happypants

Yes, I got to test drive it twice, and neither dealer had roads nearby that exhibited this behavior. I bought my car in Wisconsin and drove it back, and it was when I hit I-294 that the rhythmic bouncing began.

Some of the people complaining had preordered their cars, so they didn't have a chance to test drive.

sgraham

Right on the test drive hindsight. I shoulda thrashed it more and taken it out for a 30 mile drive. Don't think my sales guy woulda been ok with that. Just got off the phone with him. Joe Cross at Gerald Nissan. Great guy, great dealer. He is getting me contact info for Nissan Regional and will talk to the GM at Gerald. I'm gonna try the weight in the back tomorrow. Got about 80 miles of driving to test it.

jackwhale

Julian: If you spend much time on my350z.com you will soon notice that there are a wide variety of strongly expressed opinions. It took me a while to get used to it because I absolutely love my new 350, and it seemed many were absolutely hating the car. This has definitely not been my experience.
When I complain about the tires, I actually do not have a gripe with Nissan. I guess that my gripe should be directed at Bridgestone for calling these tires high performance and charging a high price for them. I have experience with the Bridgestone (Pole position) tires and really loved them on my Datsun 510. I can hardly wait to replace the tires with poles.

Anyone asks me about the Z, I would sing only praises to my car. If anyone asks me if they should buy the car....everyone has their own preference.

btw I grew up in Ann Arbor--junior high, high school, college, med school--still have many fond feelings although this time of year the fond feelings are a little colder.

350z4steve

iTrader: (1)

I guess a bunch of us are not alone in thinking the bouncyness of the car or rythmic occillation which occurs on cupped or irregular roads should not be something one has to endure on nissan's flagship sports car! I think im going to call nissan and bring this up has anyone organised a formal group complaint to see if nissan cant recall and setup our cars with the proper spring and dampning rates? Or who is starting a petition ? The bouncyness only when it happens makes you think for an otherwise outstanding car.

mytalon

You don't even have a 350 and you have an opinion? By soft I mean that when I take a curve at a speed not exceding the recommended limit I should not feel a sports car lean. My neighbors have a mini cooper that doesn't exhibit this behavior. A Z should definatly not feel this way. I love this car and would not change cars for anything. But I just think that this behavior could have been avoided. Nissan should have at least put a sportier suspension on the Track models.

julian

talon - yup, i don't have a z and have an opinion. Like I said I drove one for 15 minutes and I couldn't detect any appreciable roll on the short stretch of windy roads, but public roads aren't the ideal place to evaluate a car. I'm trying to get some time in the track model that's sitting outside our office, hopefully I'll be able to finangle it today. I got to drive the 333hp M3 that's out there for a little while and that was very grin-inducing. The beemers i've driven in the past always seem to have pretty good bump and impact absorption given the car's handling, but this m3 seemed a little stiff in the back. I wasn't complaining when I was on the handling course but I also wouldn't want to drive one on Michigan roads. Just like I wouldn't want to drive a Z on Michigan roads. I'd feel bad beating the cars to death.

jwhale - I moved here from california for my job and so far it's been alright. But high's in the 20's definitely suck. Another reason I would think twice about getting another RWD car. datsun 510 eh?... very nice.

Pedal Pusher

Sports car = bounce......not!!!!!!!!!!!! Nissan tech line is 1-800-647-7261.

Pedal Pusher

Sports car = bounce? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nissan tech line is 1-800-647-7261 and it helps to have your VIN # when you call.

Pedal Pusher

Sports car = bounce? NOT!!!!!!!!!!! Call Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Pedal Pusher

Nissan customer service # is 1-800-647-7261 and it helps to have your VIN #.

WashUJon

I'm not flaming you guys, but I gotta say that I don't undertand what you guys expect to have done about this. I personally don't have an opinion either way on the "bouncing" matter, as I've only had my car for about 700 miles now and it really hasn't bugged me.

