Anyone used this Spax kit??
Discussion
Chadders said:
You will probably get more of an insight over on www.seloc.org there has been a lot of discussion on suspension lately.D
Thanks for the help.
My car is used mainly for fast road use with the odd trackday.
I wouldnt want to go for something designed completely for the track for this reason.
Ive looked at the bilsteins, are racing reds still available??
The Spax just looked nice and cheap, but like you say, you generally get what you pay for... was just hoping they were actually ok!
chadders
My car is used mainly for fast road use with the odd trackday.
I wouldnt want to go for something designed completely for the track for this reason.
Ive looked at the bilsteins, are racing reds still available??
The Spax just looked nice and cheap, but like you say, you generally get what you pay for... was just hoping they were actually ok!
chadders
Chadders said:
Thanks for the help.
My car is used mainly for fast road use with the odd trackday.
I wouldnt want to go for something designed completely for the track for this reason.
Ive looked at the bilsteins, are racing reds still available??
The Spax just looked nice and cheap, but like you say, you generally get what you pay for... was just hoping they were actually ok!
chadders
I am having a similar dilema at the moment with my Sport 160, in the last year it has been only fast road and fun, this years insurance have track day cover so probably going to take advantage. Essentially i cant decide between the S2 Billies upgrade for the S1 or Nitrons, it is also the difference of £500 & £1100.My car is used mainly for fast road use with the odd trackday.
I wouldnt want to go for something designed completely for the track for this reason.
Ive looked at the bilsteins, are racing reds still available??
The Spax just looked nice and cheap, but like you say, you generally get what you pay for... was just hoping they were actually ok!
chadders
Other options are Protech which a few people rate however they are twin tube as apposed to mono tube which i am lead to believe are better:
Quoted from Randy on SELOC
"OK, some things to consider... On a basic level a damper is doing one job, to convert energy from a compressed spring into heat and in doing so stopping the spring from continuing to oscillate at it's natural frequency. By doing so you are allowing the tyre to keep in good contact with the round allowing it to generate grip. All dampers do this although different types and makes of dampers have different characteristics which the driver can 'feel'.
An S1 Koni is a 'twin tube' damper. Typically these dampers have a very high resistance to high speed damper movements causing a crashy ride and also their ability to release heat to the air that surrounds them is poor causing them to degrade quickly under hard use.
An S2 Bilstein, a Nitron or an Ohlin are all 'gas monotube dampers. These damper are superior by design to a 'twin tube', have better heat transfer properties and give a more compliant ride by their nature.
I would describe the S2 Bilstein as a cheap mass produced road damper (although quite good one by relative road car standards), the 36mm Ohlin that Lotus sell as a cheap mass produced adjustable damper and a Nitron or an Ohlin 42mm damper (Aurok will supply you these) as quality race dampers.
For road and occasional track use both the S2 Bilstein or the Ohlin 36mm are perfectly sufficient. For heavy track use both these dampers have issues in generating the sort of damper forces required, especially for sustained periods. This is down to Piston size, quality of internal components and the quality of the oil used. Another downsize to these smaller dampers is that it's impossible to get springs to suit track tyres as the spring diameter is so small that nobody supplies the rates required.
From a hardware perspective there is little to choose from between the Nitron and the 42mm Ohlin. The big difference is the amount of Lotus specific development which has been done on the Nitron. I know from my own experiences that a damper is only as good as the valving and setup which has gone into it. to put this into perspective, I regularly get report of 1.5 secs a lap improvement in my Nitron setup vs a regular Nitron!
The main thing for anybody in the damper upgrade market to consider is what use their car is intended for and to buy a solution which fits the bill."
D
DamienCBR said:
TIPPER said:
The Nitron Racing Reds never made it into full production chadders.
I am a bit annoyed with that, was really looking forward to them, hopefully being a better shock than the Billies at only a small amount more.D
Bear in mind that with the Billies you're getting a certain amount of economy of scale coming into the equation too - 30,000 + sets on S2s.
