Archive #31312848
I've created this for Joe (V8S4ME) he is keen to collect other owners suspension settings & opinions.

Please refer all queries to Joe.

Car Damper Spring Rate F* Spring Rate R* Rebound Setting F** Rebound Setting R** Ride Height mm*** Comments/Experience
Example input S1 S2 S3 V8S GGPro 425 400 7 clicks (from hard) 8 clicks (from hard) Handles like a wet sponge
HvdWeerden S3 GGPro 375 300 13 13 165 good on motorway,harsh on short bumps. One front spring rusty after 0,5 year
HvdWeerden S3 Intrax RSA 335 335 50 50 165 total 50 clicks Fr/Rr. For track use 40 clicks. For normal use complete open (50 clicks). Balanced on normal roads, track to be checked
gifdy V8S Nitron 325 300 6-10 6-10 ? good road setup but felt too soft for track
gifdy V8S Nitron 450 375 3 from soft 3 from soft tbd bit crashy to start, softened is now excellent on road. Track tbd
Le TVR S1 GAZ GP8 375 300 12 from soft 25 from soft 165/170 With S3 trailing arms. NG with S1 T/arms. Could easily go 50lb more each end
Top Gear TVR S2 GGpro 400 375 13 from soft 15 from soft - Rear spot on now, front great on good surfaces but suffers a little with poor surfaces / bump steer / rebound - need to play with damping and check alignment. tracking set at 0 degrees currently
Stew Mc S3C GGpro Spring Rate F400 Spring Rate R350 Rebound Setting F11 Rebound Setting R09 Ride Height mm175F, 190R*** Set up is OK for road use but I have not finished playing with them as yet. A little soft for track use from the limited time I have spent on one
orange_dodo S1.5 Avo Adjustables ??? 275(ish) 8 from hard(ish) 12 from hard (halfway) Not very much! The springs are too soft. the rear is ok but the front needs the shocks quite tight. Although the car handles nicely there is distinct tool oversteer as the car rolls so slowly due to the tight front shocks the car tightens into a turn about half a second after you have turned the wheel.
Andy Lynch V8S Gaz Pro Gold Spring Rate F450 Spring Rate R375 Rebound Setting F9 Rebound Setting R9 Ride Height mm 145F, 170R Set up is OK for road use, but still playing, not been on a track
zombeh V8S Nitron 400 300 tbc tbc 185/193 rose jointed drop links and poly bushes, a smidge hard for the roads we have over here, perfect for smooth roads and autotesting. Height measured with 225/45/17 tyres on, would be ~3mm lower with standard wheels
Andy L V8S GG Pro 450 375 tbc tbc -/- much better both on the motorway and over the hills on fastish A road
S2Andy S2 F Gaz Gold R Spax with fixed spring seats F350 R Orig F half way- R Spax 4 from soft- 185/190 Tried 300 on front too soft, now a comfortable compromise ride / handleing. People comment on how good the ride quality is-
SJS357 V8S GGpro Spring Rate F400 Spring Rate R350 Rebound Setting F9 Rebound Setting R9 Ride Height mm175F, mm180R Set up is fine but further playing will be needed.
Barry S1 S1 GGpro 450 350 7 from soft 10 from soft 170F,180R Not bad on the road but i think its to soft for track.
Phillpot S3 Protech 400 375 8 8 172 F, 172R Wheels are "aftermarket" but standard size (7 x 15") with 205 / 60 Toyo CF1's. A reasonable balance between handling and some modicum of comfort
tozerman S3C GGPro's 425 325 4 from hard 6 from hard car gone so can't measure for the price they are hard to beat, ok on track (ring) always had the rear softer than the front. ok on road too
RayTVR S3 GGPro's 375 300 14 from hard 18 from hard 175 mm F 185mm R Happy with setup but haven't tried any other options or been to track. As these were fitted 2006 I would be interested to know if they are due for change -they are quite corroded and have to come off anyway as the bump stop on the rear is split
Alan Whitaker S1 Penske 7300 500 7" Eibache Race Springs 600 8" Eibach Race Springs middle middle 175 mm F 180 rear 3 position ride heigth
Magpies S1.5? Bilsteins 450 375 Fixed Rate Fixed Rate Low mileage Bilsteins from a Griff converted to height adjustables. Not on road yet!!
greymrj S1 GAZ Gas Classics (GP8) 450 375 10 clicks (from soft) 8 clicks (from soft) 175F 190R TBA
griffinr S3 GAZ Nickel 375 300 10 clicks (from soft) 8 clicks (from soft) 175F 190R Probably needs 400 front and move 375 to rear and soften shocks but rides and handles well, neutral on corners. Tyres 24psi all round.

||glenrobbo||S1|| Gaz GP8 ||450||375||8 clicks (from hard)|| 8 clicks (from hard)|| 182F 185R || Very pleased with the setup after the alpine testing.
Edit May '15 Ride heights raised to reduce exhaust grounding ||||
scoobimax S3 Gaz Nickel tbc 350 tbc 7 clicks from hard (out of 21) 190F 200R only just fitted so not driven yet - watch this space!!!
mohitos V8S Gaz Monotubes 450 375 6 clicks from soft 6 clicks from soft TBC F TBC R Handling and ride quality seem excellent. Ride height to be raised to allow for touring weight in car and bonnet to fully open
v8s4me V8S Koni Adjustable OEM ? ? max resistance max resistance TBC F TBC R Nice flat ride with no wallowing. Quite firm but not harsh. The dampers are set to maximum rebound resistance. Ride heights to follow




* Spring Rate in Lbs
** Rebound Setting = number of clicks from hard (ACW = anti-clockwise)
*** Ride Height measured in mm at the front outside corner of the out-rigger & taken as an average of both sides



Front spring rate increase:
More under steer; increase in proportional weight transfer to the front when rear wheel rate is not increased; reduces front traction when rear rate is not changed.
Usable adjustment: 150-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of too much adjustment: terminal under steer; front of car hops in corners; excessive wheel spin on inside front tire on FF cars.

