Discussion
Anyone else got / waiting for/to have fitted a kit?
I received mine last week, built and fitted it at the weekend. I need to take it to P5 to have a small issue sorted, then to WIM for set up, but first impressions are that it's brilliant
Will of course post some more lengthy drivel once it's all sorted
I received mine last week, built and fitted it at the weekend. I need to take it to P5 to have a small issue sorted, then to WIM for set up, but first impressions are that it's brilliant
Will of course post some more lengthy drivel once it's all sorted
I did fit them myself. Got the mk2 topmounts too Building them up was simple enough - took me Friday evening. Swapping the rear shocks/springs was also easy enough, it was the front that was a bit more of a pig. Took me ages to figure out how to separate things to get the old strut out, seeing as I misread Phil's instructions and interpreted them as needing to dismantle ball-joints instead of just unbolting the balljoint bracket bit from the wishbone 
Then you just need to prise the wishbones down and pull the old one out, and carefully slot the new one in.
It's the first time I've done such a job so I'm sure if you've worked on similar things before it'll be easy
Building them up was simple enough - took me Friday evening. Swapping the rear shocks/springs was also easy enough, it was the front that was a bit more of a pig. Took me ages to figure out how to separate things to get the old strut out, seeing as I misread Phil's instructions and interpreted them as needing to dismantle ball-joints instead of just unbolting the balljoint bracket bit from the wishbone Then you just need to prise the wishbones down and pull the old one out, and carefully slot the new one in. It's the first time I've done such a job so I'm sure if you've worked on similar things before it'll be easy
Edited by Howard- on Tuesday 18th August 09:58
That’s great
Dad’s pretty handy with a pair of spanners. We’ve had the Nitron’s off and on the Griff a couple of times, but concerned about some of the bolts on the 5. Had to buy a new front brake calliper late last year as it started to bind. Got new front disks at the same time.
Dad managed to replace one disk and the calliper, but one bolt just wouldn’t budge for him.
So have been running a new disk one side and calliper on the other! Amazingly it brakes fine.
However it’s going to have to come off one way or another now.
Recent MOT highlighted some other items for replacement so good time as any to get it all done.
Dad’s pretty handy with a pair of spanners. We’ve had the Nitron’s off and on the Griff a couple of times, but concerned about some of the bolts on the 5. Had to buy a new front brake calliper late last year as it started to bind. Got new front disks at the same time.
Dad managed to replace one disk and the calliper, but one bolt just wouldn’t budge for him.
So have been running a new disk one side and calliper on the other! Amazingly it brakes fine.
However it’s going to have to come off one way or another now.
Recent MOT highlighted some other items for replacement so good time as any to get it all done.
Hello Howard,
What are they like? I'm waiting for mine to be delivered sometime this week (going by what Phil has said) and should have them on pretty soon after. What are your first impressions?
They look pretty substantial, are they any lighter then the standard ones?
What ride height are you at?
Thanks
What are they like? I'm waiting for mine to be delivered sometime this week (going by what Phil has said) and should have them on pretty soon after. What are your first impressions?
They look pretty substantial, are they any lighter then the standard ones?
What ride height are you at?
Thanks
Hey,
It needs tweaking and setting up but first impressions are that it's stiffer - body roll is pretty much wiped out now, which is great. A lot more control and feedback in the corners, and it feels like you're cornering 'slower' than you are even though it's faster! I'll be able to 'test' it fully once it's all geo'd etc.
Good question re. the weight, it didn't cross my mind to compare I don't recall there being much difference between the weight of new vs old, though!
I'm going to be at 330mm rear, 320mm front ride height (arch to wheel centre)
It needs tweaking and setting up but first impressions are that it's stiffer - body roll is pretty much wiped out now, which is great. A lot more control and feedback in the corners, and it feels like you're cornering 'slower' than you are even though it's faster! I'll be able to 'test' it fully once it's all geo'd etc.
Good question re. the weight, it didn't cross my mind to compare
I don't recall there being much difference between the weight of new vs old, though! I'm going to be at 330mm rear, 320mm front ride height (arch to wheel centre)
Edited by Howard- on Tuesday 18th August 20:17
Howard- said:
Hey,
It needs tweaking and setting up but first impressions are that it's stiffer - body roll is pretty much wiped out now, which is great. A lot more control and feedback in the corners, and it feels like you're cornering 'slower' than you are even though it's faster!
