TVR Parts Drop Links
Discussion
I would imagine inconsistent loading and unloading of the anti roll bar due to worn or seized drop links would potentially create some odd and unpredictable behaviour when cornering, accelerating and or braking.
However, I can't see worn or seized drop links having much impact if you're just driving along in a straight line, so you'd need to elaborate on when you're actually suffering the issue but the truth is you almost certainly won't find the answer discussing the problem on a forum.
Why don't you get the car checked over by a TVR specialist with a good reputation for setting these cars up properly and one who has the right alignment kit to reveal any anomalies with your geometry?
Someone who knows these cars inside out needs to check over your car in person, it's the only way you'll find out what's really wrong with it Daz...
However, I can't see worn or seized drop links having much impact if you're just driving along in a straight line, so you'd need to elaborate on when you're actually suffering the issue but the truth is you almost certainly won't find the answer discussing the problem on a forum.
Why don't you get the car checked over by a TVR specialist with a good reputation for setting these cars up properly and one who has the right alignment kit to reveal any anomalies with your geometry?
Someone who knows these cars inside out needs to check over your car in person, it's the only way you'll find out what's really wrong with it Daz...
Fitted 2 new front link rods for a Honda Accord, 2001, 2 litre petrol, after reading this thread, in place of the originals. Got them from Euro Car Parts. Decided on the Lemforder ones at £20.99 each (cheaper make available) then input discount code MOT25 to get 25% discount = £31.48 (click and collect).
So thanks to you lot I'm another £31.48 lighter.....
So thanks to you lot I'm another £31.48 lighter.....
N7GTX said:
Fitted 2 new front link rods for a Honda Accord, 2001, 2 litre petrol, after reading this thread, in place of the originals. Got them from Euro Car Parts. Decided on the Lemforder ones at £20.99 each (cheaper make available) then input discount code MOT25 to get 25% discount = £31.48 (click and collect).
So thanks to you lot I'm another £31.48 lighter.....
Spat me coffee out So thanks to you lot I'm another £31.48 lighter.....
Amazingly my Gaz rear suspension units that I literally only dropped off yesterday at 12.30pm are all sorted.
The Gaz factory found a bent rod on the leaker which they replaced along with all the seals on both dampers.
They are sending them on a next day courier and DHL just sent me a text to say I'll have them tomorrow.
All that for just £90, bargain!
But this fantastic service aside there's more to the story than that, I drove to Bracknell today in the TVR on my ancient Bilstiens and the rear anti roll bar disconnected. By rights it should have been a death trap but my wife had accidentally taken the keys to the Toyota so I had no choice, either risk it in the TVR for 100 miles or miss a prospect meeting and hand the business to the competition.
The thing is it wasn't a death trap at all, it drove so well I'm now thinking I may keep the Bilstiens, the ride is amazingly compliant and civilised with none of the nasty harsh noises my rose jointed drop links and track focussed Gaz dampers gave. Who would have thunk it?
I even filed up with 62 litres of LPG which is 31Kg and no adverse effects whatsoever, just a quiet smooth and noise free ride that had me growing in confidence the more I drove it so much so I ended up having some fun on some back roads and she simply stuck like glue and soaked up all the rough surfaces like I only could dream of achieving with the Gaz rears even when they were new.
Honestly, if someone had told me they'd just stuck a set of newly developed super compliment high end road focussed dampers on the rear I would have totally believed them and happily paid £1000 for these new wonder coil overs. In reality all I did disconnect the rear ARB and stick my snotty looking 20 year old Billy Bilstiens on the back that have been sat gathering dust I my lockup for the last six years
This is almost impossible to accept, but trust me it's 100% true!
The Gaz factory found a bent rod on the leaker which they replaced along with all the seals on both dampers.
They are sending them on a next day courier and DHL just sent me a text to say I'll have them tomorrow.
All that for just £90, bargain!
