Fast Road Geo Settings for V8V-S

[Ian_UK1]

J12KJR said:

I think in your position I would be having a discussion with Aston Martin direct, a quick google search of vantage SP10 brings up the press release from AM (link below) which clearly states that the SP10 is a V8S with tweaks.

https://www.astonmartin.com/en/media-centre/press-...

As this does not seem to be the case for your car I would be asking how they intend to correct the issue. The only possible unknown here would be if there was an option to spec the car with comfort suspension but then you would expect the car to be sold on as such.
Where did you buy from? AM dealership, independant or private?

Thanks for the reply. I bought the car from the Aston Martin dealer (Stratstone) in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Suspension was never discussed at all as the car was just sold as a Vantage 'S' Special Edition.

According to Mike at BR, the spring/damper units on my SP10 do have a part number unique to the SP10, but are consistent, in both spring rates and damper performance, with the standard, comfort suspension fitted to the Vantage. The 'S' spring/damper units have higher spring rates and much firmer damping, as do the sports-pack spring/dampers.

Reading through the sales brochure for the SP10 (one the dealership found for me) 'Sports Suspension' is listed as an option on the SP10 (but for the Coupe only). The inference, given that the rest of the car is being touted as a Vantage S, is that this would be one stage further on from normal 'S' suspension. My car, unfortunately, would suggest otherwise - it looks like normal 'S' suspension had to be specified as an option on this supposed Vantage S special edition. Crazy (and really misleading).

So unfortunately, it looks like I'm stuck with a large bill to get my car to handle properly. Not a good start to Aston ownership and a great way for Aston to create animosity towards their brand for a new owner.

[J12KJR]

Ian

I for one would still have a long hard chat with AM @ Gaydon, I found out to my expense that discussing things with a dealer is very far removed from talking directly to the factory.
A few conversations with the factory will not cost you anything more than your time but may well end up with some form of assistance from them. Nothing to be lost but much to be gained.
Something which is touted as a V8S plus something which the SP10 clearly is should not in reality be a V8S minus.

[Ian_UK1]

J12KJR said:

Ian

I for one would still have a long hard chat with AM @ Gaydon, I found out to my expense that discussing things with a dealer is very far removed from talking directly to the factory.
A few conversations with the factory will not cost you anything more than your time but may well end up with some form of assistance from them. Nothing to be lost but much to be gained.
Something which is touted as a V8S plus something which the SP10 clearly is should not in reality be a V8S minus.

Agreed. Will make the call this afternoon.

[hashluck]

Continuing to play devil's advocate here the SP10 was never touted as a 'Vantage S plus something'.

It was almost the opposite being a cost effective version of the Vantage S with certain otherwise extras fitted as standard and custom paint and wheels in a 'bespoke configuration at a competitive price point'

Also it was stated that the SP10 was 'almost identical to the Vantage S' and Sports Suspension was always noted as an option. So when buying an SP10 Coupe new or used unless stated and specified otherwise one should always assume Comfort Suspension is fitted. The only way to be sure of this would be to have the original bill of sale or build sheets (or an inspection by someone who knows what they are doing) or of course to drive it. Note it is possible, though less likely, there are standard Vantage S Coupes for sale out there having had Comfort suspension specified when new and of course this will not appear on used ads either.

It is ironic given that Aston Martin tout the racing heritage in the SP10 PR but chose to fit the comfort suspension parts but something had to give at the SP10 price point.

Edited by hashluck on Wednesday 31st August 15:43

[J12KJR]

Playing along as the devils other advocate I thought that the S had the sports suspension as standard and the "comfort" spec suspension was the option available and that option only being available on the coupe

[hashluck]

J12KJR said:

Playing along as the devils other advocate I thought that the S had the sports suspension as standard and the "comfort" spec suspension was the option available and that option only being available on the coupe

Correct

[J12KJR]

hashluck said:

J12KJR said:

Playing along as the devils other advocate I thought that the S had the sports suspension as standard and the "comfort" spec suspension was the option available and that option only being available on the coupe

Correct

That being the case then surely the supplying dealer should have made that clear at the time of sale.

[Bincenzo]

J12KJR said:

hashluck said:

J12KJR said:

Playing along as the devils other advocate I thought that the S had the sports suspension as standard and the "comfort" spec suspension was the option available and that option only being available on the coupe

Correct

That being the case then surely the supplying dealer should have made that clear at the time of sale.

I'd be inclined to agree, so an initial call to the relevant dealership first, as Gaydon can't be held responsible for the dealer not advertising the car correctly, surely? It's all in the detail, sadly and I suspect there's little to be done here. Certainly an issue though, as I'd be livid if I felt misled. Good luck Ian.

[J12KJR]

You would certainly hope that the supplying dealer would offer some form of assistance if they haven't identified the car as having comfort spec suspension at the time of sale. If not I hope for Ian's sake that the factory would bring some pressure to bear on them, it's not like AM can really afford to loose new to the marque customers if it is to succeed in the current market place.

[HBradley]

Ian,
I suspect that none of this will make a scrap of difference, it's very unlikely you'll extract cash from either the dealer or AML for mis-selling. Instead, you have a fantastic car which, after Mike, Adrian & BR have worked their magic, is the best it could be without throwing even more money at it
At the same time, I also suspect you're a perfectionist, in which case you'll need it to meet all of your expectations so you'll need to fit adjustable dampers etc. That said, chasing the final 5% is a challenge that won't be rewarded on the road.

