Come on guys, help me out here

[Stu D]

I am desperatly looking for some advice on upgrading the brakes and suspension on my 98 Chim. Also looking to put some nice spider alloys on at the same time.

I placed a post asking for advice a couple of weeks back and only had one reply . Even the dealers I have contacted haven't shown a great deal of interest. Only one option has been given up to now, consisting of a picture from a brochure and a price for fitting.

If any of you guys can offer me some good advice it would be very much appreciated. I am looking at upgrading Brakes, suspension and exhaust, for performance and looks, and will need a good dealer in the North West to carry out the work.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Cheers




>> Edited by Stu D on Thursday 1st June 21:31

>> Edited by Stu D on Thursday 1st June 21:32

[F C B P]

Daft question: what's wrong with what you've got now?

[Al 450]

A friend has just put a Hi tec brake conversion on his which he rates, think it was about £450 for the brakes and the calipers.

The theory : - Be careful putting bigger wheels on the car, you will get more mechanical grip but the lower profile tyres will change the breakaway characteristics so if it does let go it will let go without much warning. Not what you necessarily want in a Tiv, especially a 500!

I'm growing to love my Griff wheels but would be interested to hear about other Chim owner's experiences with bigger wheels?

[kevin63]

I think you best have a word with whitechimp500 he has got (if i'm right) 330mm brakes on his Chimp and boy do they stop the thing.

[Stu D]

F C B P said:

Daft question: what's wrong with what you've got now?

Never really been happy with the brakes. I've only had the car 9 months and the front callipers have ceased already. They where changed on warranty. I admit I am not technically minded, but I just feel that the brakes are not right! The rear brakes make a dragging noise off and on, almost as if they are down to metal, and the car feels as if it's jogging to a halt at times. It may be my imagination, but they just don't feel right, but on inspection they look fine. Plus they look very bland!!

Suspension - To improve the ride and performance.

Exhaust & Wheels- Just pure vanity.

I was considering upgrading the car in a year or two, but I love the chim so much I have decided to spend some money on her instead and keep her for a few years. Don't get me wrong the car is perfect, its a 500 and the performance, sound and pure thrill is umbelievable. I just feel that I want to improve on that if possible.

>> Edited by Stu D on Thursday 1st June 22:28

>> Edited by Stu D on Thursday 1st June 22:30

[richb]

Stu, do a search through the archives there's more stuff on here about bigger wheels and brakes than any other subject. 315mm discs, 4 pot calipers, 18" wheels, Nitron coil-over dampers etc. etc. Rich...

[Nickccc]

Give joolz a bell,
http://trackcarsolutions.net/shop/ind
He sorted my car for me.

[topsparks]

Try the factory wheel+brake upgrade,comes with 4 x 16" spiders+tyres,new hubs + bearings,4 new discs(fronts are 300mm) and new front 4 pot AP calipers.
All this cost me only £1400,I think it may have gone up now to £1600,but still cheap.Took my ex-race mechanic 2 days to fit(£160 cash+ lots of tea +sandwiches!).TVR power now sell the kit as I don't think the factory have much to do with the older cars now.

[Steve_T]

I'm not convinced of the spider look on a chim, but that's down to personal taste. What I would say is while the factory spider package is good value, you don't need to go down this route unless you have a monster engine or like the look. With a view to keeping costs down I'd suggest stay with standard wheels and upgrade the front discs up to 285mm. You can then either space the caliper out, or go down the 4 pot route and retain standard wheels. Regarding dampers I'd suggest Nitrons if you can stretch to it. If you avoid replacing the wheels as part of your upgrade package, then this ought to be a bit more manageable financially.

Steve.

[topsparks]

Stu,the good news is your car has the now out of production estoril style of alloys fitted to 500 Griffs + Chims.I sold my set for over £900 on ebay so this off set my converstiona lot and I'm sure you would get good money for yours.

[SP]

Once you've got your brakes sorted, you can consider these wheels:

http://domain936675.sites.fasthosts.c

Will be available in about 10 days time.

