R33 GT-R Update: Nismo Strengthened Rear Lower A-Arm and Cusco Adjustable Pillow Ball Tension Rods

I actually installed these some time back but haven't had time to sit down and blog about them.

As some of you might well know, the GT-R is a 14 year old car and a lot of things get worn out as the years roll by. Hence, its imperative to refresh certain areas of the car, like the suspension, as it might pose a hazard to the driver and other road users. Its also a pain to drive around with a worn bushing or a less than functioning rear arm, as the car's ride tends to suffer as a result. More importantly, the GT-R's handling is much improved when newer and better suspension parts have made their way onto it's chassis.

Note the condition of the 14 year old Nissan factory rear lower a-arm - worn out!

This I can attest to after experiencing the before and after effects of something as simple as installing aftermarket adjustable tension rods. Its like night and day - suddenly you have the confidence to take corners at high speed and the car feels so much more controllable. The turn-in motion is also greatly improved and the car feels flatter as it pivots to where you want it to go. The rear also benefits from the strengthened a-arm plate as it's less affected by road irregularities and feels more planted when the car accelerates. 

All of this is multiplied in terms of driving pleasure as you get a sense of rightness about the car's condition and overall driveability. As I have said in previous posts, once you install one aftermarket suspension part, you'll be hooked and will have to the urge to change everything as a result of the positive effect they will have on your car.

The nice and shiny (and adjustable) Cusco pillow ball tension rod

The Nismo rear lower a-arm set looks right at home in the passenger side rear tyre well of my GT-R! :)

And so till the next suspension upgrade, I'll leave you with RHD Japan's description of the recently installed parts:

"The NISMO Rear Lower A-Arm Set - Strengthened R33 is part of the NISMO Suspension Link Series and were created by NISMO to provide true suspension performance for Nissan drivers. Included are the strengthened bushings to provide better feedback through cornering to make the vehicle more predictable. These are for true suspension performance, and are recommended to anyone using sport suspension and tires. The Nismo Strengthened Rear Lower A-Arms are a great way to refresh your vehicle`s suspension components by removing the aged arms that came stock from the factory. All units come in the Nismo silver color. These are stronger than the standard Nismo units because of an added plate on the underside to provide more strength against pressure and stress". - RHD Japan

"The CUSCO Adjustable Pillow Ball Tension Rods Nissan stop the movement and flex that change the geometry on the front suspension under hard braking and cornering and drifting. These Cusco Adjustable Pillow Ball Tension Rods help with stability and predictability when drifting or racing the car hard. They also improving initial turn-in response. They are designed to work with stock suspension or nearly every aftermarket system available". - RHD Japan

R33 GT-R Upgrade: Cusco Adjustable Rear Upper Arms

Suspension upgrades are like a bowl of delicious french fries. Once you start, you can't stop consuming / installing them. Seriously addictive. 

This isn't an act of superflous spending on my part, for as I have said in my previous entry, the rubber bushing on most of the GT-R's factory mounts are in a poor state and therefore need to be replaced. They have after all been on the car for the past 15 years! Hence, this is more of an exercise in necessity instead of greed.

Once I had swapped in the Sun Line Racing Front Pillow Camber Arms and felt an instant improvement in the GT-R's handling, I decided to plunk down some more moola on a used set of Cusco Adjustable Rear Upper Arms. Thanks to Eu Jin from JDM Auto Link for supplying the said item which looked near brand new.

So whats so great about the Cusco unit? Well, the overall benefits are very similar to the Sun Line Racing arms but I'll let RHD Japan explain further:

"The CUSCO Adjustable Rear Upper Arm Links Nissan will provide proper camber angle and improve you cars movement in hard turns on the track. Prevents irregular tire wear and holds tire to the asphalt, improving traction. The good alignment will enable better traction as well". 

 The Cusco rear upper arm and the factory Nissan unit - the bushing too was pretty worn out

The Cusco unit installed on the driver side rear wheel well

Remember what I said about suspension upgrades and how its hard to stop oneself from installing more? Well, I've ordered the following items and they'll be arriving some time soon from Japan :).

NISMO Strengthened Rear Lower A-Arm Set

"The NISMO Rear Lower A-Arm Set - Strengthened R33 is part of the NISMO Suspension Link Series and were created by NISMO to provide true suspension performance for Nissan drivers. Included are the strengthened bushings to provide better feedback through cornering to make the vehicle more predictable. These are for true suspension performance, and are recommended to anyone using sport suspension and tires. The Nismo Strengthened Rear Lower A-Arms are a great way to refresh your vehicle`s suspension components by removing the aged arms that came stock from the factory. All units come in the Nismo silver color. These are stronger than the standard Nismo units because of an added plate on the underside to provide more strength against pressure and stress". - RHD Japan

CUSCO Adjustable Pillow Ball Tension Rods

"The CUSCO Adjustable Pillow Ball Tension Rods Nissan stop the movement and flex that change the geometry on the front suspension under hard braking and cornering and drifting. These Cusco Adjustable Pillow Ball Tension Rods help with stability and predictability when drifting or racing the car hard. They also improving initial turn-in response. They are designed to work with stock suspension or nearly every aftermarket system available". - RHD Japan