Bump

 

Installed the Koni sport shocks about a month ago, kept stock springs and added 350 EVO sways front & back. The car was in storage for the Winter B4 ALL the mods (except the HREs & T1s) listed below were installed, so I had not driven it for 51/2 months. So a comparison to the stock suspension is a bit though for me.

Anyway, I do feel that they do improve the ride quality significantly. The ride harshness is gone, you can still feel all the bumps but they are much less bone rattling. I do feel that my 19" Toyos also improved the ride quality over the stock RE040. I have yet to play with any adjustement of the shocks they are on full soft. I don't know if everyones idea of the bounce problem is the same but my thoughts are that on some roads the car would develop a front to back to front rocking type of undulation, it would also on other areas begin to just bounce up & down in rhythm with the roadway. The Z still will get into the up & down mode on certain roads, as far as the front to back stuff I think actually the Toyos solved that problem, or I haven't driven where that was occurring.

I do agree with Amy Crofts observation that in cornering through bumpy roadways that the car stays planted & in control. Out on the track I got a little wide in a turn & hit the flat curbing that was constructed with an ouside rattle zone? anyway, the car handled those bumps without getting upset & I was able to continue to accelerate.

Initially I set the new sways to the middle setting front & back and have since changed them to full stiff. I feel that this is a better setting, taking out even more body roll. I haven't been back to the track since the bar settings were changed so I can't say how other handling aspects have been changed.

The roads around here pretty much suck if the turns are not pot hole ridden they are sprinkled with gravel so I really don't push it untill I get on the track. By the time I do get back to the track I'll have the Eibacks, front control arms & be running on my Toyo RA1s. A whole new set of variables to deal with.

 

Thanks for your report. What's the reason for the Eibachs? Should help the comfort but they aren't linear...... Also give you a nice drop. I get my 350Evo sways & Konis put on this weekend.

 

for the drop / lower center of gravity / cornering

 

Your car looks pretty good in the photos at Gingerman. Very little lean.

 

Had the koni's installed last week on my Enthusiast and I am one happy camper. The bounce is gone and the ride quality is definitely improved over what it was. I installed the rears myself and they made a big difference. A few days later I had the fronts installed and while they did not make as much of a difference the overall experience is much better. I no longer think about selling the car and I'm having fun again. I would recommend the Koni's to anyone who thinks the ride is to harsh and bouncy. Now to fix the crappy sound system.

 

jmark, good luck with your install this weekend! While linear, I would assume that the Eibach Springs and Koni Shocks are a good combination since they are recommended by "BJ". Handling should be awesome once 350EVO Sways arrive and are installed.

 

Just got back from BJ's shop. I'll do a full report later.

 

Well here it goes. First off I drove up to the Wright Tuning shop on Friday morning. I had preordered the Koni shocks and a set of the 350Evo sway bars (with the new bushings) from BJ aka dwnshift. I was later leaving than I had hoped so I did not get to the shop till 4:30. I was greeted at the door by BJ. It was nice to finally meet him and talk 350Z stuff. I pulled the car around so they could get started. BJ & Paul got right to work. I also met the shop owner John Wright. John for those who don't know is a very well respected crew chief and mechanic with several mechanic of the year awards to his credit. In short he knows what he is doing. John was involved the whole time with the installs and made me feel very at home. You have to realize he is in the middle of prepping the two GA Cup 350Z's for next weekends race at Mont Tremblant. I also met Michiel the owner of the cars and co driver with BJ. He also made me feel at home and offered me a ride to the hotel nearby. I declined as I wanted to stay with the car during the install. John, BJ & Paul decided to finish the entire car so I can leave early Sat. morning for my trip home. They worked till 10:30 installing the shocks, sways & Rogue shifter. The shocks and sways went in fine and work as advertised. The bounce is gone and the car responds to the steering wheel more like a Miata or S2000. It just feels like a lighter car now. I am set at full soft on the Konis & middle setting on both sways. The only place the car felt rough was on some concrete stretches of highway. Felt just like my S2000 or Miata. Sports cars don't like concrete interstates. Not alot can be done to fix that IMHO. I just tried to stay in the fast lane which is less worn by the trucks! Progressive springs might help but I don't want to drop the car or take away from the handling. The Rogue shifter was a bit of a problem mainly because of the short leather Nismo shift **** I had installed. A short shifter will increase the force to shift slightly because it moves the fulcrum of the OEM shifter to shorten the throws. Well my shifter was so short that the force was too much with the short shifter. So John went to work modified the shift **** so it didn't screw down so far effectively raising the fulcrum and taking away the force needed to shift the car. Heck John even feed us Pizza and got me nice discount at the hotel I was staying. So the bottom line is it was worth it. The car is now the way it should have been from the factory IMO. You turn the car and it responds. The sways flatten the cornering and I haven't heard a peep out of the new bushings. The shocks do there job and you soon realize you aren't focusing on the bounce anymore. Thanks go to BJ, John, Paul & Michiel. They do thing the right way. Good luck at Mont Tremblant. See ya at VIR & Barber.

 

jmark, do you think the improved steering response is due more to the sway bars than the Konis?

 

jmark, why do you think the "progressive" springs would "take away from the handling"? BJ is currently putting the two together as a package (i.e., Koni's and Eibach's).

 

I think it is due alot to the sways. The steering reminds me alot of the M3 now. Which IMO is a good thing. I drove through the mountains of Tenn. & N.C. and the car was very confidence inspiring. I was able to take corners faster with great stability and without steering input changes. I just set the wheel and the car did the rest.

 

Progressive springs are a compromise. Plus I dont want to drop the car that much. I believe the Hotchkis springs drop the car .6" and are linear with similar rates to the OEM linear springs. I am sure lowering the car will help the handling some I just don't want to beat up the front of the car. I am happy with the setup I have now. For a little over $1400 I got Konis, 350Evo sways, Rogue shifter and the above items installed. Thanks BJ & 350Evo!

 

The summer issue of Sport Z Mag will have a good writeup about the Konis.

 

Any discussions while with BJ as to when he might start receiving shipments of 350EVO Sways. Still waiting. Would like to do shocks, springs and sways during same install. Got an e-mail from BJ early last week and he could not provide any information.

 

No word other than BJ is doing his best to get them here soon as he can. I think they are worth the wait. The new bushings work great.

 

Anyone have any install issues? The front shocks have the nut welded to the lower attachment point. One of my front shock nuts wouldn't accept the bolt. Spent 30min trying to make it go in figuring it was an alignment issue. Took it off the car and saw I couldn't do it off the car either! So not wanting to go back to stock and of course being unable to get the parts, I had to cut the nut off - after buying the tool to cut it off. (Couldn't thread it on after cutting off either!) Went and bought the equivalent nut from the HW store and it was all over. Everyone else has already complained about the packaging, chipping paint, and crappy instructions.
I don't like the Dutch people right now

Question, the front adjustment is over 720deg, same as the rear right?

 

I didn't have any problems with the bolts. The ones supplied with konis worked fine.

 

I am going to wait on the sways! Don't want to go through this twice. Lets hope they come in soon! Aren't there two reported problems with the nuts now?

 

The packaging is terrible. I had "chipping"! One of the side supports for lines was "bent". If it wasn't for posts on this site, the instructions packed with the shocks would be of no use!