VXR8 coilover suspension kit
Discussion
I've been bitten before when altering cars like this. The characteristics change and the "everyday drive" becomes a chore. You then begin to dislike the car.... Fine for track/blast but not for a nice drive/cruise....
I would like the lowering kit, 20" wheels and SC for my VXR8 however I am keen to test these kits on dealer/tuner cars so I can assess the overall package.
Anyway got any feedback on the lowering kits and 20" wheels....
I would like the lowering kit, 20" wheels and SC for my VXR8 however I am keen to test these kits on dealer/tuner cars so I can assess the overall package.
Anyway got any feedback on the lowering kits and 20" wheels....
maverick964_uk said:
I've been bitten before when altering cars like this. The characteristics change and the "everyday drive" becomes a chore. You then begin to dislike the car.... Fine for track/blast but not for a nice drive/cruise....
I would like the lowering kit, 20" wheels and SC for my VXR8 however I am keen to test these kits on dealer/tuner cars so I can assess the overall package.
Anyway got any feedback on the lowering kits and 20" wheels....
I would like the lowering kit, 20" wheels and SC for my VXR8 however I am keen to test these kits on dealer/tuner cars so I can assess the overall package.
Anyway got any feedback on the lowering kits and 20" wheels....
Thanks for the advice. I have the same idea for my car too. Think I may go for the lowering kit to start with as coilovers are kin expensive. If I can arrange a test before hand I will let you know what difference it makes.
I find the lowering springs make for a quite unnerving drive, on undulating roads the car develops a nasty bounce, I've had the s/c fitted and it's all to easy to gain enough speed to where you realise the suspension is easily the weak link, well, after the driver anyway 
I'll be fitting the WPP coilovers just as soon as they arrive, with 12 settings of adjustment I'm pretty sure I can find a compromise between comfort and performance.
I'll be fitting the WPP coilovers just as soon as they arrive, with 12 settings of adjustment I'm pretty sure I can find a compromise between comfort and performance.
Mystvxr said:
I find the lowering springs make for a quite unnerving drive, on undulating roads the car develops a nasty bounce, I've had the s/c fitted and it's all to easy to gain enough speed to where you realise the suspension is easily the weak link, well, after the driver anyway
I'll be fitting the WPP coilovers just as soon as they arrive, with 12 settings of adjustment I'm pretty sure I can find a compromise between comfort and performance.
I'll be fitting the WPP coilovers just as soon as they arrive, with 12 settings of adjustment I'm pretty sure I can find a compromise between comfort and performance.
would be good to get feedback on this. I should be testing an R8 soon with SC, lowering springs and 20" wheels as well in the next week or two. I will let you know how that goes.....
Also the lower profile tyres can cause a bounce type effect I think as well.
Wanna get the right package. Maybe the adjustable coilovers are the answer???. Food for thought.....
From the monkfish website only the ride height is adjustable - this will not help with sorting problems over the bumps.
Lowered springs can actually make the problem worse if you don't know what you are doing. you can either run springs that are too firm (making the car even more twitchy on imperfect roads) or if you lower too much and don't have strong enough springs you can even hit the bump stops. this is very very bad and at best you may have some suspension damage and at worst you're running a car with no rear suspension and you'll most likely loose all rear traction.
you need to have adjustable damping (in addition to the above) to properly sort out the ride over rough surfaces and it's a nightmare to get right. If you're not careful you can end up chasing the settings by tweaking too much. It really is a time consuming (and quite dull) process of trialing, tweaking and repeating.
It also depends on what is happening when - for example if you're losing traction on fast corner entny or if it's more during the md phase when the car has settled into the turn.
My guess is that if the car is a bit jittery on rough surfaces it suggests that the dampers are set too aggressive so not allowing the suspension to move quick enough to keep in contact with the road. Given that I find the road springs of the VXR8 quite soft this kinda fits - a good way to preserve comfort is to fit soft springs and damp the hell out of them.
