TaviaRS

I am tempted to get some Ledas for my car and have a couple of questions.

How good are they?
How long do they last before a rebuild?
Are they OK with Eibachs?

Hope you can help.

Pete Croney

I'll let other users comment on how good they are, but they are coil overs so come with their own spring. You can't use Eibachs.

Leda recommend rebuilding at approx 2yrs/30,000 miles to maintain fresh crisp handling. That said, they have been using new seal materials for about 2 years now and mine have been on for 34,000 (20 months) and are still just as good as when they first went on

All suspension degrades over time and use, but rebuildable units let you replace the parts that get tired, at a fraction of the cost of replacing the whole strut.

Have you asked Leda if they do an Octavia kit?

TaviaRS

Thanks for that Pete. No haven't asked them. The Octavia is wierd, front is TT, rear is Golf 4. I have H&R cup springs (soon to be Eibach) and Koni adjustables all round. I am happy with the fronts, but have knackered the rear shocks in about 10k miles, 48 laps of the Ring and 1 UK trackday. We suspect that the valves are shot as even on max stiffness they aren't as stiff as the OE ones (which coped with 30k miles, 52 laps of the Ring and 2 UK trackdays). Could be that the Golf is lighter and that I was running max stiffness + hurling it round a track

Leda do sell shocks seperately and I've been quoted £85 each for the rears. Just wondering whether they are worth getting, especially as I can specify what valving I want (eg Fast road, trackday, circuit, gravel or tarmac rally).

Reason for the longevity question was that I do a lot of miles (road 60k, track 3k per year) and don't want to have to do a rebuild every 5 mins.

MRK

Hey Tavia Leda are extremely helpful so give them a call. I have Leda’s on my race car (not a Scooby) and the service, advice I have received has been great. But I have heard a lot of Scooby people moaning of leaking shocks after only a years 20,000 odd miles use. Personally that’s not satisfactory. Things may of changed??

Mind you Pete’s point on the fact they are re-buildable is a good one, plus the cost to re-build the units is cheap in comparison to buying new units. I had my two race front struts re-built, including damper rods (they got bent in a shunt at Brands) for only £126.00

Infact Leda told me that the Scooby suspension is their best seller. Can’t say fairer than that


M

Big Goon

Just p/xed my MY01 with Leda, 21,000 miles in 6 months and 5 laps of Coombe.
No squeaks/rattles/leaks, great handling/grip and good ride quality.
Deffo worth a phone call.

Mellow Yellow !

iTrader: (1)

John,

I spoke with Pete today as well as Leda technical and I've decided at long last to go down this route....

Will have them fitted for SIDC Donno 7th July and then the Ring so you'll see for yourself John....

Anyway, you drive yours like a wuss so a std leaf spring would be more than capable for you matey

Caronte

Good choice they're fantastic!

PSI3

Had them fitted on my MY01 and loved them, thought the STi wouldn't need them but after 2000 miles just don't feel anywhere near as confident when pushing on, so will shortly be paying another visit to Braintree.

Build quality was excellent, no leaks or rattles, i had one small problem which was not Leda's fault but they still replaced a strut free of charge.
Service by both Leda and ScoobySport who organised everything was spot on.
One happy, long term customer.

simon

TaviaRS

Chris,

Cheeky boy! I'm waiting for them to come back to me as well about the possibility of a kit for the Octavia. Might have that for the Ring (if I'm lucky). Then I'll just have to work out the settings. Should take most of Friday to get it right, so by Saturday I should be OK. I still owe you a couple of laps, so I'll make sure I pack the Thermos, some sarnies and a travel rug. Just ordered the sunstrip for the windscreen, with Driver on my side and Miss Daisy on the passenger side!

Mellow Yellow !

iTrader: (1)

Lol @ John....Driving Miss Daisy indeed.....

I'm down at Leda next Thurday, it'll be interesting after having DMS, Bilstein, std STi etc... can't wait till the Donno day

I'll book now then for my Ring laps please before you get fully booked up !

Chris

TaviaRS

Damn! Can't get the Ledas before the Ring trip, need 3 weeks to make them up as they've not made any before. Oh well, just have to live with these for a while.

Deep Singh

Had mine fitted a few months ago,very happy so far.

R19KET

I've done approx' 30,000 miles on the Leda B.

Pro's:

Fantastic service from Leda. I didn't like the standard spring/damper rates, and Leda helped me to arrive at a combination that transformed the handling of the car. I don't know of any other suspension company that can be so accomadating, and flexable. Their re-build service is also very good, and they've stripped, and re-built the whole kit while I waited.

Con's:

In 30,000 miles, the kit has had to be re-built 3 times. From rattling worn pistons, to shafts that were so badly worn, and pitted, that the oil seals were destroyed.

