Boomer

Of course, my mistake. The mag test was the 6MT model w/the 18s. When you say the G35C has less rebound, do you mean they are better controlled than the Zs? I am assuming thats correct, tell me if I'm wrong.

Do you think a matchup of Eibachs and the G35C's shocks would be a good combo for the Z? Do you intend to try it? I have to admit, I despair of Nissan doing anything at all to remedy the situation. I have even been looking at coilovers when I said I wouldn't. I'm finally going on a longer trip than before, maybe I will gain some insight into the problem.

I called Steve, the Z expert at NNA, last week and he has not returned my call since last Thursday. Ah, well, I'll call again. Keep me posted, hah!, on what you might decide to do, please. Boomer

Pedal Pusher

It is sounding like the Z springs are not designed with enough progressive capability. Progressive springs get progressively stiffer as the car calls for it. Example: weight in the car, hitting a dip in the road, hard corning, etc. I feel the Z works well when the suspension needs to be stiff. The Eibach springs are progressive and should offer a soft ride under light load situations.

The shocks might have too much rebound or stiffness to them. I was told the G35c shocks are softer than the Z. When both the softer shocks and progressive springs are installed it should help our problem.

Not sure what I am going to do. Actually, I would like a progressive spring that lowers the car about 1/2"front and 3/4"rear. Eibach is .8" front and 1.2" rear. I talked to Eibach R&D today and learned their springs are stiffer than the stock springs. However, since they are progressive they are getting good reviews by many on this site. I guess I will procrastinate for a while!

fotodad

If you are a Z owner who is completely satisfied with your Z, GREAT! I am genuinely happy for you. Please read this posting if you like, and if you reply, please make your response constructive in nature. I am so tired of responses which belittle the opinions of those who have legitimate concerns. Certainly nothing is perfect, not even the Z. And if the problems where minimal in cost to fix, I would be the first to get my checkbook out. But as more is known about this car and its design, more construction and design miscalculations by Nissan are discovered. These are expensive design flaws and tire changes to make. I don't expect Nissan to pick up the entire tab, but they should make a good-conscience effort.

Since it seems Nissan is going to do little to remedy the springs/shocks/tires concerns which many Z owners obviously have, would it be benificial to email assorted car magazines explaining our concerns with the Z's suspension and stock tires? I have sent three emails to the big three auto magazines explaining my concerns in hopes a follow-up article on the Z can be written. The email may fall on deaf ears, but enough people write in maybe something will be done...can't hurt, can it?

roadandtrack@hfnm.com
editors@caranddriver.com
To contact Motor Trend, go to their website motortrend.com, scroll to the bottom of the home page, click on "contact us," express your feelings.

In fact, to be fair, those who are extremely pleased with their Z should do the same, bu express their satisfaction, instead.

sgraham

I'm in between. I was hating the ride but at 1,400 miles now it seems to have softened and lost some of the harshness. Not happy but not hating the ride as much. I don't think it is just getting used to it, I think it has really softened. I had called Nissan and opened a file on it. Still open. Still want NISMO.

jmark

iTrader: (1)

1100 miles and counting. I am still awaiting Nissans response. Overall they have done a fine job especially for the $. My file is open and I really want the NISMO setup........Yes I would have gladly ordered the car with the NISMO set up from the factory. That should be the real track model! I am going to wait a little while and weigh all the options. Several board members have ordered the NISMO kit and will report back. I don't want to go mixing and matching shocks & springs. The cheapest fix so far is to get the Eibachs which like the NISMO springs are progressive. I think the NISMO kit takes the Z handling to the next level with a good ride too.

Boomer

The more I hear about NISMO, the more I think it should have been the stock suspension. The more I think that, the angrier I get to no good purpose.

fotodad

JMARK,

YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD! It would be my guess next year's Z will offer the NISMO kit as an option. I wish it would have been an option this year. I'm somewhat worried that it lowers an already low car. Any thoughts on this? Are there suspension modifications which don't lower the car? And why should we have to invest all this money to make the car the way it should have come out of the factory!?

fotodad

P L E A S E TAKE MY POLL: "Trading it in on a 2004?"

It is found on the "Technical problems, maintenance & questions" thread.