Lowered springs can actually make the problem worse if you don't know what you are doing. you can either run springs that are too firm (making the car even more twitchy on imperfect roads) or if you lower too much and don't have strong enough springs you can even hit the bump stops. this is very very bad and at best you may have some suspension damage and at worst you're running a car with no rear suspension and you'll most likely loose all rear traction.
you need to have adjustable damping (in addition to the above) to properly sort out the ride over rough surfaces and it's a nightmare to get right. If you're not careful you can end up chasing the settings by tweaking too much. It really is a time consuming (and quite dull) process of trialing, tweaking and repeating.
It also depends on what is happening when - for example if you're losing traction on fast corner entny or if it's more during the md phase when the car has settled into the turn.
My guess is that if the car is a bit jittery on rough surfaces it suggests that the dampers are set too aggressive so not allowing the suspension to move quick enough to keep in contact with the road. Given that I find the road springs of the VXR8 quite soft this kinda fits - a good way to preserve comfort is to fit soft springs and damp the hell out of them.
Hi I have the 20 inch wheels, lowered and s/charger totally agree with the previous message the rear of the car squats and jumps on bumpy surfaces you lose traction in all the first 4 gears -it feels like too much rebound - I've spoken with Brian (Caspy) at wortec he says they will have full adjustable coil over suspension? in 6 /8 weeks
happy to take advice on this shame about the ride as i'm off to the isle of Mann and the Ring later this year other than this the car is just great
happy to take advice on this shame about the ride as i'm off to the isle of Mann and the Ring later this year other than this the car is just great
Being really pedantic the 20" wheels will probably make the bumping worse as (I suspect) they are a lower profile tyre than standard and also are heavier affecting the unsprung mass (reduce acceleration and braking slightly too).
No doubt you could zero out alot of these problema with suitable adjustments to the suspension but it'll be harder to get a decent ride and handling.
3k is also half a supercharger
No doubt you could zero out alot of these problema with suitable adjustments to the suspension but it'll be harder to get a decent ride and handling.
3k is also half a supercharger
maverick964_uk said:
any good solutions available from the various tuners??
We have been running a fully adjustable coil over package in Australia for a while now on development and I drove it last time there at Christmas. In my view something like this is essential for the owner who wants to lower the car for more than just the look. Playing on the road, stopping and starting after adjustments I found a damper setting front and rear I liked for a demanding road. Car can be run at normal height or lowered. I will be getting a set for my car in UK - mid April. Already having a few people phone up with interest.Phil.
WPUK said:
maverick964_uk said:
any good solutions available from the various tuners??
We have been running a fully adjustable coil over package in Australia for a while now on development and I drove it last time there at Christmas. In my view something like this is essential for the owner who wants to lower the car for more than just the look. Playing on the road, stopping and starting after adjustments I found a damper setting front and rear I liked for a demanding road. Car can be run at normal height or lowered. I will be getting a set for my car in UK - mid April. Already having a few people phone up with interest.
Phil.
Be interesting depending on prices.
Shame the magnetic system can't be retrofitted.
Dragging this old thread up as I've had the WP coilovers fitted and a chance to test them out, the car doesn't sit as low as before (was 40mm and is now 25mm), the coilovers do have adjustable ride height so it would go lower,but then you will sacrifice some travel in the damper and comfort.
There's 16 settings available for bump and rebound with a simple clicker on the top of the strut, the rear ones are accessed at the back of the boot with a small allen key type tool.
The handling is improved immensely over the lowering springs, in fact the standard car is better than having the springs! I say that because of the bounce created at the back of the car when hitting a bump, there's a hill near me with 3 S bends and is an awesome test of handling and grip, there's a nasty bump mid bend on a tight left hander and the car would bounce the back end what felt like half a meter accross the road! With the coilovers all I can say is it now sticks like glue around these bends and the bump is no longer an issue, the back end settles back down way faster as the damper now has a chance to do it's job properly.
