I finally got my 04.5 350Z shocks installed on my 03 G sedan. I'm currently running 350Z springs in the front and coupe springs out back. The shocks that were formerly on my car were the Sport shocks. As many of us know, the 04.5 Z's have different rear spring rates. I do not know if anything changed with the shocks at that time. I do know Nissan made "suspension changes" on the 04.5 models.

Key differences between the G Sport shocks and 04.5 Z shocks:

1) Z shocks are black and labeled Tokico
2) Z shocks have 3mm thicker shock body housings
3) Z shocks are slightly heavier (we're talking a few ounces)
4) Z shock piston length is ~1" shorter (ie shorter stroke)
5) Front Z shock boots/top hat have 1" shorter boots and 1" shorter bump stops

The ride:

The Z shocks have a more controlled ride and they're definitely firmer up front. Out back, they're just more controlled. Much of the pogoing/hopping over slower speed bumpy surfaces has been reduced. Overall, the car rides firmer and maybe 10-15% stiffer. The car doesn't crash over bad pavement, but you defintely have more road feel. For some drivers, this may be too sporty a ride. Handling was already exceptional with the Cobb RSB (lowest setting), 18s with PZeros, and the springs, but now it has more control.

 

So you are now running 350Z struts with the 350Z front springs, and revised rear coupe springs (427 spring rate) with 350Z revised shocks? I would assume they revised the shocks to handle the increased stiffness.

I have the same setup I think you used to have, 350Z front/unrevised coupe rear springs OEM sport struts/shocks. Ride is overall better than before, but I know my struts and shocks are more compressed and probably arent reacting as well as they are designed for, and 47K miles on them dont help. Im planning on changing the struts/shocks to 350Z ones around 60K which is typical lifespan for struts and shocks unless I come across a deal on a low mileage set.

 

My rear coupe springs came from an 04 coupe, so no go on the 427lb springs. The ride out back is great though. There's more firmness from the front compared to the rear. These shocks really do make a nice difference in terms of handling. The car is so controlled. A car this big shouldn't handle so well. I do notice a little more bump steer when hitting overfilled potholes. I do have the front toe set at max toe-in though to combat tire feathering and that toe is probably adding to the bump steer.

 

So how come you swapped out your stock sport-tuned suspension? Isn't the ride quality supposed to be better than the Z shocks?

 

Let's see some pics of how your sedan now sits.

Cobb RSB - rear only?

 

I swapped out the Sport shocks because they had 73K miles and had been riding on a 1" drop for over 45K miles. Since the car is lowered, I figured I'd give the Z shocks a shot since they're cheap ($60), plentiful, and are designed for the lower ride height (valving and bump stops).

The ride is firmer than it was (not jarring), but I don't know if that had more to do with the fact that the Sport shocks were fairly worn (not blown though) or that the Z shocks are that much more dampened. The ride is more controlled now and much of that annoying hop over undulating surfaces is gone. Transient response has been sharpened as well as the suspension's ability to soak up bumps cleanly when driving aggressively.

 

Ride remained the same because shocks don't dictate ride height. With that said, since the housings are 1" shorter, it takes less jacking to get the wheel off the ground.

Yep, Cobb rear sway bar only and set to lowest setting. I've never felt that the front end of this car needed much help once I added the Z springs.

Special note:
When doing this install you need to have the entire front end jacked up to remove all the load off the sway bar because since the shock is shorter, the control arm is pulled upwards and you won't be able to reconnect the swaybar endlink into the control arm until the new shocks are installed.

 

I used to think my maxima didn't need any help up front until I added the front bar. It made the back of the car get more involved as it kept the front flatter.

Since I turned my Konis down to almost full soft, I'm considering upping the stiffness of my Hotchkis bars up one notch.

 

After a couple of weeks of driving, I must say the ride is a bit stiffer than that of the Sport shocks. There clearly is a big valving difference between the Z and G sport shocks. Around town, the ride can be a bit busy on less than smooth roads, but the highway ride is awesome. In terms of handling, WOW! It's really good. It's almost like I added a front swaybar.

 

I dont' support rear bar only mod's. Had Cusco bars on the car, sold them because it dawned on me that having a non adjustable rear bar was a mistake. Reinstalled the oem bars, then found a used EVO350 rear bar and installed it. Vs the cusco front and rear bars, it was not a positive experience at all. Thankfully I found a front Hotchkis bar at a price I could not pass up, MUCH better. IMO, rear bar only modding remains a tradition on FWD cars, but isn't a positive thing for these cars.

 

I don't think I'll ever go with a front bar on this car. I've auto-xed the car a few times already and it's got perfect balance. Even my instructor, who drove the car, was shocked at how composed the car was. I've got the Cobb bar at 70% stiffer than the OEM setup. The Cobb bar is just a rebadged Hotchkis bar. On the course, the car isn't tail-happy nor does it go into snap oversteer. I can still push the car into terminal understeer at slow speed tight turns too. A stiff car up front would only make the slow speed understeer more of a problem. Now when I'm on my OEM 17s with all season rubber, then it's a little more tail-happy than before, but it's still entirely manageable plus I don't throw the car into super tight manuvers in the cooler weather.