Upgraded to Z1 sway bars...

[MacCool]

Way back when I bought my original 370Z, I noted that, while it would hold up to 1 g cornering, it had a rather distressing amount of body roll in doing so. I found that a pair of Eibach sway bars significantly fixed that problem and I drove that car for almost 12 years. Consequently, I was certain when I bought my new Z Performance, it would need sway bars since it was apparent that Nissan was bent on following their history and again migrating the Z platform toward becoming a bloated GT luxo-cruiser. As a result, I ordered a pair of Z1 sway bars before I even picked the new car up.

As expected, the suspension is soft. It's certainly comfortable to drive...quiet (by comparison) with a very compliant suspension. Also as expected., it had a LOT of body roll and I assumed that the (relatively) wimpy OEM sway bars were at least partially to blame for that roll and the notably softer steering. I had my local auto shop install the new Z1 bars. Now...I'm not a track guy and my performance demands are relatively mundane, limited mostly to "spirited" driving in this part of rural/vacationland Minnesota. Also, I was, perhaps unfairly comparing the new Z to the modified 370Z (tires and sway bars) that I had been driving for the last 12 years.

I had my local shop put the bars on, and unsurprisingly I did fInd that it significantly improved body roll and it did tighten up the steering feel at speed. Only issue has been due to the fact that I had them put the end links in the closest holes, and now I find that the suspension in a little too stiff. I feel every tar strip in the road. When I get a chance, I'm going to have them move the end links out the to far holes and see how that works.

All-in-all, sway bars are a very cost-effective addition. Z1 was great to buy from...fast shipping, very robust packaging.

 

[KCZ]

I have that same set of sway bars, along with ordering a whole Z1 suspension setup. If it ever gets here, I'll let you know how I like it. Z1 has the slowest shipping and worst communication on the planet...I ordered in early Sept, the control arms were supposed to arrive in Oct, and now it looks like it will be in January. I'll have to drag the box through a snowbank just to get them into the garage.

 

[Ali023]

I have that same set of sway bars, along with ordering a whole Z1 suspension setup. If it ever gets here, I'll let you know how I like it. Z1 has the slowest shipping and worst communication on the planet...I ordered in early Sept, the control arms were supposed to arrive in Oct, and now it looks like it will be in January. I'll have to drag the box through a snowbank just to get them into the garage.

Same here , I have the 6 speed performance, I ordered in Ocotober
Only thing I received was full sway bar set with end links
Still waiting on upper control arms , rear traction arms, rear camber arms, and subframe tie brace. My airlift 3p is sitting in my bedroom for over a month waiting to get it installed with z1 suspension .
also I already installed my z1 rear diff brace and it helps

 

[MacCool]

I have that same set of sway bars, along with ordering a whole Z1 suspension setup. If it ever gets here, I'll let you know how I like it. Z1 has the slowest shipping and worst communication on the planet...I ordered in early Sept, the control arms were supposed to arrive in Oct, and now it looks like it will be in January. I'll have to drag the box through a snowbank just to get them into the garage.

This is my 9th Z since the 240Z I drove when I was in college. I do like the platform, especially since the 350Z. Brainerd International Raceway is about 15 miles from here but I don't hit the track any more nor am I as interested in extensive mods as I used to be. Rather, I enjoy the impressive power of this new one as all of my racing these days is from stoplight to stoplight. It's very comfortable and suits my current lowered expectations for handling.

I found Z1 to be really good relative to shipping and communication, but my experience with them is substantially smaller, simpler, and less ambitious than yours.

I sympathize with the snowbank problem. It's unusual for me to be able to drive a Z car this far into November. Normally, my car would be back in the storage garage on a battery tender and my DD would be my 3/4 ton GMC.

 

[trackratZ]

Way back when I bought my original 370Z, I noted that, while it would hold up to 1 g cornering, it had a rather distressing amount of body roll in doing so. I found that a pair of Eibach sway bars significantly fixed that problem and I drove that car for almost 12 years. Consequently, I was certain when I bought my new Z Performance, it would need sway bars since it was apparent that Nissan was bent on following their history and again migrating the Z platform toward becoming a bloated GT luxo-cruiser. As a result, I ordered a pair of Z1 sway bars before I even picked the new car up.

As expected, the suspension is soft. It's certainly comfortable to drive...quiet (by comparison) with a very compliant suspension. Also as expected., it had a LOT of body roll and I assumed that the (relatively) wimpy OEM sway bars were at least partially to blame for that roll and the notably softer steering. I had my local auto shop install the new Z1 bars. Now...I'm not a track guy and my performance demands are relatively mundane, limited mostly to "spirited" driving in this part of rural/vacationland Minnesota. Also, I was, perhaps unfairly comparing the new Z to the modified 370Z (tires and sway bars) that I had been driving for the last 12 years.

I had my local shop put the bars on, and unsurprisingly I did fInd that it significantly improved body roll and it did tighten up the steering feel at speed. Only issue has been due to the fact that I had them put the end links in the closest holes, and now I find that the suspension in a little too stiff. I feel every tar strip in the road. When I get a chance, I'm going to have them move the end links out the to far holes and see how that works.

All-in-all, sway bars are a very cost-effective addition. Z1 was great to buy from...fast shipping, very robust packaging.

Good feedback. Did these come with stiffer urethane bushings and/or endlinks? This would be a first upgrade on any new Z, OEM suspension is too soft.

Eibach is around the corner from me, their progressive springs are hard to beat, FYI

 

[MacCool]

Good feedback. Did these come with stiffer urethane bushings and/or endlinks? This would be a first upgrade on any new Z, OEM suspension is too soft.

