Shocking question!

[Griffrich]

Hi All,

Time has come to replace my original Bilstien shocks. Question I have is, is it worth the extra outlay for Nitrons over Racing Red/Gaz Golds? I believe the difference is approx £500 more for the Nitrons, but are they really worth the extra money? I don't really do any track days just spirited road diving including foray's over to Europe. I intend to keep the car forever. Any experience and opinions would be welcome!

Cheers
Rich

[daveb500]

Personally, I believe you will get what you pay for. I have Gaz Golds and they are a big step up from the old standard ones. But I'm sure Nitrons are a step better again. what ever you choose, it will be better than the old ones.

[FlipFlopGriff]

Rich,
If you go for GAZ's theres a discount for pre-orders at the Growl which will save you £75. See seperate post above/below.
FFG

[sgrimshaw]

Racing Reds in preference to Gaz Golds .... if you can get hold of them.

[Griffrich]

Why the RR over the Gaz? (Cheers for thr replies thus far!)

Rich

[Torquemada]

If your funds can stretch to it, go for the Nitrons. I went for cheaper option a few years ago and regretted it - as they say, buy cheap buy twice.
Nitrons, je ne regrette rien.

Edited by Torquemada on Monday 12th July 15:07

[LordGrover]

I suspect everyone who's shelled out for them will find them great, probably because they are.
Whatever you put on, if they're newer than what they're replacing they'll feel much better. However, I doubt I'd be able to tell the difference between the more expensive technologies and a new set of billies or other 'lower' spec shocks.

Just my tupenny worth.

[yellowgriff]

Gaz gold .. great to fit & a big step forward in my books,, But get a proper Geo set up after or your wasting your time & money.....

[daveb500]

yellowgriff said:

Gaz gold .. great to fit & a big step forward in my books,, But get a proper Geo set up after or your wasting your time & money.....

Yep, agree with that. I don't think you'll be disappointed with Gaz Golds but I don't doubt that Nitrons are better either.

[sgrimshaw]

Griffrich said:

Why the RR over the Gaz? (Cheers for thr replies thus far!)

Rich

Better units.

You might find them difficult to get hold of though ... I have heard that they are stopping production of RR - too good for the price.

Give Richard a call at Dulford.

Without question Nitrons are better still, but the jump in price is quite a big one.

The recent concensus seems to be certainly go for Nitrons if you do a lot of track work (funds permitting) , fast road the RR (or GG, I guess) will make a big improvement anyway.


As has been already mentioned, budget for getting the setup done too.

Edited by sgrimshaw on Monday 12th July 22:27

[BJWoods]

Money not a problem?

I've got ohlins on mine.. (I didn't pay as much for them as in the link ( a bit of a blast from the past) APM possibly supply maintain them..

As I'm keeping my car for ever as well, and my old ones were shot, I just went for it.....
Whether they are any 'better' than the best nitrons... who knows, as I don't have 2 griffs with a set each fitted to compare

http://www.pistonheads.com/tvr/griffith/ohlins.htm

Edited by BJWoods on Tuesday 13th July 13:20

[Griffrich]

Cheers for all tips guys.

I'm starting to lean towards RR, still got one eye on Nitrons though! Decisions decisions!

[Torquemada]

I'd strongly recommend blagging a ride in one that has the shocks you are tempted by before forking out your hard earned.

[Mr MoJo]

Don't reject the idea of Gaz Gold Pros, I've had them on mine for a year now and they transformed the handling (along with Geo set up). My old shocks weren't shot either, sold them on recently, but I wanted to get the car 'sat' right as it was pretty nose up (as alot of SE's are due to 16" front and rears). I wanted to get the car sat a bit lower and in the correct nose down stance. The vast improvement in handling was an unexpected bonus

[rigga]

Protech ...... just to add another option,i know some have them on here and seem happy with them.

[Chimpaholic]

Mr MoJo said:

Don't reject the idea of Gaz Gold Pros, I've had them on mine for a year now and they transformed the handling (along with Geo set up). My old shocks weren't shot either, sold them on recently, but I wanted to get the car 'sat' right as it was pretty nose up (as alot of SE's are due to 16" front and rears). I wanted to get the car sat a bit lower and in the correct nose down stance. The vast improvement in handling was an unexpected bonus

Hi Mr MoJo, thats very interesting to me as I have 16" rear wheels on the front of my Chimaera & am considering the Gaz Gold Pros.

