80 replies to this topic

[Retset]

Ooops - just seen that Stu You around next week? So, to update the thread I have TD's on order from TMS for delivery next week and R888's from Camskill that will come tomorrow. VXR suspension will be collected a week from now and I'm hopefully going to do a deal on a second hand harness bar/harness. Group Buy MMG diffuser due soon ... CCI have done me a new quote based around a higher excess and it now costs less than Elephant except that all planned and dreamt about mods are already declared . All looking pretty rosy I'm not planning anything else at present apart from some messing around with black vinyl till ... 1) She's forgotten about the TD's etc; and 2) I know if I'm happy with the VXR stuff or want Nitrons. Oh, except that I'll get a Lotus screen seal like Mandarin's one. I'm sure I can justify that on Health & Safety grounds or summat

[Strugs]

.. R888's from Camskill that will come tomorrow..

Could I ask how much you're getting these for?

Ta!

[Retset]

£430 delivered. 225/45 R17 @ £126 and 195/50 R16 @ £89. £130 less than A048's from the same source.

Edited by Retset, 17 July 2008 - 07:20 PM.

[slindborg]

yeah I'm about bar friday (Journey to the national )

[Strugs]

£430 delivered. 225/45 R17 @ £126 and 195/50 R16 @ £89. £130 less than A048's from the same source.

Nice one, thanks!

[Retset]

..... and the TD's turned up this morning - ooh ... very nice I was going to wait for the suspension to try that in isolation but I can't wait so I'll do the wheels on Monday (when the guy who'll fit the tyres for cash will have some time ) and start scrubbing the tyres a bit. Then when I put the suspension on I can mix and match to try everything out. I'm keeping the standard alloys for very wet day. Just the harness to sort and that will be phase 1 complete

[slindborg]

want any wheel sealant? so you can be one of those bufty folks lol

[Retset]

I'm OK thanks mate. I learnt the hard way with 1144 dust and standard alloys! These TD's will be getting 2 coats of Jetseat 109 and 1 or 2 of Collinite 915 before they go near the car!!! (Did the same with my standard ones eventually but took freakin hours to clean them first )

[Retset]

I put them on today. I thought I was mentally prepared for the shock of the tractor gap but it still pained me once I saw it. The pic below is slightly wrong as there is a side slope on the drive and the gap is a nadgers bigger than it is in the garage. That said, it will go up with VXR suspension so the pic is representative in this regard.

I really don't know whether to go with the brackets (bear in mind I am clueless and will fail to fabricate any form of ABS bracket), the grooves in the suspension (let's be honest - I'll ruin the suspension, have my eye out or both), leave it and don't worry or buy some other sort of suspension instead. Gonna sleep on it.

Need to swap the insurance over before I can drive it ....

[LazyDonkey]

You honestly won't notice a huge difference when you put the VXR suspension on. You've seen the pics of VXJON's car and they look pretty good

[Retset]

Yeah ... I think yellow makes the gap look smaller That said, on reflection, I will continue with Plan A and buy/fit the VXR stuff. The handling is more important than the arch gap. I will also consider the brackets as mentioned earlier - if somebody can help with an ABS bracket, lol.

Edited by Retset, 22 July 2008 - 08:58 AM.

[slindborg]

I've lifted the front end of mine up with stiffer springs on the GAZ's to bring it back to std height and tbh I prefer it over the "slammed" look

[burnerblowout]

I put them on today. I thought I was mentally prepared for the shock of the tractor gap but it still pained me once I saw it. The pic below is slightly wrong as there is a side slope on the drive and the gap is a nadgers bigger than it is in the garage. That said, it will go up with VXR suspension so the pic is representative in this regard.

I really don't know whether to go with the brackets (bear in mind I am clueless and will fail to fabricate any form of ABS bracket), the grooves in the suspension (let's be honest - I'll ruin the suspension, have my eye out or both), leave it and don't worry or buy some other sort of suspension instead. Gonna sleep on it.

Need to swap the insurance over before I can drive it ....

Retset,

Now you have the 16 inchers on the front, if you have time, measure the centre of the 16 wheels to just under the arch.

On the VXR it is about 368mm, both for the front and rear wheels from wheel centre to arch. I know the NA is a bit lighter, but unless the suspension pickups are different from NA to VXR then I assume your NA would sit at about the same ride heights (just a touch higher due to less weight) as a standard VXR when you fit the VXR units on a NA.

Your front ride height with the 16s on looks much higher than a stock VXR with 16s in that photo.

Edited by burnerblowout, 22 July 2008 - 03:59 PM.

[Retset]

BB,

I measured it last night in the garage (i.e. on flat ground) and it was about that figure - 367mm as near as I could tell. As I mentioned above, the photo was taken on non level ground. I could get one finger more in the right arch than the left but the same once in the garage.

Here's some pics I took today. Parked on a camber but fairly representative although I forgot to count how many fingers would fit ... if you see what I mean

Still look too much? I'll re-measure when I put the car to bed later.

[JimmyJamJerusalem]

I've currently got a set of VXR shocks for sale.

[burnerblowout]

Have to say that looks about right to me and your measurements back it up. The VXR coilover units should also be slightly shorter than the NA units when measured from the unit centre line mounting points due to the higher VXR spring rates. I will be surprised if the ride height changes from what you have now when you pop them on.

[Retset]

Thanks BB. Just put car to bed so measured again as accurately as I could in the garage and got 360mm each side. Be great if the VXR units don't raise it at all .... I'm loving the look with black TD's now - much more purposeful. I think silver accentuates the arch gap.

I like having a front track that is where you think it should be:



JJJ: I'm sorted thanks mate but I can't see yours hanging around for long ....

[Rosssco]

And a pic of a modified Bilstein shock.

By adding (1 or more, I would make step 5-10-15mm so you can adjust later) grooves for the "lock-clip" you can raise the spring platform and so effectively lower the car. (Don't go nuts with this, as your spring may come loose... BAD!)
A 10mm raised platform will lower the 2,2 some 15-20mm.

(This is not mine and the added extra grooves looks a bit too wide. And please protect the bare metal... )

Thread revival..!

Just noting Exmantaa's comment and picture above on an additional groove in the damper - has anyone down this? Does the damper have to be drained to machine the groove, presume not? Might local at some one sensible to do this for me.. Any idea if this will have a negative effect on damping (only taking another 10mm)?

I have fitted the front lowering brackets, which help by ~10mm, but I think another 10mm would bring the front ride height to the 'goldilocks' ride height for me..

Ta,
Ross

[siztenboots]

i think korkey machined them for new spring platforms on his. but his account broke so he posts under a new name

[Exmantaa]

Well, I've done this to my Exige Billies. Simply dismantle the shocks & springs, center the body good in a lathe (don't deform the shock body!) and copy the groove dimensions. I only added 1 groove at ~5mm, as otherwise the springs come loose from the seat when fully extended. You can (also) enlarge the holes in your front shock mount and move the whole lot a few mm upwards for more lowering...

Edited by Exmantaa, 05 April 2012 - 05:21 PM.