How good is a stock 240 suspension?

[Guest L33T_240]

As great as a stock 240 handles, how good is it's suspension? Is it built for performance or just daily driving? Are there any components that an all original owner might consider replacing/updating? By all original I mean restored to original stock.

[Daniel]

Thats a very debatable question.The standard rubber is more vibration resistant.Perhaps even a smoother ride.I don't know anyone that bought a 240 for the smooth ride.The aftermarket plastics do give better performance due to increased stiffness.Without a doubt you need to replace the steering coupler with the ABS unit.The rubber thats in there now is sloppy.Its just below your brake master cyl,looks like a doughnut..Its cheap and easy to replace.You will see a BIG difference.Although I use the term "plastics" to include both abs and urethane I suggest abs in the coupler.Have Fun! Daniel

[Royce]

As with any car the manufacturer has made some compromises in performance to appeal to more people or to satisfy government regulation. And there are always companies out there that specialize in improving over stock equipement. Even at the top end there are after market suspensions available that improve performance. Example, you can buy strut/spring upgrades for Ferrari's, Porches, Lotus', Corvette's, etc.

You can have a lot of fun with a stock Z car, it just depends on what your definition of performance is! Remember time + money = speed. There are a lot of options out there for Z car suspensions. Also, lots of times you many not get the desired result by just changing one component. You have to look at things in the big picture.

When I first upgraded my suspension on my 240Z over 10 years ago I went with Tokico non-adjustable struts with Tokico springs. Nothing really wild here! The car is about 1.5" lower and does handle nicely. I was told that even the softest setting of the Tokico adjustables would be stiffer and so I decided to be conservative. Again, I think it works very well but since I don't drive the car daily now I may want to go more agressive the next time around. If you are happy with the way it drives now don't change anything. If you want more out of the car or have worn out parts than I would look to the aftermarket because it is usually cheaper or the same price as staying stock. But again it depends on how far you want to go.

Just my thoughts! Hope it helps!

[XYZ]

I've been going through a similar debate with myself about my suspension in my 260z. I first bought the car thinking I would restore it to orginal as it was pretty close to begin with. Then I started driving it and found out how fun it was. I realized, if it's this fun now and I can improve it further, why not? So I've decided to rebuild the suspension. I'm going to upgrade the springs, lower the vehicle, change the struts, change the sway bar, replace the bushings/rubber and upgrade the wheels/tires. I'm currently researching all of this and have just a few decisions left, namely the type of struts and the wheel component. I decided I would enjoy my car more if it performed better. I don't care if it's not stock because I want to have as much fun as I can with it and that, to me, means increasing it's performance. You just need to decide what you want out of your car. Hope you don't loose as much sleep trying to decide as I did!

[byunique]

The weakest thing about the stock suspension is those wimpy 14 " tires, much too skinny for any high speed driving. If you can, upgrade to 15" wheels at least. The must for all suspensions is a set of nice front/rear swaybars. This is the best money you would ever spend on a Z suspension...bar none.!

[Daniel]

Royce's words are indeed true.If your fear of aftermarket is that it will take away from the value of your car. I think the odds of a buyer saying"I would buy it but I'm looking for one with original rubber bushings are VERY slim!

[Royce]

Now that I read your original question and my reply I guess I really didn't answer what you asked. The 240Z originally did have a good fundamental suspension system. It is a bit outdated by current standards but is NOT a bad design and is very good for that time period. Just look how many old Z's are still out racing competitively.

What was considered a performance or daily driver ride has changed dramatically since the '70s. I would say a stock 240Z is a good daily driver and can be a fun autocross or track car. But as has been stated it depends on your definition of performance. You can do a lot for the performance just by buying a good set of tires!

The good thing is that there are many upgrades you can make to the suspension that are 100% reversable if you or someone else decided to return the car to a stock original car. Just don't do anything extreme that requires cutting or welding. You can upgrade the bushings, anti-sway bar, struts & springs, and tires/wheels without taking away from the original qualities of the car. If you think you would want it original at some point just keep the parts that you are taking off! The only thing I would think of that might be hard to find in the future would be a set of good rubber bushings.

Hope it helps!

