Joosped/ Nitrons
Discussion
After lots of hassle with car after original Nitrons fitted, took the car to Jools. Guy at Nitron exchanged original dampers and Jools then fettled them. Car is like new, brilliant handling, now as how it should have been from the start. Suspension problems, go to Jools top man. Also great service from Guy at Nitrons.
Yeah a bit of a sorry story this one .. was pleased to get involved with this car so Ian got something he could at least drive properly without being chucked into the nearest hedge!
The background was that the car had nitrons fitted somewhere but the set-up was appalling, and there was what i considered a fault with the way the dampers were valved, plus I believe the std nitron chim/griff damper lengths to be wrong .. to the point that I considered the car dangerous to drive on bumpy roads .. I was literally being thrown out of the seat over bumps at very slow speeds (typical back road at 30-40mph for instance).
It wasn't difficult to improve this car considerably .. so it's amazing the fitting agent couldn't sort it on three occasions.
In the end I decided the best course would be to have a set of dampers made specifically, Guy did the honours for free (top bloke as always) after I'd sent a sheet of A4 detailing the changes i wished to make (raise the ride height.. was way too low, longer rear stroke, shorter front stroke, greater low speed compression on the front, much less compression on the rear etc etc).
Pleased to say Ian's griff was transformed from what it was like.
Sometimes i despair at the way cars are sent out .. but because of the placebo effect of *it's nitrons so this is how it must be, surely it can't be wrong* .. I'm sure many people out there are driving around in cars that are waaaaay underperforming and yet don't realise.
The bottom line is .. if it feels wrong, it probably is!
The background was that the car had nitrons fitted somewhere but the set-up was appalling, and there was what i considered a fault with the way the dampers were valved, plus I believe the std nitron chim/griff damper lengths to be wrong .. to the point that I considered the car dangerous to drive on bumpy roads .. I was literally being thrown out of the seat over bumps at very slow speeds (typical back road at 30-40mph for instance).
It wasn't difficult to improve this car considerably .. so it's amazing the fitting agent couldn't sort it on three occasions.
In the end I decided the best course would be to have a set of dampers made specifically, Guy did the honours for free (top bloke as always) after I'd sent a sheet of A4 detailing the changes i wished to make (raise the ride height.. was way too low, longer rear stroke, shorter front stroke, greater low speed compression on the front, much less compression on the rear etc etc).
Pleased to say Ian's griff was transformed from what it was like.
Sometimes i despair at the way cars are sent out .. but because of the placebo effect of *it's nitrons so this is how it must be, surely it can't be wrong* .. I'm sure many people out there are driving around in cars that are waaaaay underperforming and yet don't realise.
The bottom line is .. if it feels wrong, it probably is!
I feel the need to add (for my own reassurance may be) that there are many Nitron owners out there who are happy driving around in well set up cars. I know you weren't suggesting otherwise Jules but it was just the bit about the standard Nitron dampers needing to be sent back and completly changed that was beginning to make me feel inadequate! 
Anyway, you've been in my Griff and unless you were frightened into saying it
, you thought it was well set up. 
Anyway, you've been in my Griff and unless you were frightened into saying it
, you thought it was well set up. Your griff was indeed nicely balanced at donington .. peninsula have given you a good car there 
however that seems to be more and more the exception rather than the rule ..
I suspect peninsula's long-standing relationship with nitron plus knowing over the years what works and what doesn't makes them a very good choice for sourcing and fitting your nitron kit.
Some of the new kids on the block don't seem quite so good at it ...
however that seems to be more and more the exception rather than the rule .. I suspect peninsula's long-standing relationship with nitron plus knowing over the years what works and what doesn't makes them a very good choice for sourcing and fitting your nitron kit.
Some of the new kids on the block don't seem quite so good at it ...
Can you elaborate on that? I can appreciate that if they are wound up they are very stiff but surely if you soften them they are OK? I had assumed the "standard" shocks were all the same or is it possible they're not?
Mine don't seem to suffer that problem. I run the rears at 15-18 from hard on the road but on the track at Doni' (which is very smooth) I ended up at the hardest setting front and back which still felt fine. On my softest road setting the car does float a little but not disconcertingly so. I'm intrigued that you reached such a clear conclusion in such a short time.
Mine don't seem to suffer that problem. I run the rears at 15-18 from hard on the road but on the track at Doni' (which is very smooth) I ended up at the hardest setting front and back which still felt fine. On my softest road setting the car does float a little but not disconcertingly so. I'm intrigued that you reached such a clear conclusion in such a short time.
joospeed said:The fact is that not all of us live within easy reach of Chesterfield or Devon. I am surprised by this thread given that Nitron have an excellent reputation for being responsive yet they sell a product that requires substantial alteration to make it suitable. We are only talking about one type of car so why can they not not refine their product based on all the feedback they have had from Griff/Chim owners?
Your Griff was indeed nicely balanced at donington .. peninsula have given you a good car there
Rich...GarryM said:
Can you elaborate on that? I can appreciate that if they are wound up they are very stiff but surely if you soften them they are OK? I had assumed the "standard" shocks were all the same or is it possible they're not?
Mine don't seem to suffer that problem. I run the rears at 15-18 from hard on the road but on the track at Doni' (which is very smooth) I ended up at the hardest setting front and back which still felt fine. On my softest road setting the car does float a little but not disconcertingly so. I'm intrigued that you reached such a clear conclusion in such a short time.
I don't know how I can elaborate. They were so hard, you didn't need to drive it any further than the first speed hump to realise something wasn't right. The bump damping was so hard that it wasn't letting the spring compress to take the bump, so it was pitching the back of the car in the air instead! Bumpy country lanes were an absolute nightmare.
starmist said:
Bumpy country lanes were an absolute nightmare.
Mmm.. well in that case mine must be different. I live in the county with more miles of lanes than anywhere else in the country and it seems fine.
I don't understand why they should be different though unless there was afault with yours or indeed mine (which just happens to make mine softer). Strange
It sounds as if the dampers weren't specced properly, which is a little surprising if Nitron knew what car they were for and suggested that spec.
I think the reason you often hear of Nitrons having to be revalved is that the adjustment range is set up to suit the application. Many other aftermarket dampers have 'one size fits all' valving so the adjuster goes all the way from nothing at all to rock solid. You might have fourty clicks on the adjuster but most of them are unusable. With Nitrons the valves will be set to give you a sensible range of adjustment for your application. If you want to use them for a very different application (for example, massively changing the spring rate) then you would need to have the valving changed.
I think the reason you often hear of Nitrons having to be revalved is that the adjustment range is set up to suit the application. Many other aftermarket dampers have 'one size fits all' valving so the adjuster goes all the way from nothing at all to rock solid. You might have fourty clicks on the adjuster but most of them are unusable. With Nitrons the valves will be set to give you a sensible range of adjustment for your application. If you want to use them for a very different application (for example, massively changing the spring rate) then you would need to have the valving changed.
Peninsular fitted what I understand to be a standard, off the shelf set of Nitrons set the Griff. Spring and damping rates seem fine for road use and a bit of novice hill climbing. I find 12 from hard for the road and 9 from hard for the hill works for me. Interested in the comment about ride height though. The spring seats have to be set fairly close to the top to get the ride height ok to get the correct range of camber adjustment. As I seem to be using the middle of the damper range I guess the springs could be a little stiffer and the same dampers would be effective what I am saying is the standard package works ok for me, and is massively better than what came off.
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