I really rather like the sound of that!It needs tweaking and setting up but first impressions are that it's stiffer - body roll is pretty much wiped out now, which is great. A lot more control and feedback in the corners, and it feels like you're cornering 'slower' than you are even though it's faster!
Combover said:
Howard- said:
Hey,
It needs tweaking and setting up but first impressions are that it's stiffer - body roll is pretty much wiped out now, which is great. A lot more control and feedback in the corners, and it feels like you're cornering 'slower' than you are even though it's faster!
I really rather like the sound of that!It needs tweaking and setting up but first impressions are that it's stiffer - body roll is pretty much wiped out now, which is great. A lot more control and feedback in the corners, and it feels like you're cornering 'slower' than you are even though it's faster!
One more question about fitting.... did you need a spring compressor to get them on and off?
Combover said:
Howard- said:
Hey,
It needs tweaking and setting up but first impressions are that it's stiffer - body roll is pretty much wiped out now, which is great. A lot more control and feedback in the corners, and it feels like you're cornering 'slower' than you are even though it's faster!
I really rather like the sound of that!It needs tweaking and setting up but first impressions are that it's stiffer - body roll is pretty much wiped out now, which is great. A lot more control and feedback in the corners, and it feels like you're cornering 'slower' than you are even though it's faster!
I can't get over the the fact it's just as comfortable over bumps, at low speeds etc (albeit stiffer) yet once you introduce some bends... 
Blackbullet said:
One more question about fitting.... did you need a spring compressor to get them on and off?
I did not I bought a set thinking I would, but hey, better to have and not need than to need and not have! Front's a bit trickier to wedge the struts in and out but you don't need them.
Edited by Howard- on Tuesday 18th August 22:30
According to Phil, the shocks are slightly heavier than the standard oem but nothing significant.
I agree with what Howard has said regarding the handling, I have found them to be really very good especially on medium to high speed mid-corner bumps. They also really reduce body roll. These things add up to make the car handle with much less drama mid-corner which in turn gives you more confidence and the car more grip.
As you can tell, so far Im happy with mine.
I agree with what Howard has said regarding the handling, I have found them to be really very good especially on medium to high speed mid-corner bumps. They also really reduce body roll. These things add up to make the car handle with much less drama mid-corner which in turn gives you more confidence and the car more grip.
As you can tell, so far Im happy with mine.
nfo said:
So Pete, I'm going to be even slower than you in the next Autosolo then?
Sounds great - definitely on the list of things to consider as there's certainly a fair bit of roll on the standard suspension.
Well I bloody hope so!! Sounds great - definitely on the list of things to consider as there's certainly a fair bit of roll on the standard suspension.
Hopefully i'll have a bit of a performance advantage with this setup- maybe even challenge the elises???
Keep up the good work with the photography mate- some great photos last time out.
Edited by Pete Franklin on Saturday 22 August 16:38
franv8 said:
Nice!
What's the score on Autosolo - is it a motor club thing? And where?
Sorry to de-rail the thread Howard but I'll answer this question.What's the score on Autosolo - is it a motor club thing? And where?
Autosolo is like an all forward auto test, it is against the clock and 1st and second gear stuff mainly. they are set out on airfields or large car parks (large flat areas basically) set out with cones to form various slaloms, tight sweeping corners and hairpin arrangements. there are usually about 30 corners per course. throughout the day you can expect to run on 3 or 4 different courses and get 3 runs on each course- the best two times for each course are agregated to give you a result.
it is cheap (£25-£40 per event) and entry price is kept this low because competitors are expected to marshal at the same event in a rotational system, and medical care is not required due to the relatively low speed.
In my opinion its a really good fun and affordable entry into competitive motorsport the only real costs are entry, fuel and tyre wear- you dont even need safety gear. the only requirement is that you drive to the event, the car is road legal and you are a member of a club (£10 per year approx). its a really good way to find the limits of your car in a safe environment and also fun to be able to compete against other people.
You should be able to find out about it more through your local motor club but here is a link to my local championship http://www.cmsg.co.uk/Calendar/AutoSolo/AutoSolo.h... I know farnborough and middlesex run autosolos and they may be closer to you.
