The NC runs a front double-wishbone and rear multilink setup that is superb when fresh and vague when tired. A full bushing and damper refresh transforms a worn car; start with the rear and the known soft rubber.
Most 'floaty' or clunky NCs are simply worn out, not badly designed. Renew the wear items and the chassis feels new.
What wears
- Dampers lose control first; if originals are still fitted, they are past it.
- Rear subframe and differential-mount bushings soften and cause clunks and slack.
- Control-arm and link bushings perish, blurring alignment under load.
- Sway-bar end links and bushings rattle and dull turn-in response.
A sensible refresh order
- Fresh dampers all round, matched front to rear.
- New rear diff/subframe bushings to kill driveline clunk and firm up the rear.
- Control-arm and sway-bar bushings and end links as a set.
- A proper corner-balanced alignment afterward; the NC responds well to careful settings.
Upgrade paths
- Quality OEM-style bushings restore the factory feel for road use.
- Firmer polyurethane or spherical bushings sharpen response for track use at the cost of some harshness.
- Coilovers plus stiffer sway bars are the classic track move, but do the bushings first or the car still feels loose.
Buying note
- On a test drive, listen for rear clunks over bumps and feel for vagueness on turn-in; both point to tired rubber.
- A car with a documented suspension refresh is worth paying for; the parts are cheap but the labor adds up.
Get the wear items right and the NC's geometry does the rest.