Vauxhall Lotus Dampers and Spring rates

[captiv8ted]

Can anyone help? My White Power dampers are well past their best and the springs that go with them are ropey looking too, hence I would like to get some replacements at the Autosport show.

Does anybody know the open and closed lengths of the dampers (I haven't taken them off yet to measure), but more importantly, the spring rates?

Thanks in advance,

Nick.

[Dermot Healy]

Can anyone help? My White Power dampers are well past their best and the springs that go with them are ropey looking too, hence I would like to get some replacements at the Autosport show.

Does anybody know the open and closed lengths of the dampers (I haven't taken them off yet to measure), but more importantly, the spring rates?

Thanks in advance,

Nick.

Nick

If you embark on the plan you describe (a) you will sit in traffic jams on the M5 & M42 (b) then be directed round & round by guys in yellow jackets to a car park in Borsetshire where someone will sit in a box taking £20 notes (c) then you'll wait in queues for the queues to get in queues (d) then you'll be accosted by scantily clad women (e) meet the odd Monoposto member whose name you not remember & will mistake for someone else (f) buy two pairs of brightly coloured springs (Special Show Offer 30% offer...so that will be a mere 72.40+vat=£82.26)...(g) then look for something to eat (h) then be accosted by more scantily clad women & find you self signing up for an years subscription to some Haymarket weekly garbage (h)...even longer queues..(g) then you go to various dampers specialists who will show you dampers at £4800+vat a set... with graphs( i) so then you'll find a stand with rather cheaper dampers on offer (...but which might also have graphs)...set of four Special SHOW OFFER £82.60 +Vat ea =£379.96 & the guy (with well gelled hair & shiny teeth in a nice logoedshirt) will assure you they are ideal for a Vauxhall-Lotus....(having confused it with a Vauxhall Corsa...not that he gives a monkies 'cos he's got your creditcard......).....but then you'll struggle back with this stuff in plastic bags.....and you'll be pleased because the dampers will have names you'll have heard of (AVO....sounds aeronautical...or GAZ....russian military vehicles? perhaps not....but everything will be nicely anodised and shiny)......and then several days later you'll find they dont fit as they foul the cross member at the front, and the gearbox case at the rear.....which is probably just as well as they will perform worse than your existing set up if you did ever get them fitted..............but by then you'll have stripped the thread or snapped the bolt holding the dampers to the front casting and wont be able to get dampers on or off...

........so why not just give me a ring (07703-162409) & i will suggest a rather cheaper and more effective alternative course of action & if i can't convince you i'll still tell you the spring rates and lengths you need, as well as the things that might cause a problem.

[tristancliffe]

Dermot has been known to be wrong about things like this, or decidedly non-technical, but in this instance he's spot on. Last year we went to the Autosport Show, and what Dermot wrote is not far removed from the truth. We ended up with a set of dampers, from Spax, that cost a lot and didn't fit without modification (despite sending them our existing dampers for copying). Spax were also unable to offer ANY setup advice other than what Carroll Smith wrote 35 years ago, they couldn't provide any graphs of the new dampers (but sent some useless graphs of other valvings), and they gave an attitude that WE were in the wrong for wanting these things.

So I'd agree with Dermot - don't buy show special dampers. Especially from Spax! Phone around after the show and speak to their technical people (NOT their sales people) and make an opinion then. Then go out and buy some second hand ones of the make you choose and save a load of money.

Springs are a bit easier to calculate. If you want to go stiffer do so in jumps of around 10% in wheel rate. As long as you aren't doing anything silly with preload, droop limiting etc then you should maintain your car balance. The damper people need to know what springs you will be using for valving purposes

Somewhere on Startline there is an article on spring and wheel rates from Allan Staniforth which may help. If not give me a shout and I'll use the Excel program I made to do the same thing. You'll need to know your wheel:spring ratio.

Good luck, Tristan

[Dermot Healy]

[quote="tristancliffe"]Dermot has been known to be wrong about things like this....."

Carter-Ruck & Co may well be in touch bright and early Monday morning

[captiv8ted]

Thanks for the input, chaps. Sorry you had such a time of it with Spax, Tristan. I may well take you up on your Excel offer! I have the 'Competition car suspension' book which explains all about wheel/spring rates etc quite well.

Dermot, I take on board everything you say about buying at Autosport. I shall still go to the show, as even with the hassles you listed, it's a great day out - and I have other things to look for. I wasn't expecting anyone at the show to be able to tell me what I would need, hence this post. I will call you to see what you suggest.

[Shakeyfinch]

Have you considered having your existing units overhauled? Don't know if they can be but it'll be cheaper than buying new and you'll know that they are correct as all the internals will be new and to your required valving etc. Issue with buying second hand is you don't know they're any better than the ones you take off, in terms of quality and valving etc.

Whatever you decide to do its well worth spending the required time, effort and money making sure you've got the right dampers on the car. Apart from the nut behind the wheel they're probably one of the most significant variables.

MH

[captiv8ted]

Yes, I agree about unknown second hand units. I'm fairly sure that my adjusters aren't changing the level of damping and to top it off, the knurled adjusters are sh4gged maing it very difficult to see what they're set to! What I would prefer, is a more user friendly knob type adjuster at the bottom of the damper, rather than the collar type I have now. It's really awkward to get to. I suppose W.P could refurbish them, but I don't know if they'll sort adjuster rings too......

Nitrons will cost far too much, as would Ohlins, AVOs and GAZ are unkown quantities for this kind of application (great for road though!) and Spax... speak to Tristan! Any others, I'm not aware of.

[Shakeyfinch]

Koni, Bilstein, Penske or Quantum. I think Bilstein do a fairly standard unit which has appeared on late 80's ealry 90's F3 cars.

Quantum are very good and helpful with overhails and set-ups.

[Nick Harrison]

Nick

Go here.

www.protechshocks.co.uk/


Excellent value for money shock made by the man who once owned AVO, infact they are a copy. We have used them in the past as has Andy Wooley.New set will be about £400 made to your specification.



Nick.