What are the best suspension mods for the 370 for DD and some track use?
 

I don't want to lower the car, but if there were a few things.. just best bang for the buck type stuff that I could add to the car to help with some track use, without making the car rough on the street for DDing.. what would they be?

hmmm, well sway bars come to mind as one easy thing to do. Nismo suspension if you don't want coilovers but want a more aggressive setup. It only lowers the car maybe 1/2".

Not too sure since I'm not at the point of dropping $$ for a set of coilovers, but I would imagine they are height adj too so you could set them for the minimum amount of drop (1/2 to 1" I'd imagine).

I'm interested to see what folks with moton or jrz's have to say as far as that goes.

Perhaps the Nismo japan body brace setup that Z1 carries. Or the GTspec braces (or whatever they're called).

Thanks for that info... I forgot to add that I have a 2011 with sport package.

what sort of pads can be used for both? or should the pads just be changed right before going to a track?

brakes pads?

I'm running carbotech xp8's all around. "entry level" track pad, very easy on the rotors, non corrosive dust etc. A little bit squeaky but not near as bad as the stock brembp pads on our old GTR. Xp8's are a bit grabbier than stock but once again, not as bad, from what I can remember, as the stock GTR pads were.

the 8's are good to 1350deg, the next step up is XP10's, i believe they're rated for 1550 deg or something around there. Much more aggressive bit, dust, noise, etc, but I don't have experience with them on the Z (yet perhaps). As long as my driver (wifey) says she's good with the xp8's, that's what we'll run. Last track event she only got brake fade twice toward the end of one of her sessions, but her braking style actually lends itself very well to avoiding ice mode etc with the Z so I'm hoping we can stay with the xp8s since others have said moving up to a more aggressive pad can trigger ice mode more often (she's had it happen once or twice now).

Leave the suspension stock. Save your money for pads, brake fluid, and an oil cooler.

:iagree:

Oil cooler, fluids and brake pads are a must. Then id go for tires, then sway bars (fronts first, then rears), then coilovers. I feel like i forgot something....

Stock and Nismo are really good IMO. The only better suspension worth to consider would be KW Clubsport for the least. If you track a lot, then JRZ, Moton, etc. But nothing is cheap though.

unless the track day is imminent, dont buy items two years ahead of time

What about swift springs? I just ordered a set of them myself. Not as expensive as coil overs, but still work pretty well from what I have read.

If you get into tracking the car, you will outgrow the springs very quickly. Plus tires make more of a difference. If you want to go fast, buy slicks. If you can't drive, nothing will help you....

curious why you say this? The stock tokico's pair very well with the swifts, and you can always move to FA dampers paired with the swifts (which I prefer to most of the coils options)

Red Zed- What is FA dampers?

I think that if you swap any aftermarket springs in the car it throws off the engineering of the stock shocks and springs. thus in the end giving you a worse ride. Nissan put a lot more time into the engineering of the pairing than swift did.

Based on my discussions with swift and FA, I think the damper valving is perfect for the swifts. The stock springs are too soft for stock setup.

My experience with KW'S and then swifts on the car seems to confirm.

They may be soft but the comepression rates, decomepression rates and what not, are matched perfectly. i dont see being better. maybe stiffer, but not better. but thats my opinion based on my knowledge. If you put in aftermarket shocks and springs that were matched id agree. but at that point you might as well get coilovers.

BACK ON TOPIC. the point of the thread is for the best susp mod. IMO id say buy tires (Slicks) if you cant afford them buy sway bars. but like i said before oil cooler and fluids and brake pads are a must before any other upgrades.

i dont recall the number exactly, but the swift spring rate is like 30% stiffer than stock. you are asking the shock to absorb that much harder, i dont believe it one bit that it would be good for its longevity. as far as performance, the difference would be very minimal and there is really no way to adjust or fine tune it. you are better off saving your money on tires brakes and driving classes. if you need to mod, get some sway bars instead as they are at least adjustable.

the z spring is stiff compare to the corvette z51 and rx8, it really isnt all that bad of a setup fpor a stock car. obviously it would be better to have coilover and more front cambers, but some are complete overkil for a street vehicle. also no one ever looks at the class impact and all the other bs should they decide to enter time trials, you can spend your money on a lot better places...

is swift springs made by swift motorsports in norwich ct?

hey cossie i know its off topic but do u still have ur car?

Yes, nothing else to buy at this point. Everything else is kind of a so-so option.

Leave it stock, get an oil cooler, and spend money on seat time.

