New Suspension add-on for the Z1 370Z Shop Car

Dustin@Z1 · 08-31-2011, 11:37 AM

Jon,
Sorry for the lack of response. I was some how missing this thread when I was skimming the site.

We have found the following regarding these braces:

The front brace under the front fascia will not work when installed in conjunction with a Stillen Gen III Intake and a 34 Row Oil Cooler. We ended up removing the front brace as a result.
The Rear Interior brace WILL NOT work on convertible (roadster) 370Z's. These cars can only install the Front and Lower Rear Brace.
The lower rear brace sits slightly lower than the rest of the chassis. If your Z is lowered, it will scrap occasionally. Our shop car has many scratches and dings from driving around local back roads, etc.
Some exhuast systems can come into contact with the lower rear brace under certain conditions. Between the engine's natural movemen and flex of the suspension, the cat back section that passes above the brace will vibrate. We ended up spacing the bar slightly to combat this.

We have absolutely no complaints whatsoever about the braces on our Z. Being designed by NISMO Japan, we have 100% confidence in their research and testing of this particular piece. Our only limiting factor of our Z when being tracked is the tires!

NewYorkJon34 · 08-31-2011, 02:43 PM

My car is lowered almost an inch in the rear, but I have the Fast intentions exhaust which sits very low & I barely scrap at all, so I'm not too worried about that. Would an intercooler (gtm stg.1 sc) fit will the front brace? I already have sway bars, and want something extra to reduce the body roll and am trying to see if this kit is worth the price. Do you guys @ Z1 have any labor day deals on this kit?

FL 4Motion · 08-31-2011, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dustin@Z1

Jon,
Sorry for the lack of response. I was some how missing this thread when I was skimming the site.

We have found the following regarding these braces:

The front brace under the front fascia will not work when installed in conjunction with a Stillen Gen III Intake and a 34 Row Oil Cooler. We ended up removing the front brace as a result.
The Rear Interior brace WILL NOT work on convertible (roadster) 370Z's. These cars can only install the Front and Lower Rear Brace.
The lower rear brace sits slightly lower than the rest of the chassis. If your Z is lowered, it will scrap occasionally. Our shop car has many scratches and dings from driving around local back roads, etc.
Some exhuast systems can come into contact with the lower rear brace under certain conditions. Between the engine's natural movemen and flex of the suspension, the cat back section that passes above the brace will vibrate. We ended up spacing the bar slightly to combat this.

We have absolutely no complaints whatsoever about the braces on our Z. Being designed by NISMO Japan, we have 100% confidence in their research and testing of this particular piece. Our only limiting factor of our Z when being tracked is the tires!

will the front brace fit w/a 34 row oil cooler but stock or SRI's??
I also have the F.I. CBE, not sure if you can answer this or not, but wondering if the rear brace will clear this CBE?

thanks.

280z/300zx · 09-01-2011, 03:16 PM

The main question I have is does this brace actually do anything? The Z's chasis is already pretty stiff, is there a noticiable difference in body roll with this set up? Is traction off the line improved due to decreased chasis flex?

fuct · 09-01-2011, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 280z/300zx

The main question I have is does this brace actually do anything? The Z's chasis is already pretty stiff, is there a noticiable difference in body roll with this set up? Is traction off the line improved due to decreased chasis flex?

see im in the same boat. making our cars go-kart stiff isnt always a good thing.

NewYorkJon34 · 09-01-2011, 08:18 PM

Plus it's not a cheap part, we just need some better reviews

edconline · 09-03-2011, 09:14 AM

i recently installed this brace kit on my car. There were no problems with the front brace with the Stillen Gen 3's and Z1 25 row oil cooler kit, I'm guessing it's just the height of the 34 row that makes it an issue. No issues with the rear interior brace as I have the Coupe.

With the rear underbody brace and the Stillen CBE the clearance is minimal, and there is definitely a humming sound on cold start as the metal parts are so close together. However this noise goes away once the exhaust heats up, and as both parts are mounted solidly, I am not worried about any hitting. Once I get the FI exhaust delivered/installed I will post feedback on the clearance with that exhaust. As far as this brace scraping, it is definitely possible but I haven't experienced this yet. We'll see how it is with the Swift springs installed.

Initial opinion:
I haven't tracked the car yet with this installed, won't get it to the track again until next season. However with spirited daily driving, it is noticeable that there is less roll, it feels more precise on turn in and understeer seems to be reduced/almost eliminated. Going over bumps especially at low speeds it is quite apparent that there is less side to side bouncing in the body, everything just feels tighter.

I have just ordered the GTSPEC 2 point and 4 point braces, i think these will complement the Nismo brace kit well, rather than one replacing the other.

Looking forward to posting more on this when I get home and have a chance to drive the car more.

NewYorkJon34 · 10-18-2011, 09:22 PM

Any new Reviews of these pieces?

