Editor’s note: We invited Jacob Espensen to review the MaXpeedingRods coilover for Nissan S13. So he told us his honest feelings about the coilover.
It is a 24-way adjustable damping coilover. The parcel is nicely packaged and even has the MaXpeedingRods logo on the side – a nice touch.
I’d like to mention some little specifics about the coilovers:
The coilover is designed with a classic monotube construction.
The Front:
Spring rate front: 8 kg/mm (448 lbs/in)
The front can be adjusted about 8.5cm from the highest point to the lowest.
Preload in the front is 7.6mm.
The piston is 22mm wide.
Spring outer diameter is 96mm.
The Rear:
Spring rate rear: 7 kg/mm (392 lbs/in)
The rear can be adjusted about 6.7cm from the highest point to the lowest.
Preload in the rear is 6.7mm.
The piston is 12.5mm wide.
Spring outer diameter is 95.5mm.
The spring rate might be on the higher end for a streetcar, but that should definitely be a big plus for a track car as it makes your speed demon feel like a gocart. The dampers come adjusted from the factory. So there is no need to re-adjust the preload, which saves a lot of time and unnecessary stress! Highly appreciated minor detail.
I would absolutely recommend to go through everything and tighten it up just to be on the safe side. In my case, the locking rings were loose on my set, and that can never be a safe thing. So please pay attention to this when getting your own set. We don’t want any casualties due to a mishap like that.
The top mounts are made of machined aluminum with a pillow ball. The top mounts also have camber adjustments. The Nissan S13 (180SX, 200SX and 240SX) normally have the camber adjustments on the spindle, so this option can give some extra camber, if you are into that.
When looking for the damper stiffness adjustment you should know that it is done from the top. It has 24 clicks that go from hard to soft. Trust me I counted myself!
The Installation of the coilovers is fairly easy. They are only connected with nuts at the top and bolts and nuts at the bottom. Easy peasy and straight forward.
The process should go as follows:
Put a jack or a jack stand under your Lower controlarm. Then remove the bottom bolts and nuts, so the dampers would not fall down. Then finish removing the bolts from the top. Do follow the safest step by step procedures to avoid any injuries.
- Unbolt your old suspension – start with removing the brake lines and ABS-line, if you have this.
- Put a jack or a jack stand under your Lower controlarm.
- Then remove the bottom bolts and nuts, so the dampers would not fall down.
- Remove the bolts from the top.
- Reverse the procedures of removal to install the MaXpeedingRods coilover, which is not a big problem. Pay attention to the front coilovers as there is a left and a right one, the rear ones are the same. Start with the top, and work your way down. I always find that very easy and thorough. And make sure that the brake lines are secured properly, and please remember to tighten all bolts and nuts to the factory specifications.
Unfortunately, I can’t test drive the car with the MaXpeedingRods coilovers at the moment. First of all, because it’s December, but the bigger problem is that my engine is taken apart to repair a “small” problem. But I will get back at the start of 2021 with an updated review. Stay tuned.
