what dampers for a 94 pre serp 500 ? ohlins/gaz/nitrons

[sumoone]

I need new shocks all round

what do people think are best for the money....if i spend more do people think they last longer?


i would appreciate any advice.

Mark

[RFC1]

I'd like to hear opinions on this topic as well...Given the amount of folks who buy fully adjustable nitron/gaz etc etc and spend no end of time having them set/re-set/ etc etc.

Sandy.

[rigga]

RFC1 said:

I'd like to hear opinions on this topic as well...Given the amount of folks who buy fully adjustable nitron/gaz etc etc and spend no end of time having them set/re-set/ etc etc.

Sandy.

ok ok calm down... we heard you the first time

Seriously though,to back sandy up,im also in the market for some new suspension,done all the search's and found a mixed bag bag for reccomendations for Gaz and Racing Red etc,Nitron's seem to come out well,but at £300 pop a corner it might seem excessive for everyday driving and not track day warriors....so what to do?

[ray_von]

on another thread bigdods said:

If you can afford it go for the upper range of shocks - Nitrons or some such. I have Gaz Golds and they have failed to impress me on the road, if I was doing it again I would invest the extra in the Nitrons or just go for new (or reconditioned) bilsteins as I dont do track work.

This is very good advice IMHO, especially the bit about fitting Bilsteins

[D14 AYS]

ray_von said:

on another thread bigdods said:

If you can afford it go for the upper range of shocks - Nitrons or some such. I have Gaz Golds and they have failed to impress me on the road, if I was doing it again I would invest the extra in the Nitrons or just go for new (or reconditioned) bilsteins as I dont do track work.

This is very good advice IMHO, especially the bit about fitting Bilsteins

[dumbfunk]

I went for AVOs which were extremely disappointing and lasted 2 years before turning into lethal pogo-stick inserts so I did what I should have done in the first place and fitted Nitrons. Spent a couple of weekends playing about with the balance but to be honest once you're within an acceptable window it feels as though your driving style makes more difference then a click here or there. Needless to say they are vastly superior to the cheaper units.

I opted for the standard springs but would definitely suggest uprating them - there's still quite a bit of dive but the ride is very acceptable.



dumbfunk

[sumoone]

Thanks all for the comments

has anyone recently invested in Nitrons? any deals going on supply only?


mark

[HRG]

I would suggest saving £300 or so from your budget for a 'proper' geo set up by someone who really understands the subject, such as Chris at Centre Gravity. That can easily make as much difference to the handling as every other mod added together.

[900T-R]

Echo that - but if you do 'upgrade' the shocks make sure it is an upgrade. To be honest I follow the reverse logic to most here - for mainly recreative track work where you want to set up your car for a certain circuit, a set of adjustables at the lower end of the price scale may be all you need, for use on 'real' roads I find the adjustment feature is only important as a tool for whomever is setting the car up - I've never felt the urge to touch the damping settings on mine as IMO it's a bit like fiddling with the fueling and ignition yourself after the car has been mapped by Mark Adams - but the added composure and stability over a wide range of conditions that a truly excellent set of monotubes can afford is a definite bonus.

[RFC1]

I would like to try nitrons but am wary, as the springs which are supplied as std for the Griff fitment seem not to be hard enough going by other owners observations???

Sandy

[spend]

Best to contact Guy then and tell him what springs you want, at least that way he will ensure the dampers are valved correctly for the spring rates. Nitron is not Gas-mart so are used to a fair amount of custom business

[Chimjunkie]

RFC1 said:

I would like to try nitrons but am wary, as the springs which are supplied as std for the Griff fitment seem not to be hard enough going by other owners observations???

Sandy

400F/325R work really well and have good ride quality. Think as std they are 325F/275R.
As Spend suggests, speak to them and discuss your needs. Best mod i ever did to the car.

[sumoone]

Thanks for advice so far........geo was done on my griff only 300 miles ago and yes it is important to give it to people who
know what they are doing (the car felt fantastic even with knackered springs and dampers)
the only problem is that centre gravity is a fair old trip for me and would prefer people in the south .........any names i could speak to?

Thanks for your comments


mark

[HRG]

Turns out the adjustment wasn't for my benefit, it was for Chris's Now it's been set I will only adjust it to keep the valves from sticking.

[Guillotine]

Hi Mark,

From my experience, any new set up will feel brill as it's replacing worn stuff.
Nothing wrong with Bilsteins, Ohlins are fab if you have £3k and I have been using Nirons for 6 years now.
Still on the original set and have had them refurb'd once when one failed. (N/S/F)
The std springs are too soft imho. 400f/325r is the softest you need I'd say, but its all personal. That'll be fine on the road for Spirited driving.

You will need a set up though. If the geo's been set for old springs and dampers the height will be all over the place, particularly if you change spring rates.

Best to go for the best affordable (Nitrons) spec'd for your use (above) and have the set up included in the fit.

Dulfords where I had mine done, have been a Nitron centre for years and have just done a stonging deal for Hamish (SC 500 Griff) on Nitrons...give them a bell.

Andy
TVRMonster

[Guillotine]

BTW mines a 94 pre serp 500, and there's not too much wrong with the original Bilstein set up if new and set properly.

Andy

[rigga]

So what do Billies go for these days,and are they readily available?...or should the originals just be refurbed (if thats possible)

[900T-R]

rigga said:

So what do Billies go for these days,and are they readily available?...or should the originals just be refurbed (if thats possible)

Last time I looked TVR Power had them for £110 + VAT per corner. As for rebuilding, last time I was at Bilstein for a report on their remanufacturing activities they were not 100% sure - all Bilstein aftermarket (upgrades) and racing shocks are rebuildable, but some OE ones aren't, and in any case it only made sense if there weren't any available 'off the shelf' (see TVR Power's price for new ones) or if you wanted a different valving/updated innards/extra features compared to the standard article.

[FlipFlopGriff]

Just having the rear Nitron rebuilt and new springs. Going for upgrade to Eibach and uprating from the standard 250 Nitron spring to 325. Been on the car for 4 years and used daily so must be in the region of 35-40k miles which I'm happy with. Expensive layout initially but £50/corner for a rebuild they represent good value IMO.
Got Gaz's on the BV and I don't think they are anywhere near as planted and the BV has been set up, funnily by Chris at C of G. Put the old squeeky Gaz's on the 500 and after a hoon around north wales they don't inspire anywhere near the confidence of the Nitrons. My opinion obviously (& Mrs FFG agrees).
FFG

[HRG]

Is that a back to back comparison with a Chris set up and everything else identical? That's a good comparison if that's the case