terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

well first you dont mention mention tire size. Are you wanting to run something Civic sized with a 35 series front and rear or will they be civic sized but closer to Z sizing with 40 series front and rear ?

Next, damper setting. Very useless for slamming application. Doesn't really matter when you have no suspension travel. Brands, well Stance is kinda the leader of slamming the car down low and even in your price range. Are they better or worse than a Fortune and BC, same junk , just Stance selected the proper parts to really screw up the suspension (slam)

JasonZ-YA

iTrader: (60)

^well said....

Hotlaprc

iTrader: (3)

I have a 2006 nissan 350Z. I have been looking through lots of posts. I have decided 100% to NOT go coilovers. I want to keep the stock shocks for now ... Later for sure upgrade to bilstien struts. So for now I would like to buy sway bars and springs. I don't want to go too low and be out of spec. I daily drive the car through the mountains to work and will autocross it once a month or so. I don't mind a stiffer ride on the street for better performance at the track ..... SO .... what springs and sway bars do you recommend? Any experience ...? Kinda narrowed the sway bars down to hotchkis. Not too sure on Hotchkiss springs? Maybe progressive springs would be better?

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Swift springs, and hotchkiss bars, good to go. There are really a few dam good springs on the market, hard to really saw what one to buy.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Jazzy, is the car lowered at all? If not don't bother with front control arms, unless you need extra camber for the performance aspect

Tony1M

My wife and I are considering purchasing a Z as a summer-only toy that we'll probably drive for a little over 2K miles per year. This vehicle will be our first and, because we are much closer to the end of our lives than the beginning, almost certainly our last, sports car. I'm trying to get a realistic idea of what it's like to own a Z before I actually own a Z, if you get my drift (pun definitely intended).

As a warm-up to reading this thread, I read the entire "Tire feathering ....." thread, which was a bit of a depressing task, I must admit.

Today I finished reading all of this thread and I first want to congratulate and thank Jason for the tremendous effort he made to create this fantastic resource for DIYrs like me who are new to the Z.

I think that I have learned that for a Z that has (and will always have) OEM wheels, OEM-size tires and OEM ride height, tire feathering-wear and noise indicate that the tires are for some reason not rolling down the road correctly oriented toward (aligned to) each other, and that if any worn ball-type joints are replaced; certain critical suspension-to-vehicle bushings are replaced with SPL or Whiteline versions; all other moving joints are determined to have minimal "play", if a competent alignment is then performed with front toe, as well as rear toe and rear camber adjusted appropriately with daily-driving conditions and long-tire-life in mind (as opposed to say high-performance track "settings"), from that point forward there will be essentially no visible feathering wear and its accompanying noise, and that tire wear (for a specific tire, anyway) will be more or less evenly distributed as it would be on a non-sports RWD car. Please tell me if, where and to what extent I'm wrong on any of this.

I take it that as far as the Z is concerned, its owner has to be very religious about suspension maintenance -- more so than the typical sedan, I think it's fair to say. The good thing is that just looking at and feeling the tires is a fast and easy way to tell whether some part in the suspension needs replacement or adjustment. Please tell me if I'm wrong here, too.

If I haven't been too far off the mark so far, I have just a few questions that I don't think were answered in this thread (but I might be wrong, so please forgive me).

1. As far as suspension geometry, suspension-to-vehicle attachment points and suspension components go, were all 350Z model years created equal? To clarify further, if driven in exactly the same way, would an average '08 be easier to maintain, steering/suspension/alignment-wise only, than an '03, etc. and, if so, why?

2. If a Z's suspension components and alignment specifications are maintained perfectly as described in this thread, and appropriate, much-more-stable busings are installed at critical stress locations, will there still be feathering tire wear on the front tires and the infamous noise that usually accompanies it?