Can I ask what tyre profiles you run font & rear and how you configured the ride height on your Griff when you fitted the Gaz Gold Pros.

I was led to believe that front tyre profile could/should be the way to return the car to its correct stance when fitting 16" wheels on the front?

Finally what spring rates did you select?

I am looking for a firm but compliant ride, not a bone shaker.

Did you have to make any compromises in ride quality and comfort to achieve the handling benefits you have spoken about?

Many thanks in advance of your response, Dave.

[Mr MoJo]

Hi Dave,
The front alloys on mine are narrower than the rears (rears have a deeper dish) and were standard issue on the SE Griffs so came from Bristol Ave like that. Tyre sizes are 225/45/16 front and 245/45/16 rear if I remember rightly - the car is in for a
few tweaks and a service at the moment.
With regards the Gaz Gold Pros, the springs came with the shocks as a package. Not sure what rating they are, I'd need to check with 'absolute shocks' who I believe ForzaWest ( who look after the car for me when it comes to anything more technical than topping up with fuel and oil !! ) got them from.
It took a couple of attempts to get the ride height correct. A case of trial and error. On the first attempt - for the drive to last years Growl - the car settled a little low to say the least and the ride was on the hard side !! Looked great, slammed to the floor, however neither practical or drivable
After 2 further attempts the car sat perfectly, nose slightly down and a little lower than standard. Then it was a case of increasing the stiffness a few clicks at a time. (easily done with car on the ground on the GG pros). Once that was done, had the alignment and geo set up and the car has handled very well since. Hopefully get the corner weighting checked at this years Growl
HTH
Simon

Edited by Mr MoJo on Wednesday 14th July 16:52

[Chimpaholic]

Mr MoJo said:

Hi Dave,
The front alloys on mine are narrower than the rears (rears have a deeper dish) and were standard issue on the SE Griffs so came from Bristol Ave like that. Tyre sizes are 225/45/16 front and 245/45/16 rear if I remember rightly - the car is in for a
few tweaks and a service at the moment.
With regards the Gaz Gold Pros, the springs came with the shocks as a package. Not sure what rating they are, I'd need to check with 'absolute shocks' who I believe ForzaWest ( who look after the car for me when it comes to anything more technical than topping up with fuel and oil !! ) got them from.
It took a couple of attempts to get the ride height correct. A case of trial and error. On the first attempt - for the drive to last years Growl - the car settled a little low to say the least and the ride was on the hard side !! Looked great, slammed to the floor, however neither practical or drivable
After 2 further attempts the car sat perfectly, nose slightly down and a little lower than standard. Then it was a case of increasing the stiffness a few clicks at a time. (easily done with car on the ground on the GG pros). Once that was done, had the alignment and geo set up and the car has handled very well since. Hopefully get the corner weighting checked at this years Growl
HTH
Simon

Edited by Mr MoJo on Wednesday 14th July 16:52

Thanks Simon, spoke with Derek at Absolute Shocks earlier today.

He did me such a fantastic deal (including fitting) that I really couldn't say no.

I've been uming and aring over which shocks to go for for some time.

Your comments and the deal I struck with Derek finally persuaded me to go the Gaz Gold Pro route.

Oh and the fact they are British made, come with a good guarantee and the factory is only an hours drive away made it a no-brainer.

If there are any problems or when the rebuild time eventually comes its all nice & local, from what I hear they provide good customer support.

Thanks for helping me make my mind up, I will not be attending the Growl as I will be exercising my new Gaz Gold Pros in the South of France

Hopefully I will meet you at the next event where I will be happy to buy you a beer

Best regards, Dave.

[Mr MoJo]

My pleasure, I'll be in Brittany the week after The Growl, unfortunately not inthe Griff. The Allroad is slightly more practical for a wine, cider and cheese mission !!
Enjoy the drive, look forward to hearing how you get on

[LordGrover]

FYI, Derek Smith has an addition to RV8R this month; an article on shocks: click.