Discussion
spitfire4v8 said:
And lastly, if you don't trust what they're saying why is your car there? 
Simple explanation - garage deals with Bilstein, doesn't see the application in the catalogue and gets no joy from calling the general Bilstein distributor because neither of them are aware the TVR applications are exclusive to Ben Lang as they were developed during his tenure at TVR, with TVR's money back in 2004/5. As said, look up Blackdown Automotive and get the springs and dampers from there.The thing about the 'Tuscan S' spec upgrade IIRC is the valving and spring rates of the post-August 2005 spec Tuscan S rear damper are being transferred to a Chim/Griff damper, not that an actual T-car damper is being fitted to Chims and Griffs...
Thanks for replies, garage is a very well respected one with ex TVR guys running it, I will speak to them on Fri. My concern is why have springs been bought separately ? and are T350 dampers Bilstein ? I dont want to start off on the wrong foot with these guys but do want my car running correctly.
900T-R said:
spitfire4v8 said:
And lastly, if you don't trust what they're saying why is your car there?
Simple explanation - garage deals with Bilstein, doesn't see the application in the catalogue and gets no joy from calling the general Bilstein distributor because neither of them are aware the TVR applications are exclusive to Ben Lang as they were developed during his tenure at TVR, with TVR's money back in 2004/5. As said, look up Blackdown Automotive and get the springs and dampers from there.The thing about the 'Tuscan S' spec upgrade IIRC is the valving and spring rates of the post-August 2005 spec Tuscan S rear damper are being transferred to a Chim/Griff damper, not that an actual T-car damper is being fitted to Chims and Griffs...
With Ben Lang's Tuscan 'S' spec Bilsteins you get a fantastic OEM quality suspension system and benefit from the culmination of years of development, Nikolai Smolenski spent a fair few quid on development and this considerable investment included bringing some of Bilstein's top suspension engineers over from Germany to work with Ben Lang.
Most of the big steps forward were made for the Mk2 Tuscan 'S' and the Sagaris as these cars benefited from much better fundamental suspension design and the geometry, Chims and Griffs on the other hand got Sierra front uprights which are designed for a McPherson strut for heavens sake so are errr....'far from ideal' and the angle in damper inclination was another gaff from TVR.
However while we are stuck with these compromises what you get with a set of Mk Tuscan 'S' spec Bilsteins is everything learned about spring and damper rates on those last cars, and lets nor forget the press raved about the Mk2 Tusacan and especially the wider track Sagaris handling.
Ultimately the Bilstein Tuscan 'S' spec coil overs in their Chimaera/Griffith incarnation are sized specifically for our cars and designed by people who really knew what they were doing, its suspension that also benefited from a half decent development budget and built to German tuV standards.
As far as I'm concerned the fact you can access all that knowledge and development work for roughly £1,000 a set is a amazingly good value for money!
Phone number is on his advertisement too. Fitted replacements from him to my Griff in 2013 and still very happy.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/blackdownautomotive
https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/blackdownautomotive
spitfire4v8 said:
Several things to consider .. the lengths of dampers of the cerbera and t car chassis are slightly longer. Are they proposing to fit t350 bilsteins or some other make ? And lastly, if you don't trust what they're saying why is your car there?
The length of the Bilstein dampers on the Griff are slightly longer than those fitted to the S1 too - I had to alter the height of the upper chassis mounts. I also converted to height adjustable platforms using a Rally Design kit.MuffDaddy said:
I'm at the start of a chassis refurb, I say I but I mean the garage. Given the choice of nitron or Ben Lang Bilstiens which way would you go. I'm purely road driving and not even that fast these days.
I'm guessing Ben Lang.
Ive had my finger hovering over some of Ben Lang’s Bilstiens for weeks! I'm guessing Ben Lang.
My gut instinct would say the Bilstiens as you won’t need to be adjusting them for road conditions.
I’m mindful that many swear by Nitrons but overall as a road shock I think the Bilstiens should have the edge.
My only concern is if they are a bit firm ( for my liking ) I can’t do anything about it other than buy more lighter springs but then the valving would be fine tuning too so could become a problem.
I think I’ll make a call and try and chat to Ben Lang next week to discuss what options I’d have.
I have little experience of either shocks and all I can imagine is Bilsrien owners will swear by them and Nitron owners will say there’s are great. Maybe they both ate set up well for these cars is probably the truth. If that’s the case then I will by Bilstiens because I think the rubber bushes dampen out vibration through the chassis better than rose joints but it’s only my opinion.
I went through all of this back in 2013 when the original Bilsteins on my Griff started rattling internally. No leaks and they were still working after 14 years, but the noise was getting worse and worse.
I considered Nitron and Protech aftermarket products, together with Bilsteins from Ben. After talking to the suppliers I also spoke to several of the more respected TVR dealers who have fitted all types of dampers to get their opinions. Ended up going the Bilstein route largely on the basis that I didn't want to have to send the dampers off every couple of years to be refurbished, but also because I was happy with the comprise between ride an handling of the originals and didn't want to go backwards in that regard.
7 years and something like 25K miles on I'm still happy with my choice!
I considered Nitron and Protech aftermarket products, together with Bilsteins from Ben. After talking to the suppliers I also spoke to several of the more respected TVR dealers who have fitted all types of dampers to get their opinions. Ended up going the Bilstein route largely on the basis that I didn't want to have to send the dampers off every couple of years to be refurbished, but also because I was happy with the comprise between ride an handling of the originals and didn't want to go backwards in that regard.
7 years and something like 25K miles on I'm still happy with my choice!
Englishman said:
I went through all of this back in 2013 when the original Bilsteins on my Griff started rattling internally. No leaks and they were still working after 14 years, but the noise was getting worse and worse.
I considered Nitron and Protech aftermarket products, together with Bilsteins from Ben. After talking to the suppliers I also spoke to several of the more respected TVR dealers who have fitted all types of dampers to get their opinions. Ended up going the Bilstein route largely on the basis that I didn't want to have to send the dampers off every couple of years to be refurbished, but also because I was happy with the comprise between ride an handling of the originals and didn't want to go backwards in that regard.
7 years and something like 25K miles on I'm still happy with my choice!
I’d have to agree with this. I considered Nitron and Protech aftermarket products, together with Bilsteins from Ben. After talking to the suppliers I also spoke to several of the more respected TVR dealers who have fitted all types of dampers to get their opinions. Ended up going the Bilstein route largely on the basis that I didn't want to have to send the dampers off every couple of years to be refurbished, but also because I was happy with the comprise between ride an handling of the originals and didn't want to go backwards in that regard.
7 years and something like 25K miles on I'm still happy with my choice!
As mines a road car it’s going to be subject to road crap and water. Not many sports shocks enjoy water and grit very much.
I like cleaning stuff but shocks are not high on my list, I think overall the simplicity and sturdy construction of Billies using Ebach springs must be about as good as it gets for the price.
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