So I think I may have some suspension issues. The rear seems like its sitting pretty low to the ground. I do use this car for work primarily and I often carry heavy loads in the trunk and backseat. The shocks do feel worn out. I get a lot of pitch and roll when going over bumps. The car has 62k on it.

So do I need to install new shocks? I do have a set of 2006 350Z springs, but I feel like installing those will make the car too low. Any advice here is welcome. I was planning to install new shocks anyway, but will that bring the rear ride height up? Should I install shocks and the springs at the same time? I don't want to be too low... I drive in MN and carry heavy materials in the car frequently.

Here are some photos... These are not beauty shots by any stretch!

Rear wheel

Rear wheel gap


For comparison, the front wheel...

Another

 

it's hard to tell from the pics but generally, the rears on our sedans appear to 'sit lower' bc the front fenders have more clearance. the car should be level on a level surface.

it's not unheard of that the oem shocks go out after 60k. i would suggest to get coilovers! haha

 

did you buy the car stock?? The G looks uneven like that because of the difference between the front and rear wheel wells. The rear is like 1 or so inch closer to the tire than the front. I highly doubt the springs aren't holding the weight properly. The struts could be warped not allowing it to rebound properly.

 

Interesting point. Coilovers are cool but I do want to maintain a reasonable ride. From what I know coilovers ride really stiff. I would hate that.

 

Tein CS coilovers offer a nice comfy ride. Not stiff at all

 

if you think the rear is too low now.......then coilovers are definitely not for you!

 

Yeah, certified pre-owned 2 years ago.

 

altho lots of coilover set ups ride stiffer, it's not always true. i had Tein Htechs w/ the oem struts for a couple months. basically same ride quality as oem but a bit stiffer.

then i installed the KWs. i had breifly raised the ride height, (think 3 finger gap in front and 2 in rear on a 19 inch 35 and 30 series tire) which is lower than on springs but not slammed and the ride quality was very good. not stiff at all. it was perfect. but i wanted the look of being lower. so now, i love the look but the ride is a bit stiff.

it really depends on what type of coilovers you get.

 

You can adjust the stiffness and some coilovers have a surprisingly soft ride.

 

So coilovers have adjustable ride height? That would be nice. And what about my stock struts? They seem pretty bad to me, lots of up and down movement. I used to feel comfortable driving the car fast, now I feel like I could lose control pretty easily if I hit an unexpected bump.

So by installing the Z springs I would lower the rear an inch further right? That seems like I would be bottoming out with heavy stuff in the trunk. Trying to avoid that for sure.

I guess what I am looking for is reasonable ride height (would be ok with my front coming down a little), stiffer ride (but not track-ready) without spending a fortune.

 

if you install those z springs, it'll compromise your already worn oem struts. not like crazy a lot but more than w/ your current springs.

coilovers can be found at awesome deals these days; even used in the marketplace.

 

If you are saying you carry a lot of heavy stuff in your car you should consider a bit more stiffer springs and shocks with higher dampening ratio to hold that load. The soft ride you are enjoying now was design only for a comfortable ride not for carrying load. Most likely those shocks are blown for the weight.

 

I have heard that the Z-springs would just ruin my worn stock struts.. How about installing them with a set of Tokico HP struts?

So coilovers are sounding more and more appealing. Do I need to buy struts with this or is the package complete? Do you get rid of both the OEM strut and spring?

 

lots of people do the Tokico struts w/ aftermarket springs but when you look at the cost, paying a bit more for coilovers makes sense. at least it did for me. plus, you can adjust the height and dampening on some systems.

if you get coilovers the oem springs and struts all come out. it's a full swap.

 

I will look into coilovers.. This is sounding more and more appealing. Thanks for your insight...