3. For a vehicle that is not going to be lowered and is only going to be driven occasionally in a "spirited" fashion on highways and city streets (no racing, except at the infrequent stop-light "drag race"), is there any advantage of coilovers over the OEM strut/spring configuration? Specifically, will/does the added ease, accuracy and stability of alignment when using aftermarket rear adjustble toe arms to replace the spring buckets; aftermarket adjustable rear camber arms to replace the OEMs; and aftermarket locking washers to solidly secure everything, justify the cost of installing true coilovers? (I realize that the rear adjustable camber arms can be installed with the OEM springs and spring bucket in place.)

4. Is there any good reason to install say the Kinetics UFCA in the above vehicle, and, if not, to replace the arm-to-vehicle bushings in the OEM front upper arm (or rear upper arm, for that matter) with a more stable bushing?

5. Finally, all of the fancy rod-end joints and solid bushings have bearing surfaces that are, at least partially, as far as I can tell, fully exposed to the elements. How long do these components last compared to the well-protected (albeit less stable) OEM parts they are replacing? What meaures, if any, can be taken to maximize their life?

Thanks very much and, once again, congratulations Jason!

Syner

Holy TLDR!!!

Honestly, don't worry about it. Most of the feathering issues came from improper alignment specs.

I have an '04, and get it realigned every spring when I take it out of storage. I haven't noticed any feathering since buying the car.

If you're driving this as a weekend toy, the stock suspension is completely fine. You're needlessly worrying.

Hotlaprc

iTrader: (3)

O.K. ... Sway bars are on the car drives great much more flat, less roll in front. 1st hole (softest) on rear And 2nd hole (2nd softest) on front. Now for springs .. So springs on my stock 2006 shocks? Or go to bilsteins?

PattyMills_Z33

Hi My350z,

I'm looking into coilovers and was doing a little research. First off, my 350z will not be tracked. I simply want to know which coilovers are the best far as quality wise and lowness. Yes, I will be slamming my Z. I will also be doing the Swift Springs option with whichever brand I do decide to go with if that helps. Thanks for your help!

LOL WUT

I've got broadway static coils and have no complaints I also daily my Z

RobPhoboS

PattyMills_Z33:
Just saying 'Best' isn't useful for anyone - how much are you willing to spend ?

Zanzibar

iTrader: (1)

Jason, are you "listening"? Seriously, I now know more about suspension than I ever thought I would. Reading this was fun, and I am impressed by Jason and all the others whom have stepped up with information and answers. Thank you, everyone!

As related to Z's and this forum, I am a bit of an en zero zero be, so please pardon me. Friends, city driving is destroying my front end. Not sure if I want to replace all the stuff I think (now that I have read this thread) needs to be replaced, or sell the Z and get something better suited for the city streets. Have I mentioned how much I absolutely love my Z and don't want to get rid of it? The sticker shock of bushing and adjustable control arms has me thinking. One saving grace... my neighbor is a mechanic and has a lift in his garage. Whenever we work on my car I throw him some cash and he always argues about it. He is moving soon, so if I am going to replace suspension components, now is the time.

My Short Story:

• 2003 Enthusiast with 17's and OEM everything
• Daily driver on terrible city streets
• CA bushing and other front-end stuff keep failing
• Alignment won't stick
• Front camber won't get within spec
• Uneven tire wear and road noise--thought feathering, but now "know" it's really just bad bushings. Right?

My Plan:

• Front lower: Whiteline inner and shock bushings
• SPL compression bushings
• Kinetix UCA (maybe)
• Kinetix or SPC rear CA's (maybe)
• Lockout washers to replace eccentrics (maybe)

My Questions:

• Is all that good / correct / sufficient / suitable?
• Do I actually need adjustable CA's since not lowering? (Seems only way I will ever get within spec and hold an alignment. And, would need if ever did the 18's right?)
• If getting Kinetix CA's, would I want to replace the ES bushings with which they come? Or are the ES good enough for those locations? For that matter, how about the Z1Performance.com ES kit with all bushings (other than SPL compression bushings of course)?
• Any other bushings that really need to be replaced (differential, etc.)? (Everything in the rear appears to be OK, and that alignment holds fairly well.)
• Differential brace required? (Maintenance part of the thread mentioned "ear" bushings and a differential brace I believe.)
• If replace the eccentric with lockout, does that mean I would have to add an adjustable rear toe (or traction) arm? Sorry, thought I read that in here but couldn't find it just now.