But this fantastic service aside there's more to the story than that, I drove to Bracknell today in the TVR on my ancient Bilstiens and the rear anti roll bar disconnected. By rights it should have been a death trap but my wife had accidentally taken the keys to the Toyota so I had no choice, either risk it in the TVR for 100 miles or miss a prospect meeting and hand the business to the competition.
The thing is it wasn't a death trap at all, it drove so well I'm now thinking I may keep the Bilstiens, the ride is amazingly compliant and civilised with none of the nasty harsh noises my rose jointed drop links and track focussed Gaz dampers gave. Who would have thunk it?
I even filed up with 62 litres of LPG which is 31Kg and no adverse effects whatsoever, just a quiet smooth and noise free ride that had me growing in confidence the more I drove it so much so I ended up having some fun on some back roads and she simply stuck like glue and soaked up all the rough surfaces like I only could dream of achieving with the Gaz rears even when they were new.
Honestly, if someone had told me they'd just stuck a set of newly developed super compliment high end road focussed dampers on the rear I would have totally believed them and happily paid £1000 for these new wonder coil overs. In reality all I did disconnect the rear ARB and stick my snotty looking 20 year old Billy Bilstiens on the back that have been sat gathering dust I my lockup for the last six years
This is almost impossible to accept, but trust me it's 100% true!
Edited by ChimpOnGas on Thursday 15th September 16:31
ChimpOnGas said:
The thing is it wasn't a death trap at all, it drove so well I'm now thinking I may keep the Bilstiens, the ride is amazingly compliant and civilised with none of the nasty harsh noises my rose jointed drop links and track focussed Gaz dampers gave. Who would have thunk it?
Me. People on here are obsessed with alleged upgrades when in reality the Bilsteins are excellent dampers. Don't get me started on Gaz 
ray von said:
ChimpOnGas said:
The thing is it wasn't a death trap at all, it drove so well I'm now thinking I may keep the Bilstiens, the ride is amazingly compliant and civilised with none of the nasty harsh noises my rose jointed drop links and track focussed Gaz dampers gave. Who would have thunk it?
Me. People on here are obsessed with alleged upgrades when in reality the Bilsteins are excellent dampers. Don't get me started on Gaz http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Blackdown-Automotive?_trk...
I'm really impressed with my old Billies, they give such a loovely compliant ride with no handling downsides whatsoever as far as I can tell, in fact I'm pretty sure I'm actually quicker on the back roads by a good margin because my suspension is now soaking up the poor surfaces and I'm no longer weaving between potholes and in constant fear of crashing and smashing over the next fag butt left on the road.
The car finally rides like I'd hoped it would and is perfect for my style of driving, I cant believe all this was waiting for me in my lockup for six years and has cost me exactly £0.00 to install. To be fair with my extra weight in the boot my old Billies would probably benefit from some very slightly firmer springs and the opportunity to raise the rear ride height would be nice to give the car more rake and pitch a touch more weight over the front wheels.
So even though I've just spent £90 haaving my GGP rears serviced I'm now super tempted to treat myself to a set of Ben's MK4 Chim/Griff Bilstein mono-tube/Upside-down gas pressure technology dampers complete with the correct road friendly rubber bushes and quality Eibach springs.
I've just put everything in my shopping basket and the total comes to £944.46, not cheap but perhaps Ben will have a deal with me if I'm not buying through Ebay as I know all too well myself they like to take a nice slice of commission. I know a few of you good folks like Ray Von have been saying it for ages but I'm finally starting to realise myself Bilstein may well be the very best value for money Chim/Griff coil overs on the market?
After my genuine positive surprise experience arising from simply lobbing my 20 year old original coil overs on 'Ol Gasbag' I now owe it to myself to explore this whole Bilstein thing further...
