drift freaq]

ok guys, &nbsp;first off InKon, the only reason i suggested service manual is because it will show that you need the upper strut mount that came on the car to put in your KYB's. I did not say you did not have one. if you read my post I said if you do not have one go get one. Plus on the stock car the upper strut mounts are rubber thick pieces of it. there are no bearing plates. that is called pillow ball mounts and are only on expensive aftermarket coil over setups.
Also because of how they are made they rarely go bad.

As far as your tranny goes no there is no way for you to check it out. It requires removing the bell housing and trans case to see the gears
All you can do is answer these questions and that will give you insight.\
1. If you take off the trans oil drain plug it is magnetized is there any chunks of metal that are somewhat large clinging to it?
If there is that is a sign of extreme wear. If not then you should be in good shape
2. does it grind into gears at all especially 2nd or 3rd?
if it does then your sychro's could be a little fried.
Of course you must remember &nbsp;if you had a clutch that just went out &nbsp;your going to have a hard time telling this because clutchs going out can cause this sorta of noise too. due to lack of proper engagement.

ok now as far as tension control rod bushings go you can get aftermarket polyurethane bushing to replace the worn out ones you need to have someone press &nbsp;them in ,
the actual bushings are about $35-$45 getting them put in all depends on if you want to do it yourself or have someone put them in. putting in the rods after the bushings have been pressed in is not hard except once you are done you will need a wheel alignment. worry about these because I highly doubt your upper strut mounts are bad. never heard of them going bad on anyone .
as far as wheels go 18's are a little on the large side for our cars and I would not recommend them. 17's are fine if your street and show . If you autocross or drift then you are better off with 16's or 15's
215/40-205/40 is not bad for 17's some people go a little wider.
205-215/50's are good for 16's mind you these are very close to stock diameter thereby not messing up your speedo calibration.

oh yeah Morgan it is normal for the TC rod bushings to wear out. Its more of an age factor than mileage factor.
they are silicon impregnated rubber . Over time the rubber drys and cracks and the silicon oozes out. It is better to change them once you know they have gone bad your car will like you for it and your steering response will improve dramatically as well as getting rid of wheel shimmy at speed.

[InKonCysTanT]

Drift - Thank you <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>