43k - do my dampers need changing?
Discussion
OK, sounds like a daft question really, but how can you really tell when you need new dampers?
My car (95 Chim 4.0HC) goes great on a decent flat road in a straight line, but on the twisty bits and over the pot-holed roads commonplace in the sticks it's apt to sometimes bounce all over the place depending on speed.
Can't believe it's as easy as the old push down and it should come up and then down again (any more and it's knacked). I'm not so experienced a TVR owner/mechanic/suspension expert as to be able to recognise a properly set-up car from one probably 10% less IYKWIM.
Does that sound daft? Hope not - sometimes it just seems the car takes a while to resettle after encountering a bump - doesn't help the handling through the twisties.
43,000 miles on the car. Don't know if they are the originals but with no receipts in the service history for any, and my experiences with these ones, I suspect they might be the originals. Is 43k about right lifetime wise? And what's the replacement everyone goes for - Ohlins?
Just had a 12k service and no mention was made of them not being OK ...
An help appreciated.
My car (95 Chim 4.0HC) goes great on a decent flat road in a straight line, but on the twisty bits and over the pot-holed roads commonplace in the sticks it's apt to sometimes bounce all over the place depending on speed.
Can't believe it's as easy as the old push down and it should come up and then down again (any more and it's knacked). I'm not so experienced a TVR owner/mechanic/suspension expert as to be able to recognise a properly set-up car from one probably 10% less IYKWIM.
Does that sound daft? Hope not - sometimes it just seems the car takes a while to resettle after encountering a bump - doesn't help the handling through the twisties.
43,000 miles on the car. Don't know if they are the originals but with no receipts in the service history for any, and my experiences with these ones, I suspect they might be the originals. Is 43k about right lifetime wise? And what's the replacement everyone goes for - Ohlins?
Just had a 12k service and no mention was made of them not being OK ...
An help appreciated.
dampers aren't components that bed-in like engines or gearboxes etc, they're as good as they're even going to get on day one and deteriorate from that point onwards. If you've got dampers at 40k plus then first thing to say is well done, most TVR std fit dampers are shot by half that distance. if they are that mileage then you can say with some certainty they are compromising the handling of your car (you might say that they compromise the handling even when new, but I wouldn't say that!!). Just going for a cheap aftermarket set will bring benefits, a proven damper and spring kit will be even better. budget 550 - 1600 pounds depending where you go and what you buy.
HIya,
I *just* replaced my dampers with GAZ ones, as both nearside ones were leaking. Too many country lane potholes. It had got to the point where going over all the zillions of speedramps in SW london was more like crashing into them.
Anyway, I can't believe the transformation. If you can spare the cash I've *always* found on any car that changing the dampers makes a huge difference.
Also... I don't think it should rise up, and then drop!! Sounds well gone. Even my 1.1l Punto doesn't do that on its new (standard) shocks.
Our dampers are supposed to be over-damped, and yours are clearly under-damped. Critical damping is where the system returns to the "at rest" position in the fastest time. Not sure what the ideal for sports suspension is...
I have a (short) thread on teh Chimeara section about my new hobby of tinkering with the damping rates on mine. I tried both extremes to see what the effects were. It sticks like glue now, and feels much more planted over rough surfaces, but there is still this one stretch of road that the car wallows a bit on... but that's at 60mph over some seriously wavy tarmac.
It's a very addictive game, tinkering with the settings. I was starting to think that although I'd found a good sports setting, it was a little jostly, and more wallowy in some situations than the Punto. Then I drove the Punto again... ahem. Even sports suspension can be comforatable and very stiff at the same time, and if set up right can be more comfortable than a familly car.
Do it.
I *just* replaced my dampers with GAZ ones, as both nearside ones were leaking. Too many country lane potholes. It had got to the point where going over all the zillions of speedramps in SW london was more like crashing into them.
Anyway, I can't believe the transformation. If you can spare the cash I've *always* found on any car that changing the dampers makes a huge difference.
Also... I don't think it should rise up, and then drop!! Sounds well gone. Even my 1.1l Punto doesn't do that on its new (standard) shocks.
Our dampers are supposed to be over-damped, and yours are clearly under-damped. Critical damping is where the system returns to the "at rest" position in the fastest time. Not sure what the ideal for sports suspension is...
I have a (short) thread on teh Chimeara section about my new hobby of tinkering with the damping rates on mine. I tried both extremes to see what the effects were. It sticks like glue now, and feels much more planted over rough surfaces, but there is still this one stretch of road that the car wallows a bit on... but that's at 60mph over some seriously wavy tarmac.
It's a very addictive game, tinkering with the settings. I was starting to think that although I'd found a good sports setting, it was a little jostly, and more wallowy in some situations than the Punto. Then I drove the Punto again... ahem. Even sports suspension can be comforatable and very stiff at the same time, and if set up right can be more comfortable than a familly car.
Do it.
Shocks should be replaced on most cars at about 40K - they reckon - reduced efficiency causing increased braking distance. Gas systems (eg Citroen) should be refilled/charged every 2 years. I think it was Dunlop in conjunction with Monroe ? (could well be wrong) who did some experiments/demos to demostrate the effects of tired shocks/tread depths 
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