The Ultimate Suspension And Exhaust Nissan 350Z Modification Guide

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The Ultimate Suspension And Exhaust Nissan 350Z Modification Guide

Congratulations, you own the iconic Nissan 350z Z33. You can say that your car has been featured on the poster of a Fast & Furious movie and was named after a 1956 broadway classical "My Fair Lady". You can also say that Top Gear Magazine awarded it the best car of 2004.

But are you getting the most out of your Fairlady or the VQ35DE engine?

Although you've bought an amazing car, there's still work to be done in optimizing your automotive experience. The industry for car modifications is rapidly growing. With all the options out there, you may be wondering where to start with 350z modifications and without having to empty your piggy bank...completely.

Maintenance First:

Before getting spending any money modifying the car, let's make sure all the common but important reliability issues are addressed:

  • A super common issue which was addressed by a factory recall was crankshaft or camshaft sensors intermittently failing when the engine becomes warm and causing the car to stall. Check to see if the recall was done on your model.
  • The "Rev-Up" engines are known to have oil consumption issues. Not the end of the world, and definitely not as bad the the RX-8's are but please do make sure your oil is topped off. Or just say screw it and do a JZ or LSx engine swap.
  • The early model 2003-2005 CD001 to CD006 manual transmissions are notorious for their grinding from 1st to 2nd and 5th to 6th. There is no point of trying to rebuild those transmissions, and would recommend trying to source a low mile CD009 unit from the later models. Those units, can hold a lot of power and can work with either the LS or JZ swap that you will inevitably be doing after the VQ motor becomes boring.
  • The clutch's on the manual models tend to last about 40k miles with normal driving. Unless you found an old granny owned and never drive, pristine low mile car, check where your clutch pedal engagement point is. If its toward the bottom, you are are okay, if it's at the top, you are on borrowed time. If it's smelling like fish when you take off at the light or you put it in 5th gear on the freeway and floor it, and the only thing that goes up are your rev's, our suggestion is to invest in a new clutch kit. 
  • Some models experience the Rear axle "clicking" noise that requires relubing. There was a Nissan TSB issued for it that can be found here.

Once you feel comfortable that the car is mechanically sound, welcome to the world of aftermarket parts with infinite possibilities for this chassis. Lets cover the goods!

Suspension:

The Z33 chassis is not the lightest out there with the curb weight reaching 3,602lbs on some models, so a lot of the sporty feel comes from the suspension setup. Unfortunately with most cars having 100K+ on the odometer the original struts have most likely seen better days. This makes it a great time to swap out the original shocks and springs with a coilover system which happens to be the most popular first modification done by enthusiasts. Also keep in mind that most suspension pieces are interchangeable with the Infiniti G35 model with the exception of the front strut brace.

350Z Coilovers

A coilover gets its name from its design: it's a coil spring wrapped around a shock absorber. A coil spring is a spring designed to absorb impact. A shock absorber is a pump that controls the impact and rebound of the suspension of your vehicle.

Lowering your car means lowering the car's center of gravity, so it can easily be maneuvered. It also means fewer weight shifts onto the outside tires during a turn. Evenly distributed weight is crucial in smoothly executing turns.

With a coilover setup, you can lower your suspension as far as you need for maximum control. You can also raise the suspension back up if you decide to rally the car.

The OEM 350z rear suspension features a separate spring and strut assembly, which has the spring sitting next to the strut. When it comes to upgrading you will have a choice of staying with an OEM style or going to a "true type" system that has a spring on strut assembly. The true type requires a  Rear Spring Bucket Delete Toe Arm. Here are some of the popular choices that we carry

Adjustable Control Arms:

Front Suspension

Nissan engineers had two goals in mind when designing the suspension on the Z33. Allow the driver to enjoy a  "flat-ride" to keep the car stable, and deliver a natural and nimble response. The result was having an upper and lower wishbone setup on the front suspension. However, the most unique feature (which received 14 patents) was a splitting the bottom wishbone into two links, with individual lower ball joints. Combined with the long upper link, this kept the optimal alignment during turns and in straight line. This is all great if you want to keep your car stock and your bushings aren't worn out. 

Once you start playing with the ride height, the stock length arms are not able to compensate for the change in geometry and ends up throwing your alignment into the gutter. To help offset the change in geometry for the front end, ISR designed an adjustable, tubular front upper control arm that solves a few issues. 1. Gives you the ability to adjust camber from +.5 to -5.5 degrees  2. Replaces the stock worn bushings with stronger spherical bearings and 3. gives you the ability to service your ball joint down the line without having to replace the full arm. 

Rear Suspension

The rear suspension design is a multi-link unit with the spring separated from the shock. Nissan engineers found the separation of the spring from the shock absorber produced 60% less friction in the residual moment. This meant the suspension is able to react faster to road inputs and drastically improving stability and predictability of how the car behaves on the road. 

Just like the front end, the stock arms and the eccentric bolts have their limitations when it comes to adjusting alignment on a lowered car. This is where adjustable tubular arms come into play. ISR Performance designed a rear arm kit that comes that replaces the worn bushings, adds extra suspension travel with the rear camber arms, and also allows you to eliminate the OEM spring perch if you decide to go with a "True" coilover system.

Exhaust System:

The VQ35DE and HR engine have a unique distinctive sound to it. To open up the famous tune and increase power, there are an infinite amount of solutions and we'll go through some popular affordable choices and some more pricey. **Please also keep in mind that although the headers and Y pipes are interchangeable on the 350z and G35, the cat back systems are not!**

350z Catback Exhaust & Y-pipe

Catback exhaust refers to any exhaust part beyond the catalytic converter (including the resonator, piping, and muffler). If you're looking to upgrade your exhaust, a good modification to go for is a new catback exhaust system.

One of the reasons you may want a new catback is for aesthetic purposes. Catbacks are the most visible part of your exhaust, and an attractive exhaust pipe will surely win you the envy of car enthusiasts. 

Of course, an upgraded exhaust can also lead to improved performance. With an upgraded engine, there will be more pressure coming through your catback. Getting a catback with a larger diameter pipe will decrease backflow, and allow you to enjoy any engine swaps you might do (more on those in a bit). 

Affordable Choices Include:

Big Spender Choices(Makes your car lighter and your wallet too):


Exhaust Manifolds & Hi-Flow Catalytic Converters

If you are wanting to squeeze a bit more out of the VQ and get a little bit dirty doing it, the next steps would be high flow headers or catalytic converters. Unfortunately with the EPA recently going after suppliers of Test pipes, most test pipes have been discontinued.

For Headers, the most popular choice in the Z community have become the ISR Long tubes. They are built with a 1 5/8" header flange that step up to a 1 3/4" primary runners and are considered high ground clearance( Perfect for super low cars). The headers flow enough for any NA motor and will hold up fine with a Supercharger setup as well. You will need to extend your 02 sensor wiring or buy the 02 extension adapters. Did we mention these are really popular? Most of the time they are sold out before they become available so you may have to preorder your set. Be patient as they are worth the power gains when combined with the Y Pipe and catback exhaust.

If you don't want to do headers, an alternative is swapping out the stock restrictive cats with the high flow units or test pipes from the used market. The hi-flow cats will keep your car emissions friendly and still generate more power by relieving some of the backpressure.

Get Your 350z Modifications

The 350z is a legendary vehicle with a wide variety of customization options. Our website features a plethora of 350z modifications. Feel free to browse through there for anything else you might want to see on or in your vehicle.

Now that you know all you need to start modifying  your Nissan 350z, it's time to get modding! Our mods will surely make you the envy of your track, and win the affection of all the motorheads in town.