Shaun_E

Tonight I set the dampers to their softest setting at the rear and things have dramatically improved . I just wasn't expecting the huge range of adjustability achievable - so much more than I thought possible. It is now much better over big bumps and the smaller ones almost disappear . Have softened the front a little bit and may soften it further for the road. I'm very pleased with the damping control - crests and dips are dealt with much better than with the (admittedly old) Bilsteins. Now just have to get a few more miles in and play with the settings. Llandow will be an interesting day. Yellow SL #32

Didn't find time to play tonight but should be able to try a softer setting tomorrow. Will let you know how I get on. Thanks for all the information so far. Shaun Yellow SL #32

1. As long as it was *ahem* fitted before the recent rules were introduced, shouldn't be a problem. 2. Rear fog light required on all cars first used after 1st April 1980 see here. 3. No 4. Lots of people say its a problem but I have had mine tested on the rollers every year and it hasn't broken yet. If an LSD can't stand the basic brake test then how is it going to cope on track under hard braking, cornering, etc. All IMHO of course. The MOT manual does say that roller brake test is not appropriate for an LSD equipped car - see here 5. Look at this website for all the info you'll ever need on MOTs. Emissions should be visibile smoke test only for you. Yellow SL #32 Edited by - Shaun_E on 20 Mar 2006 13:43:33

Sounds like I just need to play with the adjustment then. I will try it at full soft and see how we go. I guess I just wasn't prepared for how much difference the damper setting could make. Thanks. Yellow SL #32

Rob - thanks, I'll try full soft. We were 2 up yesterday and covered a wide variety of roads from bumpy twisty backroads to motorway and to be honest it wasn't very comfortable on anything other than very smooth surfaces. I could feel every ridge in the road and even on the motorway a few bumps caught me out. I did wonder whether the dampers would bed in a bit. The front actually seems very good though - a bit more confidence inspiring than the old setup as it seems to give more feedback. With the old springs and green ARB it would grip quite well but you couldn't actually feel what it was doing so ultimately corner speeds were lower. Yellow SL #32

Steve - there are 24 clicks available and I understand that you need to set them to full hard and then count the clicks from there. I have set them at 14 clicks from hard as per a suggestion I read which is close to half way. 24 would be fully soft. I think Arnie could be right - it doesn't feel right although the springs are labelled 150. I'll try setting them to full soft and see if that makes a difference. Yellow SL #32

Fitted Nitron dampers at the weekend with 250lbft front and 150lbft rear springs and the ride is now very firm to the point of being uncomfortable for the passenger and making throttle control on bumpy B roads difficult. The dampers are set at 14 clicks from hard both front and rear, the rear (over the diff) ARB on second softest setting and the front (Freestyle) on softest. This week I will move the rear ARB to the softest setting and set the rear dampers to their softest but am I likely to see an improvement? This could have been an expensive mistake as, if I can't improve things, my wife isn't going to want to travel in or drive the car - and I'm not sure I like it that much. Will the old progressive springs fit the Nitrons or would it be worth moving to a slightly softer rear spring? How do you other Nitron users get on with them for road use? Could the rake of the car affect the ride? It wasn't that easy to set and I will probably get it professionally setup as soon as I can. Yellow SL #32 Edited by - Shaun_E on 21 Mar 2006 18:35:32

There is a very noticeable difference between these 2 tyres. I have just swapped from A048R to CR500 and the ride height dropped siginificantly. With adjustable spring platforms this is easily corrected. If you are using the same size on the rear it will affect the gearing noticeably. I'm not sure how that will translate to feel but it should make the car accelerate more quickly - it will also affect your speedo reading. I have changed to wider rears and hence the 205/55 CR500 is about the same diameter as the old 185/60 A048R. Yellow SL #32

1st up a red/ali seven heading towards Aylesbury on A41 and then a bit later on the same road a metallic blue seven. I was in the yellow seven. Yellow SL #32

See you there - hopefully I'll have had a bit more chance to play with the settings by then. Perhaps I'll try softening the dampers tomorrow or try softening the rear ARB. The car was certainly well planted today - turn in was very confident - but I need to sort out the harsh rear because on very bumpy roads I found I couldn't control the throttle very well and if I hit a big bump then I ended up kangarooing ☹️ I can see this being a time consuming exercise but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end. Yellow SL #32

