wallow wallow, VR soft suspension

[kebabman 0]

Just been on a trackday at Croft which was ace, very pleased with the way the car pulled and the brakes were spot on :D

 

But....(there's always a but isn't there) the suspension was very soft which made the car wallow and lean a LOT. Let one of the instructors have a go, he had driven the VR6 when it was released (at croft as well, they got 3 to test lucky b'stards), now that one only had 100 miles on the clock but he also thought my car was very soft compared to them. It's probably on original suspension at 125k so it must be very tired, although the dampers still seem to work nicely as it only rebounds once. So my question is, what suspension should i go for? I want less body roll and a firmer setup but without being too crashy on the roads....I do about 2-3 track days a year so not too many, is it worth splashing out the extra (and lets face it, it's a lot) on Koni adjustables? Are they THAT good? :?

 

Have to say, the car did fare favorabley still, I overtook one guy in a really loud type-r a few times :twisted: there were a lot of 306 gti6's there and I think that they slightly outclassed me on the corners, I'd catch up on the straights, but a well driven one would pull conistantly away over the course of a few laps....what i found was that where my car would understeer or drift if i went in too hot, they could lift and the back end would come round allowing them to use oversteer to get round. Will new suspension solve this? Or is the 306 a better handling (more chuckable) car than the VR6? Of course it could be my driving lol :oops: but i did get past the ones driven by less experienced/confident people. ;)

[dinkus 10]

I just replaced my rear suspension with OE stuff which set me back £160 in parts for the shocks and springs. The old springs were VERY tired though, the ride height went up about 1"-2" ! Which is a bit tractor like to say the least, but it did transform the handling! I just need to do something with the front now.... :(

 

Suspension choice has been talked about a lot on here, I'd have a search to see what you can come up with. Uprated stuff will certainly look a lot better then OE stuff with regards to ride height tho ;)

[Ice White Socks 0]

I'm using the Bilstein Sprintline Kit. There advertised as the next best thing to coilovers and i'm very happy with them. The drops nice too- have a look at my Storm in the members gallery to see it. (am not technical enough to make a link :oops: )

 

I think its fair to say the handling wil be transformed by anything thats half decent tho :wink:

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[kebabman 0]

Not bothered about the look so much, as long as it doesn't look down right stupid, I already have bubblicious paint flaky speedlines :lol: I just want to go faster and overtake more of those 306's on track (damn fast they are, not to be under-estimated!) :twisted:

[jedi-knight83 0]

as a rule of thumb go for koni top adjustable dampers but then there are a number of spring types to choose.

 

H&R springs lower approx 30mm and provide a nice smooth ride but cost about £150 ontop of the price of the dampers.

Koni springs (available in a very well priced kit from larkspeed for £390 inc springs and dampers) lower 40mm and are a little bumpy at times.

 

Also go for a nuspeed rear anti roll bar. I dont have one at present but i drove kevhaywires car which does have one and the difference was very good!

 

oh i have the koni springs BTW

 

HTH

[kebabman 0]

£390 doesn't sound too bad! Was expecting more like £600...Any recommendations on where to buy from? I take it fiting is straight forwards but time consuming? (I've replaced front suspension before but only on french cars). What does a nuespeed rear anti-roll bar do for the handling? The back for me felt very planted, almost too planted, wouldn't go at all even if i tried hard to provoke it, just turned into understeer if i pushed it too much which was a touch annoying sometimes....

 

One more question, what setup is the rear suspension on these? Does it have a torsion bar that needs adjusting to match the front if I lower the front? Is it IRS?

 

Cheers for the advice :)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Or you could try koni dampers with the stock springs and the Nspeed rear-bar..... see how you get on with that.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

That's what the Neuspeed rear anti-roll bar does..... removes front wheel pitching and reduces body roll. And yes it's a torsion beam setup at the back.

[jedi-knight83 0]

as i say £390 was for the koni top adjustable dampers and the koni springs....they are a little harder than the H&R's when there are fully bedded in but not too much that you would regret it IMO

 

they were from larkspeed

 

CLICKY HERE

 

oohh just seen they are £380 now :lol:

 

the rear anti roll bar just keeps the who car nice and level through corners and will assist the suspension nicely

[kebabman 0]

Is the rear suspension independant? Or are the two wheels fixed? So if i lower the front I'd have to lower the back a few splines to match? (I was a pug man so know about this....if it's the same)

 

Thanks again for the advice and the clicky...£380 does sound good am very tempted.....what would be the advantage of sticking with standard springs over the Koni ones kevhaywire?

[dinkus 10]

The standard springs are a bit softer, so you won't get such a crashy ride, but they are also higher. TBH I would replace both the shocks and the springs rather than just one, because they'll be much better matched to each other then.

[jedi-knight83 0]

Is the rear suspension independant? Or are the two wheels fixed? So if i lower the front I'd have to lower the back a few splines to match? (I was a pug man so know about this....if it's the same)

 

the rear suspension is basicallty a beam all the way across and attaches to the chassis about 1 foot infront of where the rear wheels are...the shock and spring go directly up from the wheel and attach at the top of the wheel arch (accessable from in the boot area)

 

to lower you simple buying lowering springs and change them...the angle of the beam then changes because it has shorter springs fitted.