I just wish they were a little more robust.

Mark.

Caronte

R19KET,

Which settings did you go for?

C.

SteveB

iTrader: (1)

Mark,

Did you have to remove the suspension before taking to leda and getting rebuilt ?

Just wondered cuase mine will be 2 years come end of year.

thanks

Steve.

R19KET

My settings wouldn't be much use to anyone else, because the dampers had been re-valved, and my front spring rates are 425lb/275 rears. IIRC the standard SS set up is 275~300 front/ 225 rear.

I also run 2.5~3 deg' neg' camber at the front. NOT recommended for the high milage users but great on track.

As for getting the kit serviced, call and check with Leda, it will depend on how busy they are.

Mark.

Caronte

aren't those springs too bounchy?

Mellow Yellow !

iTrader: (1)

I'm on 650lbs front and 375lbs rear

Neg 2 front and neg 1.5 rear

Great on track......scary on B roads

Caronte

these are tarmac settings for a rally car.
Gulp!

Dave T-S

Had standard Leda factory setup on two MY01 WRX's, both fitted from new.

Pros - good on road, pretty compliant, and useful to be able to crank up on track days.

Cons - Carolyn's was creaking/rattling from day one at the rear, and after just 8000 miles or so got to the point it was *really* badly rattling. It stopped when we PX'd it for an STi7

However, mine didn't rattle at all.

Contrary to Simon (PCB), I would NOT personally fit it on our STi7's. I reckon the forthcoming Prodrive springs will sharpen it up enough.

[Edited by Dave T-S - 7/19/2002 9:49:40 PM]

Pete Croney

Dave I thought Leda sorted Carolines out on warranty.

Making Impreza rear suspension that doesn't rattle isn't easy (see STi thread), because the rear chassis amplifies even the tiniest suspension noise. But Leda are the quietest coil overs I know off. I've been in cars fitted with all four of the leading alternatives and don't know a Leda customer that would live with the noise from 3 of them or the handling from the other. With regard to reliability, you may read of people with the occasional problem, but then there are 263 owners with Leda fitted. How many people have DMS, for example? Or Ohlins, or AVO? What percentage have been problem free and how have the problems been dealt with.

An enormous amount of research and development has gone into making Leda units what they are now. R19KET's set were the first ever Impreza units made by Leda, that did a good few miles on my 98 before he bought them, four years ago. Since then, the rod material and its hardening processes have changed, the valve designs have changed, the valve rates have changed, the seal designs have changed and the spring rates have changed. All making the product even better and IMHO the most developed suspension available for road going Imprezas.

If you want a track monster, like Mellow, R19KET and like my RA, then Leda will custom build every component.

Dave, you really must get a drive in an STi7 with it fitted.

Dave T-S

Pete
To be fair to Leda, and my previous post should have been clearer, they are a really good and helpful company that I like, but Carolyn's was one of those "we didn't get around to it" jobs by us. Leda weren't working Saturdays at the time, and we didn't want to take a whole day's holiday in the week to take it in and sort it, which no doubt they would have done - and then it was STi time.....

I shall have to try a Leda equipped STi7 out of curiosity

Caronte

Pete ,

i've seen a great reduction in Leda B prices from when I bought in January. They were £1600, now £1231.
What happend?

C.

Pete Croney

Hi Andreas

The price has not changed. The price on the website doesn't include rear top mount modification, fitting, geometry set up and corner weight equalisation.

The price for fitting to a pre 01 car is £253 inc, as top mount work is not required.

Fitting price on an 01/02 is £282 incl vat and the units themselves are £1231, making a total of £1513 inc

TaviaRS

Pete, fancy having a shot at doing some on a Skoda?

Mellow Yellow !

iTrader: (1)

Having had both DMS's and Bilsteins before my current Leda's I can honestly say the corner speed and "flatness" of my car is far better than experienced before.

More importantly I have masses of confidence in Leda (especially Dave ) were I to have any issues with my current set up.....that for me is worth as much again as the cost of the product !

Many thanks again Pete

Caronte

thx Pete.

TaviaRS

Thanks for all your comments.

I've just ordered Ledas all round for mine. Got to wait on the springs as they need to be made (8 weeks). Dampers are tarmac rally, looking at 550lb springs for the front and 600 for the rear. That should firm things up nicely!

Anyone know anywhere that does group n bushes for a Skoda?

Dave T-S

Tavia
Try Skoda Motorsport (the guys that run the works rally cars) for the bushes....

TaviaRS

Cheers Dave, been there, tried that! They don't do any grp N stuff for Tavias, only group A and that doesn't fit! Nice thought tho'