If you are going to use it on track and will be using A048s or R888s you'll find that the springs on the Bilsteins are too soft. If you push hard you'll hit the bump stops, and if you run a lowish ride height (I have 110/120) you may find that the tyres rub on the wheel arch liners. That is what happened with my Bilsteins. So if you have sticky tyres you may want to look at something with stiffer springs. The problem then is what to do if you don't want to spend £1200 on the Nitrons. I decided to give the Gaz Golds a go after chatting with various people who have them on their car. You can have these with whatever spring rates you want (I went for 375/450), and Gaz are extremely helpful. I was considering Protech, as I had these on my Westfield and was very happy with them. But Protech just ignored my e-mail enquiries, so I went with Gaz. I haven't got them fitted yet, but will do soon, so can let you know what I think of them.
Edited by Phil. S. on Tuesday 30th September 16:33
noodleman said:
How much is the Spax kit?
With S2 Bilstein at £450+vat delivered, I never really understand people buying Gaz/Protech/Spax.
The bilsteins aren't adjustable, and as I said the springs are not stiff enough if you have semi-slick tyres for track days. I want to be able to stiffen the damping for track days on semi-slicks and soften it for ordinary driving on road tyres, and don't want to spend £1200 on the Nitrons. Gaz Golds give me what I want at the sort of money I have. With S2 Bilstein at £450+vat delivered, I never really understand people buying Gaz/Protech/Spax.
Edited by Phil. S. on Tuesday 30th September 17:01
Phil. S. said:
noodleman said:
How much is the Spax kit?
With S2 Bilstein at £450+vat delivered, I never really understand people buying Gaz/Protech/Spax.
The bilsteins aren't adjustable, and as I said the springs are not stiff enough if you have semi-slick tyres for track days. I want to be able to stiffen the damping for track days on semi-slicks and soften it for ordinary driving on road tyres, and don't want to spend £1200 on the Nitrons. Gaz Golds give me what I want at the sort of money I have. With S2 Bilstein at £450+vat delivered, I never really understand people buying Gaz/Protech/Spax.
Edited by Phil. S. on Tuesday 30th September 17:01
D
I was keen to see what they had to offer, as I had their shocks on my Westfield and was happy with them. But they didn't answer any of my e-mails. Gaz on the other hand got back straight away and were incredibly helpful. So they got the business.
DamienCBR said:
Could look at Protechs, a few people of them on SELOC
D
D
Phil. S. said:
I was keen to see what they had to offer, as I had their shocks on my Westfield and was happy with them. But they didn't answer any of my e-mails. Gaz on the other hand got back straight away and were incredibly helpful. So they got the business.
Funny you mention that, i emailed them too. I asked why i should buy theirs over the S2 Billies and guess what.....no one came back to me. There are some very happy drivers on SELOC with them, i have been thinking about them as i want to do my Sport 160 justice without spending a fortune.DamienCBR said:
Could look at Protechs, a few people of them on SELOC
D
D
Looks like Protechs customer service is crap then based on our findings. Clearly making lots of money in this economic climate.
D
Edited by DamienCBR on Tuesday 30th September 21:27
I should add that when I bought my shocks for the Westfield they were were very good. I had a problem with insufficient droop at the back (waits for the carry on style gags 
) and they sent me a different top fitting free of charge. That was all sorted out via e-mail, so perhaps they have had a few staff changes and the new guys don't do e-mail.
I know I could get off my bum and phone them, but it does annoy me when companies put their e-mail addresses on their web site for enquiries and then don't answer any of them.
PS: Just looked at your profile. Lovely S160 you've got there!
) and they sent me a different top fitting free of charge. That was all sorted out via e-mail, so perhaps they have had a few staff changes and the new guys don't do e-mail. I know I could get off my bum and phone them, but it does annoy me when companies put their e-mail addresses on their web site for enquiries and then don't answer any of them.
PS: Just looked at your profile. Lovely S160 you've got there!
Edited by Phil. S. on Tuesday 30th September 21:40
Phil. S. said:
I should add that when I bought my shocks for the Westfield they were were very good. I had a problem with insufficient droop at the back (waits for the carry on style gags ) and they sent me a different top fitting free of charge. That was all sorted out via e-mail, so perhaps they have had a few staff changes and the new guys don't do e-mail.
I know I could get off my bum and phone them, but it does annoy me when companies put their e-mail addresses on their web site for enquiries and then don't answer any of them.
I know what you mean, best of luck deciding. ) and they sent me a different top fitting free of charge. That was all sorted out via e-mail, so perhaps they have had a few staff changes and the new guys don't do e-mail. I know I could get off my bum and phone them, but it does annoy me when companies put their e-mail addresses on their web site for enquiries and then don't answer any of them.
Cheers
D
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