NewYorkJon34 · 11-07-2011, 12:44 AM

Ready to be installed tomorrow

Already installed:

NewYorkJon34 · 11-07-2011, 03:16 PM

Installed all the braces today & all I gotta say is "Wow"

Full review later today...

John@Z1 · 11-09-2011, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewYorkJon34

Installed all the braces today & all I gotta say is "Wow"

Full review later today...

Very nice, can't wait for the review.

anthonyy · 11-09-2011, 12:02 PM

^^ at least he's having fun with it

looking forward to the review as well

tjlazer · 11-09-2011, 02:22 PM

do these really even make a difference? Placebo effect? lol

NewYorkJon34 · 11-09-2011, 02:53 PM

Thank you soo much Scott@FontanaNissan

Ok, so after driving the car hard for the last 2 days, I can say i'm in love again, lol

Its not a placebo effect, as you could feel the the bars at work during hard cornering, hitting the onramp at speed for example, you could feel the car tightening up. Its like you could feel the bars transfering the load during cornering. Traction has improved but the traction light comes on alil more (not a big deal tho). The Z feels more planted, and really makes the car much more fun to drive fast. Confindence is improved as when taking a corner at greater speeds the car just holds so well that it makes you want to go faster.

I can say without a doubt bodyroll/understeer is 99% eliminated, and side to side motion is greatly reduced. The whole car just feels tighter without reducing ride quality. I truly understand now how important chassis stiffening parts are, as the whole car feels complete and all the parts are acting as a whole.

The only weak point now would be the tires, lol I have the hankook v12's but will be switching to RE-11's in the near future. Im also thinking of switching to the amuse rear bar to add a tiny bit more support, as for the GTspec braces I really dont think i'll need those as this kit is pretty complete & the car feels soo balanced. Next to my KW V3's, this is the best suspension part ive bought.

If I missed something or you guys have any other questions, dont be shy to ask

John@Z1 · 11-10-2011, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewYorkJon34

Ok, so after driving the car hard for the last 2 days, I can say i'm in love again, lol

Its not a placebo effect, as you could feel the the bars at work during hard cornering, hitting the onramp at speed for example, you could feel the car tightening up. Its like you could feel the bars transfering the load during cornering. Traction has improved but the traction light comes on alil more (not a big deal tho). The Z feels more planted, and really makes the car much more fun to drive fast. Confindence is improved as when taking a corner at greater speeds the car just holds so well that it makes you want to go faster.

I can say without a doubt bodyroll/understeer is 99% eliminated, and side to side motion is greatly reduced. The whole car just feels tighter without reducing ride quality. I truly understand now how important chassis stiffening parts are, as the whole car feels complete and all the parts are acting as a whole.

The only weak point now would be the tires, lol I have the hankook v12's but will be switching to RE-11's in the near future. Im also thinking of switching to the amuse rear bar to add a tiny bit more support, as for the GTspec braces I really dont think i'll need those as this kit is pretty complete & the car feels soo balanced. Next to my KW V3's, this is the best suspension part ive bought.

If I missed something or you guys have any other questions, dont be shy to ask

Great feedback! I apologize that we could not help you earlier in the post.

08-31-2011, 11:37 AM	#76 (permalink)
Dustin@Z1 The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: NLA Posts: 1,313 Drives: NLA Rep Power: 18	Jon, Sorry for the lack of response. I was some how missing this thread when I was skimming the site. We have found the following regarding these braces: The front brace under the front fascia will not work when installed in conjunction with a Stillen Gen III Intake and a 34 Row Oil Cooler. We ended up removing the front brace as a result. The Rear Interior brace WILL NOT work on convertible (roadster) 370Z's. These cars can only install the Front and Lower Rear Brace. The lower rear brace sits slightly lower than the rest of the chassis. If your Z is lowered, it will scrap occasionally. Our shop car has many scratches and dings from driving around local back roads, etc. Some exhuast systems can come into contact with the lower rear brace under certain conditions. Between the engine's natural movemen and flex of the suspension, the cat back section that passes above the brace will vibrate. We ended up spacing the bar slightly to combat this. We have absolutely no complaints whatsoever about the braces on our Z. Being designed by NISMO Japan, we have 100% confidence in their research and testing of this particular piece. Our only limiting factor of our Z when being tracked is the tires!