I'm running the recommended settings from Walkinshaw and I'm very impressed, it's transformed the car and just inspires so much confidence to throw it in and out of the twisties, driving at speed is improved no end and the car rides over the bumps and undulations effortlessly, can't wait to get it to a track and set the dampers to a harder setting and see what it's really capable of!
There's 16 settings available for bump and rebound with a simple clicker on the top of the strut, the rear ones are accessed at the back of the boot with a small allen key type tool.
The handling is improved immensely over the lowering springs, in fact the standard car is better than having the springs! I say that because of the bounce created at the back of the car when hitting a bump, there's a hill near me with 3 S bends and is an awesome test of handling and grip, there's a nasty bump mid bend on a tight left hander and the car would bounce the back end what felt like half a meter accross the road! With the coilovers all I can say is it now sticks like glue around these bends and the bump is no longer an issue, the back end settles back down way faster as the damper now has a chance to do it's job properly.
I'm running the recommended settings from Walkinshaw and I'm very impressed, it's transformed the car and just inspires so much confidence to throw it in and out of the twisties, driving at speed is improved no end and the car rides over the bumps and undulations effortlessly, can't wait to get it to a track and set the dampers to a harder setting and see what it's really capable of!
Mystvxr said:
Dragging this old thread up as I've had the WP coilovers fitted and a chance to test them out, the car doesn't sit as low as before (was 40mm and is now 25mm), the coilovers do have adjustable ride height so it would go lower,but then you will sacrifice some travel in the damper and comfort.
There's 16 settings available for bump and rebound with a simple clicker on the top of the strut, the rear ones are accessed at the back of the boot with a small allen key type tool.
The handling is improved immensely over the lowering springs, in fact the standard car is better than having the springs! I say that because of the bounce created at the back of the car when hitting a bump, there's a hill near me with 3 S bends and is an awesome test of handling and grip, there's a nasty bump mid bend on a tight left hander and the car would bounce the back end what felt like half a meter accross the road! With the coilovers all I can say is it now sticks like glue around these bends and the bump is no longer an issue, the back end settles back down way faster as the damper now has a chance to do it's job properly.
I'm running the recommended settings from Walkinshaw and I'm very impressed, it's transformed the car and just inspires so much confidence to throw it in and out of the twisties, driving at speed is improved no end and the car rides over the bumps and undulations effortlessly, can't wait to get it to a track and set the dampers to a harder setting and see what it's really capable of!
ChrisThere's 16 settings available for bump and rebound with a simple clicker on the top of the strut, the rear ones are accessed at the back of the boot with a small allen key type tool.
The handling is improved immensely over the lowering springs, in fact the standard car is better than having the springs! I say that because of the bounce created at the back of the car when hitting a bump, there's a hill near me with 3 S bends and is an awesome test of handling and grip, there's a nasty bump mid bend on a tight left hander and the car would bounce the back end what felt like half a meter accross the road! With the coilovers all I can say is it now sticks like glue around these bends and the bump is no longer an issue, the back end settles back down way faster as the damper now has a chance to do it's job properly.
I'm running the recommended settings from Walkinshaw and I'm very impressed, it's transformed the car and just inspires so much confidence to throw it in and out of the twisties, driving at speed is improved no end and the car rides over the bumps and undulations effortlessly, can't wait to get it to a track and set the dampers to a harder setting and see what it's really capable of!
I am running now at 15mm lower instead of 25mm, and with the dampers set at 9 clicks from hard at the front and 10 clicks at the rear (instead of Tim's setting of 11 clicks all round) I find it replicates the standard car almost exactly but runs lower height. Gone is the undamped bouncy nature of just having a lowering kit and it now rides flat and smooth. The lifting of the front ride height has reduced the front bump stop contact frequency and reduces the change in understeer during cornering. I am now searching for a harder tune for road use and I enjoy driving home stopping off and having a few clicks before carrying on with the journey. When you get near the preferred tune I find one click makes a big difference.
Phil.
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