182 vs Trophy- can you tell the difference?

[Patrick Bateman]

The reason I'm asking is my Trophy is on cup springs and dampers at the minute (front) because one of the sachs dampers was leaking slightly and needs a refurb. They were previously done in 2013 by Cornering Force.

Now I didn't notice an issue in driving the car hard while on the sachs dampers despite the oil leak (granted performance may have deteriorated gradually although I've read that it's meant to be obvious when they're not working right) and since changing over to the cup springs and dampers (used, not brand new) I swear I can't really notice a difference in hard cornering, only a less jarring ride about town and such like.

Obviously the only way to know for sure would be to drive the Trophy with freshly refurbished dampers but part of me is concerned that the main thing that makes a Trophy so special is something that I wouldn't even be able to notice the benefit from in hard driving (while being bloody expensive to sort in the process).

Anyone been in a similar position and then had a direct comparison with the freshly refurbished Sachs?

The fact the car is irritating me with niggles at the minute doesn't help but the thought of splashing out to get the dampers done and barely feeling a difference is something that would grate.

 

[Philfree]

Yes I made back to back comparison but the other way round. I own a 182 cup on which I installed freshly refurbished sachs dampers in exchange for brand new cup dampers. The ride is firmer granted but the main difference is that you can corner a lot faster with the sachs, it seems that whatever the speed you keep in a turn, you can keep the car on the inside line. It even seems that the suspension even steer you there. I noticed in particular on one of the Le Mans circuit right/left turn, too much speed on the cup dampers would make your line go wide and miss the entry on the left turn. With the sachs you can enter the right even faster, keep the inside line and make a perfect left. There's clearly a big difference how the car is reacting.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Yes I made back to back comparison but the other way round. I own a 182 cup on which I installed freshly refurbished sachs dampers in exchange for brand new cup dampers. The ride is firmer granted but the main difference is that you can corner a lot faster with the sachs, it seems that whatever the speed you keep in a turn, you can keep the car on the inside line. It even seems that the suspension even steer you there. I noticed in particular on one of the Le Mans circuit right/left turn, too much speed on the cup dampers would make your line go wide and miss the entry on the left turn. With the sachs you can enter the right even faster, keep the inside line and make a perfect left. There's clearly a big difference how the car is reacting.

Was that for road use too where driving isn't as hard?

I should have clarified as I don't do track days.

I suppose even if I did get them done and didn't notice a big enough difference it'd still be easier to sell the car and recoup the cost vs. selling with the dampers needing done.

If it came to that I'd fancy another 182 and put the extra funds towards a third car.

 

[Philfree]

For road use except when entertaining a quick joy ride, the 182 cup setup is perfectly alright.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

I know that first hand, it's what I'm driving at the minute mind.

It's whether the Trophy still shines through in road driving alone as the only back to back experience I have between Trophy and Cup (effectively) is with my sachs in need of a refurb.

 

[BenG]

A few years back, when I had my dampers serviced for the first time, I noticed a dramatic improvement in handling. The dampers would have only been 4 years old at that point and visually they looked fine.

I haven't owned a 182 cup, however, I have been in a few. I always remember doing a track day at Oulton Park and after driving a few laps in my Trophy I hopped into by friends LY 182, I was surprised how much body roll there was compared to the Trophy. That's not to say the Trophy was any quicker round the track or not as capable, however, it certainly felt different. Even driving through the country lanes of the Lake District, the Trophy always felt more planted to the road, more so at higher speeds.

 

[Rik Perry]

On the std trophy Spring the difference is noticeable but subtle... Once up to speed the Sachs come into their own..
The difference is much more pronounced when you are on a firmer Spring like the Cooksport or Mark Fish as the Damper is not overcome by the spring rate like a std cup unit is..

 

[Mikeyjp]

A couple of people that had driven mine, had driven a normal 182 before, thought that it was much better grip into bends and felt more committed

 

[Gazza]

I have just removed my leaking dampers off the car and have put cup dampers on with the Trophy springs. They do feel surprisingly good but turn in is no where near as sharp or direct. I still think the cup dampers feel harsher than I expected but maybe that's the spring rate on the trophy spring?

 

[bearne1]

I've just picked up a mint set of Cup shocks to keep as spare, wondering now whether to fit them and feel the difference, I've driven the car almost every day for 8 years so should notice the difference if there is any.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

I've just picked up a mint set of Cup shocks to keep as spare, wondering now whether to fit them and feel the difference, I've driven the car almost every day for 8 years so should notice the difference if there is any.

Being completely unselfish here, I think you should

 

[NathanH]

I found the biggest difference was with quick changes of direction, so much more direct.

 

[bearne1]

The push down test on the Trophy shocks is much harder and firmer than the cup ones that's for sure.

 

[Ashtons99]

Having driven my Cup and the Trophy back to back I don't think, unless you're driving more than 8/10ths, that the difference is that appreciable. With both cars if you are just pressing on along winding A and B roads both are just great. Like all of these things, brakes, suspension, squeezing extra bhp it gets to the point of diminishing returns where you have to question whether the additional cost to deliver is actually proportionate to the outcome.

I'm sure on a track where you can eek out every last drop of the performance of the suspension without fear of becoming part of rural England's roadside scenery you will feel a marginal benefit but for real world use I'm not sure the difference is so great. The cars are more about the package as a whole and how they feel in terms of driveability. You could drive 5 Trophys back to back and they would all feel different, not just suspension wise but in all aspects of the power train.

In all honesty and unless it's because I've not used my Trophy for a while I keep wondering whether my Cup is a better drive than my Trophy, I say this not purely from a suspension perspective but the feel of the whole car. I have no doubt when I jump back in the Trophy I may revise my opinion.

Interesting comparison though

 

[Patrick Bateman]

To go full circle, I've just today refitted the refurbished Sachs dampers. Given I've been driving on the cup dampers and springs for a while now I feel like I can give my input, albeit I've only had a short drive on the fresh Sachs I know the roads well and was pushing on.

A 20 minute blast around my local country roads showed a noticeable difference for sure. It's highlighted how much the cup items roll by comparison.

Composed is the key though I would say, it just never feels out of shape or like it's struggling. Taking liberties with the throttle mid-corner in 2nd gear and it just pivots round beautifully flat where the cup dampers would feel a bit aloof.

I'm not saying the cup dampers are bad of course, the car was still great fun with them, just that in comparison I'd say it's worth it now.