Edited by HBradley on Wednesday 31st August 22:03

Edited by HBradley on Thursday 1st September 16:28

[hashluck]

Bincenzo said:

J12KJR said:

hashluck said:

J12KJR said:

Playing along as the devils other advocate I thought that the S had the sports suspension as standard and the "comfort" spec suspension was the option available and that option only being available on the coupe

Correct

That being the case then surely the supplying dealer should have made that clear at the time of sale.

I'd be inclined to agree, so an initial call to the relevant dealership first, as Gaydon can't be held responsible for the dealer not advertising the car correctly, surely? It's all in the detail, sadly and I suspect there's little to be done here. Certainly an issue though, as I'd be livid if I felt misled. Good luck Ian.

My point is that a standard Vantage S is different from a standard SP10 and AM were pretty clear on what constituted standard on both cars. Only if the dealer had stated the car had Sports Suspension would they be culpable here.

If buying a used Vantage S Coupe then expect it to have Sports Suspension.

If buying a used SP10 Coupe then expect it to have Comfort Suspension.

But in both cases double check if it is important to you. A lot of people probably would not notice or care and a full geo check will make a properly set up comfort suspension better on the road than a poorly set up sports suspension I am sure.

[Ian_UK1]

Firstly, many thanks to everyone for the replies regarding the lack of sports spring/damper units on the SP10.

My feeling is that, whilst it isn't exactly made clear in the SP10 literature, nowhere is it stated that the car has the same suspension as the 'S'. As sports suspension is also listed as an option on the SP10 coupe (albeit, only in the 'small print') I think I'd be on a hiding to nothing trying to get some sort of goodwill or redress from either the dealer or Aston Martin - my time would be probably better spent trying to earn a few £s!

With that in mind, I decided to look for a workable alternative that would cost me a whole lot less than buying 'S' suspension off Aston. Co-incidentally, I was down at Bamford Rose again today (to get an X-pipe and quieter back box fitted - BR's upgrades make the car VERY loud indeed) and I asked Adrian if there was any way my existing dampers could be modified. Turns-out BR has a proper damper rig (to measure how the dampers operate) and all the kit to re-machine/re-valve the Bilsteins. In essence, they can turn them into 'S' units at a fraction of the price of buying new! Adrian also thought they may have some used/worn sport-pack spring/dampers that could possibly be refurbed for my car using the same method. Result!

The BR guys are getting back to me over the next few days, once they've worked out the best option. So it looks like my car will soon be handling properly after all!

[V8V Pete]

Hi Ian. Following your saga I couldn't help checking with my dealer to see which suspension my SP10 has. They confirmed that it does have sports suspension which isn't that surprising as my car started life as Darren Turner's car. So if you want a direct comparison before you go down the modification route then let me know and I'm sure we can meet in the Peak District somewhere for an informal road test. Maybe make it a Midlands/North Aston meet? Some great roads to explore.

BTW how are you finding the exhaust with the x-pipe and different back box? Which back box did they go for, a 4.3 one?

[Ian_UK1]

V8V Pete said:

Hi Ian. Following your saga I couldn't help checking with my dealer to see which suspension my SP10 has. They confirmed that it does have sports suspension which isn't that surprising as my car started life as Darren Turner's car. So if you want a direct comparison before you go down the modification route then let me know and I'm sure we can meet in the Peak District somewhere for an informal road test. Maybe make it a Midlands/North Aston meet? Some great roads to explore.

BTW how are you finding the exhaust with the x-pipe and different back box? Which back box did they go for, a 4.3 one?

Midlands/North Aston meet sounds like a great idea! Please put me down as a definite 'yes'.

Thanks for the offer to compare our cars' suspension setups too - that would be really informative. I rather think the difference will be very obvious after 30 seconds in the passenger seat of your car!

The X-pipe makes a very big difference to the sound of the V8. It completely changes the type of sound the car produces, right across the rev range. The sound produced with the X-pipe installed is a higher-pitched (but no unduly so) mellifluous, yowl with no V8-burble to it at all. I'm not sure which I like best to be honest, the gruff, burbly, Aston original, or the x-pipe howl. Either sounds amazing! Other things about the X-pipe that are good: 1) it's very refined indeed in quiet mode - excellent for motorways etc. 2) it seems to add just a little more low-end torque.

Going from the original SP10 rear box to the standard 4.7 unit is more of a mixed bag and, as time progresses, I'm not sure the x-pipe and standard 4.7 box go together particularly well (in loud mode - all comments below apply to valves-open operation). I commented to Adrian at BR that I thought the results with the X-pipe/standard 4.7 box actually sounded louder than with the X-pipe/SP10 rear box. Adrian assured me it couldn't be, as the standard 4.7 box has some silencing in loud mode, whereas the SP10 box is essentially straight-through. Whilst I'm sure he's technically correct, to me it still seemed louder!

Having used the car for several days since the X-pipe/standard 4.7 box installation, it still doesn't seem quieter than X-pipe/SP10 box. However, I've also noticed there's a fairly pronounced resonance at about 2800 rpm (with a harmonic at 5600rpm or thereabouts) where the sound gets a lot louder - maybe this is what I'm hearing. I'm now beginning to think the standard 4.7 back box probably silences low-frequency sound (that the car produces with the standard centre pipe) to some degree, but at certain rpms, has little (or no) effect on the higher-pitched sound produced by the X-pipe installation. If this is correct, I'd certainly like to try the combination of the standard centre pipe and standard 4.7 back box at some point - it just might be the best combination of all with BR's manifolds and 200 cell cats.