08-31-2011, 02:43 PM	#77 (permalink)
NewYorkJon34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 3,041 Drives: 09 Fairlady Z Rep Power: 1065	My car is lowered almost an inch in the rear, but I have the Fast intentions exhaust which sits very low & I barely scrap at all, so I'm not too worried about that. Would an intercooler (gtm stg.1 sc) fit will the front brace? I already have sway bars, and want something extra to reduce the body roll and am trying to see if this kit is worth the price. Do you guys @ Z1 have any labor day deals on this kit? __________________ NewYorkJon34's Ultimate Z Build

09-01-2011, 08:18 PM	#81 (permalink)
NewYorkJon34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 3,041 Drives: 09 Fairlady Z Rep Power: 1065	Plus it's not a cheap part, we just need some better reviews __________________ NewYorkJon34's Ultimate Z Build

09-03-2011, 09:14 AM	#82 (permalink)
edconline Track Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Edmonton Posts: 855 Drives: 10' MB Z34 6MT T/S/N Rep Power: 22	i recently installed this brace kit on my car. There were no problems with the front brace with the Stillen Gen 3's and Z1 25 row oil cooler kit, I'm guessing it's just the height of the 34 row that makes it an issue. No issues with the rear interior brace as I have the Coupe. With the rear underbody brace and the Stillen CBE the clearance is minimal, and there is definitely a humming sound on cold start as the metal parts are so close together. However this noise goes away once the exhaust heats up, and as both parts are mounted solidly, I am not worried about any hitting. Once I get the FI exhaust delivered/installed I will post feedback on the clearance with that exhaust. As far as this brace scraping, it is definitely possible but I haven't experienced this yet. We'll see how it is with the Swift springs installed. Initial opinion: I haven't tracked the car yet with this installed, won't get it to the track again until next season. However with spirited daily driving, it is noticeable that there is less roll, it feels more precise on turn in and understeer seems to be reduced/almost eliminated. Going over bumps especially at low speeds it is quite apparent that there is less side to side bouncing in the body, everything just feels tighter. I have just ordered the GTSPEC 2 point and 4 point braces, i think these will complement the Nismo brace kit well, rather than one replacing the other. Looking forward to posting more on this when I get home and have a chance to drive the car more. __________________ View Journal Audio Build

10-18-2011, 09:22 PM	#83 (permalink)
NewYorkJon34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 3,041 Drives: 09 Fairlady Z Rep Power: 1065	Any new Reviews of these pieces? __________________ NewYorkJon34's Ultimate Z Build

09-01-2011, 03:16 PM	#79 (permalink)
280z/300zx Track Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Nevada Posts: 689 Drives: 280z, 300zx, Vette Rep Power: 272	The main question I have is does this brace actually do anything? The Z's chasis is already pretty stiff, is there a noticiable difference in body roll with this set up? Is traction off the line improved due to decreased chasis flex?

11-07-2011, 12:44 AM	#84 (permalink)
NewYorkJon34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 3,041 Drives: 09 Fairlady Z Rep Power: 1065	Ready to be installed tomorrow Already installed: __________________ NewYorkJon34's Ultimate Z Build

11-07-2011, 03:16 PM	#85 (permalink)
NewYorkJon34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 3,041 Drives: 09 Fairlady Z Rep Power: 1065	Installed all the braces today & all I gotta say is "Wow" Full review later today... __________________ NewYorkJon34's Ultimate Z Build

11-09-2011, 12:02 PM	#87 (permalink)
anthonyy A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Los Gatos, CA Posts: 1,027 Drives: Lexus CT Rep Power: 16	^^ at least he's having fun with it looking forward to the review as well

11-09-2011, 02:22 PM	#88 (permalink)
tjlazer A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Tacoma Age: 52 Posts: 2,496 Drives: Z34, R35 Rep Power: 19	do these really even make a difference? Placebo effect? lol __________________ 2009 370Z Monterey Blue,Nismo Conversion,RE-11's, K&N Typhoon intakes,Blue Kickplates,Homelink,FI 18" CBE,ERZ HFCs,Hotchkis sways, Swift Spec-R, EVO-R Highwing, UPREV

11-09-2011, 02:53 PM	#89 (permalink)
NewYorkJon34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 3,041 Drives: 09 Fairlady Z Rep Power: 1065	Thank you soo much Scott@FontanaNissan Ok, so after driving the car hard for the last 2 days, I can say i'm in love again, lol Its not a placebo effect, as you could feel the the bars at work during hard cornering, hitting the onramp at speed for example, you could feel the car tightening up. Its like you could feel the bars transfering the load during cornering. Traction has improved but the traction light comes on alil more (not a big deal tho). The Z feels more planted, and really makes the car much more fun to drive fast. Confindence is improved as when taking a corner at greater speeds the car just holds so well that it makes you want to go faster. I can say without a doubt bodyroll/understeer is 99% eliminated, and side to side motion is greatly reduced. The whole car just feels tighter without reducing ride quality. I truly understand now how important chassis stiffening parts are, as the whole car feels complete and all the parts are acting as a whole. The only weak point now would be the tires, lol I have the hankook v12's but will be switching to RE-11's in the near future. Im also thinking of switching to the amuse rear bar to add a tiny bit more support, as for the GTspec braces I really dont think i'll need those as this kit is pretty complete & the car feels soo balanced. Next to my KW V3's, this is the best suspension part ive bought. If I missed something or you guys have any other questions, dont be shy to ask 1LIFE likes this. __________________ NewYorkJon34's Ultimate Z Build

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