Rab

As my AVOs are very tired, after the rebuild, I'm going to change the suspension. I am probably going to go with my tried and tested combination of Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs, as the AVOs were too hard for road use. But I have heard a few good things about GAZ. Not talking coilovers here, just shocks and lowered springs. I have also heard they're not the best fit on the Mk2. Anyone have any advice or experience with them?

Cheers

Rab

Rab

That mean they're shit Rudey?

I don't understand you southerners sometimes

rapidcossie

thought you were getting out of the car scene Rab?

Rab

I was going to take a break for a while. But I got the yellow pages out to have someone come to remove GGG and crush it and I got all emotional. So, I've booked it onto Classic Coachworks in Wishaw to have the shell restored


With instructions to not finish it till next spring

Now I have a bit of time to amass a hoarde of parts Get married, and then get divorced when she finds the parts hidden somewhere


So, I'm still taking my break from cars, just I'll have a nice shell to build up after I've had it.

Rudey, cheers mate. I'll stick to Billies then

chewy

Dave Moore runs Gaz shocks on his Mk2 maybe it's worth getting his opinion on them ?

I'll keep an eye on this thred as I am also interested in the outcome.

Rab

I believe he runs coilovers though, I am looking for opinions on the regular shocks and springs

Mind you, he may know someone who runs the regular stuff

costina

iTrader: (1)

i have them on my cortina and there good,BUT they do tend to corrode easy

Had coilovers on my saff fooking awfall ride even on soft went back to konis sorted

Rab

Corrode?
Fuck that then

Coilovers are too hard for me mate, have had them before but waaaaay too hard for road use IMHO. Prefect for the track though

Matt Lewis

iTrader: (2)

Stick with a new set of AVOs

Matt

Rab

I thought they were too hard for road use TBH Always felt like every bump was going to destroy the car

Must be the rust

DaveAVT

All depends on the spring rate AND diameter. What a lot of people dont realise is the smaller the diameter spring, the higher you need to raise the rate in order to stop it coil binding, which then makes the minimum rate very hard. Likewise, If you have a standard say 6" diameter coil spring rated to 180lbs and then switch to coil overs and stayed at the same rate, you will probably find that the coil will nearly fully compress and become coil bind, and the spring rate almost goes infinate and thus rock hard. Then people think, 'oh its too hard - ill stick a softer spring on or turn the damping down' and it then actually gets worse.

I deal with Dave at GAZ alot, and have a lot of custom coil overs kits made for racing Alpines and other applications, and it takes a fair bit of trial and error. Manufacturers are not able to test every application and they need the feedback from customers to tell them if something needs changing..

Alot of the coil over kits I design, I simply dont use a 2 1/4 coil and work with new larger spring platforms so I can use a 2.5" miniumum or even a full size original type spring in a new rate. You get far better quality ride with the largest diameter spring possible.

Rab

But I don't want coilovers

I want a standard size shock and spring kit. I have no need for coilovers on the XR.

I know what your saying with regards to the springs on coilovers, but AVOs were too hard as standard sized stuff.......


And I don't want coilovers

Matt

people who say "coilovers are too hard" have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, you need to read about rebound rates, spring lengths and poundages. they may have been too hard for you but thats only because you specced and set them that way

Matt

oh and ive got gaz coilovers on my car, a vast improvement on the konis it ran before

Rab

I didn't have coilovers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have an AVO road sport kit, which has standard sized shocks and springs. Which were too hard. The had absolutely no compliance at all, making bumpy road (lots of them in scotland) really difficult to drive on. Now I've been in other XR2s that didn't have AVOs that had much better compliance. I don't want coilovers, I want a good shock and sping kit that won't rattle my brains out..... And I've heard that the GAZ kits don't kit too well, but I also heard they were quite good..... My usual shocks are always Billies with eibach springs, had these on most of my S2 RSTs and was always good. Now, I think we've put this to bed. GAZ aren't the best, I'll stick with Billies

Matt

you said you did....

"Coilovers are too hard for me mate, have had them before but waaaaay too hard for road use IMHO. Prefect for the track though"


bit of a crap comparison though - dont know about the shock and spring kits but the gaz coilover kits are less than half the price of the billies. i would have bought billies but couldnt afford them at the time.

Rab

You're right , but this was a different car. I had coilovers on my Polo GTi a long time ago, and I'm telling you they were too hard...............

Billies are not that expensive. A front shock is 88 quid, a rear is 80. The spring kit is about 120 quid.

Matt

ahh gotcha now

about 1k upwards for bilstien coilovers

Rab

I'm sure they are. I'll have the regular stuff thanks