Suspension and Setup
Discussion
I feel like the Griff needs a treat and I have always meant to go back and address the suspension. When I did the rebuild for my wedding, the car ended up on Protech dampers due to the budget. The front end has been fine but the rear has never felt planted and either bounces (too soft) or skips (too firm) after bumps - maybe the rear spring is wrong but I don’t recall the details given at the time.
Most seem to suggest Nitrons or Ohlins as the top spec solutions for the Griff. So what’s the current consensus on the best solution and do I need to take it to someone specific for setup?
The Ohlins all seem to have been done by Giles Cooper. He’s in Suffolk and I’m in York so it’s not the simplest drop-off but I want the car to be the best it can be on a poorly surfaced B-road. Currently I find my car needs a smooth A-road to be happy which seems a shame.
Cheers,
Simon
Most seem to suggest Nitrons or Ohlins as the top spec solutions for the Griff. So what’s the current consensus on the best solution and do I need to take it to someone specific for setup?
The Ohlins all seem to have been done by Giles Cooper. He’s in Suffolk and I’m in York so it’s not the simplest drop-off but I want the car to be the best it can be on a poorly surfaced B-road. Currently I find my car needs a smooth A-road to be happy which seems a shame.
Cheers,
Simon
Probably the most important money you can ever spend on these cars so seek out the best in my opinion.
Someone like Mat Smith was on my radar when considering changes to my Chim, not sure where he is with regards to you but highly regarded with the geo on these cars.
I never mind travelling to get jobs like this done really, trains etc back are usually doable.
Edited to add it was Mat Smith I looked at.
Someone like Mat Smith was on my radar when considering changes to my Chim, not sure where he is with regards to you but highly regarded with the geo on these cars.
I never mind travelling to get jobs like this done really, trains etc back are usually doable.
Edited to add it was Mat Smith I looked at.
Edited by Belle427 on Friday 31st December 15:25
Edited by Belle427 on Friday 31st December 15:26
I have very recently used Center Gravity for full geometry and corner weight set-up on my Tamora. It has totally transformed the car and is the best 'upgrade' I have done. They worked with what I had already and just got the car set up well. They are based in Atherstone, between Leicester and Birmingham, so not that close to you but worth the effort in my opinion. They got my car sorted in a day and I sat in their waiting room and got on with some work and also spent quite a bit of the day chatting with the other customer and the staff. There are train stations close by if you need them.
Full write up here
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Full write up here
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
There are others that are better than nitrons and ohlins. I have fitted tractive active suspension and it’s superb, you can adjust hardness, pitch and roll from inside the car. Dive into a sharp turn and it stiffens up automatically I have also dumped the rear arb , have a look at raceshocks. 
If you want a good set up for sensible money call Mat Smith as already mentioned.
01366 386004. He is in Downham Market, West Norfolk.
Three hours by car from York, A64, A1, A17, A10.
He will recommend dampers and springs to suit your budget and use of the car, and will fit them for you as well as setting up the geo on his Hunter system.
He has a courtesy car if you mention it when you book the car in. He races a Chimaera, so knows a lot about set up.
If you agree which dampers you want before you have the work done then it is perfectly possible to have them fitted and the geo set up in well less than a full day, which means you can drive it down and back in the same day and watch as he fits everything....so long as you don't get him talking
He really knows TVRs and how to set them up. Mine has been really planted on the road and track for the last 9 years thanks to Mat.
01366 386004. He is in Downham Market, West Norfolk.
Three hours by car from York, A64, A1, A17, A10.
He will recommend dampers and springs to suit your budget and use of the car, and will fit them for you as well as setting up the geo on his Hunter system.
He has a courtesy car if you mention it when you book the car in. He races a Chimaera, so knows a lot about set up.
If you agree which dampers you want before you have the work done then it is perfectly possible to have them fitted and the geo set up in well less than a full day, which means you can drive it down and back in the same day and watch as he fits everything....so long as you don't get him talking
He really knows TVRs and how to set them up. Mine has been really planted on the road and track for the last 9 years thanks to Mat.
It’s difficult isn’t it, because it seems there’s no way to make an objective decision. Everyone who fits new suspension finds a massive improvement because they normally only fit a new system when the old one is shot. There’s no data (that I know of) to let us just whether Koni/Bilstein/Gaz/Nitron/Ohlins would actually be best for the car so you need to trust someone with experience of cars running a well set up iteration of each.
