A low stiffness, high torsion disk drive suspension having reduced gram load change after backbending includes a laminate of a metal layer, a plastic film layer and a plurality of conductors, a spring portion, a base portion and a distal portion with contiguous discontinuities that reduce the vertical stiffness of the suspension with only a low reduction in torsion, and that limit gram load changes by preventing stretching of the plastic film that would otherwise accompany backbending of the spring portion of the suspension.