Has any one else been disappointed with the '06 Grand Touring? For perspective; I have recently traded in my '03 Performance 350Z for an '06 Grand Touring 6MT (yes, we still have the '04 G35 in the avatar) and we have been surprised at the 'mushy' feel to the suspension, especially when cornering at speed. On corners where the '03 was rock-stable the '06 has increased bounce and shiftiness that requires a lower speed to navigate safely. To be fair, '06 does ride smoother in a straight line over road imperfections but we did not buy this car for luxury.

Is this common with any other owners? Has anyone installed the NISMO S-tune suspension on the '06 Grand Touring? If so, how did it do?

I have used the search engine extensively and found no references to this problem so far. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

How do both compare with the G35? Just curious because that's what I have, and I'm considering some new dampers (cannot lower it due to driveway and other road imperfections).

 

If your saying that a 06 Z has more bounce then a 03 Z, demand that your shock's be replaced. Nothing should bounce more then a Z on a unrevised suspension.

Which brings me to this point. Your 03 Z has much stiffer shocks then the 06 car does. Stands to reason that the two car's will not feel the same. Your 06 not only has softer shocks, but 27% stiffer rear springs and a 17% stiffer front sway bar.

This may not be popular to say, but a 03/04 Z will feel a lot more responsive then a 03/04 G coupe (a LOT less control on weight transfer issues), the 06 Z should still feel that way, but less so vs the 03.

 

i traded my 04 performance in for 06 grand touring , it just all in your head man cause with bigger tires the ride is smoother that also makes u think it mushy in the corner but trust me it very stable at corner due to the size of tires wheels , just get used to it .

 

The 03-04 should perform a bit better in terms of handling because of the added weight. The interior material of the 06 has all been upgraded and is around 150-200 pounds heavier ( not sure about the exact weight). Hence the handing feeling would feel a bit more sluggish.

 

Sounds right. I might have to go with new sway bars on my G coupe and then add some Tokico dampers later on.

 

Thanks for the info. The added weight of the '06 certainly changes the handling dynamics and this can be felt in increased body roll. It feels as though the shocks are softer than the '03 and that, in combination with the stiffer rear springs, would give more 'reaction' in the rear end when encountering a bump during a fast corner.

As to the '04 G35 compared to the '03 350Z the 'G' has softer shocks and a longer wheelbase giving it a more compliant ride. Increasing the shock stiffness, if not taken to excess, would almost certainly improve the handling of the 'G'. At least IMO. Good luck.

As to defective shocks, I don't think so as rebound is still limited to one oscillation and equal at all corners. It just doesn't feel as 'glued to the road' as the '03 did. Again, this just may be the weight issue.

Which brings me back to my original question regarding the NISMO S-tune suspension. Has anybody done this to a Grand Touring and what was the result? On the surface, it seems like a good idea, but before I spend that kind of money.........

Thanks, again.

 

As a counterpoint, from first hand experience, the G35's longer wheelbase does absolutely nothing to isolate it from the same bounce and porposing issues that oem 03/04 oem z shocks are well known for.

The Nismo S-tune suspension is one of 3 suspension system's for the Z that can lay claim to having a very high percentage of owner's that are extreamly happy with their choice. The only time I've ever seen issues with it relates to owners that tend to push their tend to push their car's much harder then the norm, but generally that doesn't happen as that type of person usually makes a more hard core choice to begine with.

You should search for Nismo S-tune reviews, you'll find them postive and generally a good read.

BTW, the other two syspention system's that have reviewed well are HKS RS and Zeal V6.

 

I have an 06 Grand Touring. I have not driven any other year 350z and I have not touched the suspension yet. I am not sure what to do with it.

As I see it, the biggest weakness is an exorbitant amount of compression damping in the rear shocks and not enough rebound damping in the rear. I think the front feels pretty good. This causes the rear of the car to feel as though it is being bounced up over rises (upward bumps) in the pavement and it unweights the rear tires and they lose traction until they become weighted again.

So yes, handling on bumpy roads is not impressive. I have found cornering on smooth roads to be quite impressive once the tires wore in (Got rid of any mold release compound).

I think I will try new shocks only and drive for a while and then go from there. I have always been a Koni fan, but that's from having a Honda and BMW background. I need to find out what's good for the 350z.. The Tein in-car adjustables seem pretty cool, but have not heard any reviews on it.

 

How many miles on the new car? Have the tires been scrubbed in yet? Make sure this is done and you’ve got rid of all the demolding agent before freaking out on suspension mods.

Give time to the dampers to settle in too.

 

I noticed that as well on mine. I am at 2700 miles now and things feel _much_ better than when new...

 

I'll say the same for my '04 G35 coupe. The front seems pretty good, but the rear can bounce a lot over bumpy roads and lose traction and overall feel. I've heard good things about the Tokico shocks/dampers for the stocks springs, but I have not pursued this solution.

 

Thanks for the input. At 3,000 miles on the car I am still getting the same loose feeling on the bumpy corners, especially in the rear. By now the dampers/shocks should be settled in.

No one has installed the S-tune suspension on the '06 Grand Touring?

Well, I guess I am going to be the first one on the board. I intend to install the sways, springs, and shocks as a complete package, as has been suggested, before changing tires or wheels. I will post the results when it is done.

Thanks, again.

 

I just realized you’re running on 19in wheels in the rear.

The thinner side wall will not allow the tire to comply as well to bumps in the road, potentially making the rear feel jerky.

If the car is loose on small bumps when cornering at speed, stiffer dampers, stiffer bars and stiffer springs will only make matters worst. Stiffer sway bars being the worst thing you can do in this case.

What’s your tire pressure in the rear? Have you tried to run them a bit lower ? Try 32-33 psi.

 

Oh, one more thing.

My Z isn’t rock steady on bumps either. Giving it some throttle will help settle the rear.
If I just lift on a bumpy corner, the car will go wide.

The Koni dampers made it even livelier.

 

the 06's are going to handle like cows compared to 03's and 04's because of the extra 150-200 lbs

 

Do you mean that the Koni dampers made the handling worse over the bumps?
I'm exploring ideas for next year for my stock G35 coupe. Same thing here--it's unsettled over the rough roads with driving with anything approaching aggressiveness.

 

SmokyTyrz (friend of mine) has an 06 Grand Touring with Nismo suspension.....OMG that car rides/handles awesome. Send him a PM or do a search on his name.