It’s a tricky choice to make.
It’s a tricky choice to make.
What I can say is moving from nitron to tractive the ride is so much more compliant. The nitrons can be crashy over bumps and the fitting of a digressive valve solves this. I would also suggest raceshocks they have a write up online explaining the differences or give them a ring.Ultimately it comes down to budget and what do you want from them . For me the active is great as when the car is booted the back end firms up and doesn’t squat and I don’t want something so hard it shakes me fillings out.
Isn’t it a case of putting lipstick on a pig so to speak with the suspension as the chassis is the weak link?
I remember watching the harry metcalf you tube video on the griff and him telling the story of mclaren engineers not being able to do anything with it on various damper combos etc as the chassis lacked rigidity?
I remember watching the harry metcalf you tube video on the griff and him telling the story of mclaren engineers not being able to do anything with it on various damper combos etc as the chassis lacked rigidity?
...... hence why Sportmotive sell another whole lot of wallet pain in the shape of their Evolution chassis, developed to handle the power of the 477 bhp LS3 engine, but i imagine it considerably improves the handling too by improving rigidity.
Set your budget before talking to experts, as the sky is your limit, but at the top end it begs the question of should you be starting from here (with a TVR)?
Hoofa's car is a work of art and engineering, but you need to ask him what he has spent on each of his various suspension mods to be able to see if they fit in with your budget.
Set your budget before talking to experts, as the sky is your limit, but at the top end it begs the question of should you be starting from here (with a TVR)?
Hoofa's car is a work of art and engineering, but you need to ask him what he has spent on each of his various suspension mods to be able to see if they fit in with your budget.
Think ££££££’s.
As a comparison, I had Gaz Mono’s on my old 5.5. These improved the handling and were more set up for Track to use where they performed well.
By comparison I now have a 2008 Boxster S with factory switchable adjustable suspension. By comparison the Porsche is streets ahead but it isn’t just the suspension units, it is the chassis it is attached to. Take the Porsche, millions spent in research and development which has resulted in all aluminium suspension components, (As well as other developments).
The TVR as always has been a slight development over the previous model and still uses a similar set up to the cars from the 1960s.
As said above, you can spend good money on suspension which will improve matters but it will never be as a highly developed production car.
Intrax gets a lot of good reviews , Might be worth making 74 he’s down this route.
In my opinion, you won’t get a fantastic ride from the usual suspects and that includes, Gaz and Nitrons.
As a comparison, I had Gaz Mono’s on my old 5.5. These improved the handling and were more set up for Track to use where they performed well.
By comparison I now have a 2008 Boxster S with factory switchable adjustable suspension. By comparison the Porsche is streets ahead but it isn’t just the suspension units, it is the chassis it is attached to. Take the Porsche, millions spent in research and development which has resulted in all aluminium suspension components, (As well as other developments).
The TVR as always has been a slight development over the previous model and still uses a similar set up to the cars from the 1960s.
As said above, you can spend good money on suspension which will improve matters but it will never be as a highly developed production car.
Intrax gets a lot of good reviews , Might be worth making 74 he’s down this route.
In my opinion, you won’t get a fantastic ride from the usual suspects and that includes, Gaz and Nitrons.
Definitely.
I have had the standard Nitron’s fitted and they were definitely no better then Gaz Monos which are aimed more at the sporty sort of ride and driving.
I have also had Nitron is more upmarket track focused damper which I thought was appalling.
If you want a reasonably priced comfortable biased damper then head for Pro-Tec.
They are very good on a standard car, made in England and the company gives good service.
Have a word with Joolz of Car & Classic. He fits their various models and sets them up.
I have had the standard Nitron’s fitted and they were definitely no better then Gaz Monos which are aimed more at the sporty sort of ride and driving.
I have also had Nitron is more upmarket track focused damper which I thought was appalling.
If you want a reasonably priced comfortable biased damper then head for Pro-Tec.
They are very good on a standard car, made in England and the company gives good service.
Have a word with Joolz of Car & Classic. He fits their various models and sets them up.
As you're York based have a word with Steve Darvill (SDAutotec). I'd go with Billies they'll be all you need. If you want to travel a bit further HHC would be my choice.
Just remember if you travel for hours then something needs tweaking and you need to go back it turns into a major ball ache, just all in my experience of course
Just remember if you travel for hours then something needs tweaking and you need to go back it turns into a major ball ache, just all in my experience of course
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