Faster Steering Rack? Suspension Upgrades

[samastonlongley]

Hi there,

I have an early 2006 V8 Vantage and I love the car, really have been impressed with it so far however I find the steering needs a lot of input to make the car change direction, on demanding roads I also find the suspension a touch wooly. I know the later S cars and N430 had a faster steering rack fitted, is it possible to fit this to a standard Vantage? If so has anyone done it and noticed a difference or has anyone driven an S after driving the standard car and can offer their opinions?

I also wouldn't mind making the car loose some of that roll I feel it some times has and would like to make it more into a sports car than a GT. I want to try avoid lowering it if possible as I don't want to cause issues in underground car parks and with speed bumps. The car is running everything standard bar some N430 wheels which are marginally lower profile tyres than the standard alloy. Again I belive he N430 has stiffer anti rolls bars, are these much different from the standard car? Would it be a worth while upgrade or could I do somthing like upgrade to poly bushes to achieve a similar effect? Like I say I essentially want to make it feel more like a sports car than a GT.

[telum01]

The Sport Pack is a full retrofit package that you can do. Has the Bilstein coilovers, thicker rear sway bar its needed bushings, front control arms with stiffer bushings, and the lightweight wheels. As a package, it's a steal.

I've been told by the factory that the ride height stays the same.

[bogie]

The quicker rack came in from MY2012.25, everything else is in the sport pack...larger brakes too from MY2012.25

£1500 + vat ish for the rack alone

http://davidapplebyengineering.com/page50.html

If you are going to go sportspack, rack, brakes etc then you may as well save up and trade your car in for a MY2012.25 and get them all in one go, as well as better seats, 4.7 engine etc. Thats what I did eventually.

[samastonlongley]

The sports pack sounds like an interesting option, by the sounds of it the faster rack and sports pack could solve my problems.. not interested in trading up as such as the car was a project car that I've only just finished so I would like to have a play around first!

[samastonlongley]

The sports pack also looks rather pricey what does the sports pack actually give you?

[bogie]

samastonlongley said:

The sports pack also looks rather pricey what does the sports pack actually give you?

Firmer ride and more responsive ...some people prefer it, others dont. Suspension setup for road is always a compromise anyway unless you have switchable kit.

I had "standard" suspension for 9 years for mostly road use. Did a couple of trackdays and sure, thought it could do with being firmer, but it was still fun and quick enough for occasional track use. Now have the sports suspension and it really feels quite like a different car overall, but occasionally on a bumpy B road or even poorly surfaced main roads, I think the standard suspension rides better at normal (legal) road speeds.

...all depends on what you are going to do with it, how you drive, what you are comparing to etc

[KnowsAnAston]

Be aware, if you change the ratio of the steering rack, the DSC/ESP is affected as it uses the steering angle sensor from the upper column.

[gibbon]

Have you thought about have a custom geometry setup? You can make the car feel quite a lot more 'pointy' with a well set up geo. Far cheaper than messing around with newer model racks.

[HBradley]

gibbon said:

Have you thought about have a custom geometry setup? You can make the car feel quite a lot more 'pointy' with a well set up geo. Far cheaper than messing around with newer model racks.

+1 on that!
BR does something called, 'Fast Road Geo'. They are guarded about the exact numbers, but mine rotates into corners with more confidence & is 'sharper' for it. There's also no 'Tramlining' on less than perfect road surfaces (read all B-roads in the UK)!!
Well worth a word with Mike.

[samastonlongley]

Do we know what the BR Fast Road Geo is? Is it just their own unique suspension settings or is it somthing they add to the car to make it handle better i.e additional after market parts?

Also does anyone know where sells the poly bushes for the rear anti roll bars for both standard and sports pack cars?

Thanks
Sam