 

it is not the same as a peugeot (my dads old 405 for instance)

 

to lower all 4 corners you just need to change all 4 springs and suitable dampers to match the springs. this wil lower the centre of gravity and give you a more stable cornering feel

 

i did all mine at home...just need a good selection of sockets and alan keys and a basic knowledge of cars.

 

you'll need to get it set up on a proper geo machine after though (cost me about £70) to make sure all the tracking, camber and castor angles are all ok

[Kevin Bacon 5]

As Nathan says, the Corrado rear beam is nothing like the Peugeot's, which was a true "twist" torsion bar. You had to be careful the dampers are tip top on those or the bar could snap...... I've been there :x

 

The C rear beam is just a great hunk of angle iron with an anti-roll bar welded inside it. The inbuilt ARB is completely ineffective due it's mounting.

 

Ideally a rear ARB needs to anchor to the rear shocks, which the Neuspeed and Eibach ones do.

 

I suggested the Koni dampers with standard springs as you said you weren't bothered about ride height. You can soften the damping during the week and crank it up for track days.

[kebabman 0]

Ahh so that's the difference between a torsion BEAM and torsion bars that pug uses, you don't get independant rear wheel travel, how does that affect the handling? Is this the reason that I'm not getting lift off oversteer? I think I'll splash out the £380 for that set above, but take it I'll also be needing two more matching springs as well for the back?

 

Sorry for all the questions, thanks for the info guys :)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

You don't get lift-off oversteer because the Corrado isn't tail happy like a dropped pug 1.9!

 

The pug rear setup is still not a true independant system as both wheels share the same sprung bar. Ford Focus, Civic, FTO, MK5 Golf..... they all have independant rear suspension as each wheel has it's own spring, damper and wishbone. The Corrado is kind of strange in using springs, dampers AND a torsion beam.... but it seems to work!

 

No need to apologise for the Qs....ask away, we're here to help :wink:

[jedi-knight83 0]

the £380 is for a full set...I.E front and back springs and front and back dampers

 

it would be dangerous (and probably have a negative effect on the handling) if you just changed the fronts

 

oh and kev....my mk2 1990 crx had fully indapendant rear suspension....handled like a dream...miss that car :cry:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I wonder if it's a good (or sh1t) idea to use Rallye rear arms etc and create an independant rear for the C, but not use the 4WD stuff? Mind you, Vince did say to me the Rallye rear stuff is bloomin heavy though!

 

No you don't miss the CRX..... you think you do..... drive another one and you'll prefer the C, I'll put a tenner on it!

[kebabman 0]

Have to say I kinda miss my 306gti6 as well, great cars and very chuckable (i.e. fun)....still wouldn't trade my VR for another, the sound alone is enough to persaude me of that :D

[jedi-knight83 0]

I wonder if it's a good (or sh1t) idea to use Rallye rear arms etc and create an independant rear for the C, but not use the 4WD stuff? Mind you, Vince did say to me the Rallye rear stuff is bloomin heavy though!

 

probably a bad idea to start swapping major components....the mags and press didnt say it was one of the best FWD handling cars around......oooh apart from the back end :) i dont mind swapping the consumables (springs ans shocks) but major chassis adjustments sond too complicated and open up too much scope for error IMO

 

No you don't miss the CRX..... you think you do..... drive another one and you'll prefer the C, I'll put a tenner on it!

 

drive any crx of MY old CRX....i spoke to the guy the other day who bought it..he jiust fitted the replacement gearbox i supplied with it and he says its like new again..done 145k now and he is thinking of selling soon :| hmmm....crx...then a corrado...how about a crx AND a corrado :lol:

[jedi-knight83 0]

mmmmmm good old days

 

 

 

sorry...thread hijack over :roll:

[Shilakadaddy 0]

ah I was watching you go round croft that day :) popped along with my mate who has a 306 rallye... although he wasn't on the track. Glad to see that you were holding you own against those pugs, and that civic... was quite supprised that thing wasn't faster to be honest. Its amazing how even all the cars were when on a track like croft, compared to when racing on a road.

 

It looked like good fun either way, would be cool to have a Corrado-forum thing like the 306 guys. Would be good see how the G60 performs on a track :) especially against u VR boys :wink:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

What are those wheels on the CRX mate.....? I recognise them from somewhere, they're well tasty :lol:

 

Are they Senekas or something like that?

[kebabman 0]

Interesting hijacks are OK in my book :)

 

Been thinking the same thing, for £380 I could buy a little 205 gti just for the track probably....but I do love tracking my VR 8)

[jedi-knight83 0]

league 037

 

the were 16x7j with 205/45/16 toyos

 

i went go karting a while back....finished...got back in my crx.......didnt really feel much different :lol:

[Rpmayne 0]

I don't understand, mines got oversteer and doesn't need that much provoking. I do have a rear stud axle which is sitting at an unstandard angle which can't be adjusted though. And the back end tends to skip about over bumps and cats eyes which may be down to shot rear bushes.

 

Does the rear beam actually twist then? Being so big I thought that was the reason why the old golfs used to lift the rear wheels so easy when lowered.