It's been about two years since I did anything major to the car. I just figured I'd share some pics and info.

I installed 350Z/Coupe springs with Bilstein shocks this past weekend.

I was previously running Coupe springs in the front and the stockers in the back with the OEM Sport shocks along with:
Front shock tower Brace
GT spec bars (front and rear)
Stillen sways (set to Med/Med)
Stock 17inch wheels

The car feels really solid. Firm yet controlled, I'll have an update once I take it out on the freeway. I just took it around the neighborhood to let everything settle.

Hopefully I'll have time to wash it today...

Update - Had a chance to run some errands today. I put about 120 miles on the car since the suspension was installed...ok, so I took the really long way home...

BTW - I had about 75K miles on the stock sport shocks.

The ride on the new setup is excellent! It is firm but not harsh...very similar to my buddy's 540i. I'm pretty picky with mods and have been known to reverse things when it didnt "feel right". This setup is definitely staying on the car.

General ride - The Bilsteins do a really good job recovering from bumps. Previously when I went over bumps in the road it felt as if the rear shocks would compress, then extend and then come to rest. Now, the shocks compress and go back to rest. I hope that makes sense. The car glides over railroad tracks.

Freeway cruising - Car is firmly planted. You will notice that expansion joints and road reflectors make a slight louder thump when run over.

Cornering and the fun stuff - I have alot more control when going through rough corners now that the shocks are able to handle the tension from the front springs and the stiffer sways. Understeer has reduced so I have decided to keep my Stillen sways set at Med/Med. When accelerating from a stop, the car still a squats but the rear end doesn't completely unload while shifting.

I did notice that the part number for the rear Bilstein shocks are the same for the G35 sedan, coupe, and 350Z. This rear shocks are about an inch shorter than the sedan stockers (to accomodate the 350Z I would imagine). So if you are lowered, you aren't losing a significant amount of shock travel. I think this is why I feel such a difference in the rear end of the car.

I should have done this a long time ago.

 

Car looks great! Curious to know how the Bilsteins work. I have 70K miles on mine. Not sure how long the stock shocks last. Also, do Bilsteins fit on the X?

 

The rears will fit but not the fronts.

 

Total newb question: I keep seeing "Z/coupe springs". I'm assuming that means you did Z's up front and coupe's in the rear to keep the fender gaps even?

Let me know how the ride comfort is!

 

^^^. Nope. What Z springs mean is that we can install 350Z springs on our cars perfectly fine, both fronts and rears, achieving a bigger drop then if u were to go with G springs.

 

I know what using Z springs means. In this thread, and many others, it's listed as "Z/coupe springs". That would mean a 1" drop up front and a 1/2" drop in the rear if I'm assuming correctly. I've also read that while the Z springs WILL give an even 1" drop, it looks uneven because the fender gaps are not even.

 

that is correct.

 

Lookin' good, Vegas, 'specially those stock sport 17s. Thinking of doing the same thing, but was worried about them looking really small. Couple that I've seen look fine.

 

That's what I thought, hopefully they will make fronts for us X'ers at some point.

 

Where did you get the Bilsteins and how much?

 

They do look pretty good. If anything, the stock wheels and tires look a little narrow with the new setup. I think it is due to the mundane looking Michelin tires that I have on the car. A square shouldered or wider tire would fix that. I have some new wheels and tires on the way so I can't wait to see how that looks.

 

I got them from tirerack.com. I paid about $170 per front and about $100 per rear. They list for more than that online but I got them during some sort of promotion. I found out about the promotion when I called to place the order. There was no mention of it online.

 

Are they adjustable, because you could have bought Tokico D-Spec (adjustable) for that price.

 

On adjustable BS:
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html

 

On adjustable BS:
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html