The Suspension Discussion Thread

[Neil L. 0]

Any one had any experience with JOM Coilovers for a VR6? What is the cheapest "ok" coilover for a VR? By ok i mean not too hard for our roads!

[dukest 0]

cheapest is £650+ so that probably answers your question about JOM..

[Kevin Bacon 5]

What effect is adjustable dampening and rebound going to have? ... What exactly does it mean/do? ...

 

There are two directions of damping within a shock absorber called bump and rebound, which are both adjustable on the V3

 

Bump is compressing the shock - ie when you hit a bump

 

Too little bump and the springs compress too fast causing too much lean in corners and less feedback.

Too much bump and you prevent the wheels from moving over bumps, so it feels crashy.

 

Rebound is extending the shock - ie when the spring pushes it back

 

Too little rebound and the spring is allowed to bounce back as hard as it was compressed- really crashy juddering ride.

Too much rebound and you'll prevent the suspension from having time to reset before the next bump, causing ratchetting.

 

The aim of a good suspension setup is to maintain tyre contact with the road as much as possible whilst moving the body of the car as little as possible. Making everything hard and limiting your travel will just make you hop and skip over bumps, which is both slower and uncomfortable. It's actually quite rare to find that a (new) standard setup is any worse than a coilover kit on a bumpy b road, as usually the car remains more composed over bumps due to the extra travel. But it does look s**t and feel less sporty and isn't as good round the ring roads....

 

Unsprung weight playes a big part in handling, heavy wheels and big brakes carry more mass, which means they can't change direction so fast.

 

You also get fast and slow speeds of damping options, but that's for another day....

 

:salute:

 

Just expanding on the last sentence, The V3s come with low speed bump adjustment. The high speed bump is factory preset. Excessive high speed bump is what causes crashiness, but it makes the car feel 'responsive' and sporty. It's a hard one to get right. Make it too soft and the car will just nose dive it's chin into the tarmac. Make it too hard and every cats eye will be like a smack with a hammer to the small of your back.

 

As Kip said, low speed bump literally means slow damper speeds, i.e. brake dive, turn-in, rearward or forward weight transfer, undulations in the road etc. Too soft and the car will feel 'floaty' and lacking in precision. Too hard and you lose grip.

 

High speed bump is things like potholes, cats eyes, speed ramps, kerbs....any condition where a sudden impact on the tyre causes the damper rod to move very quickly and abruptly.

 

All dampers are valved for these conditions by default, but only decent ones allow user adjustment and I cannot stress enough the difference it makes on a road car. It's why the V3s are night / day better than the 1s and 2s. Sorry, but they are. You get what you pay for. Everyone seems to assume that adjustable dampers are for tracks only. Which is fair enough, it's a bit of a black art. But the aim of this thread, among other things, is to demystify it and try and make it easier to understand :D

[herisites 0]

... Make it too hard and every cats eye will be like a smack with a hammer to the small of your back.

 

That's what mine's like at the minute, but then mine don't really have much damping left tbh :lol:

[herisites 0]

I have just ordered some GAZ GHA (Fast Road/Track) coilovers which offer adjustable height AND 42 way adjustable damping for the sum of £546 delivered (Corby Motorsport as they're quite local to me).

 

Good Points:

 

Price - £546 delivered, much cheaper than the well praised V1's but these offer adjustable damping as well as height.

Setup - They will set these up for your personal use, i.e. just road use they'll recommend softer spring rates and will set the damping up to suit, or if you are likely to do track days they will setup to suit etc. You can have your say in all of this.

Reputation - GAZ have a great reputation for damper quality

 

Bad Points:

 

Have had quality issues in the past with the zinc coating on the threads, but I have since read that these issues have been improved.

Delivery takes 3-4 weeks but that's due to the setup being so custom, not just off the shelf you get what you're given like KW/Weitec etc.

 

I can't really comment on any bad points yet obviously as not tried them but I shall report back with a review when I get them and have driven the car a bit.

 

I'm really excited to get them now, just got to wait 3 weeks before I can get them on! :(

[wy906 0]

 

........

 

I can't really comment on any bad points yet obviously as not tried them but I shall report back with a review when I get them and have driven the car a bit.

 

I'm really excited to get them now, just got to wait 3 weeks before I can get them on! :(

 

Good stuff!

 

Could you put on a set of standard Speedlines then report back please? :) :grin:

[herisites 0]

Yeah I have my original speedlines so I don't mind doing that when I get them :salute:

[wy906 0]

Seriously, don’t worry about it, I know it’s PITA changing all the wheels and stuff. Thank you anyway and have fun with your new kit!

[herisites 0]

Seriously, don’t worry about it, I know it’s PITA changing all the wheels and stuff. Thank you anyway and have fun with your new kit!

