68 replies to this topic

[Hark]

Car needs a geo doing, so makes sense to change the toe links at the same time. Read a few threads on uprated kits, but also read a few threads where uprated kits failed? Options seem to be OE toe links for around £100? or Spitfire kit which I think is about and £250? Also a few people have mention Phoenix kit, but haven't been able to find much so far on this. Will new OE toe links survive on sticky tyres as I only plan on doing sub £3k miles a year a few trackdays.

[FLD]

Depending on what tyres you put on depends on what toe links would be required. Super sticky and I'd say you'll need aftermarket ones with stronger joints. I think OE are fine for wet treaded tyres but you'll need stronger ones for 048's and the like. Just my opinion mind. Another option would be to re-joint your toe links. The ball joints can be had from lotus. (new oe toe links are about 66 quid from lotus and 89 from vxl).

[DEKKER]

Did my rear toe links and the front drop links today , Bought the standard parts from the local Vauxhall dealer . Rear toe links were £60 each and drop links were £35 each. Just finished the job and was looking at my receipt and I see I paid an unbelievable £10.55 EACH for the four nuts and only 2 of them were the right size . Will definately be making the trip to take those 2 back for a refund at that ridiculous price.

[CocoPops]

A number of us took advantage of a group buy that Elise shop did. Spitfire never came back to us.

[JimmyJamJerusalem]

The Nitron one is pretty sexy! Fluro rose joints, Ti components and some clever use of mixed non opposing thread pitches make it by far the strongest, lightest and most accurate kit on the market. Also the most expensive

[JG]

yeah at 500quid or something spitfire is more like £320, and there is still some question over the bearings which were supposed to have been fixed 3 years ago

[JimmyJamJerusalem]

I had a phoenix kit on my VXR which was great!! Hand machined and very strong. Not sure what rose joints were used (certainly not Fluro standard) but did the job very well!! A pain in the arse to source though!!

[JimmyJamJerusalem]

yeah at 500quid or something

But James, as an engineering type you've got to love their solution. Are you familiar with how they use the threads to align the rear toe angle..? It's very clever

[JG]

oh i don't deny that. It clearly wasn't designed to a price. In a way that a shame because there are clever people at Nitron, and it would be good to see what they could do with a few more compromises. Actually i think they are nearer 600quid. which is a lot really when the other solutions work. We need top end stuff, but we could also do with a half way house.

[JimmyJamJerusalem]

oh i don't deny that.

It clearly wasn't designed to a price. In a way that a shame because there are clever people at Nitron, and it would be good to see what they could do with a few more compromises.

Actually i think they are nearer 600quid. which is a lot really when the other solutions work.

We need top end stuff, but we could also do with a half way house.

True that but they primarily (imo) design and build for the Lotus market and they seem happy with the prices as they can generally afford them.

The VX220 guys used to fork out on posh bits too but alot of the money people (obviously not all) have moved on from VX's and the budgets over here seem pants now which is a shame as it doesn't drive them to innovate for us anymore

There's talk of some cheaper GT Hubs coming out for VX's but who's interested over here..? Nobody bar two or three specialist cars but there will be LoT S1's queuing up the street for them.....

Halfway house costs might end up halfway reliability too which would be a real shame but aggree it would be good to see what they could do in a budget. I would suspect though they'd just sub it out to Japan.....

[siztenboots]

plenty of money in the opel speedster market , just look at their prices for parts compared to ours. I prefer the design of the lower control arm to attach to the wishbone

[FLD]

yeah at 500quid or something

But James, as an engineering type you've got to love their solution. Are you familiar with how they use the threads to align the rear toe angle..? It's very clever

As a non-engineer type, can you explain it to me? I like clever design.

[Hark]

I'll ring this Ollie from Phoenix and still if he still sources the kits, if Jimmy was happy with his. If not I'll have to get a Spitfire one. Worth getting the brace bar at the same time?

[Ouchie]

I have a NA fitment Spitfire kit with brace bar in the garage. Never fitted and still in the packaging. Now the VX is gone I don't have much use for it so should sell it on. If you decide to go with a spitfire kit then get in touch. I really should list my leftover parts properly at some point though.

[CocoPops]

I have a NA fitment Spitfire kit with brace bar in the garage. Never fitted and still in the packaging. Now the VX is gone I don't have much use for it so should sell it on.

If you decide to go with a spitfire kit then get in touch.

I really should list my leftover parts properly at some point though.

Yes, you should

[drpau]

FYI Hark, the brace bar on the Phoenix kit will not fit on the VX due to the exhaust. I have the Phoenix toe links and the brace bar was one of my reasons for going for it over standard. Then after waiting and waiting Ollie told me that it wouldnt fit on the VX.

[JimmyJamJerusalem]

yeah at 500quid or something

But James, as an engineering type you've got to love their solution. Are you familiar with how they use the threads to align the rear toe angle..? It's very clever

As a non-engineer type, can you explain it to me? I like clever design.

Where a normal toe link kit is like a turnbuckle which uses two opposing threads of equal pitch shorten or elongate the distance between the joints the Nitron kit uses two non opposing threads of differing pitches so that the effect of the adjustment is minute and the accuracy is improved significantly!!

ie

A normal kit would theoretically use one M12 x 1.5mm pitch Left Hand Thread and one M12 x 1.5mm pitch Right Hand Thread. The opposing threads would mean for one full turn of the turnbuckle part of the toe link would equal a 3mm (1.5 + 1.5) change in distance between the joints.

On the Nitron kit they use two Right hand threads one 2mm pitch and the other 1.25mm pitch. These cancel each other out meaning for a full turn of the turnbuckle the distance between the joints is only 0.75mm (2 - 1.25) which is much more precise!

I thought it was a neat little trick

[JG]

It also means that it can be adjusted without taking the undertrays off.

[Hark]

These do the job?

http://www.elise-sho...0-p-502166.html

[Pidgeon]

I have the Elise Shop kit. Yvo has sent me a pack of new parts to try and cure the play I have in three of the ends. The play in the outers is significant. It may be an issue with the late style mounting to the upright, but the OE links I removed from a car that had covered 80K very hard miles were in good order. I really wish I had fitted new OE kit, the only reason I didn't was the desire to 'improve and upgrade.' The only think I've upgraded is the amount of time I've spent under the car.