I personally spent £600 and found a big different over standard, surely they're not *that* cheap?

 

they arent that cheap...but just shit in comparison to proper track spec jobbies....

the £500 coil overs are no better than a koni set up in the real world.

 

I see. Mine is a bit of a track toy, I couldn't justify spending 2k for Proflex? And it still handles better than probably most other things on a track day, (except the propper stuff, i.e Caterhams, etc!) Infact, I was stuck on the arse of a N/A VX220 at Oulton recently for a good few bends?


£600 well spent IMO. Although driver skill does have a LOT to do with it I guess.

 

Yes they will be an improvement over standard but then so will a set of koni's Dan.

 

I suppose, I only ran springs before the coilovers, so I wouldn't be able to compare coilovers to spring and damper set up.....

 

I can see Mikes point of view that if you are going to buy coilovers then why not save a little more and get a Very good set instead of an average set.

I for one trust what Mike tells me as he knows alot more about the subject than i do.

 

Following my original post on this, I have stayed away from Coilovers, which is a decision that I do not regret. My principal goal was always to use on the road and the Nurburgring, and little else. The only bit left to do for me is the rear beam, which is principally because of the cost, and also because I dont fully understand exactly what it is that is changed.

JJ

 

Have you considered the frame connectors that Danny B does as well if it's general all round handling you're trying to improve?

 

had koni's fitted now just changed to bilstien coilovers with adj top mounts ,its like night and day compared to the koni's.

i have wheels set to toe out slightly and i can honestly say it turns in like a well set up mk1 golf i had

never read mikes advice before i set to toe out but after driving it i cant see me changing it back(i know mike knows his stuff).

i will however be taking his advise on the rear beam through time as the shocks were not cheap shit, so i will be doing right

 

Tell me more......

 

I've got an adjustable rear beam on mine (Zoo one), OK it's a fiesta, but the difference was immence! Just handles so well, turns in lovely, the back has tons of grip....

Really easy to control too, with a little bit of lift off oversteer.

 

JJ - there's a bit more on this thread here you might find interesting - I think Eagle(?) has them as well and was impressed https://passionford.com/forum/viewto...ame+connectors

 

i do have them the difference was very noticeable even on the drive home it was soo much nicer to turn in caught me a bit off guard once came onto a roundabout a bit fast .. turned the wheels aand nearly went up onto it

felt alot more planted at combe and donnington last year all i have are leda coilovers, polybushes, front strut brace oh not forgetting mikes rear shims he sells.
one other thing that made it feel better was fitting an escort cosworth rear anti roll bar its a straight fit just need to get the correct sized bush (bigger diameter)
have a set of compession strutts to go on next but need to get the correct front arb first

 

Yes, your car was going well at Castle Combe last year - looked good

Did the Escos rear ARB make it a bit "snappier" in extremis?

 

Interesting guys.

Eagle - have you done the same work up front (ie the 3door hubs and the adjustable TCAs)

If this is a little cheaper than the beam, it may suffice as a cheaper short term solution.

Escort rear antiroll bar is gonna be fun to find!

JJ

 

how much are 3dr hub fetching then?

 

It's a seller's market Martin.....

 

I was lucky Martin i got mine from 2 diffferent sources, think i paid £120 in total for the pair. One cost me £40 the other £80.

JjCoDeX75This is what my set up is going to be:
I have these and Adjustable TCA's to fit, and 3DR hubs.
Shims will be going on when i get back back.
Escos/Granda rear ARB i need to source
Then its saving for Frame conectors and Rear Beam off Danny B so i can get them done in a oner.
Then if i think it needs it i will go for Leda's

 

I paid £70 delivered from mr finch a few weeks ago

 

In the next issue of Fast Ford there is a pretty comprehensive article (over 2000 words) on the suspension of Cossies . If you want to know why they don't handle from the factory - BUY this .

As to toe-in and toe-out - this is all down to driver preferance. I find that too much toe-out makes the car too nervous for my liking (but gives lightning turn in).

I prefer a very small amount of understeer that can be adjusted on the throttle to tuck in, as I then know when the limit has been reached for grip. A minute lift then gets the car to dive into the corner with a hint of oversteer .

 

my Adjustable TCA's are now on (with 3dr hubs/Koni's etc) seems to have made the handling more predictable,and turn in is very very good.

from what i remember it's set to 1degree toe in, and 1.5degrees neg camber, couldn't seem to alter castor for some reason, i never really asked why....

it feels much better now than when i first had it, although i nearly got caught out when breaking hard.....the front left must have grabbed a pot hole and made the car,and my arse, twitch a bit...!!

 

Mike Rainbird

how much camber do you run on the front mike?

 

3°

 

thats alot for a raod car, you should take tracking gauges to the track with you and set some toe out for the track

 

Wouldn't you need eccentric top mounts to be able to alter the caster more though?

 

Intersting

I hadnt really thought about the rear bracing by Danny Boption I must admit - I was looking at the replacement beam from the likes of Brom etc.

I will wait with interest to read Mikes article next month - I dont like doing anything unless I understand what it is that I am doing, and why.

There are a lot of solutions to the rear beam problem, and again - unless you know exactly what you are trying to acheive, even the best system can be misapplied and achieve nothing.

 

or compression struts

 

apparently it can simply be done by adding washers 'somewhere'

i should have really asked more questions i suppose

 

if you want more caster angle,, you can add washers behind the fist bush on the anti-rol bar

 

possibly what he told me i just dropped the car off and even forgot to tell him how i wanted it set

thankfully he set it up lovely exactly how i'd have asked it to be

and he charged very little to do it considering the time it took

 

The one into the TCA being the "fist" bush? What thickness of washer equates to 15 mins or whatever roughly?

 

first bush i ment and youre question depends on right hight

 

or even ride height

 

thats what i ment

 

sorry i'll stop now

 

Sorry, wasn't criticizing your spelling.....

Some people use different terms for different things

Any idea on a standard ride height car........or put it this way how much did you increase your caster by and what thickness of washers did you use. I realise it's a suck-it and see solution from car to car.....

 

i wouldnt know mate,,, could work it out with a bit of trig if i knew the distance from the top mount to the centre of the wheel when the strut is compressed at normal right height


and take the piss out of my spelling as much as yoyu like,, i know im no story writer

 

MIKE, WOULD THIS SET-UP BE SUITABLE ALSO FOR BACK ROAD USE TOO? COMFORT WISE?

 

Yes it would. In fact if I ONLY used my car for the road, I would have stuck with this set up instead of changing to the coilovers.....

 

So you wouldn't have bothered with the 3-door hubs for solely road use?