Nismo VS Sport Package Springs, Struts and Shocks

Robert Yuras

Wow. The OP asked if there is a difference between to parts and this thread goes off on some wild suspension tangent.

OP: If you want to know what combo suits you best..tell us your goals and your skill set and we can guide you from there. Personally, I don't mod a car's suspension until I cannot squeeze another second out of its performance (if we're discussing driving). If you just want to change the look of the car, you have tons of options.

After 15 yrs in the road racing world, I've driven and instructed too many HPDE's that had cars over built for the skill set of the driver. This weekend is a prime example..I spent 3 or 4 laps with the nose of my Nismo BURIED under the tail of a fully prepared track Mustang (coil overs, cage, wing, etc). My car is bone stock. After getting him so nervous he couldn't hold a line, he let me by. The factory Nismo setup is really awesome. I just think people want to play with their cars too quickly. Go drive the crap out of it first.

Attached is a pic of me after passing the stang on the front stretch

Attached Images

057 - Copy.JPG (676.4 KB, 74 views)

Spooler

^^^^LOL, now that's how you are supposed to drive. I agree, the Nismo suspension is really good. The only downside to it on the street is on extremely bumpy roads. The bouncy rebound sucks. To me, that is an issue with the struts. I don't mind stiff, but the bounce is the ugly part.

Edit: I have noticed one thing, the faster you drive the better the suspension get's. I know the aero has something to do with it with
the increased down force. For me on the street though, I haven't even driven over 85 mph on the interstate. (Man I must be getting old or something. How did that happen??)

Robert Yuras

It's my opinion that the Nismo setup is rather sprung at lower speeds, so for common road use below 55 mph, it is harsh. However, that IS the reason the Nismo was made. The car doesn't need shock/spring modifications to run up against some of the most competitive cars on the road course. So when you buy a Nismo from the showroom floor and pay the extra premium, you're kind of accepting the fact that you're buying a "race version". There are trade offs to buying it. Unfortunately, I think some people consider the Nismo cause it looks amazing, but forget that they're getting a fairly prepped car. Lets face it: 75% of our competition made their highest tier cars with more horsepower, but failed to improve the suspension and braking components to create a well balanced car. The nismo has excellent balance in this area (even though the power curve is flat as hell and we'll ignore the clutch/fuel issue).

Side note: This weekend both the BRZ and Genesis clubs showed up at the track. We used to call the Miata's "moving slaloms"...this weekend it was a BRZ/Genesis moving slalom

nis350

This is a great unbiased post. Many simply add after-market parts to improve the performance of the car, but it is the drivers that need the improvements as many simply don't have the ability to reach the full potential of cars.

I personally feel that the Sport version is plenty good and a good compromise as DD.

carlitos_370z

completely

you can install the best coilovers and suspension parts on the market... but if you dont know how to drive the car you are not doing nothing with those parts!

victorofhavoc

I personally feel the sport version is rough as a DD...It's why I drive a Forester XT as my DD. Honestly though, the sport has the LSD and wheel width to handle pretty much anything. With a better set of dampeners and wheels the driver will definitely be the limiting factor. Out of the 2 autox races and one sprint I took my car to last year, I beat several people with aftermarket sway bars, spring setups, and even coilovers. Most people don't even know how to properly tune a coilover so they're often a waste. The only person that beat me had a set of Konis and better tires. He was only .5-1 second faster in autox though, which could be more tire than anything.

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Had a 2010 WRX- boy was it quick in a straight line, got a 2014 Z- man is she grippy in the corners-- then left the Z and later got a GTI, now back in an 09 racecar Z!

nis350

Very well said. There are many wannabe racers out there.

ValidusVentus

On the Rocks... a Blog: Understanding Suspension Spring Dynamics & Why We Chose Dual Rate - mostly for the pic

Linear vs progressive rate springs | Automotive Thinker - Discussing the finer points of automobiles - for the explanation

sandersd

From the article:

Progressive springs are not common in road race cars because these cars typically operate on smooth surfaces. On a car designed for smooth tarmac, these types of springs actually decrease performance as they induce some slop into the suspension.

This is what I noticed with the Swift Spec R springs and why I upgraded to coil overs.

__________________
2014 370Z NISMO -- HKS Hi-Power Exhaust -- Swift Springs -- BC ER Coilovers -- SPL Suspension Components -- Nismo R-Tune Intake -- Seibon BD CF Hood

victorofhavoc

When you think about it progressive springs would require progressive dampening, and getting a gas based dampener to be progressive would be a very interesting feat.

It's what I've been saying all along. Swift spec R will look nice but the true performance won't be there. Stock will be better because of the predictability. How people perceive the "feel" of the car on springs is different from how the car performs...

__________________
Had a 2010 WRX- boy was it quick in a straight line, got a 2014 Z- man is she grippy in the corners-- then left the Z and later got a GTI, now back in an 09 racecar Z!

kenchan

there is always a give and take. for my Z, ive kept my springs and dampers stock, and just swapped the front bar to make it a tad stiffer. finished her off with RE11's. especially for street driving that is all she needs.

Robert Yuras

This is probably the most logical way for ANYONE here to achieve a very balanced car without sacrificing road comfort. Sway bars would be the only thing I'd add to my Nismo IF I had to add something right now (other than rear camber arms - these cars have too much rear camber).

A sport package or Nismo edition 370Z with a set of adjustable bars, carbotechs (assuming you have 4 pot brakes), and a decent tire will upset a field full of Porche's, and you could still drive this car home.

B&W_Evader

This sounds like my upgrades...

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Rusty

Basically what I'm running for now. As skill increases. I up grade.

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sandersd

Hmmm. Good luck with that.

And BTW it's Porsche.

__________________
2014 370Z NISMO -- HKS Hi-Power Exhaust -- Swift Springs -- BC ER Coilovers -- SPL Suspension Components -- Nismo R-Tune Intake -- Seibon BD CF Hood