PhaTTy Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 OK.. here is my problem.. I have a 83 280zx that I bought from NC and drove it out here to Arizona.. My brother has a 76 280z .. In my car I feel everything every bump and pothole.. riding inside his car I can't feel a thing barely. I was wondering if there were any suspension differences between the 76 and 83 and if so, how could I make my 83 ride nicer? I am willing to put on performance/aftermarket suspension if it will help but I need guidance as to what parts would make my car feel better and not perform like these low rider pieces of crap that go down the road bouncing all over the place Let me know and thx for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianz Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 hello PhaTTy and welcome to Hybrid Z Your question is not the normal type to be asked on this forum, as most are looking to improve the handling of their car, not the ride.... but to answer your ? the differences between the Z and the ZX suspension are numerous, to the point that they cannot be compared. The front end of the Z uses a swing arm and compression rod where the ZX uses a swing arm with a tension rod, not a huge differense but still different, the rear of the Z uses a swing arm where the ZX uses a trailing arm, this is a big difference!! Ususally the ZXes have a smoother ride, but sacrafise performance, so you statements lead me to believe that A) someone has modified the ZX suspension to improve handling thus sacraficing ride quality the suspension on your ZX is so badly degraded that it no longer functions correctly. if your ZX seems more shure footed on the road that the Z your comparing it too then I would say it's choice A, if it feels sloppy, ilmannered and hard to control, I would suspect choice B. In addition, what size/series of tire are you using on your ZX. If you've got 17" rims with 50 series tires your ride will DEFINATELY be more harsh than if it has the stock 14s with 70 series tires. hope this helps. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianz Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 hello PhaTTy and welcome to Hybrid Z Your question is not the normal type to be asked on this forum, as most are looking to improve the handling of their car, not the ride.... but to answer your ? the differences between the Z and the ZX suspension are numerous, to the point that they cannot be compared. The front end of the Z uses a swing arm and compression rod where the ZX uses a swing arm with a tension rod, not a huge differense but still different, the rear of the Z uses a swing arm where the ZX uses a trailing arm, this is a big difference!! Ususally the ZXes have a smoother ride, but sacrafise performance, so you statements lead me to believe that A) someone has modified the ZX suspension to improve handling thus sacraficing ride quality the suspension on your ZX is so badly degraded that it no longer functions correctly. if your ZX seems more shure footed on the road that the Z your comparing it too then I would say it's choice A, if it feels sloppy, ilmannered and hard to control, I would suspect choice B. In addition, what size/series of tire are you using on your ZX. If you've got 17" rims with 50 series tires your ride will DEFINATELY be more harsh than if it has the stock 14s with 70 series tires. hope this helps. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhaTTy Posted February 19, 2003 Author Share Posted February 19, 2003 car feels like crap while driving and hard to turn etc with stock tires and rims.. I am going for choice #2 .. was wondering what I may want to replace the suspension with? I am looking at making a 250 hp+ street car in the long run.. I was thinking maybe Tokico Illumina or whatever but I don't have a clue what would give me a nice feeling ride with the handling good also.. any suggestions would be welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimZ Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I was thinking maybe Tokico Illumina or whatever but I don't have a clue what would give me a nice feeling ride with the handling good also.. any suggestions would be welcome! My money is on bad suspension bushings. If the car rattles, bangs and/or crashes over bumps, that is more a symptom of bushings, rather than springs and shocks. Especially the part about not handling well, either. If your bushings are shot, there is no reason to try to upgrade anything else - it will still handle like crap. Courtesy Nissan carries a nice polyurethane master bushing set, which should be everything you'll need to do the entire car. Just be warned that this job is not for the faint of heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I replaced my entire suspension this summer with new Tokico struts and springs, MSA sway bars, and Poly bushings all the way around. The struts,springs, and sway bars were a cake walk but those bushings were A MAJOR PITA! If you are going to do this make sure you dont need to drive your car for like a week! As for my ride quality...yeah its a little stiff but it handles like it's on rails! Can't wait to get my new 17x7 rims on! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.