biohazard53188 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Hi everyone, I just picked up my first z today (1980 280zx) from a family friend and I have to say, it is very fun to drive. Im excited and already thinking abot upgrades! Ive already ordered a cold air intake but i wanted to know if strut bars actualy affect your handling as much as ive heard? Whats your oppinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Not for a stock 80 280ZX, You don't need any... LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biohazard53188 Posted September 24, 2006 Author Share Posted September 24, 2006 Not for a stock 80 280ZX, You don't need any... LARRY So your saying it would not effect the steering at all? (and i never said it was stock, mr. assumption ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Careful... Larry is an administrator. He can kick your A$$ He can assumption right up yours. So your saying it would not effect the steering at all? (and i never said it was stock, mr. assumption ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 So your saying it would not effect the steering at all? (and i never said it was stock, mr. assumption ) If you use the car for very 'spirited' driving, whether on the track or, God forbid, the street, then by all means pony up and install some strut bars. I do think there are other places to spend the money, but again, all we know is that your car is a ZX. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 I have 'em and I don't do corners at all, well, at the end of the track I have to come back, but that's usually less than 20mph, but I do spirited driving, even on the street at times. So, I guess they have a purpose even on a regular z, so they are probably good for zx too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Here's a good reason to have strut bars... My Engine shot. LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Ohhh cmon guys... that is a perfectly legitimate upgrade... You won't likely notice an improvement unless the rest of the suspension is well sorted out... I mean repaired and/or properly assembled... as far as ranking in some order of modifications... ======================================================= Wheel alignment will get you big changes in handling characteristics... You can have it aligned to reduce push(front toe OUT)... That will make a big difference on track... but it will wear tires badly in a straight line... You can change toe on the rear wheels with some simple modifications... but again you sacrifice tire wear... You can do a little cutting on the upper mounts and their mounting holes... or buy a set of camber plates... to increase negative camber... again you sacrifice tire wear AND drivability... It will hunt around on just about any road... it is called trammeling... and it reallly makes the car a handful in street traffic... ======================================================= Race tires can be one of the biggest improvements short of a V-8 engine swap... but you can't use them on the street if they are not DOT legal... and even the DOT slicks have a wear rating of less than 50 (most street tires are around 400)... They will chunk if they get hot with tread on them... so again you really have to shave them to no more than 5/32" depth and carefully heat cycle them to avoid early wear problems on track... they will last only a few weeks for street use with full tread anyway... So race tires are OUT for street cars... obviously... unless you are made of money... ======================================================= Assuming you have a brand new stock suspension(new stock springs too).. and you align it for a track day(assuming you knew what it needed already)... you would find that Racing tires with track alignment would put stresses on the car that it simply was not set up to deal with...it would have sloppy turn in and too much body roll and pitch... The list of fixes for this condition would be... Weight reduction, stiffer-lowering springs, track valved struts, sway bars, chassis stiffening, and corner balance... Weight reduction is something that many people forget about... think about it... it increases your power to weight ratio AND it makes you brake and turn better too... of course it can get expensive... ex. A smaller group 24 battery in a gel cell form would cost around $140 plus you need new mounting brackets... but it could drop 20lbs from the front end where it needs to loose the most weight anyway... Relocating that lightweight battery to the rear would move 20 lbs to the rear further improving balance... but it would cost around $100 to add all that cable and securely mount it... There is a long list of things that you can remove to lighten the car... but what can you do without???... how much stuff do you need to stay legal on the road??? The stereos in many cars add 20+lbs with the head unit, amp, and the speakers... that should go in the trash at the first opportunity... wear an MP3 player.. it's a lot lighter... but not a good idea while driving... ======================================================= once you get your track/street prepared suspension worked out you will start to realize that stock brakes are not up to the task of track use... Racing brake pads, cool air ducting, and high temp fluid... will transform your factory brakes... but there is still room for spending thousands of dollars on racing brakes.... you will have to switch pad materials for track and street use... or your wheels(rust dust) and rotors(wear) will be ruined... ======================================================= If you end up going with a coilover set up you may find that you have the ability to really slam the car(asuming you cut the struts down)... Lowering the car by more than 1.5" will start to introduce all kinds of other alignment and handling issues... this is where relocating suspension parts and major frame modifications come into play... There