V8V Roadster Suspension upgrade options
Discussion
I am 4 months and 4k miles into ownership of my new car (2007 V8V Roadster) and as much as I love driving the car, I do think that when making progress down the country lanes, I would prefer a little less wobble at the rear in particular in corners. Grip is great and the tyres rarely let out a squeak, it feels more like the suspension is a little too soft to provide full confidence. What are the upgrade options people have taken, and what are the considered results/compromises/costs etc. ?
Too soft is not something I'd normally associate with a V8V!
Before you start making big costly changes, I'd speak to Bamford and explain what you want from the car. Combinations of damper control, spring rates and a gazillion other parameters are on the table. Personally, I'd like soft(er) for the majority of driving with the occasional sprint down a country road where the current setup is ideal. I can see a magnetorheological setup in my future....
Before you start making big costly changes, I'd speak to Bamford and explain what you want from the car. Combinations of damper control, spring rates and a gazillion other parameters are on the table. Personally, I'd like soft(er) for the majority of driving with the occasional sprint down a country road where the current setup is ideal. I can see a magnetorheological setup in my future....
Edited by divetheworld on Sunday 9th June 14:21
Grant3 said:
It is hard to beat A.M.'s Sportpack option, which is very well judged between handling and ride comfort and makes the Roadster more of a drivers car.
It's not 
I drove Purdey the week before her demise
I've done 23k miles in my sport pack roadster and my current S
The BR switchable suspension is superb!
mikey k said:
Grant3 said:
It is hard to beat A.M.'s Sportpack option, which is very well judged between handling and ride comfort and makes the Roadster more of a drivers car.
It's not I drove Purdey the week before her demise
I've done 23k miles in my sport pack roadster and my current S
The BR switchable suspension is superb!
After six months I changed to a V8S. The suspension was decidedly firm. Amanda and I would joke that we had been shaken and stirred. Ironically despite the harshness the back end would still pogo. I would stress this was at some speed.
Revelation time , Bamford Rose installed their electro magnetic switchable suspension . The difference is worth every penny! They installed a switch where the daft Lamy pen was housed. I now had two settings, soft which gave the car a long legged GT feel , the suspension now soaked up bumps like an XJ6! Ironically though it did not yaw. Amanda drove 644 miles in a day , we felt no pain whatsoever . On the standard suspension we would have been severely rattled.
Touch the button , then we instantly firm up . Not rock solid but compliant! You can feel as you corner that the shocks are moving as in compressing . It is though you laying the car into the corners , it is such a confidence inspiring sensation. BR Also lowered the car ever so slightly so aesthetically it looks better. The pogoing has gone completely .
I would add that probably 90% of the time we drove Purdey on the soft setting , when it came to play time we would harden up.
To conclude . To anyone contemplating enhancing their Vantage I would strongly advocate putting BR's suspension at the top of the list.
Rob, the Roadster SportsPack is around 25% softer than the coupe and represents a fine balance between drivers car and GT, with less float and pitch than the standard set-up, with little loss of ride comfort. I agree Adaptive Damping is also a great choice, so no arguments there, I have tried many different set-ups ( Prodrive, Aston, Porsche etc) although not all have found the right balance IMO, although you are clearly happy with BR's which is great to hear 
. AD is the future and it is interesting to note that Aston have used this on the V12VS. But the cost is generally higher, it is more complex in terms of long term reliability and an aftermarket system doesn't retain Aston originality outside of the enthusiast PH community, so it is always good to give a balanced proven option however passionate you are about your own choice. The OP now has a few good alternatives to check out and assess what is best for him
. AD is the future and it is interesting to note that Aston have used this on the V12VS. But the cost is generally higher, it is more complex in terms of long term reliability and an aftermarket system doesn't retain Aston originality outside of the enthusiast PH community, so it is always good to give a balanced proven option however passionate you are about your own choice. The OP now has a few good alternatives to check out and assess what is best for him mikey k said:
I had Nitrons on one of my old cars
Great kit but needs A LOT more work to set up well
Why so? I had them fitted to my TVR with excellent results. I think it depends very much on who does the installation. Presumably whoever installs them for you has some good starter settings for whatever you want to achieve and off you go! Great kit but needs A LOT more work to set up well
Edit: in fact here they are
http://www.nitron.co.uk/Automotive/aston-martin/v8...
