Upgrade Leaf suspension, make it a little stiffer

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dheywood71

Member
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
13
I drive my Leaf every day on a twisty mountain highway for 60 km each way.
I would really like a stiffer suspension with less body roll.
Can anyone suggest what I need to change to accomplish this.
I enjoy the smooth ride but when you start leaning through the twists it gets a little unnerve.
 
dheywood71 said:
I drive my Leaf every day on a twisty mountain highway for 60 km each way.
I would really like a stiffer suspension with less body roll.
Can anyone suggest what I need to change to accomplish this.
I enjoy the smooth ride but when you start leaning through the twists it gets a little unnerve.

I totally agree! I've upgraded form the stock wheels and Ecrappia tires to wheels that are 1" bigger and therefeor the tires are 1/2" less side wall. It makes a big difference, but the body roll in turns on mountain roads (every day to work and back) is too excessive. Sometimes it's so much that when hitting a bump in a turn triggers the stability control, limiting power and applying the brake to one of the wheels. Without all the body roll, I don't think that the bump would have perturbed the suspension enough to trigger the nanny to come on...
 
I have a 2013 Leaf S, I'm reading on here that the 2013 susp is either stiffer, or stiffer as a result of the weight reduction on the 2013 model. Either way, I think my car is reasonably firm for what the car is marketed as. That said, I would also appeciate a little more stiffness in the rear which can normally be remedied by a rear sway bar, but in the case of the Leaf with a twist beam axle, this isn't an option. Installing a full coilover setup is not my deisre as I'm not into lowering the car more than maybe an inch, but I really don't want to chase down a custom rear spring setup and the only aftermarket shock I'm seeing for the rear is a KYB GR2 from Tirerack which have typically been 20% stiffer than OEM shocks. They're cheap on there at right around $50 ea. I would just need to find a rear spring then that is OEM height but with increased spring rate by 20%...but I don't think that is going to be available in my searches, so I'm stuck with taking weight out of the rear of the car, which is not my ideal solution to firm up the rear. Don't get me wrong though, I am a weight reduction freak, but I really don't want to have to remove the rear seat & trunk trim to accomplish only a minor gain in rear stiffness. If I didn't have a wife & 2 teens, I'd have already done it tho! Lol.

What I have done, and I've chronicled it in the accessories/mods section recently, is add some 17x9 +35 Enkei RPF1 wheels and some SPC camber bolts (which have increased front grip). The grip level is amazing, but it is a bit disappointing because I KNow it could be even better.
 
I'm thinking maybe not so much stiffness, as rebound rate. Once the tire's been lifted it seems to take too long for it to get its grip going again and you're 3-wheeling it for too long a period. Just my impression. I've never done any tuning in this regard.
 
Valdemar said:
kovalb said:
13MY and newer have firmer steering feel.

On 16" or 17" wheel diameter from your experience?
The firmer steering is on all grades that are 13MY and newer, along with increased damping for the suspension. My experience is that the 17" Michelins provide a touch better feel and grip, but at the expense of impacts being felt more firmly. To my knowledge the range is identical for the 16" Bridgestones and 17" Michelins.
 
kovalb said:
The firmer steering is on all grades that are 13MY and newer, along with increased damping for the suspension.

Source please? As far as I know there hasn't been an official confirmation from Nissan about any suspension tweaks from 13MY on. Any perceived improvements are likely due to the slightly more low profile tires.
 
Valdemar said:
kovalb said:
The firmer steering is on all grades that are 13MY and newer, along with increased damping for the suspension.

Source please? As far as I know there hasn't been an official confirmation from Nissan about any suspension tweaks from 13MY on. Any perceived improvements are likely due to the slightly more low profile tires.
Please take my word.
 
After driving the 2015 SL for 11,500 miles, I can say that suspension on 2015 is definitely firmer than 2011 SL. Steering feel is also a bit better. Dry grip of 17-inch Michelin Energy tires is slightly better than 16-inch Bridgestone Ecopias, but not as good as Michelin MXM4 replacement tires I had on 2011. Wet grip of Ecopias (when inflated to 44 psi) was equal to or better than both versions of Michelins. Wet grip of Ecopias was really bad at 36 psi. There is not much difference in wet grip with Michelins between 36 and 44 psi. These are personal observations with tire pressures at 44 psi on both cars (except as noted regarding grip)--YMMV. Leather seats in 2015 are also firmer than recycled plastic (cloth) seats in 2011.

Gerry
 
kovalb said:
Valdemar said:
kovalb said:
The firmer steering is on all grades that are 13MY and newer, along with increased damping for the suspension.

Source please? As far as I know there hasn't been an official confirmation from Nissan about any suspension tweaks from 13MY on. Any perceived improvements are likely due to the slightly more low profile tires.
Please take my word.

Take a look at the paint marks on a 1st gen vs. second gen LEAF springs and shocks. Yes, they are firmer.
 
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