Suspension for a weekend track Puma
Discussion
Bought a Puma last year for a bit of fun at Combe and enjoyed it so much that have spent a bit of money on it.
After fixing the necessary advisories and doing a full major service, next thing to tackle is suspension.
My budget is ideally £400 but I could stretch to a little more.
The options I've found are:
- KW Variant 1
- ST Suspension X Coilovers
- Avo coilovers
- Gaz coilovers
I've read up on the cheaper options - being TA Technix (circa £330, bone shakers but seem fairly resilient?) and AP Coilovers (£400, apparent tendency to blow rear oil seals on track, no stock until early November), the other options - ST Suspension shock and spring kit I was hoping for, plus Weitec, Spax etc have been discontinued.
So here's my dilemma - do I:
1) spend the extra £180 on the KW's / ST's (they describe themselves differently but from what I read the KW are the better kit due to the stainless steel bodies), or
2) Say sod it and buy TA Technix and take my chances
I'm not a track expert - only on my second day, but I can afford to spend a little more so just wondering if it's worth the extra outlay.
I don't see the point in spending even more on Gaz or Avo when most tell me KW's are the better shocks even if the KW option isn't adjustable, I'm thinking it probably won't make a great deal of difference with my limited skills!
After fixing the necessary advisories and doing a full major service, next thing to tackle is suspension.
My budget is ideally £400 but I could stretch to a little more.
The options I've found are:
- KW Variant 1
- ST Suspension X Coilovers
- Avo coilovers
- Gaz coilovers
I've read up on the cheaper options - being TA Technix (circa £330, bone shakers but seem fairly resilient?) and AP Coilovers (£400, apparent tendency to blow rear oil seals on track, no stock until early November), the other options - ST Suspension shock and spring kit I was hoping for, plus Weitec, Spax etc have been discontinued.
So here's my dilemma - do I:
1) spend the extra £180 on the KW's / ST's (they describe themselves differently but from what I read the KW are the better kit due to the stainless steel bodies), or
2) Say sod it and buy TA Technix and take my chances
I'm not a track expert - only on my second day, but I can afford to spend a little more so just wondering if it's worth the extra outlay.
I don't see the point in spending even more on Gaz or Avo when most tell me KW's are the better shocks even if the KW option isn't adjustable, I'm thinking it probably won't make a great deal of difference with my limited skills!
lickatysplit said:
I'd go for Gaz myself.
Care to elaborate on why? Plenty of people say "I'd go for Gaz" but there's no justification I've really seen outside of "lots of other people so I bought them too" 
.I don't understand why Gaz are likely to be worth an extra £100 over KW's given that I don't race in any series etc.
Yes they're adjustable but only for rebound not compression. Golds which offer both are an extra £230..
Just seems like overkill, especially on such a cheap car.
If you said "KW's blow seals" or "they knock" or similar I'd understand, just need some more detailed feedback if you see my point, otherwise I'm leaning toward the KW's.
You're going to laugh but I've ordered AP's!
Having done a load of reading on various forums, and speaking to a few re-sellers, most seemed to suggest that:
a) Whilst KW Variant 1 and AP aren't the same externally, the differences are marginal in that the KW coating is stainless and AP is galvanised, but that the valving and internal parts are very similar
b) The AP's work well on the road and are okay for occassional track use, which is pretty much what mine will get
c) TA Technix were pretty good on the front but too bouncy on the rear, and the ride was bone shaking!
Only advantage seemed to be that they'd allow you to slam the car more, which isn't my motivation!
Given that AP's were only another £65 it seemed logical to go for the option that would provide the more comfortable ride, and gives me another £180 back to potentially buy another Puma for spares if I need it.
If they break at least they're covered under warranty for 2 years, plus they're less than half the price of Gaz golds, which I doubt I'd ever truly get the full benefit from.
Having done a load of reading on various forums, and speaking to a few re-sellers, most seemed to suggest that:
a) Whilst KW Variant 1 and AP aren't the same externally, the differences are marginal in that the KW coating is stainless and AP is galvanised, but that the valving and internal parts are very similar
b) The AP's work well on the road and are okay for occassional track use, which is pretty much what mine will get
c) TA Technix were pretty good on the front but too bouncy on the rear, and the ride was bone shaking!
Only advantage seemed to be that they'd allow you to slam the car more, which isn't my motivation!
Given that AP's were only another £65 it seemed logical to go for the option that would provide the more comfortable ride, and gives me another £180 back to potentially buy another Puma for spares if I need it
.If they break at least they're covered under warranty for 2 years, plus they're less than half the price of Gaz golds, which I doubt I'd ever truly get the full benefit from.
Gassing Station | Ford | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff