Custom S12 Springs

Hey ppl,

K-mac springs in Sydney have offered to make custom springs for the S12 IRS rear end. All we have to do is send a front and rear spring to them and that day they can have the springs made up. At $165 a pair, it seems pretty good for a pair of lowered, stiffer springs.

I am calling out to all those Sydneysiders to see if you's have some springs lying around, as i am in Melbourne its not worth posting my springs (off my car so i wont be able to drive it untill i get them back) to Sydney.

The other option is to measure an S12's springs under load (the car sitting on em), and again, i cant do that as i aint driving 15hours to Sydney, so "a little help" from the locals??

Once K-mac have done this, S12 springs will be part of their product catalogue, and that means anyone can get springs for their S12!

So can any Sydney ppl help out?? It would really help the S12 community.

Cheers

Heh it would help the s12 community... yeh right hehehe :tongue:

Anyway i can get the stock springs out to k-mac if you want. Just give me an address to send them too.

Prob might be getting the front springs off.

Just let me know what you want to do and ill get the springs off! Also any help with taking of the front springs would be great 8)

Front springs are easy to get off just don't point them anywhere where you might still want things when you are undoing that nut ;)
Thats how i did it, they aren't uber springy so it wasn't to bad out in the open yard.

I would definately pick up a set. Shipping would be a bitch, but I need some better handling. HURRY! :)

Will kmac ship to USA?

www.k-mac.com.au/

they sell internationally! they also sell a camber and toe correction kit for Z31's, and they have the same IRS as our S12's.

check em out!

I already got a pair of IRS lowered springs made by them months ago, I just asked for Z31 springs that were 65mm lower than standard. Same as Neb. Cost me that price delivered, (trade though). Go for it they do the job nicely!

what spring rate, how much to they lower your gaz..............we need to know to relay back to K-mac, so that instead of asking for Z31 rears at 65mm lower, we ask for S12 springs, 50mm lower. We deserve our own springs, not share with another car. Makes it easier for others who dont know that the IRS is the same as a Z31, and that the lowering heights are different.

I am just trying to simplify sourcing springs for the IRS S12.

Well we sorta do have our own springs its just that they are s12/z31 springs at different heights.

K-Mac should know this and have it listed as S12 = Z31 65-60mm lowered or something like that. a King springs guy knew this so it was easy for me to order, but not everyone at kings knows for some reason.. :confused:

And whiteline make lowered fronts so thats another plus!

Spring rate is very crucial here. The spring height will depend on the spring rate. The higher the spring rate, the shorter the spring will need to be to get the desired height once on the car. Can K-Mac do the math, or do we have to?

270lb linear rate. If you want to see what the car ride height looks like pm Nebuchernezzer on this forum he has full side view pics of his car that shows you the ride height. He also has comparison pics of the standard springs beside the K-mac lowered ones.

Here is an even better pic, me driving along the road, gives you a much better perspective than any of the static shots i took myself.
Taken by my mate from his Nissan NX-R

It's a big pic by the way so i linked it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Nebuchernezzer/My%20Car/DSCF0834.jpg

nice.! there site is very confusing can you post the link to where i can order them from? and maybe the part number?

Here's the phone number, just remember the difference in time from here to the east coast of the US is something like 16 hours or so:

61 2 95561799

This sounds awesome and my brother just happens to be traveling AUS, hopefully everything is set up befor he comes back and he can fill up his bags with some springs!!!

FRIKIN hell!! I rang K-Mac and they rekond that they dont have a spring to suit the S12 IRS!! (i guess it depends who u get to talk to)
newayz,
ive had some custom springs made by Industrial springs here in ADELAIDE.

240lb, 1.75inch lower. took em a month to do it... havnt piked em up yet, cant wait to see the difference it makes!! im payin $170.

IM NOT HAPPY with my KING springs though (well the ride is awesome very firm!!) but the height is poo! hardly looks lower, there is still hell room under the gaurds! I guess i do have 15" rims with 195/60's at da front.

k-mac DO NOT have S12 IRS springs, they sell Z31 IRS rear springs. This is why i want to get them to make the springs specifically for our car, to stop the above ^^^^^^ from happening.

mate i hope u r not talkin about K-mac on princrs high way i live near them and they r full of sh!t man...

i have been there and asked 1 of the the guys that works there around 6 month ago and he look at the car and said we don't make them....

But if they do now!!! then how long will they need the car 4 if less than a week i will give them mine and get it done as well.
give me the address and there contacts ok
cheers

my gazelle is an IRS so yeah i want it to handle as good as it should.

They definitely do make them, as myself and Neb have them. And it is kmac on princes highway. We didn't give them the car we just ordered the springs, (thanks to Neb, he did all the hard work), then you just put them in yourself. Its not a real technical job to change them over, (1. put the car on stands, 2. put a trolley jack, (or a scissor jack if you don't have one) under the swing arm and take the tension up with the jack, 3. Undo the top shock nut, 4. lower the trolley jack and the spring will pop free, 5 Put the new spring in and reverse the preceding steps). They are 270lb linear rate. You don't ask them what you need you have to tell them what you want,(i.e. lead them by the nose) and they will make them for you; and like it or not you have to ask for 65mm lowered Z31 springs 270lb linear rate.
Its really immaterial whether you class them as s12 or Z31 springs, at the end of the day you just want your car lowered nicely with good firm springs!! The Z31 IRS spring will fit an IRS Gazelle,(in the KING SPRINGS catalogue they are the same part number its just that for a Z31 they are listed as lowered and for the s12 they are listed as STANDARD HEIGHT!!) its just that the ride height will be to high therefore you order 65mm lowered, which is not an off the shelf item so they make them, no problem.
To check they lower the car nicely check pics of Nebs car.

pic of spring fitted

Pic of Nebs car to show ride height

lowered spring compared to original

hmmm ... anyone got pics of the lowered fronts next to the stockers?