[2ManyZs]

Just one small thing, when you get done modifying the suspension to improve your performance remember you are riding around with 30 year old brake technology. The brakes are good, don't get me wrong, but they are not up to the standards of even a mid-priced family sedan nowadays. I have raced on those brakes, believe me, when they reach their threshold be ready for some scary moments, there is no sicker feeling than going into a turn and having the pedal go all the way to the floor!! 50 mph or 100mph, it isn't fun. At the very least you should upgrade to some really good aftermarket pads and shoes, or possibly do a four piston caliper swap in the front. With what you can do to improve the already good suspension, and the tires that are on the market now, you need to pay attention to the brakes too. Just thought I would add that...

[XYZ]

To help us less experienced folk, how would you rank the order of upgrade if this is the path taken. The choices in components are:

1. springs/struts

2. anti-sway bars

3. wheels/tires

4. new bushings

I talked with Nissan motor sports and the guy recommended springs and struts first, anti-roll bar, wheels. A local mechanic recommended starting with the anti-roll bar and bushings, see how it feels then maybe do the springs. An earlier reply commented on anti-roll bar and wheels.

I imagine someone might want clarification as to the use of the vehicle. I'm personally going to use it for weekend driving and possibly some local track racing but mostly for fun. I'm not sure what the original person's use might be but I would think there is a systematic way to determine which upgrade comes first assuming it can't happen all at once.

[Royce]

The approach I take is, what needs fixing?

Struts and springs are probably the most expensive of the modifications. So if your struts and springs are warn you may want to start with something less expensive first. Also, there are the biggest number of different combinations for struts and spring replacements. I would hang out at the local autocross or get together with fellow Z folk and go for a ride in their car to see what you like.

How do you know if you struts or springs are worn? If you press down on a fender and let it go and the car takes 3 or more times to stop bouncing or if it bounces like crazy while being driven than the struts are warn. If it is really easy to push down on the fender and the car doesn't return to its previous stance then the springs may be worn. Also, when you drive over a speed bump the car easily bottoms out and feels very harsh. When I bought my 240 the struts and springs were very worn. So I replaced those first.

If the stuts and springs are okay, then bushings might be a good place to start because the car is so old that the rubber bushings are probably worn out. If you have the $$$ this is a good time to add a larger sway bar since you have to disconnect it to replace the bushings.

Do you need tires? Someone else suggested going to 15" rims. The reason this is a common suggestion is that it is getting harder to find high performance tires to fit 14" rims, but increasing the rim size does not in itself provide better performance. But good quality tires can make a huge difference! Buy tires that fit the rim size you have. A tire that is too large or too small for the rim does not allow you to get the full performance potential from the tire.

That's I'll I can think of for now! Have fun!

[2ManyZs]

I would do the springs/struts and the bushing upgrade first. No sense in tearing the suspension apart twice, you may as well do the bushings when you do the rest. Personally I prefer the poly bushings over the rubber.

The next thing would be your tire and wheel size and choice of tire brand.

I would do the sway bars after that, reason being you will be changing the handling characteristics of the car over stock, but how will be up to your spring/strut combo and the tire and wheel width and brand of tire. Until you know if the car is going to understeer, oversteer (not too likely) there is no sense in putting bars on that will make the condition more pronounced. Z's usually understeer, so depending on your spring/strut combo, choosing the right size bar will depend on how much closer to neutral you want the car to handle. In fact in some case it might be better to leave the bars alone, it all depends on what you have already done and how you want your car to handle.

If I can make a suggestion, you might consider using the progrssive rate springs if you want an all around car that can be taken to an autocross once in a while. It doesn't take much in terms of spring rate change to make your Z turn into a kidney buster as a daily driver. If your preference is more toward racing the car then go with the heavier, single rate springs.

[Guest L33T_240]

Very nice feedback.

Although I don't have any plans to track race my car, I'm still interested in good performance. What would adding anti-sway bars do for my car? Like I said in another thread (my first one with the pics), I had the front end replaced including all new brakes, lines, calipers (loaded). Rears still have drums, and those are at like 50% - not good.

My priorities for this coming spring are:

- New exhaust system. The one that's on there now doesn't even fit the car. I'm hoping to get more horsepower from a good exhaust system.

- New tires. The ones on the car now look quite old and aren't even all the same, although they are Michelin. Regardless, they've got to go. But, I want to keep my 14" slots (they are soooo nice), so I have to use 14" tires. I would love to be able to go out and spend $1000 on some fresh rims, but it ain't happening. So 14" tires it is.

- New stereo. Nothing to do with performance, but everything to do with sanity.