Edited by DangerMonkey on Monday 10th June 09:27
DangerMonkey said:
mikey k said:
I had Nitrons on one of my old cars
Great kit but needs A LOT more work to set up well
Why so? I had them fitted to my TVR with excellent results. I think it depends very much on who does the installation. Presumably whoever installs them for you has some good starter settings for whatever you want to achieve and off you go! Great kit but needs A LOT more work to set up well
Edit: in fact here they are
http://www.nitron.co.uk/Automotive/aston-martin/v8...
Edited by DangerMonkey on Monday 10th June 09:27
Damping, rebound, ride height & preload on all four corners
Then you need to do a full 4 wheel laser geo to suit your driving style
Use it and settle the coil overs in
If you then change any of the above or swap springs or valves redo the geo!
Too much fiddling for a road car IMHO
This is on 3 way adjustable Nitrons with full corner weighting and fast road/track geo
DSCN4326_resize by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Nitron stuff is beautiful and the Lotus conmmunity swear by it 
Don't know of anyone who has installed it on an Aston yet.
Predictably I second Rob's mention of the Bamford Rose magnetorheological dampers, they utterly transformed my DB9 Volante. They're not adapative Grant, just switchable. I had ADS on a Jag and found it could be unnerving. Soft, soft, soft; brake harder than you'd like due to lack of confidence, turn in then hard, hard, hard through the corner but you've scrubbed the speed and aren't utilising it!
Push of a dash button when I choose transforms the car from as soft as the original (but far better damped) to a firm setting that is harder than Sports Pack; only for smooth roads or track and when realkly pushing on. Also feels like it sharpens up the turn-in as well. Soft or fim, the car never wallows and never steps out pover bumps. A beautifully judged system.
Alo the time to change from one mode to another is the time it takes for an electrical pulse - it's virtually instant! I'll often be crusing on the motorway in soft mode, switch to firm as I exit, take the off-ramp bend very fast and then switch back as I rejoin another motorway to cruise. It's a lot of fun
Don't know of anyone who has installed it on an Aston yet.
Predictably I second Rob's mention of the Bamford Rose magnetorheological dampers, they utterly transformed my DB9 Volante. They're not adapative Grant, just switchable. I had ADS on a Jag and found it could be unnerving. Soft, soft, soft; brake harder than you'd like due to lack of confidence, turn in then hard, hard, hard through the corner but you've scrubbed the speed and aren't utilising it!
Push of a dash button when I choose transforms the car from as soft as the original (but far better damped) to a firm setting that is harder than Sports Pack; only for smooth roads or track and when realkly pushing on. Also feels like it sharpens up the turn-in as well. Soft or fim, the car never wallows and never steps out pover bumps. A beautifully judged system.
Alo the time to change from one mode to another is the time it takes for an electrical pulse - it's virtually instant! I'll often be crusing on the motorway in soft mode, switch to firm as I exit, take the off-ramp bend very fast and then switch back as I rejoin another motorway to cruise. It's a lot of fun
robgt said:
Grant I beg to differ, my first V8V was ordered with sport pack suspension . I am no expert or racing driver but on exiting fast hairpins especially on inclines the back end would pogo as in bounce. I would not say that the set up was either soft or hard.
After six months I changed to a V8S. The suspension was decidedly firm. Amanda and I would joke that we had been shaken and stirred. Ironically despite the harshness the back end would still pogo. I would stress this was at some speed.
Revelation time , Bamford Rose installed their electro magnetic switchable suspension . The difference is worth every penny! They installed a switch where the daft Lamy pen was housed. I now had two settings, soft which gave the car a long legged GT feel , the suspension now soaked up bumps like an XJ6! Ironically though it did not yaw. Amanda drove 644 miles in a day , we felt no pain whatsoever . On the standard suspension we would have been severely rattled.