I can't help but feel that NO auto manufacturer would bother with buying and installing new suspensions for its cars already sold unless its a safety issue. Recalls only happen when there is a necessary safety measure. I can't imagine Nissan determining that this is anything more than personal preference and arguing that you didn't have to buy the car if you didn't like it. Now, I understand that the pre-order people wouldn't have had a chance to test drive the car, but they also made the choice to by the car before any hope of a test drive. Please understand that I'm using these points to illustrate a possible point of view from Nissan, not necessarily myself.

fullylowdd

Maybe the members complaining about the ride should have considered a G35... If you dont want a sports car ride, then dont buy a sports car.

z350z

The is one of those debates where people say the same things over again and don't seem to be listening to each other.

Whenever someone brings up the bounciness problem, there are all these "it's a sports car so it's supposed to be stiff" replies. Please, people, read carefully.

People are NOT complaining that the suspension gives a stiff ride. We understand that sports cars have a stiff ride in order to provide good handling and flat cornering. Sports car people do not mind a stiff ride. That is not the problem here!

The problem is the way the car bounces up and down on some road surfaces. This is NOT a necessary result of a stiff ride. Many cars with very stiff suspensions and harsh rides can ride these same roads without going bounce-bounce-bounce and shaking you around like you're riding on a paint-can shaker machine.

Now please, before someone replies with "you shouldn't have bought a sports car if you wanted a smooth ride", please read the above over again, carefully.

It's possible that many people have never noticed this and think it's fine, which I can understand because it is highly dependent on road surface. I can drive for many miles and it feels great, but when I hit a certain section of road, everything starts jumping up and down like mad. And don't blame the road -- none of the other cars are doing it.

350z4steve

iTrader: (1)

so is the suggestion valid to call nissan and go from there or just take it into your own hands and change the suspension ?

dr_gallup

You guys with bouncing problems should definately be talking to your dealer and Nissan. My 350 does not do anything like what you people are talking about. Not one little bit. Completely stock suspension and tires, no bounce. Maybe there are some defective shocks out there that never got filled with hudraulic fluid??? Agreed, the car should not do this. You have a warranty, use it.

350z4steve

iTrader: (1)

good man dr_gallup
thats what im gonna do is call nissan if its a problem they will fix it if its normal then they wont ..what to lose right?

happypants

1.. G35's wheelbase is 7" longer and doesn't exhibit this problem.
2. G35 is not a 350Z. If someone wants a 350Z bodystyle, that person doesn't get it with a G35. Yes, the cars are somewhat similar, but a G35 has "luxury car" look while G35 has "sports car" look.
3. The interiors are different, I personally prefer the 350Z over G35.

happypants

What will help is if you can find a road that exhibits the problem, then find a dealer near that road who would be willing to road test. Call the dealer beforehand to make sure the dealer will perform the test. The dealer closest to me said they could not test on the three highways I found because of the distance from the dealership.

Nissan is going to want to have the car road tested.

k27

that kind of bouncing you all are talkin about is down to the valving in the shocks not matching the spring rates.
On my 944 turbo I run bilstien full race shocks revalved to work with #350 Eibach coils , it is pretty stiff on the street, but there is no oscillation at all, it is rock solid. And there shouldn't be with correct valving to match the springs.
The shocks are too weak to control the springs and that is why your car bounces like that.

jackwhale

I agree that we must be talking about different things. On certain concrete sections of freeway during my commute, the 350 has a thump/bumping feel. I have driven that section in many cars and they all do it to a certain degree. Everyone I know notices that section of road, no matter what car they are driving. There are short sections of different pavement where everything smooths right out. I have blamed the tires which I thought 'grabbed' the furrows in the concrete. (now I don't feel so confident about my analysis of the situation)
and I now can hear you <z350z> when you say that you are noticing something which is very abnormal, and no car should have thumping/bumping to that degree. Clearly some cars have the problem and others don't. I'm not a great mechanic but there must be a reason: such as problems with what has been mentioned:
1. tires
2. allignment
3. shocks
4. spring rate
5. incompatible shock/spring combo
6. etc.