J_R

Hi All My 2006 350Z hasn't been handling well so I got a 4-wheel alignment done on a Hunter machine. The Toe and Camber are now spot on but the Caster is off on both sides (L = +8 deg 58', R = + 9 deg 14'). I gather the recommended range for normal road use is + 7 deg 42' and 8 deg 92'. So not only have I got too much Caster but the 0.5 deg left/right split has been exceeded. I'm not sure what to do about it. The car's got Superpro bushes on the upper and lower control arms so unlikely they're worn out. I kerbed the car on the nearside but have never kerbed it on the offside so unlikely I've somehow caused about 9 degrees of damage to both sides! What sort of garage should I take it to? I tried a body shop but they said it's not what they do and the main stealer wants £160 ph + VAT just to investigate. Am in the Farnborough area. Ta

I've got B6s on my car and would highly recommend them. Yes, the ride is a bit stiffer but no less compliant than stock. The car feels more composed and controllable and it actually handles potholes better. When I first got them I found myself tensing up as I approached a particularly bad stretch of road but was amazed how well the suspension dealt with it. It practically glides over some of the rough stuff. I agree it can sometimes be a bit unsettled at low speeds on bad surfaces but is perfectly acceptable and improves with road speed. Go and buy some... you won't regret it.

For what it's worth... I took mine to the NIssan main dealer in Exeter (Marsh Barton trading estate) and they put it on the rig that they had to buy in order to be able to service the GTR. They only charged £25 for a 4-wheel alignment and valeted the car too! Awesome service.

Falken 452 = excellent handling in the dry but a bit scary in the wet. They don't wear particularly well either Falken Ziex 912 = terrible handling in the dry (makes the car understeer) but good grip in the wet. Fairly hardwearing. You pays your money... I will be replacing the 912s for 452s again when I have some spare cash

I've been experiencing exactly the same problem with 2nd gear. In my experience using genuine NIssan oil DOES improve the shift... but only for a few weeks. Then it returns to normal. I've just had the clutch / flywheel replaced but I'm not confident it will make much difference. Strange how the problem got worse AFTER I changed the oil for some fresh stuff! My mechanic thinks Molyslip is a red herring - if there was anything useful in it Nissan would have cottoned on ages ago and incorporated it into their oil. Oh, and I had the diff fluid replaced for genuine Nissan fluid (v.expensive stuff!) at the same time and now the diff is nice and quiet.