THANKS!

jmark

iTrader: (1)

It lowers the car but not by much. I think less than the Eibachs do. Do a search for the NISMO suspension. I am sure it is mentioned in several threads. I have had less trouble with the front of the Z than the S2000 or Miata I had before. I am still careful with it however......This car is going to have tons of stuff for it like the Miata does.

Boomer

Yes, there are modifications which don't lower the car, COILOVERS! HKS, TEIN, etc., check VQ's list. They are all height adjustable and the cheapest I've found so far are $1400 and the company is not listed as an authorized dealer for them! What about the owner who doesn't want to lower his ride height, Nissan? No kit of any kind should be necessary for a new sports car. Most days I feel like I'm riding in a BUICK!

happypants

fotodad,

Just sent a note off to all three mags.

Also check out this thread if you live in the Chicagoland area

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=22176

fotodad

Thanks for emailing the three magazines. I sent an email to the Tribune and encourage anyone else who has concerns to do the same...NOW, don't wait!

fotodad

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=23012

offlogic

I agree 101% about the choppy ride. I have already posted this on Z.COM so excuse the repetition; but after a number of months of dormancy, I finally got the Zeezer out for a spin on I-95. Had been looking forward to it all winter. Although I was aware that the ride around my local area seemed a bit stuttery at times I chalked it up to road conditions. Out on I95 on straight flat new Macadam I thought I was getting airsick. My wife concurred. I really like this car for many reasons, but the annoying unrelenting choppy ride did not make me happy. Had I had the opportunity to test drive this baby before throwing my money at Pre-order madness, I might have something else out in my driveway.
YES, this needs a fix and I will be on the 800# posted earlier and I will have this back to my dealership (who won't spend a lot of tears over it) and hope for the best.
P.S. Is there a website or a venue for serious Z problems that Nissan has recognized and doing something about. My dealership tells me nothing and Nissan just annoys me with questionnaires about their service department, but nothing about how I feel abouty the Z!!!

offlogic

Do you know anyone who has replaced the springs with Eibachs and has some positive response? According to Discount Tire the web based Eibach source, they say that Nissan still honors the warranty with the Eibach springs especially if installed by Nissan service centers. Any feedback?

Pedal Pusher

Some owners are reporting positive results with the Eibach springs. Eibach admits that the ride will be firmer. However, most everyone has reported that some of the bounce is gone.

Welsh 350Z N

I must admit I have noticed the bounce a little but I only have 450 miles on my baby so it hasn't got to bother me to much yet. I put it down to the appalling upstate NY roads. However, the problem obviously exists and in support of the cause I will be calling Nissan. I also tried a different route - I posted a detailed written complaint on their Nissan USA Website. Sometimes the written word has a little more power. I'll let everyone know IF or when they respond.

bozhed

Just a thought for everyone that is experiencing the tire issues.....if Nissan is not doing anything about this I would think that this would actually result in unsafe conditions for those owners who don't understand feathering. You could report the problem to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (actually it is the Dept.of Transportation)
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

On the website
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/

you can not only file a complaint, you can search to see if others have reported issues. I did a search and found 4 complaints (5 counting mine). One appeared to have been repeated 2x. So that amounts to 4 total complaints.

If they are going to do something about this, defintely need more people to file complaints.

Boomer

Yes, read earlier posts on this thread and several other threads listing the problems. Jim H has replaced his springs w/Eibachs recently wth very good results. You also need to go to Eibach's website which describes how they work. You can access them directly or through TireRack.com. Any warranty coverage by Nissan is your guess. They lower the car .8"fr and 1.2"rr.

BTW, there are several threads working on the alignment problems, too. Each of you who want to register your displeasure w/Nissan's lack of solutions to the Bounce and Alignment problems can find an outlet for your frustrations by doing a search on, Bounce, Alignment and Feathering.

The biggest problem listed so far is Feathering, which points to the abnormal wear on the inside tread of the front tires. Many of us believe all three issues are related and some of us are drafting a letter to Nissan Top Management. Look for mindfullin and jellege's posts to track it down, add your name, VIN# and Case number from NNA at 1 800 Nissan-1. If you haven't called Nissan North America(NNA), please do it now to register your complaint and join us with your complaints.

I considered the Eibachs, but I don't lower my car at this time. I am waiting for adjustable dampers first.

Slexis200

Still no responce from NNA huh? Let us know when one of you gets some feedback, or if it becomes a TSB......