What are body dampers?
 

I never heard of body dampers before I read about the new Nismo z that has them. What exactly is their function? What motion are they trying to reduce? Also what exactly are their attachment points in the car? Where do they fit? And if they offer a performance gain, can they be retrofitted to non-Nismo cars?

From what I have read, they reduce vibration. This is needed in the Nismo because the nismo has many more welds than the standard 370. This means it would not be needed in the regular 370 because the chassis's natural harmonic's would be different.

If I were to take a stab on where it would be located, behind the body panels, below the rear strut bar.

more then likely they are just chunks of cast iron bolted to the body in key locations to reduce body harmonics like frost said. The regular z more then likely has some but just not as many. Each one should weigh between 1 and 5 pounds.

i don't think the nismo has any more welds than the regular. That was the case with the 350 but not the 370. also, they are not chunks of metal, they actually look a lot like shock absorbers from the suspension. i know the front damper is mounted horizontally right behind the grill. not sure about the rear.

After a little reading, you're absolutely right. The 350 nismo did have more welds, but the 370 does not. :tiphat:

Many dampers look and act like an small shock absorber. However they could be made of hardened foam inside the beams to dampen vibration, or a block of hard rubber used at either side of a bolted connection (usually attaching a rigid member to the chassis).

They are essentially strut braces with a small shock inside. They mount in the front bumper, at the peak of the frame rails, and then in the rear spare tire well. Their job is to dampen vibrations and harmonics that are a natural byproduct of running stiffer springs and more aggressively valved shocks (and lower profile tires) as the NISMO Z comes with. I have the front one from the NISMO 350Z on my car (the rear wont fit due to my sub box). It is a completely dramatic change (for the better) vs not running it. My car was never uncomfortable, despite its very low stance and low profile tires (HKS coilovers and 265/30, 185/30 RE050A), but with the front damper installed, the car was a pleasure to drive on our crappy local roads. So much so that it is more composed than my daily driver ('07 9-3 Aero Wagon).

Here is a review from one of our Subaru STi customers who had them on his car (Yamaha makes them for Subaru, Nissan and I believe there are a couple Toyotas that have them too)

Z-1 Performance Automotive Services Inc. - STI Perfomance Strut Dampers

So has anyone fitted the performance damper to a non-nismo 370 ??

Had a search on google but can't even find them for sale ??

Nismo body damper part numbers
 

If you want your Z to feel more luxurious, it'll cost you over $700 in parts.

Front
damper bar front = E44B2-1A34A
bracket-damper bar, front left = E44A7-1A35A
bracket-damper bar, front right = E44A6-1A35A
bolts x2 = 08157-0352F
nuts x2 = 08918-3402A

Rear
damper bar rear = E54B2-1A34A
bracket-damper bar, rear right = E54B6-1A31A
bracket-damper bar, rear left = E54B7-1A31A
bolts x2 = 08157-0352F
nuts x2 = 08918-3402A
nuts x4 (bracket to chassis) = 08157-0252F

Thanks for the info ... do you know that this will fit on a std. 307z?

Yes, the chassis of a NISMO and regular 370Z are the same. These will bolt right on the frame rails.

I actually have a used set of front brackets and a front stabilizer bar here that I can sell. Shoot me a PM if you are interested.

Does anyone have a pic showing where the rear damper is located exactly?

Hey Jordo, not the best picture but I guess it will do. I took this while I was installing my new toe bolts. Anyways, the damper is located directly in front of the spring perch.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...eftxxx/027.jpg

Off topic... I thought the Nismo did have more welds on the chassis. This came directly from an Edmunds article in 09

"Underneath its showy aero bits, the 2009 Nismo 370Z is no less hard-core than the 350Z Nismo. Autech still takes the standard Z-car chassis off the assembly line and welds the seams of the unit body by hand — a labor-intensive process that increases structural rigidity beyond that of a normal, spot-welded unibody. Mass dampers are then fitted between the unibody's left and right frame members to control the extra vibration inherent in a seam-welded chassis."

So has it been confirmed that only the 350 Nismo had the extra welds?

^^^ Thanks for that -- REPPED!

Yes, I believe that both standard and Nismo Z's have same number of welds.

Whenever you have a chance, please let me know if the front and rear dampers have the same dimensions -- they have different part numbers...

If this is supposed to make the Z more luxurious then why is it on the Nismo Z not the regular Z?