shocks&springs for V8S
Discussion
I am not happy with the handling of my V8S or just thinking it could be better. I adjusted the (standard?) Konis already 3 times in one year, but cannot find it. It is either to soft or to hard/bumby/jumpy etc. Anyway, a lousy job with this type of internal adjustables.
Probably my springs are a little old, allthough the height of the car is OK. I would prefer it a bit lower.
I´d like to have less roll in the car too.
- What´s the difference in suspension parts between the V8S and his smaller brothers?
- PeterH´s Nitron are to expensive for max. 2 trackdays/year in Holland. What´s a cheaper and good alternative for a V8S?
- My anti-roll bar is 22mm. Is it possible/wise to fit a thicker one in front and an additional in the back?
- Is the 6-cyl. S anti-rollbar really thicker and if so, who used it in a V8S?
Lots of discussions already on PH about the shocks/springs, but I am not sure if shocks/springs for V8S and the other S (sorry guys) are the same.
Looking out for all your replies and experiences!
Best TVR wishes and weathers from Holland,
André Feith
Probably my springs are a little old, allthough the height of the car is OK. I would prefer it a bit lower.
I´d like to have less roll in the car too.
- What´s the difference in suspension parts between the V8S and his smaller brothers?
- PeterH´s Nitron are to expensive for max. 2 trackdays/year in Holland. What´s a cheaper and good alternative for a V8S?
- My anti-roll bar is 22mm. Is it possible/wise to fit a thicker one in front and an additional in the back?
- Is the 6-cyl. S anti-rollbar really thicker and if so, who used it in a V8S?
Lots of discussions already on PH about the shocks/springs, but I am not sure if shocks/springs for V8S and the other S (sorry guys) are the same.
Looking out for all your replies and experiences!
Best TVR wishes and weathers from Holland,
André Feith
feithv8s said:
I- PeterH´s Nitron are to expensive for max. 2 trackdays/year in Holland. What´s a cheaper and good alternative for a V8S?
HarryW has had some new shocks fitted to his V8S. Not sure but have a feeling they MAY be Avo's. Either way,
Harry - I am certain he will be able to help as he has recently done a load of research in this area shnozz said:
I- PeterH´s Nitron are to expensive for max. 2 trackdays/year in Holland. What´s a cheaper and good alternative for a V8S?
HarryW has had some new shocks fitted to his V8S. Not sure but have a feeling they MAY be Avo's. Either way,
Harry has Nitrons...
Pies has AVOs...
Podie said:
feithv8s said:
I- PeterH´s Nitron are to expensive for max. 2 trackdays/year in Holland. What´s a cheaper and good alternative for a V8S?
HarryW has had some new shocks fitted to his V8S. Not sure but have a feeling they MAY be Avo's. Either way,
Harry has Nitrons...
Pies has AVOs...
he lives down the road from me, I have know him 3 years, been out of numerous blasts since he had the work done, and Podie corrects me on the work he has had done oops
shnozz said:
shnozz said:
feithv8s said:
I- PeterH´s Nitron are to expensive for max. 2 trackdays/year in Holland. What´s a cheaper and good alternative for a V8S?
HarryW has had some new shocks fitted to his V8S. Not sure but have a feeling they MAY be Avo's. Either way,
Harry has Nitrons...
Pies has AVOs...
oops
This is where we find out I'm wrong...
We'll assume you know more about Chimaera's than S's these days...
nothing goes wrong on those 
Andre - I have Spax adjustables dampers on my V8S, rebound damping adjustable on the front and both ride height & rebound damping adjustable on the back. Im perfectly happy with them too - Ive just fitted the back dampers and new OE springs last weekend and the handling has improved immensely.
If your old dampers are knackered then nothing you do will work properly. You can end up with dampers that don't produce much damping because they have air locks, but feel harsh because they still work intermittantly when good fluid hits the valves. In this situation any new damper you try is going to be a dramatic improvement. As far as choosing the dampers, I would say buy the best you can afford because they really do make a big difference to the handling and feel of the car, and if at all possible avoid 'cheap' dampers. I've worked my way up through price range from Spax, AVO, Gaz and Nitron and I have found a world of difference and vowed never to let the cheaper ones near the car ever again. If you do a search here on Pistonheads you'll find various comments explaining how I got on with each of them. If you're going to be at Zolder I'll take you out for a spin (not literally I hope!) and show you how well the current setup works.
All the V6 cars I've checked have a 1" anti-roll bar and all the V8 cars have the thinner 7/8" bar, but I don't know if this applies to all cars. If you are after a stiffer setup you can increase the road springs a long way before the ride quality and traction suffers too badly, and if you're stiffening things up they benefit from more roll stiffness at both ends, but so far I haven't found anyone offering a standard bolt-on ARB upgrade. One thing you can do is replace the rubber jointed drop links with rod end bearings, this eliminates the flex and effectively stiffens up the anti-roll bar by about 50%. This does affect the handling though so if you're planning significant changes away from the standard setup you need to consider the car setup as a whole rather than just changing components.
All the V6 cars I've checked have a 1" anti-roll bar and all the V8 cars have the thinner 7/8" bar, but I don't know if this applies to all cars. If you are after a stiffer setup you can increase the road springs a long way before the ride quality and traction suffers too badly, and if you're stiffening things up they benefit from more roll stiffness at both ends, but so far I haven't found anyone offering a standard bolt-on ARB upgrade. One thing you can do is replace the rubber jointed drop links with rod end bearings, this eliminates the flex and effectively stiffens up the anti-roll bar by about 50%. This does affect the handling though so if you're planning significant changes away from the standard setup you need to consider the car setup as a whole rather than just changing components.
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