Dr20’s on the Roadster (15x7 10mm)

[BAMUZ]

Picked up a set of DR20’s and gotta say imo they’re beautiful plan to powder coat and all that jazz but long way down the road just wanted to get a general idea and got the wheels as a present, can’t be that! Plan to run 50’s and 45’s pictured on the rim 195/65/15 still looks pretty sick!
15x7 10mm offset

[funkaholik]

Those look sweet. Nice old-school modified JDM feel. I'm running 195/55-15 and I kind of wish I'd listened to the knowledgeable folks here and run 60 series. These suspensions weren't designed for low-profile tires like modern cars are, and the ride is a bit harsh. 50s will be harsher. 45s will be bone-jarring. Since these cars had something like 70 - 75 series originally, the suspensions are made stiff, and the tall tire sidewall was the cushion.

Another thing to consider is that even with lowering springs, the 55s in the front leave a fender gap. 50s or 45s will leave quite a large gap. If you're going for absolute cornering performance and not looks / stance then that won't be a concern.

One more thing to think about is what the tire size does to your final drive ratio. Especially on a 1600 with a 4 speed trans with no overdrive, even 55 series will make it more of an around-town car and not able to handle today's freeway speeds. I have a 5 speed with my 195/55 tires and it's turning 3700rpm at about 75 mph.

Just my 2 cents. Actually, it's other people's 2 cents that I'm paying forward.

[BAMUZ]

Those look sweet. Nice old-school modified JDM feel. I'm running 195/55-15 and I kind of wish I'd listened to the knowledgeable folks here and run 60 series. These suspensions weren't designed for low-profile tires like modern cars are, and the ride is a bit harsh. 50s will be harsher. 45s will be bone-jarring. Since these cars had something like 70 - 75 series originally, the suspensions are made stiff, and the tall tire sidewall was the cushion.

Another thing to consider is that even with lowering springs, the 55s in the front leave a fender gap. 50s or 45s will leave quite a large gap. If you're going for absolute cornering performance and not looks / stance then that won't be a concern.

One more thing to think about is what the tire size does to your final drive ratio. Especially on a 1600 with a 4 speed trans with no overdrive, even 55 series will make it more of an around-town car and not able to handle today's freeway speeds. I have a 5 speed with my 195/55 tires and it's turning 3700rpm at about 75 mph.

Just my 2 cents. Actually, it's other people's 2 cents that I'm paying forward.

Thank you!
Very appreciative of your two cents, have you personally ram any aftermarket shocks or springs? Any personal recommendations if so? And it actually has/had a 5 speed, swapping in the engine and trans from a 300zx!

Ps trans is for sale, and has a basically new, barely used clutch and flywheel asking $250 buyer pays shipping ( shameless plug )

When it’s all said and done I’m going more for the form over function approach, but do want as much as a comfortable ride as allowed so I’ll definitely keep that in mind

The 65 does fill it out nicely, I’d imagine the rubbing would be pretty intense though, no?

[Gregs672000]

IMHO, the only shock to consider is the Bilstein.

[BAMUZ]

IMHO, the only shock to consider is the Bilstein.

Ahhh, noted

I had seen a post on here where the OP sourced that it was the 50s-60s Vette shocks from bilstein that fit
Is that still the case?

[funkaholik]

+1 for the Bilsteins. I have them front and rear and they are fantastic. I got mine from JT68 (Jim Tyler, datsunrestorationproducts.com) so they are specifically made to fit the Datsun, not another car.

I also have the rear comp rate lowering springs and in my opinion, the rear sits a little too low now compared to the Mike Young springs in the front. There is no way to fix this other than buy new springs or have mine re-arched. In hindsight, I should have bought the regular height springs - I could have used lowering blocks to bring it down a bit if I wanted to. Lesson learned.

[BAMUZ]

+1 for the Bilsteins. I have them front and rear and they are fantastic. I got mine from JT68 (Jim Tyler, datsunrestorationproducts.com) so they are specifically made to fit the Datsun, not another car.

I also have the rear comp rate lowering springs and in my opinion, the rear sits a little too low now compared to the Mike Young springs in the front. There is no way to fix this other than buy new springs or have mine re-arched. In hindsight, I should have bought the regular height springs - I could have used lowering blocks to bring it down a bit if I wanted to. Lesson learned.

