IOW_duder

If any of you have been to the Isle of Wight you will know that the military road is one of those roads you just have to put your foot down on. As I just got my first scooby (MY 96 WRX) I thought I would give the milly road a bit of a blast. My mate in his Honda Civic Esi was in front... I got to 80 and was all over the place trying to keep the car on the road coz the suspension was so hard... the civic was in the distance doing a fair bit more than 80 *cough*.

I have never ever said this before but... I think I’m going to have to go back to something like standard suspension as our Island roads are the worsted and I cant have that Civic beating me on top speed can I?

I dunno what the little Jap bloke had put on before I got the car but have you guys got any ideas on what I could replace it with or who I could talk to for advice?

Thanx

Luke

IOW_duder

Aww come on... anyone?

Claudius

What if you said what suspension setup you currently use?

IOW_duder

I dont know what is on it at the moment... it came from japan like it. I had a quick look but couldn't see any lables on any of the struts or springs.

Claudius

Probably one of those rock hard Cusco or Tein suspension with 14N/mm springs ... totally unstreetable, those are track suspension systems...

dnb

I have taken my Scoob on military road a touch faster than 80 on standard suspension...

I hear Eibachs are quite good, but will you need new dampers as well?

Hopefully see you on Friday, so I guess I'll find out then...

STI MAN

If the roads are anything like the majority of the IOM roads, then anything stiffer than UK std springs can be tiresome.

I had the Prodrive springs fitted to the my01 WRX and found that except on the TT circuit, the car was more unsettled due to the 'upgrade' It felt like the Prodrive springs and the std dampers were not quite matched

Try fitting something like Leda's, I know someone who fitted them to his Lancia Integrale, runs them 'soft' for IOM use and 'hard' when in the UK.

[Edited by STI MAN - 7/17/2002 1:24:12 AM]

IOW_duder

Bloody feels like it to Claudius.

What kinda pricw are we talking for the leda's STI MAN?

DNB, i have sent you an e-mail.

Luke

STI MAN

Not sure exactly how cheap, but i guess second hand ones would we definately worth it, scour the For Sale section.

IOW_duder

As DNB said, Eibach springs are ment to be good. I just wonder if the standard shocks are the best thing to put back on or if i should go for another type.

Luke

Claudius

IOW_duder,

given the road conditions on your island, you will need a suspension system that absorps the holes and bumps perfectly smoothly for longer periods of time. This can only be achieved with monotube dampers and correct rate springs.

I heard lots of bad things about Leda (incl on this BBS).

Personally, I can recommend Öhlins, Proflex and Dynamic Suspension suspension. These are monotube design dampers with separate gas reservoirs. Öhlins are the most expensive at around £3500, Proflex come second at around £2500, same for Dynamic Suspension. Go with 5 or 6 N/mm max spring rate for really sh*tty roads and wet road surface.

Just springs wont help, on the contrary.

[Edited by Claudius - 7/17/2002 1:18:34 PM]

IOW_duder

Thanx for the advice Claudius. How come you know so much about shocks and springs?

IOW_duder

So Eibach springs and new standard struts wont be any good for me?

Any others what to put there 2p's worth in?

Luke

Mo

Luke,

if you are not venturing on track then I would suggest you get a set of Eibachs on the standard struts. I ran this set up for 18months with no problems whatsoever before fitting coilovers due to my track needs. The Eibachs were far more compliant on our B roads and make the car very controlable and were very good on track until I started using slicks.

They do come up second hand everynow and again. I sold my old Eibachs along with STiV type R struts for 250, a lot cheaper than getting any of the kits mentioned previously only to find you still don't like it!

Try them and enjoy...

IOW_duder

Thanx Mo, I think that’s what I’m going to do. Take the car to PS and get new standard struts and some Eibachs with the bumpstear mod and the geometry doing.

any idea how much that will cost, Powerstation haven't answered my e-mail.

Luke

Claudius

You're welcome.

I know quite a bit about suspension because a friend of mine teaches me about it, makes changes to my custom Öhlins dampers settings, springs etc and tries out the car, lets me drive it and tells me what to look for in all the different driving conditions (bumps, holes, curves, etc). I live in the south of France where the streets are like yours, bumpy, curvy, small etc, like the rally special stages of the Rally Monte Carlo, San Remo, Corsica etc. And my friend is European Rally Champion (1994 I think) and 4 times French rally Champion, so he should know how the car should behave and how it should be set up

IOW_duder

Ahh i see Claudius, well that’s kinda cool. I think ill go for the cheaper option first and then see about a more expensive set up if i don’t like it. Bet your car handles like a beast.

Luke

Mo

Luke,

if I were you I'd get the gear and get it fitted (at a much lower cost) by a local garage if you cannot fit it yourself. Decide what toe/camber settings would suit your style best then take these to a 4 wheel alignment centre and get them to carry out the work to your specifications. That is ofcourse if you're not going to PowerStation for the bumpsteer mod!

Claudius

Well, yes, it does I have a front LSD (1.5way) and getting the rear diff (RS type) set up differently.

The suspension is really amazing: you can drive over a bump or a hole the size of an 18 inch wheel without the car losing its traction or direction, and you are barely shaken inside the car. The suspension does exactly what it's supposed to do: absorp, not send the road irregularities to your spine

And the most impressive thing is that the suspension can still be improved! Hehe...

[Edited by Claudius - 7/18/2002 12:12:35 PM]