[Stu D]

Hi Guys, and thanks for the tips.

I have also searched through the forums for past threads, as suggested, and there is a lot of interesting stuff there, as well as a lot of mixed opinions .

As I stated in my original post, I had the front discs and calipers replaced around 2-3 months ago. However, these were only standard as they were done on warranty. Maybe it would make sense to have these improved by fitting good pads and braided hoses etc. as suggetsed by a few. Perhaps a good overhaul is all I require.

I definatly feel that I will go for new suspension - Pobably the Nitron. I just think that this will improve the ride and handling.

The strange thigs is that I had my heart set on bigger wheels - Spiders. I have now started to look at the car and have realised that I want to keep the Chim because it is the Chim and I love everything about it. Just seems weird that I am trying to change her so much. This struck home when Topsparks informed me that I can sell the original wheels because they are now out of production. I have realised that I have a future classic, I love everything about it, and would probably regret changing all that.

My conclusion is - I will probably go for a brake overhall and forget about the big fancy shiny ones as I probably don't need them anyway! I will go for a new Nitron suspension as this will improve the drive experience, and I will keep the original 7 spoke wheels as these are part of what I love about her anyway.

Does this make sense

But,I do think I will go for a nice new stainless steel exhaust

Thanks again for the help

Edited by Stu D on Saturday 3rd June 10:42

Edited by Stu D on Saturday 3rd June 10:44

Edited by Stu D on Saturday 3rd June 10:45

[Al 450]

I wanted new wheels before I got mine but the Griff wheels have grown on me and you are right it seems a shame changing something like that about the car. Always amazed at how much the Griff wheels go for on ebay, almost like people know something I don't? Also I think it's hard finding an aftermarket alloy that suits the car.

My 450 has braided hoses already, not sure if these were standard?

[ray_von]

take care which suspension you choose

[Stu D]

ray_von said:

take care which suspension you choose

Will need to look into this more. Again, any suggestions will be welcomed.

As I have little experience, or knowledge, of this sort of thing the advice I have recieved from PH'ers has been much appreciated.

Many thanks.

[trinitycall]

Stu D said:

ray_von said: take care which suspension you choose Will need to look into this more. Again, any suggestions will be welcomed. As I have little experience, or knowledge, of this sort of thing the advice I have recieved from PH'ers has been much appreciated. Many thanks.

For just about the best setup available for a chimaera go for a custom brembo brake upgrade (big red shiny thingies is always a winner) and nitron race suspension.

Also for pure entertainment value check out the following thread mooting the rather tricky question concerning which suspension setup is akin to a table and chair set from k-mart.

www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=&t=271395

[Gaffer]

Dom @ TVR Power has put 18" spiders on a Chim, give him a call tomorrow, he will be able to tell you about the setting and what you will need (other than the upgrade kit).

Ian @ Middlewich will be able to do the work for you.

|HTH

Claire

[chassis 33]

trinitycall said:

Also for pure entertainment value check out the following thread mooting the rather tricky question concerning which suspension setup is akin to a table and chair set from k-mart. www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=&t=271395

Would be that one one where you make a total arse of yourself making unsubstantiated and unproven claims about a manufacturer who you seem to have a personal grudge with? :yawn:

While Brembo and Nitron are among the best out there, however if you're not going to be racing and don't want to buy a name for bragging rights down the pub, there are many brake and suspension manufacturers, out there who will offer better value for money for 99% of the TVR community.

Regards
Iain

[shpub]

If you are thinking of suspension mods then consider the ARB drop links as they will dramatically improve the car without a full shock replacement and if you do go that way will allow a lot softer ride set up.

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=264212&f=8&h=0

[jellison]

shpub said:

If you are thinking of suspension mods then consider the ARB drop links as they will dramatically improve the car without a full shock replacement and if you do go that way will allow a lot softer ride set up.

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=264212&f=8&h=0

I'll chat to you about some of these at the weekend Steve. Jelly.

Edited by jellison on Tuesday 6th June 11:37