Eibach is around the corner from me, their progressive springs are hard to beat, FYI

I had Eibach sway bars, endlinks, and bushings on my last few Z's. Good stuff and a great company.. I did not add the Z1 endlinks with this most recent set, but will do so if the softer bar settings turn out to be too soft. As I mentioned, my needs are simpler now, in my old age.

 

[PriZ]

This post came with fantastic timing. I had some space on a lift rented out today to install my z1 sway bars. Was originally going to go with the inner fitting, but after reading this decided to go with the outer when assembling. Don't regret it. Not experiencing any of the nvh degradation you mentioned, but the car corners much better now. Thanks for the timely info!

 

[MacCool]

This post came with fantastic timing. I had some space on a lift rented out today to install my z1 sway bars. Was originally going to go with the inner fitting, but after reading this decided to go with the outer when assembling. Don't regret it. Not experiencing any of the nvh degradation you mentioned, but the car corners much better now. Thanks for the timely info!

Glad to have been of some help. The thing that's moderately annoying with the stiffer setup is the low-level chattering/hopping I can get when accelerating out of a corner at some speed on Minnesota roads. I think I felt the rear end break loose a little bit in that circumstance the other day - that kind of surprised me. Now...these Potenza tires aren't great and the asphalt was winter-cold.....and it's probable that coil-overs and A-arms would make the stiffer setting more precise, maybe a chassis stiffener, but for what I want out of this car, that would be vast overkill.

I wish I had some place I could rent lift time.

 

[PriZ]

Glad to have been of some help. The thing that's moderately annoying with the stiffer setup is the low-level chattering/hopping I can get when accelerating out of a corner at some speed on Minnesota roads. I think I felt the rear end break loose a little bit in that circumstance the other day - that kind of surprised me. Now...these Potenza tires aren't great and the asphalt was winter-cold.....and it's probable that coil-overs and A-arms would make the stiffer setting more precise, maybe a chassis stiffener, but for what I want out of this car, that would be vast overkill.

I wish I had some place I could rent lift time.

I guess I should mention I did install the z1 diff brace and rear subframe bushing collars today as well. So some of that chassis stiffening you were talking about. I'm sure that's helping quite a bit too. If I had gone with the inner sway bar setting I think it would have been too much on top of the other changes.

As an aside, the subframe collar bushings were a MASSIVE pain in the ass to install. Had to remove exhaust, a bunch of bracing, and finally all of the bolts securing the subframe to drop it a few inches (including the bolts on the shocks). While I think it was worth it, it isn't something I'd like to do again.

 

[TheRoyalStig]

How is the install for just the sway bars? Would like to grab the z1 option(outer setting by these posts).

Does it seem like something could do by myself on ramps in the driveway as someone who just does minor bolt on work? Or is this a "bring it to a shop" kinda job?

 

[MacCool]

How is the install for just the sway bars? Would like to grab the z1 option(outer setting by these posts).

Does it seem like something could do by myself on ramps in the driveway as someone who just does minor bolt on work? Or is this a "bring it to a shop" kinda job?

It's a pretty straightforward installation and can be done by anyone with mild-moderate wrench skills. I opted to have it done by a local mechanic even though it's well within my skill set, primarily because doing it on ramps or jackstands is a PITA. The lack of room laying on a creeper was unattractive to me, especially knowing that doing so made getting the forward undershroud off cumbersome, and the chances of getting the rear bar out and new one in without taking down exhaust components significantly decreases. IMHO, doing it on a lift made it a relatively simple exercise. There is no lift time for rent around here, so I just hired it done.

 

[TheRoyalStig]

It's a pretty straightforward installation and can be done by anyone with mild-moderate wrench skills. I opted to have it done by a local mechanic even though it's well within my skill set, primarily because doing it on ramps or jackstands is a PITA. The lack of room laying on a creeper was unattractive to me, especially knowing that doing so made getting the forward undershroud off cumbersome, and the chances of getting the rear bar out and new one in without taking down exhaust components significantly decreases. IMHO, doing it on a lift made it a relatively simple exercise. There is no lift time for rent around here, so I just hired it done.

Ahh yea annoying factor is definitely a big decider for me. If it comes down to taking a bunch of extra stuff off I may just take it somewhere. Thanks!

 

[MacCool]

Ahh yea annoying factor is definitely a big decider for me. If it comes down to taking a bunch of extra stuff off I may just take it somewhere. Thanks!

I installed sway bars on both of my 370Z's without removing any associated components, so that's do-able, at least on the Z34...but that was on a lift and was a little tricky, needing enough up-and-down room to angle the thing in there around the exhaust cat-back. I'm inclined to doubt that there's enough room if the car is just up on jackstands. From a labor standpoint, it's about a 1 -1.5 hour job. Detaching suspension components on a relatively new car is not a big problem. The annoying thing is rusted bolts and maneuvering those components out and back in.

 

[PriZ]

How is the install for just the sway bars? Would like to grab the z1 option(outer setting by these posts).

Does it seem like something could do by myself on ramps in the driveway as someone who just does minor bolt on work? Or is this a "bring it to a shop" kinda job?

For the front sway bar, you could totally do that in your driveway. Even if you add the adjustable end links in. For the rear though, it's a bit trickier like others have said. While I think you MIGHT be able to get the rear in and out without removing the exhaust, it's going to be difficult and will require a decent bit of banging it around at different angles. I have an aftermarket exhaust - fast intentions - that definitely made it impossible.

With that said, removing your exhaust isn't all that hard. It should totally be doable in your driveway. For a shop, labor estimate would likely be around 2 hours at the most. So not bad either way you decide to go.

 

[TheRoyalStig]

Thanks!

I'll probably pull up on the ramps to take a peek and then make a decision from there.