Tam very 'crashy' after Nitrons fitted!
Discussion
I cannot stress enough that the correct settings for one set of tyres will be utterly wrong for another set. I have only recently realised this, but it is so obvious. The quality of the ride depends on
damper type,
damper adjustment,
spring weight and
tyre wall stiffness.
The advice about damper settings is pretty good, but do factor in your tyres' load index. It's the two or three digits in the tyre description on the sidewall, for example my rear 888s are:
235/40 ZR 18 91Y
This means:
235 mm tread width
40 aspect ratio, so the side wall height is 40% of the tread width, so in this case 94mm. Useful for calculating wheel and tyre (rolling) diameter.
ZR - the Z I think means safe over 141 mph (need to check), the R means radial construction
91 is the load index, which for 91 is 615kg at max pressure. You can find a table online. The bigger the number, the bigger the max load
Y is the speed rating, again you can find a table online. Y is the second biggest rating, and means safe up to186 mph. 91 Z would be safe over 186 mph
The bigger the load index for a specific aspect ratio, the stiffer the tyre wall and the harder the ride without altering your damper settings
damper type,
damper adjustment,
spring weight and
tyre wall stiffness.
The advice about damper settings is pretty good, but do factor in your tyres' load index. It's the two or three digits in the tyre description on the sidewall, for example my rear 888s are:
235/40 ZR 18 91Y
This means:
235 mm tread width
40 aspect ratio, so the side wall height is 40% of the tread width, so in this case 94mm. Useful for calculating wheel and tyre (rolling) diameter.
ZR - the Z I think means safe over 141 mph (need to check), the R means radial construction
91 is the load index, which for 91 is 615kg at max pressure. You can find a table online. The bigger the number, the bigger the max load
Y is the speed rating, again you can find a table online. Y is the second biggest rating, and means safe up to186 mph. 91 Z would be safe over 186 mph
The bigger the load index for a specific aspect ratio, the stiffer the tyre wall and the harder the ride without altering your damper settings
Edited by QBee on Tuesday 24th June 11:54
Edited by QBee on Tuesday 24th June 11:56
Keep in mind guys, it's not always the dampers alone. The dampers work in harmony with the springs. If the springs are too stiff, that will cause a harsh ride too. It's also possible to adjust the dampers out of range of the springs, or have springs out of the operating range of the dampers.
If your springs are under-damped (often the case if you just adjust the clickers to full soft) the car will ride poorly because it feels like a pogo stick and the wheel is bouncing uncontrolled. If the damper is too stiff for the spring, the wheel will be traveling through treacle and won't be able to respond to the road surface. Like anything, it's all about balance and the suspension works as a system, springs and dampers especially.
If your springs are under-damped (often the case if you just adjust the clickers to full soft) the car will ride poorly because it feels like a pogo stick and the wheel is bouncing uncontrolled. If the damper is too stiff for the spring, the wheel will be traveling through treacle and won't be able to respond to the road surface. Like anything, it's all about balance and the suspension works as a system, springs and dampers especially.
QBee said:
Out of my knowledge bank. I assumed all bushes were similar 
nopeyou can feel different deflections in different bushes, and some rubbers are definitely softer than others, and are sold as such. so a cheap set of metalistic things may well be different from a different set from a different supplier.
I've a few different polybushes and rubber bushes in the shed, some you can manipulate easily, some are damn stiff definatley has an impact on harshness as a soft bush will damp some vibration....i guess its all a matter of your car and your setup
A bonded bush will influence the spring rate either side of its mid/rest position .. so inboard youre better off with a freely rotating bush of some sort with minimal springing influence
anything involved with the true vertical motion ie outboard bushes and damper end eye bushes would benefit from being soft rubber
in reality the tvr rubber bush has so little rubber in it (a few mm thick only) that it's as good as solid in suspension terms. many of the poly bushes eg superflex purple are actually softer than the std tvr bush
anything involved with the true vertical motion ie outboard bushes and damper end eye bushes would benefit from being soft rubber
in reality the tvr rubber bush has so little rubber in it (a few mm thick only) that it's as good as solid in suspension terms. many of the poly bushes eg superflex purple are actually softer than the std tvr bush
phazed said:
spitfire4v8 said:
chris watton said:
Imagine if I, as well as having the Nitrons fitted, had every bush changed to poly's, too! 
i give in 
,.......got a slap for my troubles.
chris watton said:
tried to have a play with the Nitrons tonight - can get to the rears to change the settings, but will need to remove the front wheels, as the 18"ers take up the whole wheel arch space - unless I jacked the front up....just thought of that..
You have to jack it up anyway so no need to remove wheels, just be safe while under there.SteveSPG said:
you can install nitrons either way up....if the adjustors are at the top you can't get to them without a jack, if they're at the bottom, they're all accessible with the car on its wheels on the ground....just
IIRC I can get to my top front adjustors by putting the steering on full lock.Gassing Station | Tamora, T350 & Sagaris | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff