AVO Shocks - progress so far
Discussion
Right, had the AVO's fitted now to replace the previously poor quality "performance" shocks that I had on before - I wont dig that one up again, but a search on the forums will show that the previous "performance" ones didnt last long and are basically crap.
Got the car back this afternoon and so far very impressed with the results. They are better than my previous "performance" brand - they are quieter, a little more progressive and with the set-up certainly not as agressive as before. I thought it would be better to get the car weighted and balanced by a racecar specialist to get them working correctly - hence the post.
BEFORE
The ride height before was always a little low. I did manage to scrape a few speed bumps and it was too low for my liking.
610 / 625 - Front
660 / 670 - Back
This measurement is in CM from the ground to the top of the wheelarch - so as you can see, it was quite low!
A straight replacement of the shocks raised things nicely:
630 / 650 - Front
675 / 695 - Back
You will notice one important factor here - from left to right there is a BIG difference in ride height! Ok, you want to allow for some play for the driver (I am a little big and heavy I know, but this is taking the piss!). Shocks can drift out and this is especially true for adjustables...
After the adjustments and road test we managed:
620 / 630
665 / 665
Which is MUCH better. Then the interesting part was the corner weights to ensure balance:
281 / 273 - Front
275 / 274 - Back
Not sure what the numbers are measuring here (weight obviously but not which one!). The important point here is that they managed to get the back balanced out fully. This is critical with a car that rear wheel drive and with a surplus of power.... so rather pleased with that. I have been asked to return in 500 miles to have the final adjustments sorted out and get the front a little more balanced... but that will only be a week or so!
However, this whole exercise raised a couple of interesting points:
1) Performance shocks dont last long - you have been warned
2) Dont just fit 'em - get them sorted and balanced, it makes a world of difference
3) They will regular testing and adjustment (not just for an MOT)
4) My previous brand guarantee was invalidated by a track day - but surely this is why people buy them?
5) A correctly setup Chimaera on decent shocks is a revalation and its truely great
Total bill came in at just under £800 but well worth it for the transformation that it has given the car. Well worth it and would strongly recommend it to all those that would like a better handling car....
My only criticsm at the moment is that it is a little "bouncy" at the back. Improves on traction, but looses on really bad roads - its a compromise, but I might just tighten up the back a little. Oh, the options that I have....
Getting late and havent finished work - cheers,
Paul
Got the car back this afternoon and so far very impressed with the results. They are better than my previous "performance" brand - they are quieter, a little more progressive and with the set-up certainly not as agressive as before. I thought it would be better to get the car weighted and balanced by a racecar specialist to get them working correctly - hence the post.
BEFORE
The ride height before was always a little low. I did manage to scrape a few speed bumps and it was too low for my liking.
610 / 625 - Front
660 / 670 - Back
This measurement is in CM from the ground to the top of the wheelarch - so as you can see, it was quite low!
A straight replacement of the shocks raised things nicely:
630 / 650 - Front
675 / 695 - Back
You will notice one important factor here - from left to right there is a BIG difference in ride height! Ok, you want to allow for some play for the driver (I am a little big and heavy I know, but this is taking the piss!). Shocks can drift out and this is especially true for adjustables...
After the adjustments and road test we managed:
620 / 630
665 / 665
Which is MUCH better. Then the interesting part was the corner weights to ensure balance:
281 / 273 - Front
275 / 274 - Back
Not sure what the numbers are measuring here (weight obviously but not which one!). The important point here is that they managed to get the back balanced out fully. This is critical with a car that rear wheel drive and with a surplus of power.... so rather pleased with that. I have been asked to return in 500 miles to have the final adjustments sorted out and get the front a little more balanced... but that will only be a week or so!
However, this whole exercise raised a couple of interesting points:
1) Performance shocks dont last long - you have been warned
2) Dont just fit 'em - get them sorted and balanced, it makes a world of difference
3) They will regular testing and adjustment (not just for an MOT)
4) My previous brand guarantee was invalidated by a track day - but surely this is why people buy them?
5) A correctly setup Chimaera on decent shocks is a revalation and its truely great
Total bill came in at just under £800 but well worth it for the transformation that it has given the car. Well worth it and would strongly recommend it to all those that would like a better handling car....
My only criticsm at the moment is that it is a little "bouncy" at the back. Improves on traction, but looses on really bad roads - its a compromise, but I might just tighten up the back a little. Oh, the options that I have....
Getting late and havent finished work - cheers,
Paul
naah - it just looks like this
www.fotango.com/cgi-bin/public_gallery_item.cgi?id=321071&ORIG_REFERER=public_shares.cgi
www.fotango.com/cgi-bin/public_gallery_item.cgi?id=321071&ORIG_REFERER=public_shares.cgi
cracking picture mate - you didnt knock that up specially did you?
But yes, the body might be out of line and being GRP there isnt much you can do. Still, in 500 miles will nip back and get it re-balanced and weighted to see what we can get - plus will try a few speed bumps for clearance and maybe drop it a little....
But yes, the body might be out of line and being GRP there isnt much you can do. Still, in 500 miles will nip back and get it re-balanced and weighted to see what we can get - plus will try a few speed bumps for clearance and maybe drop it a little....
Corner weighting a road car is of little benefit, and taking ride height measurements off TVR wheelarches is a sure way to land yourself with misleading figures.
If you have a bespoke racing car which races in pretty much the same spec, with the same driver each race then corner weighting is worthwhile, however on a road car it's not critical .. full / half or empty fuel tank? .. same driver all the time? with or without passenger? Did you top the screenwash up beforehand? .. all make a difference to the value on the scales. If you do alot of track days then it's probably worthwhile to do the weighting with driver on board, 3/4 tank of fuel (you'd never run it too low on a track day) and all levels at full, since this is probably how the car would be on track for the average time.
Many times people try to compensate for uneven weight distribution on the spring platforms .. if a car has uneven weight distribution (as almost all road cars have) then you're not going to achieve much .. you're much better off equalising the load at each corner by shifting heavy stuff around the car (spare tyre, battery, screenwash bottle, passenger!). In a TVR you're not too badly off there as all the heavy stuff is symetrical about the centreline, but with a transverse FWD car you'd be struggling sometimes. Generally speaking "there or thereabouts" is close enough.
If you have a bespoke racing car which races in pretty much the same spec, with the same driver each race then corner weighting is worthwhile, however on a road car it's not critical .. full / half or empty fuel tank? .. same driver all the time? with or without passenger? Did you top the screenwash up beforehand? .. all make a difference to the value on the scales. If you do alot of track days then it's probably worthwhile to do the weighting with driver on board, 3/4 tank of fuel (you'd never run it too low on a track day) and all levels at full, since this is probably how the car would be on track for the average time.
Many times people try to compensate for uneven weight distribution on the spring platforms .. if a car has uneven weight distribution (as almost all road cars have) then you're not going to achieve much .. you're much better off equalising the load at each corner by shifting heavy stuff around the car (spare tyre, battery, screenwash bottle, passenger!). In a TVR you're not too badly off there as all the heavy stuff is symetrical about the centreline, but with a transverse FWD car you'd be struggling sometimes. Generally speaking "there or thereabouts" is close enough.
Completely agree with the comments - yep, the body is out of sync length ways, but is actually fine to the wheel arches (the front wheel arches are not in the same place front/back of the car - though please note its only a very small amount). Also, completely agree that setting up a road car isnt really going to do much.
There are too many compromises that you have to take to try and get a set-up, only to find that elsewhere its naff. However, I take the view that having spent the money to get better body control, I might as well spend a little more and ensure that they are as efficient as possible - kinda like putting top-spec sparks in the engine and not replacing the HT leads. You are getting some improvement, but incombination the difference can be more noticable.... thats all....
Not going to do that many track days, but looking to have a setup that is best for me. Thought it might be worth posting up the detailed information for those that are interested. There have been a few postings recently wondering what the hell to do....
There are too many compromises that you have to take to try and get a set-up, only to find that elsewhere its naff. However, I take the view that having spent the money to get better body control, I might as well spend a little more and ensure that they are as efficient as possible - kinda like putting top-spec sparks in the engine and not replacing the HT leads. You are getting some improvement, but incombination the difference can be more noticable.... thats all....
Not going to do that many track days, but looking to have a setup that is best for me. Thought it might be worth posting up the detailed information for those that are interested. There have been a few postings recently wondering what the hell to do....
Indeed ..
the other thing to watch about AVOs is that because they're designed as a replacement for the std damper, they're valved for std rate springs, so don't go too wild on the aftermarket spring rates .. you'll end up with a damping setting that's fine for controlling the extending spring, but which then gives a bump that's waaay too stiff, destroying the ride quality. However having said all that, AVOs are an excellent budget introduction to the world of adjustable dampers, and the best thing is you can play with the settings and feel the difference.
Have fun
the other thing to watch about AVOs is that because they're designed as a replacement for the std damper, they're valved for std rate springs, so don't go too wild on the aftermarket spring rates .. you'll end up with a damping setting that's fine for controlling the extending spring, but which then gives a bump that's waaay too stiff, destroying the ride quality. However having said all that, AVOs are an excellent budget introduction to the world of adjustable dampers, and the best thing is you can play with the settings and feel the difference.
Have fun
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