272 replies to this topic

[JohnyB]

Damping settings i used were 12=front 14= back (from soft) haven't changed them since i installed the shocks.. At first it car was very itchy - way too much over steer, but then i lover it a bit more and lowered the pressures (24/26psi before they were all 29psi) and .. it's neutral and it's faster around corners then it was before for sure. This should be it i think ..

[craglett]

Not sure if these will help anyone, or if indeed you have already seen them before but a friend of mine sent some charts on setting up suspension.

[SteveM]

What are the opinions on these after a few weeks? Still haven't fitted mine but going to Plans on Monday for some of their suspension wizardry

[Richiemouse]

Steve, I'm there on Thursday. It'll be interesting to see if we end up with a similar setup. I assume they will tailor the setup to what we want to use the car for.

[SteveM]

I went there for a geo last year and I had to tell them a number between 1 and 10, 1 being popping down to the supermarket once a month and 10 being an all-out track monster . Think I chose 5 or 6.

[craglett]

I'm kind of glad Horizon didn't give me a choice in it as I would never have been able to make up my mind.

[Richiemouse]

I'm suprised they didn't ask After all, that's the whole point have having adjustable suspension, so that you can set it up to suit your needs, driving style etc.

[craglett]

I was surprised too. I expected to be given the 1 to 10 scenario. I trusted their judgement as I had said I wasn't going to be tracking the car.

[SteveM]

Not long been back from Plans, today I was mostly having Spax suspension and s/s braided hoses fitted Got there about 9:30am but they were still fettling with a VXR (waverunner's it turned out, nice to meet you ), anyway they started with mine about 10:30am and got straight on with fitted the dampers which didn't take too long to be honest. Whilst the wheels were off the braided hoses were fitted too and the brake fluid changed for the mintex performance fluid. Then the process of checking and changing the ride height began which was eventually set at 125mm at the front with a 7/8mm rake up to the back - I could have had it lower but thought this was a good compromise between looks and speed bumps . Corner weights were then checked, and yet more tweeking went on - overall weight including me and 3/4 tank of fuel was 951kg . Only then did they start making adjustments to the camber and toe, I had earlier told them I use the car for fast road driving and will do some track days this year. Eventually about 5pm they had finished but then began to give it a quick wash , at 5:30pm I was on my way home. Quite a long day, but seeing a Maclaren F1 GTR and a Maclaren SLR being tested on the TG circuit made it more interesting . The drive home was a revelation - A272 from Billingshurst to Winchester - 50 miles of fast twisty roads, ideal for testing my new setup . They had set the front dampers 12 clicks from hard, and the rears 14 clicks from hard. Immediate impressions were that the ride was stiffer but not uncomfortable, and they were also less "crashy" than the Bilsteins over rougher ground. I feared it may've been too hard but so far so good. Once the traffic had cleared there was an opportunity to test the handling on 70-80mph fastsweeping corners. All I can say is the car has never felt so planted on the road - the turn in, the lack of body roll, the stabilty...it all felt so confident, and a big step forward from the drive to Plans in the morning along the same road. I'm also running with speedlines and R888 rubber which obviously adds to the overall package, but this just makes it complete. As I approached some cars ahead (all too quickly - I don't think I needed to brake for miles because the car could carry so much speed around the corners ) it was time to test the brakes. First impressions - a firm pedal feel and speed being scrubbed off very quickly (I already have 1144s fitted), and secondly, the lack of the nose diving down - you just come to an abrubt halt with no fuss . I'm well chuffed.. with the car, Spax and not least Plans for their magic touch . Steve

Edited by SteveM, 03 April 2006 - 07:43 PM.

[craglett]

Whilst sitting reading your post Steve I was thinking about the decision / risk I (and the rest of us) had made by going for what is generally seen as the cheap option when compared to Ohlins and Nitrons. I was definately in two minds about the Spax right up until the same moment you have just experienced, which was the ride home. It's still to be seen how these kits last over time as opinions here state the build quality shouldn't be as good as the competition. At the moment though, I can't see any reason how I could have justified spending the extra on the other two. I feel I have achieved what I set out to do which was to primarily lower the car, second, not to mess up what was a pretty comfortable ride, and finally to make the handling much more positive. I would recommend these to anyone who was in the same situation.

[PaulCP]

Whilst sitting reading your post Steve I was thinking about the decision / risk I (and the rest of us) had made by going for what is generally seen as the cheap option when compared to Ohlins and Nitrons.

I was definately in two minds about the Spax right up until the same moment you have just experienced, which was the ride home.

It's still to be seen how these kits last over time as opinions here state the build quality shouldn't be as good as the competition.  At the moment though, I can't see any reason how I could have justified spending the extra on the other two.

I feel I have achieved what I set out to do which was to primarily lower the car, second, not to mess up what was a pretty comfortable ride, and finally to make the handling much more positive.

I would recommend these to anyone who was in the same situation.

A word of advice (i've learned the hard way)

Had my spax on now for almost 3 years and no problems until now. They still perform OK but the adjuster rings and the shocker stiffness adjusters are stuck solid on all 4 corners(despite giving them an annual soaking of WD40 etc).

I last adjusted them last summer so my advice is make sure you move all adjustable parts on a regular basis to avoid this.

I'm not too bothered about this since i got them at a good price like yourselves but perhaps this is why Spax are cheaper than Nitrons etc.

Would be nice to know if Nitrons suffer from similar problems

Edited by PaulCP, 04 April 2006 - 11:47 AM.

[SteveM]

Whilst sitting reading your post Steve I was thinking about the decision / risk I (and the rest of us) had made by going for what is generally seen as the cheap option when compared to Ohlins and Nitrons.

I was definately in two minds about the Spax right up until the same moment you have just experienced, which was the ride home.

It's still to be seen how these kits last over time as opinions here state the build quality shouldn't be as good as the competition. At the moment though, I can't see any reason how I could have justified spending the extra on the other two.

I feel I have achieved what I set out to do which was to primarily lower the car, second, not to mess up what was a pretty comfortable ride, and finally to make the handling much more positive.

I would recommend these to anyone who was in the same situation.

My sentiments exactly

Now recommended without hesitation, but I will admit being slightly hesitant because of the "bad press" the Spax have had compared with the other (more expensive) makes. They have achieved exactly what I wanted at about half the price of what I was about to spend.

PaulCP, your comments are duly noted , but even if you went to the extreme and binned them after 3 or 4 years due to total neglect, you could buy another set and get them professionally setup again for the same money as one set of Nitrons for example. However, I will try not to let that happen .

The moral to the story is you pay your money and you take your choice. Nitrons are undoubtedly better quality than Spax, but Ohlins are better quality than Nitrons - where do you stop. Each to their own, but I for one am happy with my purchase.

Steve

[PaulCP]

PaulCP, your comments are duly noted , but even if you went to the extreme and binned them after 3 or 4 years due to total neglect, you could buy another set and get them professionally setup again for the same money as one set of Nitrons for example. However, I will try not to let that happen .

The moral to the story is you pay your money and you take your choice. Nitrons are undoubtedly better quality than Spax, but Ohlins are better quality than Nitrons - where do you stop. Each to their own, but I for one am happy with my purchase.

Steve

Totally agree, that was the sentiment in my post