My Details:

• 2003 Enthusiast with 17's--the only thing not OEM is my air intake
• Conservative, daily driver with occasional (seldom really) spirited driving
• Will never lower, but may go up to 18's (old roommate left behind nice BBS wheels, so next time I need tires I may swap)
• City streets are destroying my front end, specifically of course control arm bushings and ball joints
• Just replaced driver and passenger front, lower ball joints as well as tie rod inners and boots (good, old Beck Arnley from RockAuto)
• Pretty sure driver-side front inner bushing is shot, maybe others. Had replaced the control arm about a year ago with a used part from the marketplace--at $30 I got my money's worth.
• If I'm going to pull this stuff apart for a third time, I am going to replace everything necessary.
• I am cool spending money where necessary (e.g., must get SPL for compression bushing). I am not cool spending money on performance parts I do not need (no Stillen control arms for this guy). And, I am not cool buying cheap crap just to "save" money (no savings in the long run when you have to replace when the cheap crap fails).
• So, what exactly do I really need to replace?

Syner

#gotcamber?

BuiltZ33

So I'm looking for a nice set of coilovers for daily driving/occasional track. I have access through my shop for h&r and Bilstein but really want to think about it as I don't want to really change them down the road. Also I've heard a lot about spring rates and stuff like that but don't fully understand through the info online. If someone could explain what spring rate Id be looking for and a set the provides this that's be great. Considering all coilovers as my price range is around 2000, but will go higher for quality.

guitman32

iTrader: (15)

Do some more searching. Im pretty sure in the first few pages of this forum contain the answers to most of your questions.

Until you have significant on-track experience and have run a set or two of aftermarket shocks, then you will be ready to specify your own spring rates.

It sounds like you are looking for a quality dual purpose setup, any off the shelf coilover (eg Bilstein PSS, KW variants, Koni) will meet your long term needs and will not necessitate modification until you have the on-track experience and desire to make it a more single-purpose car.

My advice would be to choose a Brand that has the support network most viable to you in the event you need to rebuild/re-valve. Spring rates are easy to change down the road, and usually if you are considering custom valving/rates the additional hardware needed is a non-issue. That limits you mostly to Koni, Bilstein for the major brands...or brands like Fotrune Auto or Feal if you want to go for a domestically supported manufacturer/rebuilder of imported parts. I have no firsthand experience, but I think the support for KW products here in the US is a debated subject. Maybe someone else can comment.

BuiltZ33

That is true, I'm not looking for a full out track car right now so I think i would be happy with the pss9's?

guitman32

iTrader: (15)

Yes, you will definitely be happy with the PSS9 kit.

Once you get some track days with the original setup under your belt, you will probably want to convert the PSS9 progressive rear springs to linear. It will make the rear a bit more predictable on-limit.

Shmoke

I recently ordered some true type stance coilovers, they're going to be here tomorrow. I wanted to know if i could install the coilovers tomorrow without having to buy new adjustable camber arms/toe arms and just use the oem ones for now without a problem, as my Z is my daily?

Also I plan on fitting on my bros wheels that are 18x10.5 all around. What would you guys recommend i need that would bring things back to oem specs, while having the ability to have have alot of camber adjustment to fit bigger and wider wheels in the future.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

front and rear camber kit will be needed

this has been asked many of times, searching is your friend

Shmoke

I have been doing research and i know i need camber arms and toe arms. But i cant find anywhere that tells me if i could run true style coilovers without having to buy adjustable control arms.

Just need other peoples opinions and recommendations on what brand and parts i should get for my needs.