are many parts available to address these issues... but unfortunately the problem has to be addressed as a whole... you will need to plan exactly how to get the results you are looking for... ======================================================= LAST BUT NOT LEAST!!!! Engine improvements... There is a reason why this is last... It is the most attractive to people who do not really know how to drive a car... it seems like the logical thing to do.... but if you want to drive your car on track... it is the absolute least important modification... Maintain a reliable stock engine... keep it simple and trust that nissan built it to survive... Don't blow you wad on things like cold air intakes, fancy spark plugs, hotter coils, etc... they don't help... in fact... Poorly designed/installed CAIs tend to cause more leaks and ingest more debris and water than a properly maintained factory intake system... Our engines will actually perform worse with many of the fancy-new-bling plugs... old engine + new style plugs = not too good... The best thing to do is tune it up and take it to the DYNO... get a good reading on what your HP and torque curves look like... and check AF ratio over RPMs... that will tell you if there really are any problems you should fix FIRST!!! ======================================================= I am sure I left a few things out.. short of building a race car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 I thought strut tower bars were a ricer thing, so it was one of last things that I did to my car. I still think that if you open the hood of a car and the first things that pop out are Nology wires, a CAI, and a polished strut tower brace you have a pretty good chance that the car is owned by a moron. But, I can say that the strut tower bar that I made did a LOT to improve turn in on my car. It was definitely worthwhile. As John said you'll notice it more with a good suspension setup than you will a worn out old stocker, but I would say it is a more worthwhile modification on a ZX than a CAI for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody 82 ZXT Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 I have one on my car. If I take it off I can tell a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Dang, Larry... a roots SC? That thing must FLY!! Here's a good reason to have strut bars... My Engine shot. LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Scott Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 I thought strut tower bars were a ricer thing, so it was one of last things that I did to my car. I still think that if you open the hood of a car and the first things that pop out are Nology wires, a CAI, and a polished strut tower brace you have a pretty good chance that the car is owned by a moron. But, I can say that the strut tower bar that I made did a LOT to improve turn in on my car. It was definitely worthwhile. As John said you'll notice it more with a good suspension setup than you will a worn out old stocker, but I would say it is a more worthwhile modification on a ZX than a CAI for sure. Dang, I better get out the flat black paint for my strut bars...not to mention my subtle CAI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 The CAI for the z is kind of silly, because it puts the air filter in the same location as stock, just open element instead of in that super heavy metal air box. I would say it is probably worthwile from a weight reduction point of view, but I wouldn't expect to see much of a power improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buZy Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Was wondering the same about strut bars. I suppose it would be a good idea with V8:) Though the typical msa bar with heim joints would really only control the distance between the towers. It would be great to find something bolt-on that also deals with the front end twisting/racking as well.... Jon, Could you post a pic of how you made your strut bars? Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 It would be great to find something bolt-on that also deals with the front end twisting/racking as well.... http://www.pdkfabrication.bravepages.com/240%20front.htm I saw a car with this installed the other day and it was very well made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buZy Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 http://www.pdkfabrication.bravepages.com/240%20front.htm I saw a car with this installed the other day and it was very well made. Thanks for the info but your weblink did not come through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=113968 That shows John Coffey's and mine (well the brackets anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonZ Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Strut bars for the Z help turn in feel and transients for sure. If you have big sway bars and sticky tires the more you will notice it. It will tighten things up. The z hood/cowl area is a fairly large open box, so it's not surprising. http://album.hybridz.org/showgallery.php?cat=702 Those sure are some Purdy welds. I really like the attention to detail and the clean install. The welding on the doubler washers is over the top! Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biohazard53188 Posted September 25, 2006 Author Share Posted September 25, 2006 wow, thanks for all the info guys. I think i will end up buying some after i upgrade my suspention and get some thinner tires. EDIT: Ill have some pics up soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Huge improvement on my car, especially in turn in using the strut tower bars. A fully triangulated bar (to the firewall) makes even more difference than just a straight bar does. Totally worth it, front and rear, in my experience. (which granted, is very spirited street/track driving) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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