chezgk

Background:

I drive an AWD 2015 NX200t F-Sport with factory AVS. I'm based in the Philippines, where wavy concrete roads seem to be specified by the Public Works and Highways department instead of smooth asphalt ones. I mistakenly ordered springs for the FWD NX and only realized what I've done when the springs were already en route to my country. I'm an idiot, or maybe not, by the time you get to the end of this review. I've had experience with stock springs + AVS dampers, RSR springs + AVS dampers, and now, NF210 + AVS dampers.

NF210 vs RSR comfort:

NF210 wins hands down. The RSR springs were obviously too harsh for the AVS shock absorbers to handle in Eco/Normal/Sport mode. Sport+ was the only mode that kept movement in check, but why would you drive in S+ all the time, given the state of our roads? In Eco/Normal/Sport, the NX would keep wallowing and wallowing like it couldn't find "home" with its damper stroke.

NF210 vs stock springs comfort:

Perhaps the biggest shock the NF210 + AVS combo gave me was how often I found myself thinking this combo was what the NX F-Sport should have come with straight from the factory. Unnecessary movements were considerably reduced, despite the higher spring rate. I am at a loss and don't know how to explain this, but it is what it is and I'm not complaining. With less unnecessary movement comes longer, or at the very least preserved, damper life, I hope.

Issues:

The front dampers had no problem dealing with the shift in stroke center. No bottoming out at all. The rears, on the contrary, kept hitting their stops whenever I didn't slow down on bigger speed bumps. This reinforces the NF210's reputation for bottoming out, but there's an easy fix for this. You can see some marks on the rear bump stops (yellow circle), and that's only from 3 or 4 days of use!

The fix:

Installed rubber spring helpers on the rear springs earlier today to serve as a primary stop. See photos for this. Looking at the springs, the coils with the grey rubber shields must have been intended by Tanabe to be softer than the coils without said shields, hence the necessary protection. To preserve the nice ride, the spring helpers were sandwiched in the rubber shield-less section, which we perceived to compress less often than the shielded section. No bottoming out so far, and I'm a happy camper.

In closing:

All in all, I'm really happy I did this mod, despite having qualms upon the springs arrival. The AWD springs are supposed to be 0.2 Kg/mm stiffer. I don't see how that works since the front already sat higher than the rears before the spring helper install. Spring helpers seem to have evened the height a bit; I'll take photos of this set-up when I can. You might note that this review was all about comfort. I haven't had the opportunity to go on a spirited run with this set-up yet, but I'll definitely update this thread once I have.

Photos:

1. Vehicle with NF210 and without spring helpers
2. Left rear suspension detail
3. Right rear suspension detail

Other mods you can see in the photos:

1. Cusco 25mm rear sway bar for the ZSU60W Harrier and 2013-2018 RAV4.
2. Megan Racing camber adjustable rear upper arms - a necessary mod IMO. I was running -4* camber on RSRs when I had the original upper arms.

kel28

Hey chezgk thanks for the comprehensive review. May I ask if you have tried going over humps with the car fully loaded (ie 5 passengers + boot filled), will it bottom out easily?