Touch the button , then we instantly firm up . Not rock solid but compliant! You can feel as you corner that the shocks are moving as in compressing . It is though you laying the car into the corners , it is such a confidence inspiring sensation. BR Also lowered the car ever so slightly so aesthetically it looks better. The pogoing has gone completely .
I would add that probably 90% of the time we drove Purdey on the soft setting , when it came to play time we would harden up.
To conclude . To anyone contemplating enhancing their Vantage I would strongly advocate putting BR's suspension at the top of the list.
As another V8V owner who has had the BR adaptive dampers fitted, I completely agree with the above. It truly transforms the car.After six months I changed to a V8S. The suspension was decidedly firm. Amanda and I would joke that we had been shaken and stirred. Ironically despite the harshness the back end would still pogo. I would stress this was at some speed.
Revelation time , Bamford Rose installed their electro magnetic switchable suspension . The difference is worth every penny! They installed a switch where the daft Lamy pen was housed. I now had two settings, soft which gave the car a long legged GT feel , the suspension now soaked up bumps like an XJ6! Ironically though it did not yaw. Amanda drove 644 miles in a day , we felt no pain whatsoever . On the standard suspension we would have been severely rattled.
Touch the button , then we instantly firm up . Not rock solid but compliant! You can feel as you corner that the shocks are moving as in compressing . It is though you laying the car into the corners , it is such a confidence inspiring sensation. BR Also lowered the car ever so slightly so aesthetically it looks better. The pogoing has gone completely .
I would add that probably 90% of the time we drove Purdey on the soft setting , when it came to play time we would harden up.
To conclude . To anyone contemplating enhancing their Vantage I would strongly advocate putting BR's suspension at the top of the list.
Grant I do not wish to offend but i am sorry to say that the factory are fitting suspension that is built to a price. BR's alternative is not , the same applies to their exhaust manifolds and their flywheel. I am no expert but my V8's flywheel was from a Jaguar, the replacement fitted by BR was a much more compact and light affair, as a consequence the engine was much more willing to rev.
With the addition of their twin plate clutch the ASM2 gearbox became a joy to use. We actually drove the car in D mode without nodding dog syndrome!
Also I do not see Bamford Rose's future business being confined to Piston Head users , good news spreads fast!
With the addition of their twin plate clutch the ASM2 gearbox became a joy to use. We actually drove the car in D mode without nodding dog syndrome!
Also I do not see Bamford Rose's future business being confined to Piston Head users , good news spreads fast!
Guys I get the fact you have or are having mods done by BR and are pleased with them so certainly no offence, I'm really pleased your pleased so why not trumpet your own opinion and it is good to let people know about it....but that doesn't mean that we can't have a balance on the website and Aston's own Bilstein based Roadster SportsPack is also very good, and a well judged set-up. I personally lived with it for a good while and loved the balance between handling and ride, I also rate Aston's expertise with their own cars.
BR clearly also know their onions, so between the two suggestions the OP can look at the options and make his choice, and surely that is the point of great websites like PH.
Everyone has a different requirement, budget and objective, one mans firm ride is anothers wobbly mess, one person will be happy with aftermarket modification many others will want an original car, one mans loud exhaust is too quiet for another...etc etc, so it is good for people to have several options please understand I'm not contradicting your personal choice just putting forward a good option for the OP based on his original post " it feels like the suspension is a little too soft to provide full confidence"
so why not trumpet your own opinion and it is good to let people know about it....but that doesn't mean that we can't have a balance on the website and Aston's own Bilstein based Roadster SportsPack is also very good, and a well judged set-up. I personally lived with it for a good while and loved the balance between handling and ride, I also rate Aston's expertise with their own cars. BR clearly also know their onions, so between the two suggestions the OP can look at the options and make his choice, and surely that is the point of great websites like PH.
Everyone has a different requirement, budget and objective, one mans firm ride is anothers wobbly mess, one person will be happy with aftermarket modification many others will want an original car, one mans loud exhaust is too quiet for another...etc etc, so it is good for people to have several options
please understand I'm not contradicting your personal choice just putting forward a good option for the OP based on his original post " it feels like the suspension is a little too soft to provide full confidence" Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff