Hi All,

Over the course of the year I've found the front end of my Z to be a bit sluggish when it comes to quick changes of direction. I know the car is front heavy so I assume this will always be something to fight. I was curious how people have gone about trying to solve this problem.

I'm running koni yellows with swift springs as well as 275/30/18 tires front and rear - falken rt660. Around -3 deg. front camber as well.
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Im thinking a good first step would be possible stiffer springs and maybe a "sharper" tire. From what I've experienced and heard the rt660 is a good all arounder but there are possible more responsive tires on the market. I've heard Nankang is good in this regard.

​​​​​​Car is used for track and autox - this is much more noticable at autox as you could probably gather.

Thanks!

 

if the fr tires are sticking well, losen rear sway bar. some simply remove the stock rear bar.
always a good start for z understeer.

 

The static weight distribution of the Z33 is about 53F/47R, so it's not really "nose heavy". But Nissan designed the 350Z to understeer, as that's usually better for inexperienced drivers to catch before flying off the road. I'd suggest a good adjustable set of swaybars that you can dial in the type of handling to meet your driving style. Soften the front bar for more grip on that end. Learning to trail brake effectively can also help reduce understeer.

 

This. ^^

To increase oversteer (decrease understeer), you either: soften the front bar or stiffen the rear. Method of choice: Stiffening the rear will decrease the time the rear reaches max slip angle (ahead of the front tires, particularly in staggered setup) and goes into near slide, hence, oversteer.

Softening the front also allows the rear to reach oversteer condition faster BUT, also creates a much less responsive turn in. You CAN have both control over the steering attitude while maintaining the steering response. Personally, I adjust my front bar for softest setting (link attachment closest to end of bar which is still stiffer than stock bars due to tube diameter and therefore having more "'torque-ability" - or "twisting resistance" than factory ) and go to #2 hole on the rear bar which is just stiffer enough over front to promote oversteer and maintain high response. You can experiment to suit your driving style and condition.

 

I thought on mine that the wide front tires took away from the car feeling nimble.