Went for 14 clicks from hard on both but I think the rear could do with being a bit softer. 150lbft rear springs are noticeably "bumpier" than the progressives I've taken off. Hopefully they'll bed in a bit. I have set my adjustable front ARB to the softest setting and I may need to soften the back as well (its on softest but one at the moment) Guess I get to play with the settings at Llandow next weekend. 😬 I could really do with a professional setup as I found it quite difficult to get the ride heights even all round. I have approximately 15mm rake but it would be nice to have an expert take a look. Yellow SL #32

No manual on the Nitron site that I can see ☹️. Another question: what is a good starting point for number of clicks on damper adjustment? I found a post from Peter that recommending 14 back from hard on the rear but he couldn't remember the value for the fronts. Yellow SL #32

Thanks Barbara - I'll read the instructions carefully and delay my arrival appropriately. That is of course if I get a place. Yellow SL #32

Cheers. Thats the way I thought they should go. Yellow SL #32

Mark - do you mean the damping adjusters? i.e. the blue knurled knob. Yellow SL #32

My Nitron dampers arrived this morning so looks like I'll be freezing my bits off in the garage over the weekend. What is the correct orientation to fit them? Spring at top or spring at bottom? I know they can be run "upside down" but what is upside down as there isn't a label for top and bottom ? Any other fitting tips gratefully received. Edited to say - opened other box to find bag of spacers 😳. Yellow SL #32 Edited by - Shaun_E on 17 Mar 2006 12:26:15 Edited by - Shaun_E on 17 Mar 2006 12:27:09

One of those 48 hour varieties no less . Yellow SL #32

Code: HSMP73720 - looks like £140 - £160 +VAT but I can't see if that includes the boom microphone. You also need an adaptor which is about £10 + VAT or £35 + VAT for the military spec one. Code: HSMP73490 - waterproof version of the above but can't find a price. Looks like a telephone call is required. Yellow SL #32

for the Halfords Pro ratchet spanners. I got the metric ones with a 3/8" socket set that my wife bought me two Xmases ago, but it was missing a 15mm one which is quite a useful size. So Xmas just gone I asked Santa for the imperial set and the missing 15mm size - she came up trumps again 😬. The spanners are really well made and have nice small increment on the ratchet that means you can use them easily in confined spaces. The downside is that the ratchet heads are flat where a normal ring spanner head would be angled. I don't find this a problem most of the time, but I have seen ratchet spanners where the head pivots as well allowing more fleixbility. Yellow SL #32

Mine lasted less than 4000 road miles, a couple of track days and a Dunsfold handling day (mmm...donuts 😬) and were down to the wear bars when I replaced them. You only get (I think) 4mm of tread to start with so it soon goes . Yellow SL #32

No problem with bellhousing dry sump and no problem with heater either. Yellow SL #32

I'd do it if I could. Unfortunately have already booked to be away that weekend. Also missing Curborough 2 sprint ☹️. Yellow SL #32

This company seem to do a fair range, mostly aimed at pilots but they have some lightweight headsets and they do adaptors for Autocom systems. Yellow SL #32

Fits neatly on the rear bulkhead in the boot between the 2 diagonal chassis memebers. You'll need to run some power to it - I ran new cables (positive fused with inline fuse) down the transmission tunnel and terminated in a 2.4mm power socket. I then wired a 2.4mm jack to the power lead of the Autocom. The headset cables were then fed along the top of the bulhead and through the holes where the inertia reels would have been behind your shoulder. I have seen a very neat solution where the plugs were connected to a socket flush mounted in the bulkhead roughly where your elbows are. The cables for phone and music I ran along the transmission tunnel to terminate where the handbrake is. I don't believe there is any better solution than the Autocom but some people recommend Starcom as a cheaper alternative. I have not compared the 2 so cannot comment but Autocom, once set up correctly, is excellent. Check the Autocom website for details. Yellow SL #32

Thanks Mark - had to post the form today so wrote on it that I am entered in the novice championship so hopefully I'll end up in the correct category. Yellow SL #32