I can see another grand slipping through my fingers very soon
i have had my gaz gold pros on my griff for 6 years they are miles better than those piece of cap bilstiens i had on there before.plus i have just had the upgraded drop links from race tech put on and they make the car feel much more planted around cornerd but with fitting a cost of 240 pounds ouch
Dave, I just had a conversation this morning with my local garage about aftermarket suspension and the guy summed it up nicely " Some people buy aftermarket dampers and then spend all their time trying to get it set up as though they had Bilsteins" Not a dig at you
I know absolutely nothing about the nuances of setting a car up but having had, on 4 different TVR's Bilsteins, Gaz, Nitrons, Nitrons, Bilsteins and now Nitrons again I know which cars I preferred for my 'tootling'.
However each to their own, dragged it off topic a bit sorry.
I know absolutely nothing about the nuances of setting a car up but having had, on 4 different TVR's Bilsteins, Gaz, Nitrons, Nitrons, Bilsteins and now Nitrons again I know which cars I preferred for my 'tootling'.
However each to their own, dragged it off topic a bit sorry.
mjlloyd said:
i have had my gaz gold pros on my griff for 6 years they are miles better than those piece of cap bilstiens i had on there before.plus i have just had the upgraded drop links from race tech put on and they make the car feel much more planted around cornerd but with fitting a cost of 240 pounds ouch
Well that's exactly what I thought when I swapped my Bilstiens for my GGPs six years ago, but putting them back on six years later and disconnecting the rear ARB has got me questioning everything???Perhaps my GGPs have been shot for ages, one was leaking very badly for sure and today I got a call from Gaz to say a rod was bent too so basically they were totally feked, it's no wonder the Billies feel so good after I've been driving around like that for the last God knows how long?
That's why I'm going to slap my refreshed GGPs back on and see how she rides as a direct back to back with my ancient Billies that I actually have fallen back in love with for the time being.
I'll start with retaining the Billies and connecting the rear ARB using my Nissan 200sx drop links to see what happens, I'll then whip the Billies off and fit the GGPs, first with no ARB then with the Nissaan links to connect it up.
I've decided I'm going to test all possible combinations and that includes doing the same with the front suspension, if the 20 year old Billies do indeed offer the better ride & handling balance then I may well invest a new set where the ride hight can be adjusted and ask Ben to equip them with slightly heavier rear springs to match my extra weight in the boot.
I'm now very intrigued by all this and am determined to find the answer, I will of course share my totally honest findings on the alternative drop links, front/rear ARBs connected or disconnected and which coil overs offer the best ride & handling.
It may not be fashionable but I'm not embarrassed to reveal I'm looking for a compliant ride, not at the cost of good real world on the road handling you understand but I'm not out there trying to shave a few tenths of my track time, I'm simply looking to make my TVR more usable and enjoyable to drive and I genuinely feel I'm faster in a car that soaks up poor road surfaces than on that crashes over them.
Finally here's one last thought for the day from me...
How is it I needed to go from 325lb springs to 400lb springs on my rear GGPs to stop them bottoming out, when my prehistoric 20 year old Bilsteins that have been stuck in my lockup for 6 years proved today they refused to bottom out with their lightweight 260lb springs..
Can it be the damper units on the GGP coil overs just can't control a lighter spring that's going to allow the suspension to move through a greater range of articulation, if that's the case and Gaz are trying to solve the failings of their damping by simply increasing the spring weight its just going to end up with the suspension not working as designed.
It strikes me to deliver that lovely compliant ride I'm looking for the suspension must be allowed to move through it's full range of articulation, currently I'm not 100% convinced my GGPs are achieving this?
Edited by ChimpOnGas on Thursday 15th September 19:00
The plot thickens.
Could you talk to the Bilstein's supplier and consider a washer added to the spring to push the damper out further ( if possible?) thus raising the ride height say 3 mm ? ETA just read your last post
I might have a couple of sets of really good GGP's and Protechs for sale soon
Could you talk to the Bilstein's supplier and consider a washer added to the spring to push the damper out further ( if possible?) thus raising the ride height say 3 mm ? ETA just read your last post
I might have a couple of sets of really good GGP's and Protechs for sale soon
Edited by ClassiChimi on Thursday 15th September 18:57
The plot thickens.
