K11 Lowering options + ride and handling qualities.

spm_steve

spm_steve

Hi.

I know there are many threads on the ins/outs of how to lower a k11, but I've struggled to find many reviews of the ride quality and handling.

For example the alto/matiz rear springs swap when compared to a dedicated k11 lowering spring set.

If there are any of you who have experienced several spring/shock upgrades then I'd like to hear your subjective findings.

I'm after probably 35-50mm drop with a firmer but not harsh ride. Sportier but not rough. Tyre sizes will remain near stock, may reduce profile slightly.

I'll point out I'm not considering coilovers as my experience with my 200SX is that of limited service life and comparatively high maintenance for a 100% road use car.
Also not going to be doing any spring cutting- not right IMO.

Also are items like stiffer Anti roll bars and lower chassis braces easily available?

Thanks in advance!
 
ride & handling is quite subjective as you say cos eveyone has a different threshold they're used to.
here's my history of susp upgrades.

the stock setup with standard swaybars & very tall 185/70/13 tyres is very softly suspended for mass market occupant comfort but at the expense of sluggish unpredictable response, high body roll & pitching, very limited amount of lateral grip, loads of safe understeer.

thicker whiteline swaybars help alter the handling behavior from full understeer to more neutral/lift-off oversteer, reduced body roll and maintain the soft ride but the tall tyres are still sluggish & dangerously unpredictable at speed, loads of pitching and still limited lateral grip.

upper braces like OMP are mainly asthetics imo.

lower brace gives more effect at stabilising the weaker lower chassis geometry but only during high speed circuit stress. street driving barely pushes it.
the expensive Alu Cusco lower brace is too soft & fragile. I'd go for a cheaper stiffer steel brace like Weichers or custom made.

upgraded to a dedicated Bilstein Streetline lowering kit (from rallynuts) which matches a set of Bilstein B4 dampers & struts to some progressive wound Apex 30-35mm lowering springs.

k750-437-jpg.30798
k750-436-jpg.30797


https://www.micra.org.uk/threads/pollymobiles-rebuild.35251/#post-381108

the progressive wound spring is great for public roads cos during light short strokes rippling over the rough roads the springs are soft & comfortable but when they're compressed more like during hard braking and turning, the springs get stiffer to restrain the body. the dampers are slightly stiffer to match the stiffer springs (so going over speedbumps is mostly soft n bareable but at least it ain't bone shaking) yet maintain good wheel contact control over rough ground.
the old pitching or high bodyroll had been mostly eliminated, response from stiffer dampers & springs improved abit so overall gives driver good feedback.
pushing em on trackdays is ok but they have their limitations in controlling huge loads.

the most dramatic change in handling & grip was from upgrading to a grippy low profile 195/50/15 toyo T1R. totally transformed the feel from being sluggish, unpredictable, understeering 13" and 15" becomes very sharp, consistant and grips the tarmac very hard in most conditions.

then upgraded to adjustable BC V1 coilovers for full control and balance on trackdays. set dampers soft for roads and hard for track, 50/50 crossweight balance for consistant behavior.

the only time I've had passenger ride in a micra with corsa B coilovers & lowered alot, driven over public roads, imo compared to my silky bilstein kit it was uncomfortably hard & bouncy & unconvenient going over any bumps. fine if ur used to go-karts but for everyday use it's not my taste.
 
Cut springs and stock shocks are bearable. Cheepy coilovers are marginally better. I have absolutely no doubt that a higher, softer sprung and better damped car would ultimately be faster, and more comfortable. However neither of those come higher on my list of automotive priorities than being as close to the ground as possible.
 
1275 said:
Mark you need a go-kart then

go-karts-toronto-1.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks for your replies everyone. The above is NOT the level of ride comfort I would like!

It looks like I'll head eventually in the direction of lowering springs somewhere between 30-40mm to make a noticeable difference in driving enjoyment and lessening the huge arch gap.
As budget is of high importance too, it'll mean I should be OK without replacing the panhard and hope the stock shocks don't object to a new working height.

I'll likely then see about anti-roll bars and chassis bracing if such as things aren't too expensive... And continue my hunt for cheap-but-decent alloys for summer use.

Not trying to make my Micra a sports car (as I still have my SX in bits) just to improve to a level I can be content with and show its driven by someone who cares, rather then the normal Micra driver stereotype!
 
I like to drop the front a tad lower than the back. I've found that the best combo for some pretty impressive cornering.
I've dropped the front by 30mm and the front by 40mm
All done on standard dampers, and it works very nicely with 185x55x14 on the front, and 185x65x14 on the rear.
I put proper lowering springs on the back, and Alto springs on the front.
DSC_0088_zpsify6vtwo.jpg
 
Thanks for your input re coilovers but I'm ruling them out.
I have HSD HR coilovers on my project 200SX they're in my opinion borderline acceptable on b roads on a longer wheelbase rwd coupe. I can't imagine they'd be better on a short, dumpy lil' K11!
Also you need regular greasing of the threads and careful damper adjusting to keep them maintained. Top mounts seem faster to wear and knock too. I can tolerant this on my sporty car but I'm after a fit-and-forget solution on the k11.
My fiancée may end up with it too so needs to be fairly new-driver friendly!
 
although fully adjustable coilovers give you alot of options to perfectly tune it to suit a cars specific spec for higher performance, they do require the hassle of an important initial corner balancing setup to make em work optimally, that's the whole point of an adjustable coilover. fitting a coilover without proper matching setup is bad.

yes they require more maintainance and less durable than standard, compromise of higher overall performance/feel at the cost of vibration, comfort & shorter life.
I made waterproof covers for my coilover struts/springs to keep all elements off the delicate threads & joints.
the pillow-ball front top mounts lasted 3-4yrs of daily & hard trackday driving until they started to knock but bearing replacement is quite simple.

anyway, for low-hassle, low maintainance suspension upgrades, go for ready-made direct-fit complete suspension kits (similar to my bilstein streetline kit) from a good supplier who has already done all the calculations, calibration & testing for the car (best compromise of performance vs comfort) and locked the settings, fit & forget.
 
Adamm said:
That's a better picture!! Because obviously they do go down once you've put them on brand new I imagine? Yours looks quite smart at that height
Click to expand...

It's the angle of the photo and the wheels, standard 14" wheels with 155/65 snow tyres versus 14" 6J alloys with 185/55 tyres.
 
1275 said:
It's the angle of the photo and the wheels, standard 14" wheels with 155/65 snow tyres versus 14" 6J alloys with 185/55 tyres.
Click to expand...

Them wheels do look good! Does it ride okay and everything on them springs? No problems with speed bumps or anything?
 
Adamm said:
Them wheels do look good! Does it ride okay and everything on them springs? No problems with speed bumps or anything?
Click to expand...

Spot on, no issues at all with ground clearance, they've been on for nearly 7 years now (I think) I prefer the ride to the standard set up, it transformed my car.
 
Ah okay! Sounds promising, tempted to get them now you've said good things about them. I haven't changed my wheels yet there just standered 14s so I think they should be okay
 
Adamm said:
Ah okay! Sounds promising, tempted to get them now you've said good things about them. I haven't changed my wheels yet there just standered 14s so I think they should be okay
Click to expand...

I'll second this. I've just fitted a set to my k11. No wallowing in the corners stays nice and flat but comfy and settled on bumps. Feels very similar to my 330i on ac schnitzer springs and shocks! (4 figure upgrade from dealer!) Sits at a smart height, I'm at 590mm to the tops of the arches all 4 corners on 155 70 13 wheels and tyres. Pictures don't do it justice at all in my opinion, but in person It is a transformation. I think coupled with some 14/15 inch alloys it'd look spot on. I'll post a better pic of mine soon this is with just the front done.
9b5574d53917817a323f5b518bd773aa.jpg



'94 k11 dot 1.0
McGill Motorsport steering wheel
Mountney steering wheel boss kit
Poorly fitted aftermarket backbox (3 inch rolled tip)
 
RYB said:
I'll second this. I've just fitted a set to my k11. No wallowing in the corners stays nice and flat but comfy and settled on bumps. Feels very similar to my 330i on ac schnitzer springs and shocks! (4 figure upgrade from dealer!) Sits at a smart height, I'm at 590mm to the tops of the arches all 4 corners on 155 70 13 wheels and tyres. Pictures don't do it justice at all in my opinion, but in person It is a transformation. I think coupled with some 14/15 inch alloys it'd look spot on. I'll post a better pic of mine soon this is with just the front done.
9b5574d53917817a323f5b518bd773aa.jpg



'94 k11 dot 1.0
McGill Motorsport steering wheel
Mountney steering wheel boss kit
Poorly fitted aftermarket backbox (3 inch rolled tip)
Click to expand...


