As with the whole ethos of the Vauxhall Monaro, the suspension is nothing too complicated. There are MacPherson struts with coil springs and anti-roll bars at the front and a multi-link, coil spring and anti-roll bar arrangement at the rear. Rack and pinion steering has 3.0 turns between the lock stops and there are vented brake discs all round. At the front, the discs are 330mm in diameter, while the rears are 315mm.
19-inch alloy wheels were standard on all Monaro models, with Pirelli tyres fitted from the factory. The vast majority of owners stick with Pirellis or other top end brands as the Monaro is sensitive to tyre choice. This is partly down to the stiffness of the tyre's sidewall, which has a bearing on how wayward the car can feel in corners.
Brake upgrades popular for harder driving
Worn suspension will make any Monaro feel like a handful, so budget for replacement suspension and steering bushes. A standard set of bushes are cheap to buy and will return the car to its original feel, but as the Monaro always felt a little soft, a lot of owners choose to upgrade with polyurethane bush kits that start from around £170. These kits will sharpen steering feel, reduce tyre wear and last longer than the basic original bushes. A four-wheel alignment after fitting new bushes will also help make the Monaro more precise and enjoyable to drive.
If you want to go further, a Pedders suspension kit that includes new springs and dampers for all four corners will set you back more than £900 fitted by Monkfish Performance or you can buy and fit it yourself for £615. The kit lowers the ride height and firms up the suspension.
The other area many owners will upgrade are the brakes. In their original state, the brakes are adequate but they can fade with hard use on track as the Monaro tips the scales at 1,650kg. The most popular choice of uprated brakes are discs from AP Racing with softer fast road pads to give an improved pedal feel. A full set of AP discs, calipers, pads and fluid will cost around £2,000 but does come with larger discs all round.
PHer's view:
"When buying one of these beasts, there are some mods that are almost a must and, if you plan on driving the car hard. an uprated braking system such as AP racing brakes is essential. The standard brakes are good at normal road speeds in normal road conditions but not up to much during spirited driving."
Nikolaj
Buying guide contents:
Introduction
Powertrain
Rolling chassis
Body
Interior