Edited by Pete Franklin on Monday 24th August 13:29
Edited by Pete Franklin on Monday 24th August 13:30
Right, yesterday I went to Performance5 and Phil (great bloke!) had a look at the suspension and did some tweaks for me, before I set off to Wheels In Motion in the afternoon for the full geometry calibration. The suspension isn't quite sorted yet, but the driveability of the car isn't affected so I'm willing to wait for a solution to be crafted, for perfection's sake.
I then took it for a nice long drive today and, well, what can I say. The combination of new suspension and having the geo done has totally, utterly transformed the car. It's so much sharper, more direct, each tiny bit of steering input is dealt with in such a crisp fashion, it changes direction beautifully. Body roll is hugely reduced, grip is hugely increased, feedback is increased, the car feels a lot more planted. I think this is a combination of the more aggressive geo settings whereby the extra camber and toe help the stability both in a straight line and... not
Taking a corner at a certain speed before would have resulted in the car feeling as if it's on the limits of adhesion, whereas now I can attack the same corner at the same if not higher speeds and it feels a great deal more stable. Understeer seems to be all but eliminated which goes a long way towards this. Roundabouts work in much the same way. The more 'balanced' geo settings are a world ahead of the "safe" understeery factory defaults. The icing on the cake also seems that even though I was caught in the pissing rain on the way home, I felt no less confident, although obviously I wasn't throwing it around with quite the same vigour Obviously the decent tyres go a long way towards this.
So that's my verdict. Worth the wait? Yes! Am I happy? Absolutely
Edit: Before and after WIM alignment sheet if anyone's interested: HERE
Took the opportunity to take some decent photos too, I think it looks 10x better now it's lowered (rideheight is 330mm rear 320mm front if anyone's interested) :
I then took it for a nice long drive today and, well, what can I say. The combination of new suspension and having the geo done has totally, utterly transformed the car. It's so much sharper, more direct, each tiny bit of steering input is dealt with in such a crisp fashion, it changes direction beautifully. Body roll is hugely reduced, grip is hugely increased, feedback is increased, the car feels a lot more planted. I think this is a combination of the more aggressive geo settings whereby the extra camber and toe help the stability both in a straight line and... not
Taking a corner at a certain speed before would have resulted in the car feeling as if it's on the limits of adhesion, whereas now I can attack the same corner at the same if not higher speeds and it feels a great deal more stable. Understeer seems to be all but eliminated which goes a long way towards this. Roundabouts work in much the same way. The more 'balanced' geo settings are a world ahead of the "safe" understeery factory defaults. The icing on the cake also seems that even though I was caught in the pissing rain on the way home, I felt no less confident, although obviously I wasn't throwing it around with quite the same vigour
Obviously the decent tyres go a long way towards this. So that's my verdict. Worth the wait? Yes! Am I happy? Absolutely
Edit: Before and after WIM alignment sheet if anyone's interested: HERE
Took the opportunity to take some decent photos too, I think it looks 10x better now it's lowered (rideheight is 330mm rear 320mm front if anyone's interested) :
Edited by Howard- on Tuesday 25th August 20:28
What's still to do on the suspension? And excuse my ignorance, but what's the ride height measure - wheel centre to arch?
Looks good anyway, I may have to start saving up and figuring out what to do about insurance for my car...
EDIT: Also, why are the 'after' front camber readings so different when the rears are identical?
Looks good anyway, I may have to start saving up and figuring out what to do about insurance for my car...
EDIT: Also, why are the 'after' front camber readings so different when the rears are identical?
Edited by nfo on Saturday 29th August 21:08
nfo said:
What's still to do on the suspension?
Sort out a clonking noise.nfo said:
And excuse my ignorance, but what's the ride height measure - wheel centre to arch?
330mm rear 320mm front, mentioned in my post nfo said:
Looks good anyway, I may have to start saving up and figuring out what to do about insurance for my car...
Insure it 
nfo said:
EDIT: Also, why are the 'after' front camber readings so different when the rears are identical?
They're all quite different?Howard- said:
nfo said:
And excuse my ignorance, but what's the ride height measure - wheel centre to arch?
330mm rear 320mm front, mentioned in my post Howard- said:
nfo said:
Looks good anyway, I may have to start saving up and figuring out what to do about insurance for my car...
Insure it Re: the camber readings, when you're dealing with at most a couple of degrees, having one side at 1 degree, and the other at 0.5 degree is a fairly big difference, in both relative and absolute terms, hence my question.
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