Hey guys. New here and bought my z about a week ago. Im enjoying it very much so. Had a 300zx for my first car the a 240sx and i did a huge build `ls6 swap yada yada`. So im not worried about power right now cause ill get to that later.....This z handles very nicely for being 100% stock...Im going to be going suspension and wheels before i do anything else.....This is my DD that i want to be able to have fun in on the highways and mountains/track.
Basic question....Whats the first suspension mod i should get first....? Coilovers,sway bars etc? I feel like the shocks and springs feel pretty good, nice on the corners and not rough at all....Thanks

 

If you like the way it feels, don't change it.

 

Good advice.

But if your adamant on changing it. Give a brief description of your goals and what you would like to achieve, and the budget that you have to work with.

 

Welcome to the forum, I would start here:

https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-...ion-101-a.html

 

Thank you for the welcome. And i`ll have to change it lol im a car enthusiast. But yes, i do like it, but it also can improve of course.

My budget it not to much of an issue...Im not rich but i dont plan on rushing my build...It took me four years with the 240 and it was 100% complete.... First and foremost of what im trying to accomplish first is a nice stance with flush aggressive semi fat wheels. I know coilovers is a must when tryin to get a good stance....

What im simply asking is, is there a weakness thats known for these cars that i should upgrade.....example: the toe arms are a weak point for these and i should get those:

 

Front weakness
LCA bushing weak
Compression arm bushings weak
Can only be lowered about 3/4 inch before the roll center is completely F-ed up.
No way to correct the roll center without cutting the pick up points off the chassis
Tie rods are already straight across and need to be spaced if the car is lowered (SPL Tie Rod ends)

Rear weakness
Can only be lowered about 1.25 inch before roll center out of wack
Little Toe adjustment
Bigger ecentric bolts like to slip
SPL offers 2 different arms to fix this problem and lock out ecentric out
Camber has little adjustment
Arm needs to be replaced
The VLSD is complete garbage for anything other than driving to work or the mall

The sway bar end links are weak, and do not hold up well with aftermarket sway bars.
The car does not hold alignment well. Plan to align once a year.
Most coilovers under $2k are not an improvement over stock suspension.
03 to 05 non brembo brakes are pathetic and work good only for normal street driving.

 

This definitely sums it up.

My Stance GR+ coils were only 1200 shipped.
Definitely not complaining, my ride feels SOOOOO much better.
But I haven't tracked my car, auto crossed, or drifted.

@ the 03-05 non Brembos, eff those brakes.
They are garbage.

 

If you do coilovers, the swaybars aren't as important as they would be with springs because you can corner balance the car and adjust preload accordingly. I did coilovers so that I could replace all of my arms (including rear toe) with adjustable arms and lockout bolts. That and good bushings seems to be the only way to keep a solid alignment on these cars. The eccentric bolts in the rear are crap and will slip. Past that isn't as much bang for your buck. I did endlinks and sways too, but that was just because I already had some damage and had everything apart.

If you want to safely enjoy the mountains, I'd encourage stainless lines at a minimum or upgrading to Akebono's, Brembo's, StopTech's or another nice BBK. The stock brakes are fine for the street, but they can creep up on you if you're driving mountain roads aggressively for any length of time. No need taking the fast way down the mountain.

If you want some extra performance and you're not planning to go with an LSx swap down the road, I'd encourage upgrading your drivetrain with a better LSD. While you're under there, you might as well go ahead and do the clutch and flywheel in preparation for any VQ nitrous or FI dreams.

Wheels, aero, exhaust, intake, and other breather mods - I consider those all to be look and sound mods as opposed to performance. But if you do them last and then get a tune, it will make a little bit of a difference.

 

If you do coilovers, the swaybars aren't as important as they would be with springs because you can corner balance the car and adjust preload accordingly. I did coilovers so that I could replace all of my arms (including rear toe) with adjustable arms and lockout bolts. That and good bushings seems to be the only way to keep a solid alignment on these cars. The eccentric bolts in the rear are crap and will slip. Past that isn't as much bang for your buck. I did endlinks and sways too, but that was just because I already had some damage and had everything apart.

If you want to safely enjoy the mountains, I'd encourage stainless lines at a minimum or upgrading to Akebono's, Brembo's, StopTech's or another nice BBK. The stock brakes are fine for the street, but they can creep up on you if you're driving mountain roads aggressively for any length of time. No need taking the fast way down the mountain.

If you want some extra performance and you're not planning to go with an LSx swap down the road, I'd encourage upgrading your drivetrain with a better LSD. While you're under there, you might as well go ahead and do the clutch and flywheel in preparation for any VQ nitrous or FI dreams.

Wheels, aero, exhaust, intake, and other breather mods - I consider those all to be look and sound mods as opposed to performance. But if you do them last and then get a tune, it will make a little bit of a difference.[/QUOTE]


Wow Alot of good advice and i appreciated it to the fullest.

 

Take the time an do some research on the site. There is a ton of information available and an infinite number of combinations you can try. There's a lot of different options, not all of them very expensive. I put a set of Hotchkis springs, some NISMO swaybars, and set of Grand Touring V2 wheels on my mine, and have been very happy. As a daily driver, I didn't want to have to worry about speed bumps, (although I did find one tonight, ouch). Was able to keep the aligment within factory specs (on the very edge) without any camber kits. I tracked it last month and was very happy with the results. Plan it out and do it in stages if you can. That way you can drive the car and see what each piece does, or doesn't do. Just my opinion. The most important thing is to drive your car. It doesn't do you any good being worked on constantly or parked in a garage or under a tarp. Have fun and good luck.

 

I know this is off topic, Cant you use the after market LSD if you did it now and later after the swap? I thought it used the same rear end?