Which suspension?
Discussion
Its likely to be the next thing so which do I go for?
The most popular (according to what I read) appears to be Nitrons, Gaz and Avo's.
I need it as comfortable as the standrad ones for long treks but still better(stiffer) handling for tracks and weekend drives.
I have an idea of which to go for but thought best I ask for experienced opinions first.
Come on jools, I bet you're the first to reply!
The most popular (according to what I read) appears to be Nitrons, Gaz and Avo's.
I need it as comfortable as the standrad ones for long treks but still better(stiffer) handling for tracks and weekend drives.
I have an idea of which to go for but thought best I ask for experienced opinions first.
Come on jools, I bet you're the first to reply!
NITRONS I'm the last person to discourage you from customising your car, but I would advise you to keep it as standard as possible until you have throughly got to grips with it and developed your driving to the point that you can easily handle the car on the limit. The more agressive you go on the suspension settings the more abruptly the car reacts to road and driver inputs, making it harder and less forgiving to drive on the limit. It is not always safe to assume that a stiffer setup is a faster one - it is really a case of finding the best compromise for the combination of road conditons, driver and car, but if you are starting from a standard road car then performance on the track can probably be improved by stiffening the suspension. However, there is a sort of race between your driving naturally improving over time, and the car setup evolving to make the car faster but harder to drive. Change the car too much and too soon and you can spoil it.
Having said that, if you do want to change the car's handling characteristics then you might be considering geometry, damper and spring changes. If so, I suggest you start with the best dampers you can afford, and get the suspension set up professionally.
Having said that, if you do want to change the car's handling characteristics then you might be considering geometry, damper and spring changes. If so, I suggest you start with the best dampers you can afford, and get the suspension set up professionally.
I think everyone will agree that Nitrons are the best option ... but naturally they cost significantly more. I just had my Griff suspension changed and along with the other million quid's worth of stuff that needed doing at an average service I didn't want to stretch to the £850 plus vat so opted for AVOs at less than half that (from Peninsula).
The AVOs do not come with springs so you need to factor another £150 plus vat (from Jools) to compare like with like.
At the moment I am running them with standard TVR springs which is apparently not the way to go (they perform better with a single rate spring) and to be honest am struggling a little to make headway in setting them up. I think I have finally cracked it now although the settings seem a little extreme for me to be totally comfortable with and I'm sure I will end up changing the springs as well very soon.
Incidentally I am running a ride height (floor to arch) of around 660mm rear and 650mm front and the AVOs set with the front at 14 clicks from soft and the rear at 9. The turn in is super positive, the rear still a little oversteery and the ride acceptable but I think I am just overcompensating for the fact the the standard TVR springs are too hard on the back. I'd appreciate any comments on this setup.
Its captivating and frustrating in equal measures ...
Marco
(edited to add that Pete is spot on the money as always with his warning. I've owned this car for 2 yrs and the difference you can dial in just with basic damper tuning is extreme. When fiddling I have been taking it *very* easy until I am sure its not going to spit me off the road unpredictably. Good luck.)
>> Edited by marco on Wednesday 16th June 13:19
The AVOs do not come with springs so you need to factor another £150 plus vat (from Jools) to compare like with like.
At the moment I am running them with standard TVR springs which is apparently not the way to go (they perform better with a single rate spring) and to be honest am struggling a little to make headway in setting them up. I think I have finally cracked it now although the settings seem a little extreme for me to be totally comfortable with and I'm sure I will end up changing the springs as well very soon.
Incidentally I am running a ride height (floor to arch) of around 660mm rear and 650mm front and the AVOs set with the front at 14 clicks from soft and the rear at 9. The turn in is super positive, the rear still a little oversteery and the ride acceptable but I think I am just overcompensating for the fact the the standard TVR springs are too hard on the back. I'd appreciate any comments on this setup.
Its captivating and frustrating in equal measures ...
Marco
(edited to add that Pete is spot on the money as always with his warning. I've owned this car for 2 yrs and the difference you can dial in just with basic damper tuning is extreme. When fiddling I have been taking it *very* easy until I am sure its not going to spit me off the road unpredictably. Good luck.)
>> Edited by marco on Wednesday 16th June 13:19
marco said:
At the moment I am running them with standard TVR springs
and the AVOs set with the front at 14 clicks from soft and the rear at 9. The turn in is super positive, the rear still a little oversteery and the ride acceptable but I think I am just overcompensating for the fact the the standard TVR springs are too hard on the back. I'd appreciate any comments on this setup.
Had AVOs before my current Nitrons, and I felt they were a major improvement on the standard untis on my car.
I too was running on standard springs, and generally found the 'best' set-up was between 10 and 14 clicks - soft to hard - and outside of that range just didn't work.
Assuming your AVOs are as per my old ones, you might find that, particularly on the track, a few clicks stiffer at the rear might help.
yup AVO and Nitron are the industry standards for cheap to expensive dampers ..
I'm currently testing a revamped nitron which might prove to be better still (or might not, that's testing!! lol) , but also testing an intermediate damper to pitch mid way between the avo and nitron, so quite soon the market could be even more competitive.
I'm currently testing a revamped nitron which might prove to be better still (or might not, that's testing!! lol) , but also testing an intermediate damper to pitch mid way between the avo and nitron, so quite soon the market could be even more competitive.
joospeed said:
yup AVO and Nitron are the industry standards for cheap to expensive dampers ..
And don't forget there's Ohlins which are f***ing super expensive!
Matt Oakley runs some on his Griff 500 in the TVRCC Speed Champs - fantastic looking kit, with a separate, remote gas reservoir for each damper unit.
IIRC most of the Tuscan Challenge cars run these, certainly the Topcats one I drove did, and they worked extremely well.
DustyC said:
Keep me posted Jools.
No one with any thoughts on Gaz shocks?
Do I need to say anything about these Dusty????
I guess I should seeing as this is a discussion group lol.
I have had Gaz on mine for 18 months now, and with advice on the spring Lb'age the car now handles to my satisfaction. I can't comment on the others as I have no expierience of them, but I would recomend Gaz to other owners.
My only problem was that the first set of front gaz shocks, split their rubber top mount bushes, and Tower View arranged for a new set, with a modified bush to be supplied and fitted FOC
Paul V said:
What do you guys think is a good compromise for spring rates on the Griff? Road use and occasional track days, like a firm ride though
Difficult one - these things are very subjective - and depends on just how hard you really drive on track, and what tracks. Smoother, better surfaced tracks obviously will tolerate a far stiffer set-up.
I've seen cars with 900lb springs all round which IMHO look as stiff, an about as responsive as a board, and I've seen standard-sprung cars driven extremely quickly...
Incidentally, refering back to the original topic, this link; [url]www.nitron.co.uk/car_tech.html[/url] on Nitron's site is pretty good at describing waht's on offer, as it refers not only to their own shocks, but also other standard and not-so-standard shocks.
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