Whiteline's catalog has no listing for anything before the S13.

Holy shit.... Those springs are SHORT!

You guys have me confused. You're saying 270lb progressive rate, but your pics are showing a linear spring, not a progressive spring. Anyway, I would want linear anyway. So, if I wanted a higher rate spring, could I call them up and ask for a Z31 400lb spring 75mm shorter?

Nebs are not progressive, they are linear. My King springs on the other hand are progressive Z31 springs lowered 65mm.

I know for sure that King springs can make any spring you want with the required rate and height. I think it was $240 AUD for two springs.

try www.kingsprings.com.au if you have problems with k-mac.

does any1 know where/ how i can get coil overs 4 my gazelle in sydney???

call justjap.com.au
sssautomotive.com.au

nissansilvia.com forums
silviansw.com forums

i cancelled my order for K-Mac rear springs and swaybars for my live axle.

because when i rang them, they said "yeah, we can make the springs as hard as you want...we have them here, sway bars too" (i'm after 6kg/cm rearsprings).

when i went there (2hr drive from Goulburn) they said i had to order them in, and they didn't know what 6kg/cm meant. they weren't even going to consider make a set of springs for me. it turns out they have "30% or 50% thincker".

then there's the sway bars:

me: how thick are they??
k-mac: thacker than standard (duh!!)
me: seriously??
k-mac: 24mm
me: it is possible my car could have a 27.5mm swaybar standard. what about the rear?
k-mac: 20mm. it is better than nothing.
me: wanna see my standard rear swaybar?? (was in the back of my other car)
k-mac: ours is not that thick.

damn fool!! :wall: :wall: :no: :no:

i'm contacting whiteline on monday as well as pedders.

i also have a man who will knock up a set of ajustable rear shocks for me. i let yous know how i go.

So what specs would you guys have your springs made to given the choice?
Im about to have mine made here in NZ and they want me to provide specs.. I plan to hit the track in two weeks so I want as low as poss and as solid as poss! This post has only confused me so far, so can some someone please post specs of the 'perfect' rear drift spring. (Front will be coil overs)
Thanks guys, thisl be a huge help...
Tony

To add to this, once I have mine. Ill post details and maybe we can get you aussies some sets made? I know of at least one person keen...
Tony

I'm looking into adapting springs from other cars now, cos i'm a stingy bastard haha. I'm the owner of those shiney orange springs (and the feet in the green thongs (flip flops to you ner zulanders) too hehe, and the 270lbs that they are supposed to be is ok but a bit soft for what i want, on the road it's quite good and my car is quite heavy as far as S12s go (1265kg) with a R200LSD, and power roof etc all weighing it down. With a 1050kg hatch (ie umai na) they would probably be pretty sweet but they are slightly slightly to soft for my liking. I'm going to look at somthing around 300-350lb and see what i can come up with. Looking at fairmont or falcon front springs (also looking at them for my doribird project) so i'll see how they go.

whats 6kg/cm in pounds??

lousy metric system...

So whats a good drop from standard? For drift.. (mm)

can a local who's after springs leant K-mac your car for the day so we can get some springs!

50mm is a good drop at the front, 45mm at the rear. I rekon 30-50% stiffer is also the way to go.

So once again, any help locals! I'll buy you a slab when i am up there this summer!

Like i have said I can send them my stock springs BUT this cant be done untill the weekend and then it may be a couple more days till they are sent from work.

I have to send the springs and charge it to work so its a bit of a bastard!

If no1 can then Ill start on taking the springs off the front struts.

..christ...im seeing 300-400 pound rate springs...eesh..but i guess if its race use...im going with 225lb rear, 200 front..sound ok?

ok, emailed K-mac again, funny i am now on a first name basis with Kevin, the sales dude. if you email, say u are with Dave with the S12 gazelle, they'll know u are after the same stuff.

now once a local drops off a car, they are going to make some springs to lower the car 50mm, and increase springs rate by 30%. Therefore you can retain your standard shocks, as they said to me. Its a nice set for street driven cars, not drift pigs, hahaha.

If you want stiffer springs, just go for 300lb S12 50mm low fronts, and 270lb Z31 60mm low rears.

Anyways, we need a local to drop the car of to them.

Anyways, we need a local to drop the car of to them.

Hey shep, I got my springs off the front strut. Now I have front and rear springs sitting here waiting for something to be done with them!

Do you want me to send them to k-mac so they can make a set up for us or do they need the whole car?

I can't wait for stiffer and lower rear springs.:)

salps, fronts would be good, but if we can get an entire car dropped in there, they can make the rears as well. At this rate i'll have coilovers b4 the K mac springs.

what shocks are a good match with the 270lb constant rate rear springs?

my mate is getting his AE86 done by ppl who do the V8 supercars, and they recomended for street car with a little track work, they said like 275lb front, 250lb rears..........my thinkin is cause the S12 is a little heavier, i am going 300lb fronts and 270lb rears............but the shocks are what i am worried about.

K mac said 30% stiffer will enable you to keep the shockers u already have, but still, 180lb or so springs it way to soft!

why does the car have to be dropped off to make springs for the rear? I have the stock rear spings here!

Anyway tell me what you want me to send to k-mac and then Ill get them sent on monday arvo.

You may also want to contact k-mac to make sure they know to expect the springs.

they need the car so they can measure how high it sits with the car's weight on it.

but yeah, email K mac and see if they can do it with the stockers as a referance.