Thank you for the link! I’m interested in the lowness, can you share a picture of what the rear stance is looking like?

[funkaholik]

Here are two photos of my car with the Mike Young front springs and Datsunparts.com comp rate rear lowering springs, part # 2117C. 1st pic is with stock wheels and 185/70-14 tires. 2nd pic is with 15" Panasports and 195/55-15 tires. Hope these are helpful.





Found another good side shot taken by Alvin. This pic really shows the difference between the front and rear ride heights, exaggerated even more by the wheelwell height differences.

[Gregs672000]

I really like the DR20s... if I had not come across my Cosmics I would have sought those out. If you decide to replace the rear springs, the Flex form mono-leafs will require lowering blocks to set your height which will allow for some adjustment to match the front. I think I'm running an inch block, but I can always confirm that when and if needed.

[funkaholik]

Not to get too off topic from the original post, but apparently Flex Form is no longer in business. I heard this from Jim Tyler who told me that he's been unable to contact anyone there for a while. I tried calling them and it rings out until I get a Verizon wireless message that the party I called is unavailable.

[Pjackb]

Alright, I will add a few caveats to the previous comments
- Your front spring choice will have an impact on the front gap MY springs ride much better but do not lower as much as super comp springs ( I prefer MY)
- Lowering the rear will accentuate the rake and the wheel gap in the front
- 15x7 ET10 will rub in the rear if fenders are not rolled with 195/60/15
- 195/55/15 is perfectly fine and will offer you a much better tire selection
- There are multiple settings available on the Bilstein if you're not doing any track ask Jim for the JackB or Garry S setting they are modern firm and definitely not harsh even with super comp springs

195/55/15 (23.7") 15x7 ET10 front and 15x7.5 ET4 rear Bilstein and MY springs


185/70/14 (24.2") MY springs and Konis



195/55/15 (23.7") MY springs and Konis


185/55/15 (23.2") Bilstein and super comps springs

[Pjackb]

I have a 5 speed with my 195/55 tires and it's turning 3700rpm at about 75 mph.

that seems high , Did you validate with GPS?
with slightly smaller tires (205/45/16) at a steady gps validated 78mph i'm 3500 rpm with 5 speed and 3.9 rear end
now with 195/55 I'm 3300 same speed
Sorry about the jumpy tach , RPM is validated by the 123ignition app
https://imgur.com/qV5RTUP

[funkaholik]

Good point. My tach is converted to electronic and accuracy verified, but I will verify speed with GPS. I am also running a 5-speed with a 3.9 rear.

[BAMUZ]

Here are two photos of my car with the Mike Young front springs and Datsunparts.com comp rate rear lowering springs, part # 2117C. 1st pic is with stock wheels and 185/70-14 tires. 2nd pic is with 15" Panasports and 195/55-15 tires. Hope these are helpful.





Found another good side shot taken by Alvin. This pic really shows the difference between the front and rear ride heights, exaggerated even more by the wheelwell height differences.

Gahly what a backdrop wow! And I must admit, I do want it to be a pebble pusher when it’s all said and done, so the comp rear actually might be more my direction! Definitely helpful, thank you for the pics! And Ps that is a sweet ride, looks perfect the way it is

[BAMUZ]

Alright, I will add a few caveats to the previous comments
- Your front spring choice will have an impact on the front gap MY springs ride much better but do not lower as much as super comp springs ( I prefer MY)
- Lowering the rear will accentuate the rake and the wheel gap in the front
- 15x7 ET10 will rub in the rear if fenders are not rolled with 195/60/15
- 195/55/15 is perfectly fine and will offer you a much better tire selection
- There are multiple settings available on the Bilstein if you're not doing any track ask Jim for the JackB or Garry S setting they are modern firm and definitely not harsh even with super comp springs

195/55/15 (23.7") 15x7 ET10 front and 15x7.5 ET4 rear Bilstein and MY springs


185/70/14 (24.2") MY springs and Konis



195/55/15 (23.7") MY springs and Konis


185/55/15 (23.2") Bilstein and super comps springs

Very wise words, we are going to roll the fenders tomorrow! Would love that dbz or db kit ( the modified 240z flare kit ) maybe one day haha! And I gotta say the MY and konis is a very nice stance indeed they all are but that is a classy look