I have an 04 Z and really like the way the stock suspension is for daily and spirited driving. I'm new to the Z, but not new to tracking or high performance cars. I'm actually suprised how it handles all stock.
I do both city and highway driving. I will never track it and at most maybe hit the 1/4 a few times. It's obvious that for track purposes, suspension mods are worth it.

I see all kinds of great suspension stuff out there and just itching to get some coilovers and some camber and toe kits.

Do you all think it's really worth it to do any suspension mods for the street? Do ground clearance issues and stiffer ride outweigh any gains on the street?

I ask this because many of you have modded your rides and can easily answer these questions.

 

Most people on here lower it for looks only, then say it handles better. Really, its not worth it unless your involved in some kind of autosports.

 

^ agree'd.........Its taken me a lot of time and fine tuning to get the right set up for whatever autosport event im attending on any given weekend......

it all depends on what the car is gonna be used for..........there is no magic set up for everything.....just something you can live with if your not making changes...

I recommend you first read here and ask any remaining questions there if needed...
https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-...ion-101-a.html

-J

 

When you see a lowered Z here it is generally done for looks only. Then the member complains about fixing a car that he screwed up.

 

My suggestions for a street driven 350Z:

OEM front and rear springs from a 2004.5 or later.
Koni Sport shocks.
Adjustable anti-roll bars.
Square wheel and tire setup.

And then just drive it.

 

^ I agree!

-J

 

Thanks guys, thats what I thought as well. Since I'm keeping this strictly a street car, I guess "don't fix it if it aint broke" I've had quite a few sports cars before and I have to say the Z handles pretty good stock (at least on the street)

 

I also like the Cobb springs if you can find a set, and really want the looks of a slight drop. Those spring with what BetaMotorsports suggest would also be great.

One of the biggest improvements is moving up to a 245 front tire.

 

I have seen the koni yellows suggested quite a bit. I was looking into more affordable coilovers ~1,000 and figured maybe these would be suitable?

Are these recommended with a stiffer spring (rs*r) for about 4 track days a year and summer driving?

 

My first suspension mod was Koni Yellows with Eibach Pro 1" lowered springs. I thought it was a great setup for street with occassional hard driving on a 380rwhp ST set-up.

 

I have ran the RS*R Ti 2000's with the Koni's (and Hotchkis sways) for a few years now. I autocross a lot (about two days/month), and I've been very happy with the setup.

 

+1 on the Hotchkins sways. That was part of my set-up as well.

 

Honestly, if your budget is ~$1000, don't bother with coilovers because you won't get a good set for that price, unless you buy used. For that price, I think you'll be better off with a set of shocks like Konis, Bilsteins or Tokicos and properly matched springs. My opinion is that decent, entry coilovers start around $1300, Eibach, KW or Bilstein come to mind.

 

So the consensus is coilovers don't improve handling? I beg to differ...

 

I didn't say that. What I said (in another thread) was coil overs, in and of themselves, don't improve handling just by there nature. In many cases, because of the cheap POS shocks included in most of the JDM "coil over" kits, the handling is worse then stock. Within a reasonable motion ratio range it doesn't matter to the tire if the spring is around the shock or mounted on a control arm. It does matter where the shock is mounted but 350Z coil over kits don't really change that from the OEM location.