Front spring rate decrease:
Less under steer; decreases proportional weight transfer to the front when rear wheel rate is not increased; increases front traction when rear rate is not changed.
Usable adjustment: 150-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of to much adjustment: Too much over steer; over steer then under steer if spring is so soft that the car bottoms out on lean, car bottoms out excessively with a jolting ride.

Rear spring rate increase:
More over steer; increase in proportional weight transfer to the rear when front wheel rate is not increased; increases rear traction when front rate is not changed.
Usable range: 100-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of too much adjustment: too much over steer; sidestep hop in corners; twitchy; pretty scary.

Rear spring rate decrease:
Less over steer: decreases proportional weight transfer to the rear when front wheel rate is not changed; increases rear traction when front rate is not changed
Usable range: 100-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of too much adjustment: car under steers; if way to soft car under steers then over steers as car bottoms out on lean; car bottoms out excessively with a jolting ride.

Front anti-roll bar stiffer: more under steer
Usable range: none to 1.25 inches in diameter
Symptoms of to much adjustment: terminal under steer; lifts inside front tire off the ground witch can cause massive wheel spin on FF cars; also not good for most effective tire usage as inside tire is now doing nothing.

Front anti-roll bar softer: less under steer
Usable range: none to 1.25 inches in diameter
Symptoms of to much adjustment: overstate scary; more like fun

Rear anti-roll bar stiffer: more over steer
Usable range: none to 1 inch in diameter
Symptoms of too much adjustment: Big-time over steer. Can cause inside rear tire to lift off the ground.

Rear anti-roll bar softer: less over steer
Usable range: none to 1 inch in diameter
Symptoms of to much adjustment: under steer; slow and boring

Front tire pressure higher: less under steer by reducing slip angels on most tires
Usable adjustment: up to 55psi hot
Symptoms of too much adjustment: no traction- tire crowned so more under steer; adds wheel spin in FF cars; jarring ride; center of tire wears out

Front tire pressure lower: more under steer by increasing slip angles on most tires
Usable adjustment: not less then 20psi
Symptoms of too much adjustment: edges of tire wear quickly because tire is folding over; feels mushy; tires chunk because low pressure means heat build up.

Rear tire pressure higher: less over steer by reducing slip angles on most tires
Usable range: up to 45psi hot
Symptoms of too much adjustment: no traction—tire is crowned so more over steer; bad wheel spin on FR cars; jarring ride; center of tire wears out.

Rear tire pressure lower: more over steer by incresing slip angles on most tires.
Usable range: not less then 20psi
Symptoms of too much adjustment: edges of tire wear quickly because tire is folding over; feels mushy; tires chunk because low pressure means heat build up

More negative camber front: less under steer because of better lateral traction as tread is flatter on the ground under side load.
Usable range: up to 3.5 degrees negative
Symptoms of too much adjustment: poor braking; car is road crown sensitive; twitchy; front tires wear on inside edge

More negative camber rear: less over steer because of better lateral traction as tread is flatter on the ground under side load. More rear grip
Usable range: up to 2.5 degrees negative
Symptoms of too much adjustment: more over steer; car feels twitchy in back; tires wear out on inside edge; less breakaway warning when limit is exceeded.

Ride height to low (typical beginner mistake): car is twitchy with unpredictable dynamics. Bump steer make you life miserable.
Usable range: usually 1.5-2.0 inches lower then stock unless car has been modified to go lower.
Symptoms of too much adjustment: everything that could possibly go wrong: sudden over/under steer; twitchy due to bump steer; very harsh ride; premature tire wear.

Toe in – front: car is stable going straight. Turn in is average
Usable range: 0-1/8th inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: car has slow twitchiness under braking; feels odd; kills outside edge of tires

Toe out – front: Car turns in well; works pretty well on FF car as they tend to toe-in under load.
Usable range: 0-1/4 inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: Car is really twitchy under braking; car wanders on straight road; kills inside edge of tire

Toe in – rear: car is less likely to over steer when the throttle is lifted
Usable range: 0-1/8th inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: weird, slow, rocking movement in back; feels slow but still unstable; wears outside edge of tires.

Toe out – rear: Helps car rotate useful in low speed and slalom courses; very common on FF pro rally cars.
Usable range: 0-1/8th inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: not to good for street driving; causes lift throttle over steer; makes violent side to side rocking motions in the rear; tie wears on inside more.

Positive front caster: helps stability; suspension will get more negative camber when turning; reducing positive caster reduces steering effort. (Negative caster is not usable)
Usable range: 4-9 degrees positive
Symptoms of too much adjustment: can increase under steer especially in cars with wide low-profile tires. Can increase steering effort.

Single adjustable shock stiffer: Better turn in; better transient response; causes slower onset of over/under steer by slowing weight transfer depending on what end of the car is adjusted.
Symptoms of too much adjustment: suspension becomes unresponsive; ride gets harsh; car skips over bumps, loosing traction; Causes a big delay in weight transfer resulting in strange handling like under steer then late corner stage over steer.

Single adjustable shock softer: slower transient response; quicker onset of over/under steer
Symptoms of too much adjustment: car oscillates due to under dampened spring motion, like a boat. Car gets twitchy in turns. Feels unstable.