In addition to having a bearing replaced (outcome of a December meeting with a curb), I had my friendly neighborhood Nissan Dealership install these springs on Thursday. After the install we took some pics of the dropped Z nose-to-nose with one of the Z's in the lot.

These pics show the subtle effects of a 1.2" front drop and a .8" rear drop. Unfortunately, the 2 Z's were parked on an incline effectively distorting the comparison a bit. Look closely, however, at the wheelwell and notice how much the space between the tire and the quarterpanel has been reduced. The illusion to me is that the car seems to have gained a few more inches of wheelbase - it looks to my eyes a bit more like the Z32 than it did prior to the drop.

One other thing - all alignment numbers (alignment performed after install) with the exception of front camber are within the Nissan specs. Both front wheels returned a camber of 1.4 (slightly above the 1.33 high limit posted by Nissan).

Let me know what you think.

First pic follows:

 

Pic #2:

 

Looks great! What was your driving impression?

 

Did a bit of "spirited" driving on Thursday evening. Hard for me to do a before-after comparison as I've been driving VERY conservatively due to the vibration caused by the damaged bearing.

The car does feel a bit stiffer; however, rough roads feel much better to me. No oscillations, no rocking. It just seems to recover a bit quicker - to me it feels better. In my unprofessional opinion anyway.

On Saturday morning at about 6am, I took her out onto some curvy roads to see how she handled with the new springs, wheels, and tires, and let me tell you, I had a blast. She was taking some 60-90 degree turns as if she were on a rail. Very little perceived roll. By the way, I also installed InSaNeMine's grounding kit on Saturday - seems smoother at idle, perhaps a bit more responsive.

I really love this car - perhaps now a bit more

 

Kraig-
Looks great! Did you happen to take any pics from behind for me?

 

Did you let the springs settle for a week or two before getting the alignment done?

 

Not yet, Mcclaskz. Will do though once the weather improves - actually I'll try to take one tonight when I get home. Car is in the garage so no problem.

Re waiting for alignment - actually had the measurements taken just after the install. I was more concerned about making sure that the curb hit did not do anything beyond the damage to the bearing. I plan on having it done again soon at a different site - probably following the installation of a new exhaust system.

Actually planned on taking pics this weekend - but broke the ground wire bolt while installing InSaNeMine's grounding kit. You would not believe how long it took for me to 'fix' the problem. A dropped bolt in the engine compartment did not help things either.

My next mod will probably be a new set of thumbs - these don't work anymore.

 

Hey Kraigman, quick question. What size tire do you have up front? Are they 245/40 or 245/35? Please get back

 

Yo! that white 350Z is phat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got a white 350Z myself. What do you think about gold 19's Volk TE-37 deep dishes? Nice ride!

 

Did you mean bronze?

 

zDreamz: the fronts are 245/35 (rears 275/35).

McclaskZ: Here's a couple of rear shots for you. Let me know if they do the trick.

*510*350Z: I think the bronze TE-37 looks great on a PPW Z. In my opnion, a gold 5 spoke wheel would also look pretty awesome.

 

Second pic.

 

Thanks Kraig! I was trying to see how far out the +35 offset would go. I like it a lot. Have you noticed any uneven tread wear in the rear?

 

Kraigman your car looks great.

 

Thanks Lotus.

Not yet, Mcclaskz. I only have about 500 miles on them though - much too early to tell.

 

I thought it was .8 FRONT and 1.2 REAR. correct me if i am wrong.

 

I'm a huge proponent of dropped cars, but for some reason the Z looks perfect the way it sits stock.

Your car looks nice, though.

 

I agree 100%

 

Actually, I agree 100% as well, but... I can't find any progressive springs that won't drop the car. And adjustable coilovers are waaaayyy to price to fix a minor nuisance.

I have been inspeacting every single picture I can get of the Eibachs installed and have decided the drop is minimal and acceptable. I would rather go with a 0" to .5" drop, but what can you do.

If the results in handeling are as good as expressed in all the available threads, I am in. Actually, I just agreed to purchase a set next week. I'll have them installed, keep my stock springs, drive it for a few months. Worts case I put the stocks back. Not much to loose.

 

Except the bounce!