Vin # 7266, arrived Dec. 30, 2002. Current mileage 3,000. My first post, though I've been reading yours.

Ride was choppy. At night you could definitely see it with lights hitting the expansion cracks on the highway. My wife got a little carsick for the first time since childhood. After 1,500 mile break-in period, took the car auto-crossing. Had the opportunity to do fun-runs with the Corvette Club. Times weren't posted but the car went around the track 36 separate runs.

The ride is balanced now. Now even at nighttime you don't see the hop of the front lights. Passengers I've had in the car before auto-crossing and then after, volunteered that they now like the car ride but didn't before but didn't want to say anything.

I drove it hard. Very hard cornering. Maybe you could too before you change out your spring suspension, etc.

Another unscientific test was the "coffee test." Before auto-crossing, I couldn't drink coffee in the car without it splashing right out of the cup while I held it. Now I can.

Car still feels wonderfully tight, handles like it's on rails, but the ride is definitely smoother.

 

Which model do you have (Base, Enthusiast, Performance, Touring, Track) and what size rims do you have (17, 18, custom)? Did you change the tires?

My car is a couple hundred after yours and at around 700 miles it is still just as bad as yours was.

Pretty pathetic the car needs over 1000 miles for the suspension to settle down

What also is weird is yours settled down while some others have more mileage and still have the problem.

Oh well, guess I need to drive more

 

I have a Touring A/T with 17 inch wheels and tires factory. No feathering or cupping was evident at 1500 miles. When I first auto-crossed the first 2 races, still had no feathering or cupping and after the first 2 races I still didn't notice a difference in the suspension (which would have been a total of 8 times around the track).

The third time I went to the track was unlimited fun runs, and I went around the track 36 times. It was after this experience (which is equivalent to racing a full year) that the suspension smoothed out. Going around many cones at maximum possible speed and its corresponding weight distribution is what I think helped smooth out the ride. I really wouldn't want it any smoother now.

After auto-crossing, the front tires showed on the outside of the tire some feathering. After 500 miles of normal driving that's almost gone.

Spank your car---it will like it. Hope this helps.

 

I agree to the softening. At 2,000 miles now it is a totally different ride. Say UNCLE little Z!!

 

I am at 7000 miles and 1 day of autox and 2 days at Sebring Raceway (want to talk hard cornering) and still choppy.

 

Westpak,
I saw where you switched to 18" track wheels with toyo tires. Did it help the bounce? I drove my dealers owners Touring 6 speed and it rode like a good sports car should. The tech says it is the 17" rims & tires. Now I am thinking of swapping out to 18" rims & tires. Very $$ if that isn't going to fix the problem......

 

I have 18's and the ride is still very springy/bouncy on some road surfaces, so I don't think larger rims/tires will help.

And who said service techs are always right?

There is one road near me that when I drive over it at just the right speed (which happens to be the speed limit) the car gets into a repeating bouncing motion similar to a Waverider bouncing over waves. I have to look like a total retard to others with the car bouncing around like this. Actually it cracks me up.

I'm going to wait till I hit 1200 miles before I take my car to the dealer. Should be in a couple months.

 

It is a little better with the 18's but I don't think it is from the 18's but rather from the stiffer sidewall on the Toyo's, but it is still bouncy so don;t spend the money just to try to fix the bounce, I think it is in the springs/shocks mainly the rear springs.

 

After driving my dealer owners Touring 6 speed I believe Nissan has changed something from the early production cars like mine to fix the problem. Of course Nissan will never admit it. However after driving a new Enth. model with the same bounce as mine I wonder......

 

I know two other people who autocross 350s, one seldom, one a lot, but I have not spoken to them in over a month due to my busy shedule. When I see them I'll ask about their suspension and see if there's a link between autocrossing and suspensions getting better or not at all. Also I'll see about their VIN numbers correlating to their rides.


To the guy in Great Bridge who PM'd me I think on April 14, please do it again, as I lost it before I could respond.