hey guys im actually out looking to buy an awesome new 06 Z, but i just wanted to ask a question about what your opinion was on suspension. my question is if you had the choice would you choose between the upgraded nismo lowering spring kit and suspension or go aftermarket like tein, cusco, jic, ect. Is the nismo option worth it? pretty much im looking for a decently smooth ride close to stock but with the ability to have the car perform and handle better when i want to take it harder. just a question of what you would do. thanks!

 

aftermarket is ALOT cheaper.. eibach gives ride quality better than stock and lowers your car perfectly.. Tein is also great.. Tanabe gives an awesome look, but may be a little rough on the ride.

im planning Hotchkis TVS Stage 1 Suspension Kit and replace the springs with Eibach..

 

I recommend that you buy the car, try it, and see how you like. Then possibly make suspension changes.

 

JIC FLT-A2. I have them, much better than the Nismo which imo is an overpriced joke. With the JIC you have 15 way shock adjustability, ride height and preload settings you can change to suit your needs. But def, drive a Z before you go buying stuff.

 

thanks for the advice guys. with the numerous options for suspension what is everyone out there running on thier Z's? whats good and whats not? is pricing affordable?

 

Read:
https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-suspension/112798-suspension-faq-and-reviews-tech-info-tuning-and-reviews.html

 

+1 Davidv always has good suggestions

 

Never buy suspension from the dealer. There are better and cheaper alternatives out there.

 

Better?

Better for what?

For out-of-the-box, no worries performance, an OEM setup is pretty hard to beat. Unless it's adjustability one is after (and that person actually knows how to setup a chassis) and no hard core tracking is planned, the NISMO kit shouldn't be discredited.

 

I've heard from several people and also a couple professional race drivers that have driven the nismo suspension on a Z that it's actually pretty good for the street and casual tracking

just don't get super stiff springs unless you know what you're doing and are running race tires. Having a little body lean is natural. Eliminating it works well if you have tires that are sticky enough (race tires) to deal with the added force being thrust into the tires instead of arcing the body over a few degress.

 

I just installed the Hothkis TVS 1 kit...$400 is hard to beat for their performance. But it doesn't give the adjustability of coilovers. (Price was one of my main factors in deciding which set-up to get)

 

tokico D-spec for 350z is 1/2 the price of the nismo suspension(which is also made by tokico anyway, just like the oem). D-spec also has advantage of being double adjustable (compression and rebound together)...

I would never reccomend the Nismo suspension, unless you can find it a 75% discount or something

 

Adjustability. That what's better. I don't see how someone could shell out $1500 for non adjustable Tokico shocks and say there are "no worries". What if your not happy with the ride height? Why pay Nismo prices for a suspension you cannot adjust? You don't have to be a suspension guru to know that you want to lower your car more or less because you don't like the looks of it. You also don't have to be a genius to know that a car feels different at different damping levels that you can tailor to suit your own taste.

Giving the NISMO suspension credit is not deserved. NISMO does not make any of the products it sells in the USA. Not one. They simply slap a sticker on some Tokico shocks, just like every other product they "make".

 

blisten makes the nismo suspension and you can get it for $1300. Is that really expensive or something?

I dunno, everyone has an opinion. Everyone and their mom says the Zeal suspension is the "best" but I have it and am trading it up for the nismo cause I think they got the front and rear stiffness all backwards from what you actually want

 

Woah, okay. If "looks" is what you're looking for, you definitely do not need a balanced package ! Go low men, the lower the better...

Most people I know set their adjustable suspension one way and never touch them again, ever. (Well, until I point out some short comings of their "feels good" ride height and damping settings...)

For someone who really wants to play on changing his settings, it's great fun. Will his setup out do a factory designed settings in overall performance? I doubt it...

 

Looks are far from the only reason to have an adjustable height suspension. Everyone drives in different road condition and has different wheel/tire combos that necessitate adjustments in ride height for very practical reasons.

So, based on your circle of friends, people should not get adjustable suspensions?

You doubt it, but you have no idea. Maybe he want's to corner weight his car. Maybe his rear tires rub at the Nismo ride height. Maybe he has a steep driveway. No matter what the reason, an adjustable suspension is a better choice than a non adjustable one.

 

You're funny 350Zteve,

I still like you

I'm saying the NISMO package should not be discredited solely because it's an OEM package and it's not adjustable.

I did not say it's THE way to go. I'm going for a DA damper with adjustable ride height setup myself.

Anyways, I guess working in the automotive industry is making me bias towards OEM parts...

 

adjustable is better, but it doesn't matter if you set it and forget it.

 

See, my powers of persuasion have worn you down. I don't mean to discredit Nismo, I just hate to see people associate higher price = better product, when that's not always the case.

Also, the real point to my post was not to buy your suspension from the dealer. Most of them just screw you on price and you can get the same parts cheaper from this sites sponsors.