Gaz Gold settings
Discussion
Morning Guys
Bit of advice please - I have a superb 4.5 litre 2000 Chim - I had the shocks changed about 4 years ago but never really did much about investigating the different setting available with the GG units. I would like to explore that a bit more so does anybody have advice on where to start in the set up i.e. mid range, equal front and rear or should I they have different settings?. Also - advice on matching tire pressures please - I usually run 24F / 26R . Car is used as a fast but sensible road car - variety of road types, twisty lane and dual carriage way. By the bye - this a far better car than I am a driver so it is always treated with respect. All input gratefully received. Cheers Alan P
Bit of advice please - I have a superb 4.5 litre 2000 Chim - I had the shocks changed about 4 years ago but never really did much about investigating the different setting available with the GG units. I would like to explore that a bit more so does anybody have advice on where to start in the set up i.e. mid range, equal front and rear or should I they have different settings?. Also - advice on matching tire pressures please - I usually run 24F / 26R . Car is used as a fast but sensible road car - variety of road types, twisty lane and dual carriage way. By the bye - this a far better car than I am a driver so it is always treated with respect. All input gratefully received. Cheers Alan P
Generally you need to keep the fronts 2 clicks stiffer on the damping adjustment than the rears. I am running 10 front and 8 rear this is from full soft. You probably only need to be 1 or 2 clicks around these settings.
The key is getting the ride height correct for each corner, if I remember correctly mine is et at 155mm rear and 145 front. This measurement is taken from the corner plate of the outrigger to the floor. I cut some pieces of wood approx. 20mm square to the correct lengths then adjusted the spring heights till they fitted underneath correctly (saved faffing around with a tape measure).
After doing this initial set up I would highly recommend getting a full geo set up to ensure cambers etc are correct as there are a lot of adjustments that can be out of alignment. It is generally not that expensive to have done but it will be worth every penny.
The key is getting the ride height correct for each corner, if I remember correctly mine is et at 155mm rear and 145 front. This measurement is taken from the corner plate of the outrigger to the floor. I cut some pieces of wood approx. 20mm square to the correct lengths then adjusted the spring heights till they fitted underneath correctly (saved faffing around with a tape measure).
After doing this initial set up I would highly recommend getting a full geo set up to ensure cambers etc are correct as there are a lot of adjustments that can be out of alignment. It is generally not that expensive to have done but it will be worth every penny.
A wiki was started at the top of the page, slight lack of info in it at the mo though 
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I have to say with the old GGP I have spent many an hour adjusting the dampers settings to the optimum IMO, & I tend to have them much firmer than recommended & still today continue to adjust them one or two settings make a discernable difference.
So yes - do adjust them until you are happy (no size fits all) and do get your alignment done when complete.
FWIW I think from memory mine are 35 rear and 32 front from soft!
So yes - do adjust them until you are happy (no size fits all) and do get your alignment done when complete.
FWIW I think from memory mine are 35 rear and 32 front from soft!
No idea about the shocks BUT I would like to share my limited experience on the tyre pressure front.
Had my 500 for a couple of months now. Had brand new toyo proxies put on it when I bought it and drove it for a few weeks with the pressures it came with. It felt OK, not amazing but OK. Front a bit skittish on bumpy corners, rear a bit lively too, but on the whole it had acceptable feel even if it was a bit nervous.
Then had a big 12k mile service done and as part of that the tyre pressures were changed from around 32 psi all round to the normally suggested 24f 26r set up.
Picked up the car and drove it home. Engine transformed by the service but it handled like crap. Loads of under steer, no feel to the steering and no feel at all for where the grip limit was. I was gutted and because everyone says the 24-26 set up is right I never questioned i too much, although I did think it sounded very low.
Finally I called a TVR specialist asking for advice about changing the suspension and as part of this I did bring up the pressures. He said they were too low and because this agreed with my gut feel I went out and adjusted them to what felt right to me.
Not really tuned it in yet but I am currently running 28 front, 26 rear. WHAT a difference! Now I can feel where the grip runs out at the front but the rear is compliant enough not to lose traction under acceleration out of bumpy corners. Sure the front is a bit excitable but this is supposed to be a sports car after all. Better than driving around with a couple of giant marshmallows on the front!
I'm sure the car would benefit hugely from a decent geo setup and probably from a suspension upgrade BUT those few weeks at the low tyre pressures took all the fun out of the drive. Maybe I am odd but 24-26 on toyos is way out in my opinion - at least on my car. I have a mondeo and a landrover for that kind of driving.
Would go on but I'm even starting to bore myself now - plus I am probably talking s
te!
Just my 2 cents worth.
TD
Had my 500 for a couple of months now. Had brand new toyo proxies put on it when I bought it and drove it for a few weeks with the pressures it came with. It felt OK, not amazing but OK. Front a bit skittish on bumpy corners, rear a bit lively too, but on the whole it had acceptable feel even if it was a bit nervous.
Then had a big 12k mile service done and as part of that the tyre pressures were changed from around 32 psi all round to the normally suggested 24f 26r set up.
Picked up the car and drove it home. Engine transformed by the service but it handled like crap. Loads of under steer, no feel to the steering and no feel at all for where the grip limit was. I was gutted and because everyone says the 24-26 set up is right I never questioned i too much, although I did think it sounded very low.
Finally I called a TVR specialist asking for advice about changing the suspension and as part of this I did bring up the pressures. He said they were too low and because this agreed with my gut feel I went out and adjusted them to what felt right to me.
Not really tuned it in yet but I am currently running 28 front, 26 rear. WHAT a difference! Now I can feel where the grip runs out at the front but the rear is compliant enough not to lose traction under acceleration out of bumpy corners. Sure the front is a bit excitable but this is supposed to be a sports car after all. Better than driving around with a couple of giant marshmallows on the front!
I'm sure the car would benefit hugely from a decent geo setup and probably from a suspension upgrade BUT those few weeks at the low tyre pressures took all the fun out of the drive. Maybe I am odd but 24-26 on toyos is way out in my opinion - at least on my car. I have a mondeo and a landrover for that kind of driving.
Would go on but I'm even starting to bore myself now - plus I am probably talking s
te!Just my 2 cents worth.
TD
AceOfHearts said:
Don't forget the old Gaz golds had 40 clicks and the new ones have 20 
Good point, mine are 20 clicksI run tyre pressures 25 front 26 rear I have not experimented that much, so would not know what running at higher pressures would feel like, would be concerned that it might make it all a bit too lively.
Kev
AceOfHearts said:
Don't forget the old Gaz golds had 40 clicks and the new ones have 20
Good point, mine are 20 clicksI run tyre pressures 25 front 26 rear I have not experimented that much, so would not know what running at higher pressures would feel like, would be concerned that it might make it all a bit too lively.
Kev
s p a c e m a n said:
A wiki was started at the top of the page, slight lack of info in it at the mo though
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
And of you try to update it, it says topic closed. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
(Unless I'm doing something wrong)
TorqueDirty said:
No idea about the shocks BUT I would like to share my limited experience on the tyre pressure front.
BUT those few weeks at the low tyre pressures took all the fun out of the drive. Maybe I am odd but 24-26 on toyos is way out in my opinion - at least on my car.
I think your suspension may need adjusting for damper settings, as my T1R's are fine at 24F 26R although they feel softer sidewalled than the Bridgstones accepted. It may be due to side profile differences as mine are 50F 45R, the cars with 55& 60 profile do look at a tad squishy in which case a firmer pressure may help sharpen things up. BUT those few weeks at the low tyre pressures took all the fun out of the drive. Maybe I am odd but 24-26 on toyos is way out in my opinion - at least on my car.
AlanP56 said:
QBee said:
Where are you based, AlanP56?
Burton on Trent Sir - not too far from youWe will be there all day, getting thrashed by a Westfield, an Ultima and an Aerial Atom, but competition will be friendly but intense in the TVR class, as this sprint track is a test of car setup and drving skill. So that's me coming fifth in class.
Pop over if you have the time and fancy a look and a chat. We're a friendly lot
QBee said:
Small world - I will be passing Beans On Toast (as my late wife used to call it!) on my way to Curborough on the 22nd for a day at Curborough Sprint Track. TVRs will be 5 of the 18 cars on track, passenger rides a-plenty, and we can chat over your suspension settings, tyre pressures (I run 22/24) etc.
We will be there all day, getting thrashed by a Westfield, an Ultima and an Aerial Atom, but competition will be friendly but intense in the TVR class, as this sprint track is a test of car setup and drving skill. So that's me coming fifth in class.
Pop over if you have the time and fancy a look and a chat. We're a friendly lot
Sounds like a plan - lets see what we can do about that Curborough is just 'over the hill' from where I live........if you see a Purple (Rolex Blue) Chim then that will be me......We will be there all day, getting thrashed by a Westfield, an Ultima and an Aerial Atom, but competition will be friendly but intense in the TVR class, as this sprint track is a test of car setup and drving skill. So that's me coming fifth in class.
Pop over if you have the time and fancy a look and a chat. We're a friendly lot
Hi, I'd get your car corner weighted, then set the geo, then consider the tyre pressure/ damper settings last.
The corner weighting gets an even tyre footprint, ie better balance then the geo will ensure everything is in line and accurate to each corner. The ride height is tweaked to get the weight distribution correct so the four corners might be at different heights.
So a wishbone might be a few mm different to the opposing side, the geo can now bring it all together. The tyres/ shocks now can be set more accurately as the weight is now where you want it. Better braking/ balance on acceleration and de acceleration and cornering will all be more consistent.
As a simple example my car was not corner weighted and so had to have different damper settings on the rears to get something like even grip( track day) at least two clicks different.
Geo without corner weighting is a guess.
I'm only just getting into geo myself so don't take this as fact but that's my opinion. I'd be glad to be corrected if someone with real experience of geo would like to comment!
AlanP56 as with all set up work you need to know if you have play in bushes etc.
regards Al
The corner weighting gets an even tyre footprint, ie better balance then the geo will ensure everything is in line and accurate to each corner. The ride height is tweaked to get the weight distribution correct so the four corners might be at different heights.
So a wishbone might be a few mm different to the opposing side, the geo can now bring it all together. The tyres/ shocks now can be set more accurately as the weight is now where you want it. Better braking/ balance on acceleration and de acceleration and cornering will all be more consistent.
As a simple example my car was not corner weighted and so had to have different damper settings on the rears to get something like even grip( track day) at least two clicks different.
Geo without corner weighting is a guess.
I'm only just getting into geo myself so don't take this as fact but that's my opinion. I'd be glad to be corrected if someone with real experience of geo would like to comment!
AlanP56 as with all set up work you need to know if you have play in bushes etc.
regards Al
Alan, Alun is spot on, even if his parents couldn't spell Alan.
Best solution of all is to take it to a TVR indie with the right kit and get him (it's rarely a her) to check over the suspension first and do all three operations together:
set the ride height,
corner weight the car,
and set the geo,
as your expert will set it differently if you spend time on track (more camber).
Best solution of all is to take it to a TVR indie with the right kit and get him (it's rarely a her) to check over the suspension first and do all three operations together:
set the ride height,
corner weight the car,
and set the geo,
as your expert will set it differently if you spend time on track (more camber).
You can always use ballast as opposed to ride height to get better balance but that's not really necessary Alan.
A Tvr specialist who has geo,d race cars is your man as he will know all the permutations.
It's not how to do it it's the experience your paying for. It costs lots and takes many attempts at many settings to know what really works well.
As you say yours is a road going car so we already know what works, corner weighting and geo will get it spot on and you can keep it at that.
The car should be as good as it can be at that point.
Goodluck with it, a very ancient named Alyn, Qbee boy stop your racist comments you upper class twit, lol lol
How are you you fine chap.
A Tvr specialist who has geo,d race cars is your man as he will know all the permutations.
It's not how to do it it's the experience your paying for. It costs lots and takes many attempts at many settings to know what really works well.
As you say yours is a road going car so we already know what works, corner weighting and geo will get it spot on and you can keep it at that.
The car should be as good as it can be at that point.
Goodluck with it, a very ancient named Alyn, Qbee boy stop your racist comments you upper class twit, lol lol
How are you you fine chap.
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