Fixing corner grip on bumpy surfaces?

kannibul

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind on KW's - it'll probably be around tax-return season

Also, I'm not really after lowering - so would camber arms still be needed? Granted, I know they'll allow for more adjustability, but, will it be nessicary?

Good to know on factory settings being right

Installation is the only concern of mine - I mean, if you jack the car all the way up, is it a matter of popping them off where they're not under a lot of pressure, or, is it something where I'd have to find a way to compress the springs to get them in? If it's the later, it'd be easier to have someone else (with more tools, proper facilities, experience) to do it.


Thanks for the info!

kannibul

I've heard those are easy to install as well. Did it change the balance of the car much, or mostly just help with body-roll?


Also, which sway bars did you go with?

ChrisSlicks

I went with the Hotchkis, which are perhaps a little too aggressive for street use. The Stillen is probably a better street setup.

The sway bars detrimentally affected low speed aggressive turn in until I increased front camber (using the SPC camber arms). I think this was because there was less roll induced camber. For higher speed cornering it improved the car wonderfully.

cartracer12

It's most likely due to the hard suspension setup in the Z. Check you tire pressures. Then the alignment. If the alignment is true, and the camber is < -5 degrees then you should be at the optimum for reducing these types of effects. If you still feel as if you are getting pitched around and at the edge of losing traction the only other option I can think of with stock suspension is to reduce the unsprung weight IE tires, wheels, brakes, suspension. (which could be quite expensive). If you already have adjustable coilovers, then you could soften the bump dampening, allowing the suspension to react quicker and smoother to the changes in pavement height. Other than that your pretty much on your own.

RCZ

Hmm...?

Whats a "true" alignment? You mean stock?

I understand you mean ">" not "<", but man, if your camber is anywhere near -5 degrees then something is extremely wrong...specially since you can't go much past -1.5 on the stock setup...and because -5 degrees is an insane and detrimental amount of camber for a street car. Also...camber adjustments are part of an alignment so its not an "alignment AND camber".



He doesnt.

kannibul

Just out of curiousity, why make the front swap bars non-adjustable, and the rear's adjustable?

Also, would installing (stillen) swaybars cause other potential issues? I guess what I'm saying is, are they any negatives to installing them?

RCZ

You can argue a few points to why, but its always beneficial to be able to adjust balance front and rear. Arguably, you can still do that by just changing the rear, however some people will be left unhappy even if they set the rear to softest. I've always thought balance should be alignment induced and then you can change the tendencies of that setup using adjustable swaybars. Doing swaybars first is backwards.

There arent really negatives to installing sways. Specially milder ones like the Stillen bars. Remember that going extreme in either direction (hard or soft) is not good. You should pick the swaybar by the suspension setup you will be running. If you are running soft street springs, get the not-so-aggressive bars, they will work together. If you are running 8k spring coilovers then get the stiffer bars.

Stiffer isnt automatically better. Better = what works with your car + produces the desired balance.

There shouldn't be any negatives. You might start tripoding around when you go into driveways sideways and you might hear a little more noise, but its nothing to worry about...unless your bar is walking. Thats the thing with adjustable bars, you have to tighten them down like crazy or they will start shifting around under load, causing a very distinct clank. Its very annoying, so I for one, don't have much of a problem with a non-adjustable front on my non-racecar.

kannibul

I'll probably go with the coilovers mentioned earlier (KW V3) since a number of people have said they have had good results (I might wait until the 370z specific version comes out) - with that, would you say the Stillen sway bars would be a good match? Would the Stillen bars be fine to swap out now (and still show an improvement, but, not overkill?)

I'm perfectly happy with this car never seeing a track, but, I think it'd be fun to someday (if I could find a road course near here...)

kenchan

after reading this tread i took my Z to my usual predetermined crappy exit ramp with an offcamber turn + dip then a bump, followed by series of cracks on the road with patching. this is
where i usually do my sus tuning and testing.

car handled it beautifully. it might be that since this is your first
MFR platform you are just not use to how the car absorbs the
bumps and dips.

aim the car and just keep the steering wheel steady, dont try to
counter the bumps when your steering feedbacks with a slight tug.
for street driving, i think nissan got it right this time.

now ive driven through tulsa before and you guys have some
massive cracks between the concrete patches...

kannibul

Will I need adj. camber arms if I'm keeping the ride height the same?

RCZ

The Stillen would be a good match for you. The hotchkis may be a little more than you need if you are going to keep it on the street. Yes, you would be perfectly fine swapping sways for the stillen right now.

If you are keeping the height the same...you probably won't need camber arms. You can probably get away with the stock bolts...they had some adjustability that would be about enough for you. If you have to run a little more negative...well as long as its not less than -2 deg...then you should be fine. So If you can get them and keep your setup between 0 and -2 then you should be fine. Im running -2 all around right now and its nice. Going to do -2.25 up front and -2 rear when I get it aligned tomorrow though.

kannibul

Do you have any links/articles on effects of camber and so on and suspension mods in general? Just looking to get rid of my ignorance on the subject and learn more

RCZ

Good Read - Suspension Lesson (Long)

cartracer12

I understand you mean ">" not "<", but man, if your camber is anywhere near -5 degrees then something is extremely wrong...specially since you can't go much past -1.5 on the stock setup...and because -5 degrees is an insane and detrimental amount of camber for a street car. Also...camber adjustments are part of an alignment so its not an "alignment AND camber".

Sorry I meant to put -.5 i guess the decimal ran away. As for the Alignment and camber being the same thing, I always see them as different cuz of the last 11 years I've been go-carting, by alignment I meant toe-in/out and camber as a separate adjustment, and castor as another separate adjustment. I have never adjusted the alignment on a car before so yeah.

370Zsteve

Kann, you ride, don't you?

One of the nice surprises when I upgraded my K1200RS with F&R Ohlins was how it handled bumpy surfaces. I was expecting it to be more firm, but the compliance of the Ohlins was a revelation. There is an Ohlins suspension for the 370Z...but it costs between $4254 and $5059 yowza might not be within your budget.

Pro Stock Racing Spec Ohlins Suspension for 370z | 370zblog.com

Completely agree on ride height, no way would I lower this thing on the street with the roads the way they are around here.

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SOLD MY Z MARCH 2018 - another Core OG moves on - new ride 2019 Z Corvette Grand Sport - no mods necessary but already have eyes on HFC and intakes LOL IT NEVER ENDS.