Gaz Monos - Can We Have Your Opinions Please
Discussion
To all Gaz Mono users...
Please can you share your honest opinions of these coil overs?
I'd be especially interested in people like Peter (Phazed) who have done the rounds with all the usual coil over suspects and worked them hard in many different situations.
Actually I'm not looking for a track day setup, what I'd like is a more compliant and well damped ride for fast A-B driving over our lovely UK road surfaces, I'm also looking to solve my bottoming out issue which even if I stick with my Gaz Gold Pros is clearly just a spring rate change away.
So I got thinking and as I need to up my rear spring rates I've started to consider the prospect of upgrading my GGPs, which to be fair have been great especially when you consider I only paid £600 fitted.
Nitrons are usually well reviewed but are expensive, and more recently I believe have come in for some criticism themselves.
So for this post I'm only really interested in how the relatively new and well priced Gaz Monos actually perform in the real world on real roads, I'm thinking I may just bolt a rear set only on the back of 'Ol Gasbag' given I need to change my rear spring rates anyway.
I'm pretty confident my cheapskate combo of monos on the rear and GGPs on the front will work Ok for the time being, but I'm happy to be corrected on this by the experts.
Thanks in advance, Dave.
Please can you share your honest opinions of these coil overs?
I'd be especially interested in people like Peter (Phazed) who have done the rounds with all the usual coil over suspects and worked them hard in many different situations.
Actually I'm not looking for a track day setup, what I'd like is a more compliant and well damped ride for fast A-B driving over our lovely UK road surfaces, I'm also looking to solve my bottoming out issue which even if I stick with my Gaz Gold Pros is clearly just a spring rate change away.
So I got thinking and as I need to up my rear spring rates I've started to consider the prospect of upgrading my GGPs, which to be fair have been great especially when you consider I only paid £600 fitted.
Nitrons are usually well reviewed but are expensive, and more recently I believe have come in for some criticism themselves.
So for this post I'm only really interested in how the relatively new and well priced Gaz Monos actually perform in the real world on real roads, I'm thinking I may just bolt a rear set only on the back of 'Ol Gasbag' given I need to change my rear spring rates anyway.
I'm pretty confident my cheapskate combo of monos on the rear and GGPs on the front will work Ok for the time being, but I'm happy to be corrected on this by the experts.
Thanks in advance, Dave.
A spring rate change has knock on effects .. diagonal weight transfer (affecting handling balance) and relationship between compression and rebound damping, ride quality, extended stroke length causing spring to come loose on full droop being just a few obvious ones.
If all you need to do is stop it bottoming out you could
1) find out what's hitting the ground first and reposition it (exhaust, anti roll bar mounts etc)
2) get creative with the bump stops.
If however you want an excercise in trialling suspension, carry on
If all you need to do is stop it bottoming out you could
1) find out what's hitting the ground first and reposition it (exhaust, anti roll bar mounts etc)
2) get creative with the bump stops.
If however you want an excercise in trialling suspension, carry on
Having tried many as you said I have stuck to the Monos.
I specified fast road/occasional TD use and got 450/400lb springs.
This set up works very well given the limitations of the units having to cope with road and track.
From memory the units have 13 clicks, soft to hard.
I tend to run front + 6 clicks & rear + 2 clicks for the road which gives a compliant ride.
For track, I wind them up about 6 clicks all round.
Why don't you take a spin over to Phazed Towers and try for yourself?
I specified fast road/occasional TD use and got 450/400lb springs.
This set up works very well given the limitations of the units having to cope with road and track.
From memory the units have 13 clicks, soft to hard.
I tend to run front + 6 clicks & rear + 2 clicks for the road which gives a compliant ride.
For track, I wind them up about 6 clicks all round.
Why don't you take a spin over to Phazed Towers and try for yourself?
phazed said:
Having tried many as you said I have stuck to the Monos.
I specified fast road/occasional TD use and got 450/400lb springs.
This set up works very well given the limitations of the units having to cope with road and track.
From memory the units have 13 clicks, soft to hard.
I tend to run front + 6 clicks & rear + 2 clicks for the road which gives a compliant ride.
For track, I wind them up about 6 clicks all round.
Why don't you take a spin over to Phazed Towers and try for yourself?
Excellent response as ever Peter and I bow to your vast experience in these matters I specified fast road/occasional TD use and got 450/400lb springs.
This set up works very well given the limitations of the units having to cope with road and track.
From memory the units have 13 clicks, soft to hard.
I tend to run front + 6 clicks & rear + 2 clicks for the road which gives a compliant ride.
For track, I wind them up about 6 clicks all round.
Why don't you take a spin over to Phazed Towers and try for yourself?
Actually the Gaz factory just emailed me to confirm I have 325lb springs on the back and suggested an immediate jump to 400lbs.
I've done some fag packet calculations myself and with the 30kg of extra weight I'm carrying over the rear axle everything points to the car needing rear spring rates in the region of 375 to 385lbs.
If I go 400 at the rear as Gaz have suggested that would give me 400 all round, every setup I've seen or read about on a Chimaera runs front springs that are anything from 10-20% heavier than the rears. Perhaps this setup suits the normal 50:50 weight bias but I'm more like 45% front & 55% rear these days so it seems logical the 400lbs rears could indeed be spot on for 'Ol Gasbag'.
I totally get increasing the spring rate represents a rather basic solution that will have other knock on effects, but it is a cheap way to sort things out while I work my other more complete solution in the background.
The bottoming out I'm experiencing is very occasional, the source of the impact is the bump stops doing their job under full compression. They are simply doing exactly what they are designed to do and I most certainly will not be cutting them about in a crude attempt to mask the underlying issue.
Many thanks for your kind offer to visit Phazed Towers Peter and I may just take you up on the offer, but for the time being it's looking increasingly likely I'll be simply sticking a set of 400lbs coils on the back of 'Ol Gasbag'.
Cheers, Dave
I have had both GGP's and mono's and have been pleased with both of them. There seems to be a larger range of adjustment on the monos, but overall, I wouldnt up-grade the GGPs unless they needed changing. I think that GAZ also make a two way adjustable set of GGPs now. Dan Taylor has those on his personal car and would be a good person to speak with given that he will have fitted and tested loads!
ChimpOnGas said:
What spring rates do you run on those beauties Daz?
How much were they, were you fleeced?
Sorry couldn't resist the lambs wool punn
Original setup out the box 250/325 .They were a little soft so after speaking to Nitron they said no need to bring them in for adjusting the valves .How much were they, were you fleeced?
Sorry couldn't resist the lambs wool punn
I removed the fronts and fitted them on the rear and purchased a pair of 375lb springs from Jools for the front .
So my setup is 325/375 .
Nitron are now offering them with an upgraded 46mm fast road piston for the same price .
http://www.nitron.co.uk/catalogue_item.php?catID=1...
Spend a few hundred more ,I know you want them
Edited by SILICONEKID345HP on Thursday 20th August 17:46
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