Discussion
I've got Gaz Monotubes on mine. Didn't get much use out of them before the engine went and I'm not sure the spring choice is quite right, but the dampers are superb. I'm told the valving means you can run a stiffer spring than you normally would without adversely affecting the handling and it certainly seems to make sense. Mine feels a lot more composed and more nimble than it did on the (relatively fresh) standard suspension and rides as well as it did before. I've not tried Nitrons, but I can believe Gaz's claims that they're a worthy competitor.
I went with the Gaz Gold Pros.
They have been on a year now and I've done about 5,000 miles on them.
The spring rates were uprated by 25% from the originals and I now have them set to 15 clicks all round.
The dampers are performing very well so far with no squeaks or rattles.
The springs do take a couple of thousand miles to settle and because they are 25% firmer you do lose a bit of the comfort associated with the originals.
Its not like the car is uncomfortable, just a firmer and more sporty ride with very little roll.
Once the 25% springs have bedded in I would say they are good compromise.
Overall for a budget damper I am very pleased with the GGP's, GAZ definitely seem to have sorted the well publicised problems of past.
The handling improvement was significant and they haven't given me any trouble at all.
However if your original dampers are not leaking & are in good shape you have the option of big handling improvements on the cheap.
Just do the following:
1) Fit a set of 25% uprated springs to your original Bilsteins
2) Replace the mounting bushes in your original Bilsteins
3) Fit a set of rose jointed ARB drop links all round
All this will cost no more than £300.00 and should give you the same handling improvements as fitting a new set of coil overs from Protech, Gaz or Racing Red.
The key is to make sure your Bilsteins are in good shape first.
If your Bilsteins are a bit tired there really isn't much of a saving in having them refreshed.
In this case I would just buy the GGP's and keep the Bilsteins as spares to be reconditioned at a future date.
My Bilsteins had done less than 30,000 miles and seemed perfectly serviceable to me.
I figure if I had just wrapped them in new firmer springs, pressed in some new bushes and fitted the Leven drop links (which I now have) I could have got more or less the same handling improvements & saved myself £400.00.
That's £400.00 to spend on fuel & a full suspension geometry check & adjust by someone who really knows how to set these cars up properly
They have been on a year now and I've done about 5,000 miles on them.
The spring rates were uprated by 25% from the originals and I now have them set to 15 clicks all round.
The dampers are performing very well so far with no squeaks or rattles.
The springs do take a couple of thousand miles to settle and because they are 25% firmer you do lose a bit of the comfort associated with the originals.
Its not like the car is uncomfortable, just a firmer and more sporty ride with very little roll.
Once the 25% springs have bedded in I would say they are good compromise.
Overall for a budget damper I am very pleased with the GGP's, GAZ definitely seem to have sorted the well publicised problems of past.
The handling improvement was significant and they haven't given me any trouble at all.
However if your original dampers are not leaking & are in good shape you have the option of big handling improvements on the cheap.
Just do the following:
1) Fit a set of 25% uprated springs to your original Bilsteins
2) Replace the mounting bushes in your original Bilsteins
3) Fit a set of rose jointed ARB drop links all round
All this will cost no more than £300.00 and should give you the same handling improvements as fitting a new set of coil overs from Protech, Gaz or Racing Red.
The key is to make sure your Bilsteins are in good shape first.
If your Bilsteins are a bit tired there really isn't much of a saving in having them refreshed.
In this case I would just buy the GGP's and keep the Bilsteins as spares to be reconditioned at a future date.
My Bilsteins had done less than 30,000 miles and seemed perfectly serviceable to me.
I figure if I had just wrapped them in new firmer springs, pressed in some new bushes and fitted the Leven drop links (which I now have) I could have got more or less the same handling improvements & saved myself £400.00.
That's £400.00 to spend on fuel & a full suspension geometry check & adjust by someone who really knows how to set these cars up properly
Another vote for Gaz Gold Pro's here. Had them fitted as part of the annual service and "review" at TVR Power in March and haven't looked back since. I think they took me a while to get used to as I asked Dom to set the car up in fast road spec which is obviously stiffer than the original Bilsteins that came off of the car having done 60,000 miles. Now the better weather is here and I am out in the car more often I am used to the handling and am a lot more confident in how the car feels throughout a corner. The run out last Saturday to the Hilton & Moss meet was excellent with lots of flowing roads and "higher" speed corners despatched with ease.
Just need to get myself on a track day and have a play with the "clicks" to see how the car reacts on a smooth surface with the suspension stiffened up some more
Just need to get myself on a track day and have a play with the "clicks" to see how the car reacts on a smooth surface with the suspension stiffened up some more
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff