15+ Ride Quality
 

I've seen quite a few comments from fellow forum members / reviews / blog sites stating that the NISMO right quality is rather "stiff" & "harsh"


I've had my 17 Nismo for about a month now... just hit around 350 miles.

crappy weather up here in Boston recently, so haven't been able to drive her as much as i'd like.


As far as ride quality.... I think it's great. I love the connection to the road and the stiffness to the suspension.

why would someone want to soften it up? I don't get it....

also.... by going aftermarket on suspension.... would this make ride even stiffer??? or softer.... i would assume depending on what you choose for suspension mods....

I've owned and driven a lot of sports cars in my life and my '16 Nismo is the "goldilocks" of handling and road feel. For the first time in my life, I wouldn't change a damn thing. The suspension is absolutely perfect!


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Most suspension mods for a sports car are to improve handling. Pretty much anything that improves handling is going to sacrifice "ride quality". Of course, if what you want is to be able to feel the road, and be able to tell what the car is doing, a smoother, numb ride is poor "ride quality".
My wife drives a Silverado 2500 truck. No steering feedback, smooth as butter ride, but it's like piloting a barge. Even my F150 was better.

Kirk B.

I own a 2013 Nismo, unsure about the new ones but the old ones have the worst ride I have ever experienced in a sports car around town. I have owned two Corvettes, 2006 GTO, BMW M3, Camaro, Mustang, 350z, etc etc...none were as harsh. Maybe good on a track but daily it was seriously crap...I did fix this installing myself yesterday the rear upgraded 370z euro tuned sport shocks that came out in 2013. Easy to swap out and then I can put on the spine smashers if I hit the track.

Nothing recent to compare it to. The 16 Nismo ride can be rough, but TXDOT is repaving the local hi-way. The Bas....uh, lowlifes ground it down and left it for about 2 months. I was afraid I was going to break a tooth, lol.
My last sports car was a Shelby, with all of its suspension upgrades. I don't remember it being this stiff.

Kirk B.

Nissan changed the Nismo suspension for the 2015+ models.

Prior to that, it was extremely stiff and underdamped.

The 2015+ is much more compliant compared to the previous Nismo. Stiffer than a regular Z, sure, but more than tolerable.

Disagree that "all" upgraded suspension will downgrade ride quality. I am currently running Aragosta Type S coilovers. Despite 14/10 spring rates, there is enough damping to control any bouncing around, so although you feel more of the road, its not skittering around and murdering the driver. Lesser coilovers with worse shocks can't handle stiff rates and will feel like garbage. You get what you pay for.

Lower profile tires, spherical mounts on suspension arms - those things are gonna increase feedback but also make the ride less comfortable.

2009 to 2014 have a different setup than the 15' + year models. The suspension is very good but leaves something to be desired on crappy roads. It's typical Nissan. The 300zxtt cars were the same way when set on sport suspension mode. Girlfriend mode was much better (touring) but soft. Suspension setup is all about personal preference. Suspensions don't have to be bone chattering for excellent handling and feel. On a bumpy road a more compliant suspension will actually be much better. I want my suspension to be firm but not kidney battering. To each his own. We'll see how well I did in 4 days. Zdayz

1. Harshness is in the eye of the beholder. Some people are just extremely tolerant of ride harshness where as others complain about every little bump.

2. It's an F-ing sports car. Stiff/harsh ride shouldn't even matter as long as it performs well under hard driving. If you care about the ride harshness maybe you should have bought a Q50/60.

I love the stiffness and harshness of mine. :D Even when it's skipping across the road in the middle of a turn. :driving:

I only briefly drove a 14 on a test drive but it didn't feel overly stiff. When I saw the 15s had gotten a "softer" suspension I was a bit leery how it might handle. However, since I picked my Nismo up in September of 14 I would have to say that the Z is about as good as it gets in terms of out of the box handling, predictability, and comfort. Is it stiff? a bit. Does it get upset in corners if you encounter a bump? Not all. I think Nissan did a great job in setting up this chassis and I for one wouldn't change a thing.

FWIW, I have a GLC43 on order so I joined a MB forum and folks over there are complaining about 20s and 21s giving a harsh ride on air suspension. So, I think it boils down to what one can tolerate and a lot of it is personal preference.

My KW coilovers definitely improved the ride quality on my '16 Nismo. I like the responsiveness of the stock springs but didn't like the stiffness. The KWs absorb bumps better and don't feel so stiff but retain responsiveness.

I find the ride quality/stiffness on my 2011 just fine, even on long road trips. Really depends on the individual as Gomer stated.

The problem with the Pre 2015 Nismo was the rear shock valving. The spring rates are not high F - 8.6kgf/mm (480lbs/inch) R - 9.3kgf/mm (520lbs/inch). Under suggestion from another Nismo owner I changed only the rears to the OEM 2013 euro tuned sports shocks..part number: E6210-1EA2A Euro Tuned 2013 sport shocks. These are what appears to be a firmer shock than the past shocks shared between base and sport model up until 2013 of part number E6210-1EA1E.

The ride is still firm just not rock hard anymore. Since the sport Z appears to be as effective in all the tested track comparisons as the Nismo, I doubt reducing the firmness of the rears marginally would create a big difference in track times. Some day I will test at track, swapping them out and try to do a comparison and see if the harsher Nismo shocks even make a difference. I believe that the harsh city ride honestly is unnecessary and these will probably do as well making the car as good off the track as on....but who knows. I will report back when I give it a try someday..

That would suck wouldn't it? If everyone trying to be a real man and keeping them on dealing with the obvious harshness for nothing found out that changing them to marginally less firm rear shocks made no difference at the track..especially since its so easy to swap them...:icon17:

glad to see that you took my suggestion and ran with it. I have the original sport shocks on the rear of my nismo, (love the ride and control) but you have me interested in the euro tuned shocks now. get a few miles on them, and get them broke in and please follow up with me about how they work out for you.