What springs did you fit? See I'm in two minds because you guys have worn by them but then other people say there pointless and no different to standered so I'm not sure :/ I'm not looking to go like stupidly low I just want a smaller arch gap and make it look a bit smarter sort of thing
 
Adamm said:
What springs did you fit? See I'm in two minds because you guys have worn by them but then other people say there pointless and no different to standered so I'm not sure :/ I'm not looking to go like stupidly low I just want a smaller arch gap and make it look a bit smarter sort of thing
Click to expand...
Kilen springs. For the price you can afford to fit them just to see what they're like! You will achieve what you are looking for with these springs.


'94 k11 dot 1.0
McGill Motorsport steering wheel
Mountney steering wheel boss kit
Poorly fitted aftermarket backbox (3 inch rolled tip)
 
RYB said:
Kilen springs. For the price you can afford to fit them just to see what they're like! You will achieve what you are looking for with these springs.


'94 k11 dot 1.0
McGill Motorsport steering wheel
Mountney steering wheel boss kit
Poorly fitted aftermarket backbox (3 inch rolled tip)
Click to expand...

Because them ones are 30 I believe and I'm looking at them or 35 so will try either. Thanks for the help! Had alot of confusion on this subject haha
 
Hello Adamm. I fitted Alto rears, pre 06 on the front of mine, sits really nice. (and a straight swap)
Apex 30mm Apex on the back, again, sits real nice buddy.
 
RYB said:
Kilen springs. For the price you can afford to fit them just to see what they're like! You will achieve what you are looking for with these springs.
Click to expand...

Taking some persuading isn't he, nice to see someone else saying the same about how well the Micra handles on them. It's a mystery why anyone would want to mess about in the scrap yard and take chances on a variety of other springs.
 
1275 said:
Taking some persuading isn't he, nice to see someone else saying the same about how well the Micra handles on them. It's a mystery why anyone would want to mess about in the scrap yard and take chances on a variety of other springs.
Click to expand...


I'm taking some persuading yeah haha, just don't wanna get the wrong thing! But you be pleased my kilen springs have been despatched and are on the way! Will show you when I've fitted them :) thanks for the help
 
davyboy said:
Hello Adamm. I fitted Alto rears, pre 06 on the front of mine, sits really nice. (and a straight swap)
Apex 30mm Apex on the back, again, sits real nice buddy.
Click to expand...

I've ordered myself some 30mm springs just to start with as I'm a bit new to this car stuff! But thanks for the help :)
 
Adamm said:
I'm taking some persuading yeah haha, just don't wanna get the wrong thing! But you be pleased my kilen springs have been despatched and are on the way! Will show you when I've fitted them :) thanks for the help
Click to expand...
Good lad


'94 k11 dot 1.0
McGill Motorsport steering wheel
Mountney steering wheel boss kit
Poorly fitted aftermarket backbox (3 inch rolled tip)
 
RYB said:
Good lad


'94 k11 dot 1.0
McGill Motorsport steering wheel
Mountney steering wheel boss kit
Poorly fitted aftermarket backbox (3 inch rolled tip)
Click to expand...

They should sit lower than the ones i have, if not il take a coil off :) no biggy! Really appreciate the help guys! :)
 
Adamm said:
They should sit lower than the ones i have, if not il take a coil off :) no biggy! Really appreciate the help guys! :)
Click to expand...
Careful not to take too much off if you do, mine only took 40mm of compressing to be captive in the shock on the front. 300mm fully extended, 260mm captive in the shock.


'94 k11 dot 1.0
McGill Motorsport steering wheel
Mountney steering wheel boss kit
Poorly fitted aftermarket backbox (3 inch rolled tip)
 

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