Shock absorbers

[tvr keith]

My mate needs new front shocks on his 25K miler 400 Chim 1998.
He has been offered Nitron at £80.25 + Vat each + £80 for new bushes. Apparently TVR use odd size bolts so cannot use the std bushes.
He doesn't drive like a looney and no track days. Just wants to stop it skipping all over the road(one shock is leaking).
Any comments please?

[GreenV8S]

Nitron supply dampers specifically to fit TVRs. They are the right size and shape, have the right damping characteristics, and the right end fittings.

Presumably the Nitrons your mate has been offered are some other variant of Nitron. In that case you may not be getting the same units that other people are raving about, and I have no idea how suitable they would actually be.

I thought that the list price for Nitrons was considerably more than £80, though. I wouldn't have expected to get Nitrons for £80, but in that price bracket you could get Protech or Gaz. That money would also get you some other rather less desirable dampers from other 'well known' budget manufacturer manufacturers, you probably don't want to go there.

[Seasider]

[mongoose]

Seasider said:

£80 for Nitrons is an absolute bargain if you can get them.Nitron also make the spacers that you need for the eyes,to allow you to use the std tvr boltsYou can get Nitron on:-01993 849449

[trackcar]

Presumably they're the earlier NTX damper he's been offered secondhand? they came with rubber bushes so if it's a non-tvr variant as peter says then you'd need the bushes replacing.
The NTX design was sold to Protech so there's a family connection there

FWIW the early NTX Nitron was a peach, very good for road use and incredibly supple .. but was time consuming to build and Nitron wanted to move in a more race orietated monotube direction. I still mourn the passing of the old NTX dampers, they rocked!

[the gazman]

Nitron,NTR or whatever.
My question would be what axle off what car are these from.
If they are valved up for the rear and are the wrong length, doesn't seem much point to me. I'd want to know a bit more before I wasted my money.

[GreenV8S]

I thought the NTX dampers were great too, I've got a set that need servicing which Nitron will no longer do, but I'm definitely keeping them for a rainy day. The NTRs that replaced them are great too, but not *quite* as good as the NTXs in my opinion.

[rbryant]

Austec fitted my Chim with a set of Intrax a few weeks ago. Paul has just started importing them, I am seriously impressed so far.

www.intrax.tech4.nl/1k2.php?lang=en

Easy to adjust, better ride, much more controllable on a fast B road where I can now use the power rather than skipping from bump to bump as used to be sometimes. Turn-in and feel is also improved. They are fitted upside down so the adjuster is at the bottom just behind the wheel hub.

[mongoose]

rbryant said:

Austec fitted my Chim with a set of Intrax a few weeks ago............ They are fitted upside down so the adjuster is at the bottom just behind the wheel hub.

The Intrax do sound like a very nice bit of kit by all accounts.Just to pass on a tip i was once given though about another brand of shock,but should still apply here i suspect?If you really want to run them inverted,you should really make sure that the rod is well greased around the bump stop.This is because water will hold on the bump stop surface and the chromed rod will become pitted over time.Chrome is porous apparently.When you think about how often you will be adjusting them,you have to wonder if it's worth bothering inverting them really?The front of course dont need to be inverted anyway with most designs,as you can get to them from under the bonnet

[trackcar]

After seeing all the rusty chrome bumpers on 70's cars i can well believe that Mike