I thought the stock tires were pretty good.

ok for the oil cooler (which I was planning on doing anyway) I think a 25 row would be good for DD and maybe an occasional track day... best brand? GTM, Stillen? Another kind perhaps?

I think they all used Setrab oil cooler cores and they're all roughly the same price. Just pick one I guess. I was looking to get the Z1 oil cooler. Definitely want to get one with a thermostatic plate.

Yeah, I have a guy that gives me good prices usually on stuff and he's very honest... if you guys let me know prices you have gotten and I can beat them, i'll hook you guys up with the price I get.

PM me if you are interested... by the way i'm just going to give you his info... not trying to make anything off of anyone.

Stock tires are good. but NOTHING like a set of slicks. I would try out going to the track on stock tires w an the oil cooler pads and fluids that way u can get a good feel for what the car can do. Also w slicks they dont give u the warning sqeel before they brake loose. they just let go.

I have the 25 row from Z1 and couldnt be happier. Kept my car out of limp mode with back to back runs at the track with almost no cooldown time.

The stock Bridgestones that come with the sports package is great for beginners they're predictable and produce enough grip when your just starting out. Later on you may consider some nice aggressive street tires like RE11's, AD08, etc etc...

But like many have said here brake pads, brake fluid, and oil cooler is a great starting point.

Don't waste your money on slicks as a beginner. They have more grip but don't give you as much feedback before breakaway, definitely something you should work up to IMO. Street tires are good at teaching you how to drive at the limit of traction as you will be potentially at that limit a lot.

Critical upgrades are as everyone else said, pads, fluid and oil cooler. After doing a couple of events I would go for sway bars next, it is a good intermediate step before coilovers.

I was considering doing sway bars next any recommendations?

heard whitelines supposed to be pretty good. Stillen, hotchkis


As for the tires. Chris is right, didnt think of that.

^ This. The class I signed up for recently even specifically disallows students in their novice/beginner-level rankings to use slicks at all. Their words: "A driver with out proper training before going to race tires is at a disadvantage, race tire mask many mistakes, don’t allow proper training, and create a safety hazard to lower level drivers, their instructors and others on the track."

So after getting upgraded pads/lines/fluid... would you recommend lighter weight (slotted/dimpled/drilled) rotors, or are the stock ones sufficient to be continually pushed?


Basically short version, would you say get nicer rotors next, or just get sways then rotors later?

they should probably add that for awd drivers too.........

Wait on rotors until you need to replace the stock ones. There is another thread around here that discusses it a bit more in depth.

I know that lighter weight rotors are what you want... for a full on setup.

But being realistic in terms of a street car going on the track, when you swap from say stock rotors to aftermarket rotors, in terms of weight savings... is it THAT noticable from the seat?

virtually none for a non professional driver....

So basically Pads/Fluid/SS Lines is really all you need, and rotors are something that if you get a good deal on, or just want the look... they can wait.

Sways first...

I donno, just by the math the lightweight front rotors (-10 lbs per front corner, rotating and unsprung) should be a pretty decent little acceleration boost. Even by a reasonable estimate of calling that worth 5x regular sprung weight, that's like taking 100 lbs out of the car acceleration-wise. So ballpark equivalent to ~10hp in engine gains on a Z? Very fuzzy conversions there, and still not nearly as important as anything else mentioned above, but still I'd say it does make a difference.

The main problem with the lightweight 2-piece rotor setups is they cost too much for what they give you.

my autoX times dropped notably from swapping to lighter rotors.

Which is the reason for my next question, and my biggest one...

I do plan to turn my Z one day into a dedicated track car... So to me getting the 2 piece rotors is functional, maybe not tomorrow, but down the line... And I don't like to buy parts, to have to buy the same thing again later...

With that being said, 2 piece ones are very expensive, so are the lighter weight than stock one piece rotors alright, or at least good enough to withstand DDing and occasional track days without sacrificing too much performance gain from floating 2 piece ones?

Long story short, I dont want to buy a set of rotors, to switch them out again later, so is it worth it to go ahead and get 2 pieces instead of singles?

Placebo effect.

If it was that easy to pick up time, people wouldn't be wasting money buying tires. This is especially true at the amateur level as most aren't getting enough out of their car. I am not saying it doesn't help, just not at $300 per corner.....

Also do you know what class you will be running? If you ever want to compete for time/standing, you have to modify your car within the rules. You can't just put parts on it without knowing how it will impact you.