48 replies to this topic

[Sol]

Some of you may have followed my frustrations on trying to set up my suspension. I found a guilde for installing and setting up the Gaz Gold Pro coilovers. It said: Installation The most significant difference with the GAZ damper is the twintube design. Bilstein Elise dampers are monotube.  Monotube dampers are fitted upside down where the body of the damper appears above the piston rod. Twintube dampers are fitted with the damper body nearest to the ground to ensure valving between the two tubes remains submerged in oil. Thought that's why I can't get it to work as I have them upside down! I had the damper body uppermost with the chrome piston rod down. I've just taken them all off the car again re-set them and tried to fit them up the other way as described in the guide and they do not fit! The eye end of the body is too wide and hits the back of the suspension arm preventing the mounting bolt holes aligning. Time for I feel!

[GeorgeBC]

Mine are mounted with the body and the adjuster at the top. Never tried to mount them the other way.

[Mike (Cliffie)]

Body at the top please. Why are these dampers not working for you?

[Sol]

Hi Cliffie, pleased to hear from you as I'm told you know something about these types of coilovers. I'm so frustrated with them that all I can think of is to throw them away! They are new and cost me £600. I have an NA and many years ago I modified it to fit 195x45x17 Goodyear Eagle tyres on front and I fitted the Elise front suspension lowering brackets. All was fine, indeed very good on the standard Bilstiens. The slightly wider tyre and lowered front seemed to negate some of the under steer that the car had from standard. However, like me the car is getting old and the Bilstiens have given up! Both the rear and one of the fronts started leaking. So I decided to buy replacement gaz gold pro coilovers. I went for 425 front 475 rear spring rates. Fitted them over the weekend. I decided to start with the shock setting as soft because our roads are so crap and the continual crashing over the potholes is annoying. I started with settings 7 clicks from soft rear and 5 clicks from soft front. It was like trying to drive a bouncy castle! And bump steering. So I started to harden the ride. Anyway, car was virtually undriveable, so after work I jacked the car removed the wheels (again!) placed supports under the discs and wound down the nuts to compress the springs. My thought was that the springs could be compressed until they began to support the cars weight. Then set the dampers to 7 clicks from soft front, 8 clicks from soft rear. Put the wheels on lowered it and looked at the ride heights IT WAS LIKE A 4x4!!. It looked stupid. The ride was better but still crap. Returned it to the garage and reduced the spring compression to give me 126mm ground clearance front (chassis just behind wheel), 136mm ground clearance rear (chassis just forward of the wheel). Drove it to work this week and it's terrible. Very shakey and still looks like a tractor. The ride is so bad I don't know how to accurately describe it.

[Mike (Cliffie)]

Well despite a few leaking issues over the time, many people use the Gaz Gold Pro's and have no issues with them. Something in your set up is causing issues, either that or you are expecting a race derived shock to be a compliant road shock. If you want to come on over at some point, I would happily look at what you have got and try to help set up.

[FLD]

I'm on GGP's and run 5 from soft front and 6 from soft rear. This is a fairly soft, compliant set up. I'm not sure what ride height I have without double checking. Do you need me to go measure? I think your springs are a bit harder than mine.

[GeorgeBC]

When did you have a geo? Somethings not right if its that bad. Im on GGP with 425 550 springs 12 from soft front 14 rear and mines not too bad on the road.

[Mike (Cliffie)]

I reckon ride heights are the start of the problems, sounds like self fit and a geo has not been done. Front too high=pogo stick. Does the car have rear to front rake?

Edited by Cliffie, 16 March 2012 - 07:35 PM.

[Sol]

I was relly hoping that new Gaz Gold pros would give me at least as good a ride as my knackered and leaking Billies. But they don't! The best I can do is get a ride that is probably (without exaggeration) 5 times worse. I've written to the company I bought them from and they are sending my experiences onto GAZ. Hopefully they'll comment. Car is sitting in garage wheels off, coilovers off think it'll stay that way! Bugger!

[rob999]

Hmm you definitely need someone like Cliffie to have a look at this for you.....

[GeorgeBC]

But the billies aren't height adjustable thats what cliffie is saying. What ride height have you got the car at? Measure the ground to the chassis on the rear just in front of the wheel and the front just behind. The front should be 10mm lower than the rear, this is the rake. Id take it somewhere to get set up.

[chris_uk]

I can see this turning into a 'look how sh** gaz is' thread when i dont believe that to be the case at all. I mentioned it in one of your other threads, put it back together and take it for a propper geo.. Then see how it feels.. I cant see how changing from the billies to gaz golds would make the car so bad. I have a feeling that no matter the shock you chose the same result would be present.

[FLD]

The set up is critical. I was getting suspenion based whell lock up under low level braking. Very wierd! Some minor set up changes cured it and my car is now sweet as.

[The Batman]

his gaz now have stiffer springs than those on the billies if he wanted to mirror the billies, he should have got the apropriate spring rates

[TheStotts]

My Gaz golds were awful before the geo was updated. From stock to something like 110/120 is a major drop. Once sorted the ride and handling improved massively over my worn billies, both on track and road. If you’ve not had a geo since owning the car it really is the best mod you can do (IMHO). Good luck

[Mike (Cliffie)]

I was relly hoping that new Gaz Gold pros would give me at least as good a ride as my knackered and leaking Billies.
But they don't! The best I can do is get a ride that is probably (without exaggeration) 5 times worse.
I've written to the company I bought them from and they are sending my experiences onto GAZ. Hopefully they'll comment.

Car is sitting in garage wheels off, coilovers off think it'll stay that way!
Bugger!

Some people you can't help.

I am sure Gaz will react in the same way I have and without a Geo you cannot blame the shocks. I bet you a tenner the ride heights are fcuked but what do I know.

[Sol]

Cliffie, original ride height with Bilsteins was 125 front, 135 rear. Ideally I wanted 120 front, 130 rear. Currently the best I can do to get the Gaz to give me something that can be driven slowly is 126 front, 136 rear You are correct I haven' t had a geometry check and set professionally. I know front has negative camber and toe out as I have the Elise lowere suspension mount. Issue is, I've had the car for 8 years, the ride, handling was superb with the standard Bilsteins, the lowerd front suspension and 195 wide front tyres. I'd been running that set up for the past 7 years and very happy. Bought the Gaz and whatever I do the ride is rubbish. You are also correct I'm not a qualified car mechanic. I'm a 58 year old aircraft design engineer. Please don't dis-respect my knowledge.

[Mike (Cliffie)]

And please don't disrespect mine, I have been building and setting up race cars for twenty years BTW, I have supplied over 35 sets of Gaz Gold Pros to members on this site and apart from a few blown seals and a cracked body, nobody has complained about the issues you have. I guess it is because they have their car set up properly.

Edited by Cliffie, 16 March 2012 - 08:23 PM.

[JG]

I think you need to get someone that knows what they are doing to fit them for you.

[MrSimba]

I think you need to get someone that knows what they are doing to fit them for you.

Take it to a respected specialist and ask them to check your installation, corner weight them with ride height adjustment, and a decent geo & report back!!!

I'll bet you'll be amazed at the difference, shocks are nothing without decent set up.