By If you’ve played a Need for Speed game over the last 15 years, you’ve driven a Nissan Z-car. Even stock they’re quick, fun rear wheel drive sports cars that are easy to handle under hard acceleration or around corners. The Nissan 350Z has become a common budget drift or track build worldwide thanks to its great weight distribution, wide, short platform, and endlessly tuneable V6 engine. There are lots of parts available to crank the VQ35 engine up to its limits, but what is speed if you can’t hold it around corners? Coilovers are a great way to make your Z more predictable around corners, and the ride height drop can make it look awesome. Like any car with wide aftermarket support, there are many different builds out there: some owners are going for full-on track built Nismo Zs, while others are turning their 350Z Roadsters into stanced out lowriders with giant wheels and a ton of camber. There are plenty of coilover options available for both the 350Z and its platform mate, the Infiniti G35. Below, we’ve got some recommendations for which ones you should get!
Why Should I Get Coilovers?
Whatever setup you’re going for, the most complete overhaul of your car’s suspension system is a coilover suspension kit. These kits include replacement dampers, springs, and mounting hardware, rather than just a set of springs. VQ-generation Z-cars have separate coil and shock suspension systems in the rear, and while some kits replace that stock setup, many offer true coil-on-spring suspension for the rear. This allows for significant weight savings from new control arms and a combined spring and strut. The more advanced suspension system allows for adjustable ride height and dampening as well as other fine tuning. This can decrease body roll and give you a better ride, and makes for smoother transitions in corners.
The first part of selecting a set of coilovers is to figure out how and where you’ll be driving. Are you looking for a system for street use, or one for high-performance driving experiences and track days? Time attack, drifting, and drag racing all benefit from different components. Manufacturers may offer unique systems for several of the areas listed, or have a single product targeted at one of those modes of driving.
As always, when you consider making any changes to your suspension, the factor you need to consider first is the tires. They are the vehicle’s only direct link to the road. The coilover kit you select should be one tuned to the type of tires that you’ll be using. For example, street coilovers take best advantage of ultra-high performance summer tires. Performance coilover systems designed for track use are more aggressive to pair with slicks or DOT-R tires. These tend to ride tighter than most people will be comfortable with on the street.
For occasional track days, a set of moderately-priced coilovers, combined with larger diameter sway bars with adjustable links are a great starting point. As you learn the characteristics of the car over laps and laps of track driving you can begin to make adjustments – one at a time – to optimize the set-up to your car, tires, and driving style.
So What Should I Get?
For the 350Z, coilover kits are available from a ton of reputable, high-profile brands. BC Racing makes one of the most popular kits for the 350Z. Their BR series coilover offers 30 levels of adjustable damper preload. This can give you a lower ride height than stock, a low center of gravity, and less wheel well gap. The BR series coils are designed for road and light track use, so if you want to go low on the street these are a great place to start.
If you’re looking for flatter cornering and a world more tunability for track days or autocross, check out the KW Variant 3 coilovers. These coilovers are built for racing, with an emphasis on tailoring their response to your driving style. They’ve got fully adjustable compression and rebound damping, plus progressive rate springs that respond tighter under hard cornering and softer while you’re bombing down the straights at redline.
If you want a good daily duty coilover with the potential for some track or drift shenanigans, Parts Shop Max offers plenty of different options that don’t break the bank. Their PRO series coilovers use linear springs for predictable handling, but are a little bit stiffer on the road. If you’re looking to daily your car to and from work and go to the occasional autocross event, this is a great way to bump up your handling performance while still keeping your 350z or G35 affordable.
Many drivers won’t reach the limits of their stock suspension setup, and it’s important to make the distinction for yourself of needing an upgrade versus wanting one. Coilover setups are a significant undertaking, and the most drastic change to your vehicle’s performance short of completely altering the suspension geometry. If you’re a Nissan 350z enthusiast looking for the ultimate in ride height adjustment and handling tunability for your vehicle, coilovers are the right place to go. For coilover kits and more, check out the Motoroso Marketplace!
