Upgrading the standard coil-overs for road use.
Discussion
Is there a worthwhile, value for money, upgrade to the standard Bilstein/Einbach coilover setup for road use on a Chimaera.
Ideally, I would like an adjustable setup so that both ride height and shocks can be fine tuned over time to get the best compromise between handling and dental preservation and then leave it alone - I don’t want to be servicing no-compromise setups every couple of years. However, if the factory setup can’t be significantly improved without chasing the laws of diminishing returns, I can live with that - I just don’t want to miss the opportunity for a worthwhile upgrade.
I’ve recently acquired the car with 80k on the clock but enough slack in the price to justify lifting the current 3.9 to a 4.6L Warrior upgrade and induction package from V8 Developments and an ACT end-to-end exhaust upgrade. The chassis’s good and replacing bushes is a given, I now just need to get the very tired suspension sorted before I get it re-trimmed.
The car will never see a track day, but it will need to survive urban road surfaces before it reaches open country and once or twice a year it’ll be making trips to the Languedoc in the South of France. In other words I want to get the best out of what I think is potentially a great all round open top sports car - not develop it as a race or trackday car.
Ideally, I would like an adjustable setup so that both ride height and shocks can be fine tuned over time to get the best compromise between handling and dental preservation and then leave it alone - I don’t want to be servicing no-compromise setups every couple of years. However, if the factory setup can’t be significantly improved without chasing the laws of diminishing returns, I can live with that - I just don’t want to miss the opportunity for a worthwhile upgrade.
I’ve recently acquired the car with 80k on the clock but enough slack in the price to justify lifting the current 3.9 to a 4.6L Warrior upgrade and induction package from V8 Developments and an ACT end-to-end exhaust upgrade. The chassis’s good and replacing bushes is a given, I now just need to get the very tired suspension sorted before I get it re-trimmed.
The car will never see a track day, but it will need to survive urban road surfaces before it reaches open country and once or twice a year it’ll be making trips to the Languedoc in the South of France. In other words I want to get the best out of what I think is potentially a great all round open top sports car - not develop it as a race or trackday car.
Thanks guys, a lot of really useful info. I think taking everything into account I heading towards the Billies on the basis they should be right for the way the car will get used and also have a reasonable life. Not sure whether I need new springs. Am I correct in assuming that if they don’t look damaged and the ride height is right they should be good to go? Which brings me to the next point what is the correct ride height? I’m guessing it’s measured at the sills.
Thanks a lot for your input QBee - Having spoken to Matt I’m not only seriously impressed, I’ve moved away from the Billies and on his recommendation, I’m going for the Gaz Mono’s and I’m also going to let him sort out the entire undercarriage and setup. I just wish all these really useful people weren’t way off in East Anglia…
Certainly did mk1fan and based on my stipulation for low/zero maintenance it was very sound advice and definately ‘steering’ me towards the fixed Bilsteins - and sincere apologies for not crediting you also for recommending Matt and Gaz Monos
The more I’ve thought and talked about this, nothing else on a TVR is fit and forget and it’s unrealistic to expect the vital bits that control contact with the road to not need some attention from time to time - it seems a small price to pay for getting everything optimised with the minimum of compromises and maximum grin factor.
The more I’ve thought and talked about this, nothing else on a TVR is fit and forget and it’s unrealistic to expect the vital bits that control contact with the road to not need some attention from time to time - it seems a small price to pay for getting everything optimised with the minimum of compromises and maximum grin factor.
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