 

Not a big problem to swap the wheels over so when I've ran the new suspension with my Rotas for a bit to get used to them I'll see how they are on the speedies :)

[beastie4126 0]

I have just ordered some GAZ GHA (Fast Road/Track) coilovers which offer adjustable height AND 42 way adjustable damping for the sum of £546 delivered (Corby Motorsport as they're quite local to me).

 

Good Points:

 

Price - £546 delivered, much cheaper than the well praised V1's but these offer adjustable damping as well as height.

Setup - They will set these up for your personal use, i.e. just road use they'll recommend softer spring rates and will set the damping up to suit, or if you are likely to do track days they will setup to suit etc. You can have your say in all of this.

Reputation - GAZ have a great reputation for damper quality

 

Bad Points:

 

Have had quality issues in the past with the zinc coating on the threads, but I have since read that these issues have been improved.

Delivery takes 3-4 weeks but that's due to the setup being so custom, not just off the shelf you get what you're given like KW/Weitec etc.

 

I can't really comment on any bad points yet obviously as not tried them but I shall report back with a review when I get them and have driven the car a bit.

 

I'm really excited to get them now, just got to wait 3 weeks before I can get them on! :(

 

 

Well I was having enough trouble deciding between a set of V1's and V2's and now you throw these in the pot. At that price I reckon I might be giving Corby motorsport a call in the morning.

[herisites 0]

Well I was having enough trouble deciding between a set of V1's and V2's and now you throw these in the pot. At that price I reckon I might be giving Corby motorsport a call in the morning.

 

They certainly look good on paper and I have heard great reviews about ride quality for them. Mine will be a couple of weeks yet but I will obviously be giving my opinion on them once I have had a chance to drive the car a bit with them on.

 

I'm hoping they live up to my expectations as I think they could be a serious contender for the V1's, which imo are still too hard and crashy with no way of adjusting, but cheaper!

[beastie4126 0]

Well we can both find out how they are as have just bitten the bullet and ordered them. Fingers crossed :)

[herisites 0]

Well we can both find out how they are as have just bitten the bullet and ordered them. Fingers crossed :)

 

Fair enough :lol: I don't think we'll be disappointed, they're known for good quality damping and being 42 way adjustable we could set them up just how we want them really!

 

What spring rates did you go for?

[8vMatt 1]

Will be very interested to hear of your experiences with the GAZ guys.

 

Wonder if there could be a group buy if its found to be a good coilover?

[beastie4126 0]

I went for the standard supplied rate so I can be a true guinea pig.

[herisites 0]

I went for the standard supplied rate so I can be a true guinea pig.

 

Cool! Tbh if you told them how you want the car to be then the supplied spring rates should be about right. I went for a little harder than what he suggested (325lb front, 228lb rear) purely because Kev mentioned his GAZ's were a little on the soft side and were spot on when he changed to these slightly harder spring rates, but then that's down to personal preference. I've been in his car with the same rates on V3's and the ride was perfect imo, firm but not crashy 8)

[herisites 0]

Will be very interested to hear of your experiences with the GAZ guys.

 

Wonder if there could be a group buy if its found to be a good coilover?

 

No harm in trying for a group buy, they can only say no!

 

I use my car daily over a mixture of town, dual carriageway, country lanes etc so after a few days with the GAZ's on I should be able to give a good enough review really. And as always, I'm happy to take people out in it so they can judge for themselves :salute:

[Neil L. 0]

Anyone any views on these JOMs

[dukest 0]

how come you're considering them? is it because they are cheap? that could be your answer..

 

edit: just realised it was you that asked about minimum price to pay for coilovers on the previous page - thought i'd given a hint there ;)

[Neil L. 0]

Been told they definately fit a VR6 and that the ride is quite comfortable - made by JOM - and yes "cheap"!!! :D But "you get what you pay for" stands true with these or what??? :wink:

[dukest 0]

But "you get what you pay for" stands true with these or what??? :wink:

 

yes, thats basically what i was getting at :)

[Neil L. 0]

What would be the best top mounts to use with coilovers on the VR - standard or something else?

[A5 VRX 0]

Standard are fine to use and new bearings, but use genuine stuff as GSF etc just dont last,

 

AJ

[GlosterOx 0]

Been told they definately fit a VR6 and that the ride is quite comfortable - made by JOM - and yes "cheap"!!! :D But "you get what you pay for" stands true with these or what??? :wink:

 

If you can afford a bit extra, why not consider a "brand name" such as these:

 

http://www.venommotorsport.com/manufact ... el=Corrado

 

Ian.

[beastie4126 0]

Been told they definately fit a VR6 and that the ride is quite comfortable - made by JOM - and yes "cheap"!!! :D But "you get what you pay for" stands true with these or what??? :wink:

 

If you can afford a bit extra, why not consider a "brand name" such as these:

 

http://www.venommotorsport.com/manufact ... el=Corrado

 

Ian.

 

 

I have these on my VR6 and I'm swaping them for a set of GAz as they are way too harsh and back breaking at times. Save your pennies for a bit longer and go for something a bit better IMO I wish I had.