Post
Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:25 pm
Hi,
On the suspension the solution is quite simple.
First decide what the car is for, road or track.
If its a track car, as there is no ideal compromise that works well
for both, then you will be looking at much stiffer damper / spring
rates than for road use and vice versa.
As the car runs around 1200 Kg with a biasis to the front on weight
distribution, then when considering the spring rates, the added front
weight needs to be factored in.
If its for Road only, then Coil Overs make for a harsh ride on normal
uk roads, and the car will skip over the bumps as opposed ride over them,
and when this happens the overall handling will suffer.
As your running M3 running gear, a very good compormise, that would be
available second hand would be a E30 M3 Grp N rated front and rear
springs, not a coilover set up, but much firmer than standard.
This would in part compensate a bit for the extra front engine weight,
but does not give the ability to adjust ride height to much.
You could then match some adjustable Bilstiens or Koni dampers to
your spring rates.
If the car is for Track, then Coilover would be better, and there is a lot
of choice pending your requirements and wallet size.
Not many understand how to set up full suspension, so double adjust
would be as far as you would need to go or ever use on Coilovers.
I have not read many replies on the amount of Bump, percentage of
compression in relation to free travel, spring rates of 'X' nm and damper
rates of 'X' nm, mechanical grip, oversized piston, amount of toe and camber and so on, which is an indication
that to date nobody is experinced enough to advise you.
You need to go back to square one, you need to determine your ride
height, the size of wheel and tyre, the use for the car, and then
start from there.
As I said, Grp N E30 M3 would be a good starting point,
so long as your wheels and tyres do not exceed the arch tolerances,
as it will fit your existing suspension set up, and then work
from there.
Regards,
The Gorilla.
All IMO obviously ....
. Because suspension set up and how a car feels to the driver are so subjective, its really just trial and error until you find something that feels right for you. For what its worth, may be worth thinking about some s/h stuff to start off with rather than blow all your budget on a full set up that you find isn't what you were expecting/wanted? Good luck with it.
