DamperMan Posted May 3, 2017 Posted May 3, 2017 I'd be surprised if those dampers work well upside down. The damper have to be built very particular of a Spax clone design for them to work. I appreciate its the only way those dampers will fit. Just because they fit it does not mean they work. If you want to see if those dampers work you would need to remove the spring. Then with the rod end in a vice you cycle the damper in the same orientation as it is fitted. If you can hear bubbles flowing though the valves and you can feel the damper is not uniform in feel though out the stroke ...Or the Bump is very very soft then they will not be working right. Basically any trapped air form the assembly and absorbed gas from the oil is getting into the high pressure hydraulic circuit of the damper. If then you turn them the "right way up" the damper will for the first pump or so feel just as bad but slowly improve as the air seperates into the outer reserve tube. The outcome is that the suspension would feel both bouncy, hard, crash and often feel its bottoming out when its not... Is it the Same on the rear?. If they are mounted inverted on the rear you should be able to turn them over so the shafts are at the top. I don't have experience of this Westfield set up but I believe I have read the ARB's are to stiff and to get a better ride softer springs are needed to be used or softer bars. I can help you for dampers but not the rest of it. 1 Quote
AdamR Posted May 3, 2017 Posted May 3, 2017 22 minutes ago, DamperMan said: I appreciate its the only way those dampers will fit. Just because they fit it does not mean they work. Another good reason to get that front ARB removed in my opinion - it is way too stiff for a car of this weight - and then flip the dampers over so the adjuster knobs are at the bottom / springs at the top. Just take the push rods off for now to see how it feels. Dampers will probably need to be on zero clicks or very close (adjuster knobs wound fully anticlockwise) all round to be in the right ballpark as they are built for a huge range of spring rates and yours will be at the lower end of that range. That should help the crashy ride a fair bit... Also looks like you may have positive camber on that front left wheel (amount of threads showing on the ball joint) - the car will benefit hugely from a good alignment if it's not had one... Quote
Andy Dawson Posted May 3, 2017 Author Posted May 3, 2017 4 hours ago, AdamR said: Another good reason to get that front ARB removed in my opinion - it is way too stiff for a car of this weight - and then flip the dampers over so the adjuster knobs are at the bottom / springs at the top. Just take the push rods off for now to see how it feels. Dampers will probably need to be on zero clicks or very close (adjuster knobs wound fully anticlockwise) all round to be in the right ballpark as they are built for a huge range of spring rates and yours will be at the lower end of that range. That should help the crashy ride a fair bit... Also looks like you may have positive camber on that front left wheel (amount of threads showing on the ball joint) - the car will benefit hugely from a good alignment if it's not had one... Thanks for that, and am going to give it a go with the ARB disconnected. I want to get the ride height and everything sorted before I go and get a full geo, but garage assessment would suggest there is a bit of negative camber, but not a lot. And they are the same way round on the rear, so could perhaps swap them over with ARB removed. I'll report back when I get a chance to do it. Quote
Andy Dawson Posted May 9, 2017 Author Posted May 9, 2017 OK temporarily disconnected the ARB and the ride is totally different. Much better at absorbing the lumps and bumps in our local roads, but doesn't feel quite as sharp on turn in. I guess that is to be expected. i haven't turned the shocks round yet, but might try that also, although they seem to be shocking quite well. I reckon geo is the next thing. Any thoughts or comments? 1 Quote
Rory's Dad Posted May 9, 2017 Posted May 9, 2017 I'm sure AdamR could offer some baseline figs for you to try out. Quote
Olliebeak Posted May 9, 2017 Posted May 9, 2017 As we are talking about shockers I have a related query.I have recently fitted 15" wheels and 185/45 tyres and I am experimenting with tyre pressures and shocker settings. My car is fitted with Gaz adjustables which have probably been on the car since it was built (15yrs). My problem is that I cannot determine a positive click on the adjuster, if I turn the screw I get what could be called 'soft' clicks then more positive ones. Should I use these positive clicks as an adjustment guide or are my shocks just worn out. Any comments appreciated Quote
Johnson Posted May 9, 2017 Posted May 9, 2017 As I said in my earlier post I would now try removing the rear bar if you haven't already. If it's still connected it will upset the handling. Are you going to completely remove the front bar? Once you've got the ride how you like it I would suggest getting the car setup by someone who knows our cars. i haven't got my geo settings to hand but can recall them from the geometry machine tomorrow. You also need to make sure you have the correct ride heights/rake set too. Can't help with a duratec as I have BEC. Quote
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