Handling Upgrade

[Pinto Boy]

Reading a number of posts on hear I've decided that the best upgrade on my '96, 6000 ml, SEIW is to improve the handling, but not sure what to do.

Should I change the SPAX for AVO, replace the bushes, change the steering joints or give it to Northampton Motorsport with a few hundred quid?

What are people's thoughts on what would improve the ride / handling for road only use?

Cheers  

[Big R]

Hi Luke - firstly I'd check that what you have already fitted is in good condition and doesn’t need repaired.  Having undertaken any repairs make sure the geometry is all correct.  If it was set up properly before, it shouldn’t really have changed.  Having done that, drive it before spending any money on parts..... you may be surprised what levels of improvement can be gained by doing the above

[Guest]

I would certainly agree with the above , and would also say that if working correctly i found the ride on the spax to be fine and not miles away from avos .

if all the bushes /suspention are fine then the next step you might consider are anti roll bars ,this may allow you to run a softer sprung setup whilst still having body control and therefore ultimately will give you a better feel over our pot holed badley kept B roads .

After that i would look at unsprung weight ......... do you have huge heavy wheels and tyres and hugely heavy brakes , this would be a wise next step , however always remeber along the way to make sure the geometry has been kept in check .

tyres will make a difference to how a car handles ,and for road use something like the yokohama 21r ,or if your feeling flush avon cr500 will make things feel better still.

after that you could go to poly bushes , or do that at the suspention check stage at the begining if bushes need replacing.

from there you can go on and on , nitron shocks , (though not a huge gain on the road )

and remember that all handeling is subjective............ how one person likes a car setup is not always the same for another.

but just to go back to the begining make sure what you have works correctly and is set up as it should be ,then decide on your route that fits your budget from there on .

[Pinto Boy]

Thanks for the advice. I'm not really sure how to tell if the current components are in good condition. What should I be looking for??

Driving it over roads which aren't perfect makes it feel like it's moving around under me. My only comparrison is my Clio which feels a more controlled ride. Perhaps it's just how Westfields are, they stick to the road but you feel all of the road.

[Jenko]

I would first take the car for a proper geometry set up.....Then drive it and see if you feel you want more.....

I must admit, I had mine set up, which made a big improvement, then I changed from SPAX to Protech which made another big improvement....the car felt more planted to the road after the shock change....Protech tend to be a little cheaper than the AVOs.....but all are good enough, you may want to consider going to ally shocks if you decide to change.....

But certainly a full set up first, then see how you go....

[deano.1]

IMHO it is probably the most important thing to do, i've never driven a poorly set up Westfield and nor do i want to, i had mine professionally set up by Procomp before it was SVA'd. I believe that if you are not competent with setting a car up properly (which i don't think all that many people are) then having it set up professionally is the safest way to go and the car will be fantastic! I havn't had any handling stuff done at Northampton motorsport but i have had a fair bit of engine work done and can recommend them highly!

[skids]

why bother ???its good at the moment .

race it and then do the bollo..................s to it

[JonZet]

I had mine properley set up and it made a huge difference. 1.5 neg camber on the front which means no understeer After that I put on light weight 13" wheels with A048's - another big difference over (over 15"s with 539's) - better ride quality and more grip. Finally sorting the best tyre pressures (17F,16R) made the icing on the cake. I wanted it to handle similarly to my mates CateringVan - and it does

He's got no LSD though so he can't have the tail so throttle steerable

[allegory]

How much would you expect to pay to get the geometry set up correctly?

thanks

[JonZet]

I paid £440 for new springs and shocks up front, fitting and a full setup which took him ages as it had never been done on the car before so everything needed doing. Included corner weighting.

[deano.1]

I seem to remember paying about £250 at procomp but this may have included some bits, took them a good day though!

[Pinto Boy]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I'll go and spend a couple of hundred pounds getting the geomtry sorted and then see how it drives. It could just be that I need to drive it more and get used to how it handles.

Sorry for more questions, but can anyone recommend somewhere near Southampton to get the set-up done?

Thanks

[jamieashcroft]

can any one recomend someone for the same set ups in the northwest