1996 Nissan 240SX SE Suspension Test - Toyo Proxes RA-1 Tires

1996 Nissan 240Sx Se Suspension Test Toyo Proxe Ra1

Tire choice was a little more difficult. Just about every tire manufacturer offers high-performance tires. We decided to trade a little longevity in the interest of maximizing traction, and our final choice was the Toyo Proxes-RA-1. The RA-1 is primarily designed for road racing and autocross, but it is DOT approved for street use. The directional-tread design, carcass and rubber compound are all developed to give as much directional stability and traction as possible. We talked to Greg Vandermark at Toyo and he suggested that a 255/40ZR17 would be ideal for our 9-in. wheels and the 235/40ZR17 would be best on the 8-in. front wheels.

Suspension
This is one area in which we decided to pull out all the stops. After researching our options we decided JIC Magic was the way to go. JIC is a Japanese manufacturer with a superb reputation for building high-quality suspension components. We called the U.S. importers, Zeal Motorsports, and talked to technical guru Terry Henderson. We explained exactly what we were looking for and Terry suggested a set of JIC FLT-A2 coilovers might be just the ticket. The FLT-A2s are top-quality pieces of equipment that are designed for maximum performance ,while still remaining easy to live with on a day-to-day basis.

1996 Nissan 240Sx Se Suspension Test Jic Coilovers

The 15-way adjustable shock uses special oil and nitrogen gas to stabilize the performance over a wide range of temperatures, and the shock body is fully threaded to allow strut height adjustment without affecting spring-perch location. What this means is the FLT-A2 allows complete suspension travel at any ride height.

The progressive springs are cold-drawn silicone steel and are available in just about any rate (with Terry's guidance we decided on 8k springs front and 6k rear) and the spring perches are manufactured from Duralumin 6061 for strength and weight savings.

The FLT-A2s also come complete with beautifully machined pillow-ball top-mounts. The front mount is fully adjustable to allow fine-tuning of the camber angle, essential when lowering a car. Camber adjustment also allows you to dial in the tires' contact patch for different tracks conditions. The top mounts are gold anodized and look absolutely awesome. All the rest of the shock components are anodized or cadmium plated to resist corrosion and keep the JICs looking good.

Having settled on our shocks, Terry suggested that we also install a set of JIC adjustable rear upper A-arms to allow us to adjust the rear camber. The A-arms are manufactured from tubular steel and feature a fully adjustable spherical bearing, which not only allows the camber to be tweaked but also eliminates the sloppy stock rubber outer bushings. JIC also offers a very trick Pillow tension rod that locates the front suspension to the chassis. Using the adjustment of the rod allows the caster angle to be precisely set and, with its massive spherical bearing replacing the stock rubber bushing, steering feel is vastly improved.

Finally, Terry aimed us at a set of JIC Magic front and rear strut-tower braces. Once again, quality is the key word here. The front brace is manufactured from highly polished D-section aluminum tubing for strength and clearance, and the rear brace (which installs on top of the rear parcel shelf) is built from round tubing. Both braces have nicely manufactured brackets that bolt onto the shock mounts, and like all of the other JIC components the brackets reek of race-tested quality and attention to detail.