Just wondering... Fast road spring and damper options?

[Chris71]

I'm sure this is a whole can of worms, but what springs and dampers would people recommend as a fast road and occasional track day setup?

Also, how do people who've made the switch rate the standard springs and dampers (as fitted to a '97 500 if that makes any difference) for road use?

I'm not completely sure I'm going to change them - particularly given that I haven't got rid of the silly 18" wheels yet - but I'm weighing up my options.

[Mr MoJo]

Very pleased with my Gaz Gold Pro's. Considered Nitrons but couldn't justify the extra expense as I don't or at least haven't yet tracked the car. I know others who swear by Nitrons having fitted them.

[Chris71]

I was pleased with the Gaz Gold Pros on my S3 once I got them properly setup, so I'm definitely open to that option.

[.Mark]

Mr MoJo said:

Very pleased with my Gaz Gold Pro's. Considered Nitrons but couldn't justify the extra expense as I don't or at least haven't yet tracked the car. I know others who swear by Nitrons having fitted them.

GGP's on the Chimaera and absolutely loved them after the AVO's, the car felt a million times better. The Cerbera has Nitron's (different car, different league I appreciate) and feels so much better than the Chimaera, just a step change again over the GGP's.
So on the back of having both, if I could stretch to it should I have to replace again I'd go for the Gaz, although, if I'd never got the Cerbera, or if it didn't have Nitron's, I'd never know would I?

Did any of that rambling make sense?

[Timja]

Has anyone fitted racing Reds?

[snorky]

a vote here for Protechs...

[SILICONE KID]

A vote here for SPAX

[slideways]

SILICONE KID said:

A vote here for SPAX

why does that not surprise me!

[reddybear]

Timja said:

Has anyone fitted racing Reds?

i fitted racing reds 3 years ago and they transformed my chim ,height and damper adjustable,and fault free

[Chimjunkie]

Whats your budget? I went straight in for Nitrons on mine (£1200) and with a few other tweaks it has transformed the handling of the car making it compliant and very controllable on the limit. Started with 400/325 springs, but too soft for track. Moved on to 475/400 and found a great compromise between road and track. You will need silly spring rates to reduce lean though on track.

Gaz have upped their game considerably in the past few years and I would recommend the Gaz Gold Pro's for a £600 budget. Myself and Lisa were involved in the testing of the new revision of the Gold Pro's on my Audi powered Lotus. Very good shocks for the money.

[Podie]

snorky said:

a vote here for Protechs...

had them on the Chim, and have them on the Griff

[AlRaven]

This month's Sprint - GGP for £699 at Track v Road or Protechs from Raceproved for £666 all fitted and aligned etc, although Racepreoved seem to include corner weighting as well.

Hmmm - any thoughts on best route?

[Chimjunkie]

I think it is fair to say that most aftermarket suspension kits will be a marked improvement over the originals. But dont forget just how important the spring rates, damping settings and geometry are to the bahaviour of the car. It is best to discuss your requirements with any of the recognised experts. Speak to Topcats racing, gugliemi, Gaz etc. Dont just buy something, put it on and expect it to work for you!

[Chris71]

Chimjunkie said:

Dont just buy something, put it on and expect it to work for you!

Totally. I learnt that last time. The Gaz Gold Pros on my S3 were superb once the car had been properly setup, but it was a nightmare to start with.

I'd probably look to fit them myself and get a very basic setup to drive to Topcats or Wheels in Motion. Anyone tried the latter? The MX5 crowd rave about WiM and it's only just down the road, but I've not heard of anyone taking a TVR there.

I'm actually reasonably impressed with the body control for a standard setup (they're new OE springs and, I think, recent OE dampers); the only thing that sticks out is the squat/dive characteristics are a little extreme. The reason I ask is, being partial to track days and the like, I probably will swap them at some point and, although I'm in no great rush, I'm aware I'm going to be wandering round Autosport for a full four days next month. I'm trying to suss out the options in case I can strike a deal.

[macdeb]

Vote for GAZ here, and after-sales service has been fantastic!

[K4TRV]

reddybear said:

Timja said:

Has anyone fitted racing Reds?

i fitted racing reds 3 years ago and they transformed my chim ,height and damper adjustable,and fault free

Another RR user/fan. They are son-of-Nitrons, but couldn't justify something twice as much!!! Better than OEM and AVO.

You pays your money..........!!

HTH

Trev

[Timja]

K4TRV said:

reddybear said:

Timja said:

Has anyone fitted racing Reds?

i fitted racing reds 3 years ago and they transformed my chim ,height and damper adjustable,and fault free

Another RR user/fan. They are son-of-Nitrons, but couldn't justify something twice as much!!! Better than OEM and AVO.

You pays your money..........!!

HTH

Trev

Thanks - Glad to hear of some people happy with them, i'm considering them but usually just hear about people fitting Gaz Gold Pros at the cheaper end of the market (as opposed to Nitrons).

[snorky]

Podie said:

snorky said:

a vote here for Protechs...

had them on the Chim, and have them on the Griff

Had mine fitted at Raceproved, corner weighting included and they transformed the handling.

[edward1]

another vote for Protech and raceproved here. Dampers really improved the handling and Raceproved service was great

[Tiredoldgeezer]

Can anyone recommend a place in south wales to get dampers set up, happy to fit them myself but would want them properly set up for mainly road use, and very occasional track day ;-)

Thinking of racing reds