Could you talk to the Bilstein's supplier and consider a washer added to the spring to push the damper out further ( if possible?) thus raising the ride height say 3 mm ? ETA just read your last post
I might have a couple of sets of really good GGP's and Protechs for sale soon
Could you talk to the Bilstein's supplier and consider a washer added to the spring to push the damper out further ( if possible?) thus raising the ride height say 3 mm ? ETA just read your last post
I might have a couple of sets of really good GGP's and Protechs for sale soon
Edited by ClassiChimi on Thursday 15th September 21:07
ChimpOnGas said:
The car finally rides like I'd hoped it would and is perfect for my style of driving, I cant believe all this was waiting for me in my lockup for six years and has cost me exactly £0.00 to install. To be fair with my extra weight in the boot my old Billies would probably benefit from some very slightly firmer springs and the opportunity to raise the rear ride height would be nice to give the car more rake and pitch a touch more weight over the front wheels.
A man at Eibach told me some years ago that the rising rate rear spring D0103 has a rate of 217 lbs/in rising to 342 lbs/in so this might account for why these old springs are performing better than you expected
MisterT said:
A man at Eibach told me some years ago that the rising rate rear spring D0103 has a rate of 217 lbs/in rising to 342 lbs/in so this might account for why these old springs are performing better than you expected
^^^I'm just off the phone with Ben Lang and this is exactly what he told me^^^However we are now designing something bespoke to best suit the unique characteristics of 'Ol Gasbag' and her slightly heavier rear end, this will include linear rather than rising rate springs and a clever re-valve to suit.
Basically the proposal is a hybridised unit, a Chimaera damper body re-valved and sprung following Tuscan 'S' specifications, these will be machined with grooves to allow fine tuning of rake & ride height as dialling in more more nose down attitude has the effect of pushing some of that addition weight forward to reduce under steer.
Ben is clearly a mine of information and took to the unique challenges of my gas powered contraption with a genuine can do attitude and passion to deliver the very best results possible.
There are a myriad of options being proposed at this stage from a simple refurbishment of what I have now to a menu of upgrades on my original units, from here I can go to brand new bodies with the same extensive range of valving and spring rate options offered on my old Billies that seem to be rather good just as they are TBH.
Lets see if we can tune them to 'Ol Gasbag' and make the suspension on my Chinmaera the best and most compliment road going setup I can possibly achieve within the limitations of the suspension design we all know has some fundamental issues that goes way beyond a set of well chosen quality coil overs.
Edited by ChimpOnGas on Thursday 15th September 19:56
After trying
Gaz Nickles
Gaz Gold Pros
Gaz Monos
All were terrible.
I think the Nitrons are the business , I run them soft for the road and a TVR specialist thought they were Bilsteins.
They are useable in any setting not like GAZ.
Gaz Nickles
Gaz Gold Pros
Gaz Monos
All were terrible.
I think the Nitrons are the business , I run them soft for the road and a TVR specialist thought they were Bilsteins.
They are useable in any setting not like GAZ.
Edited by SILICONEKID345HP on Thursday 15th September 20:37
ray von said:
Dave, I just had a conversation this morning with my local garage about aftermarket suspension and the guy summed it up nicely " Some people buy aftermarket dampers and then spend all their time trying to get it set up as though they had Bilsteins" Not a dig at you
SILICONEKID345HP said:
After going trying
Gaz Nickles
Gaz Gold Pros
Gaz Monos
All were terrible.
I think the Nitrins are the business , I run them soft for the road and a TVR specialist thought they were Bilsteins.
They are useable in any setting not like GAZ.
Gaz Nickles
Gaz Gold Pros
Gaz Monos
All were terrible.
I think the Nitrins are the business , I run them soft for the road and a TVR specialist thought they were Bilsteins.
They are useable in any setting not like GAZ.
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