Best set up with Trophy dampers for my 182

[alolympic]

Hi, I have owned a Cup packed 182 for over 4 years now, determined to keep it as long as possible.
Always kind of wished for the Trophy set up so I have just invested in a full set of Trophy dampers.
I was wondering what you guys could recommend to get the set up correct. Lots of advice already on here but lots to take in.....

I am thinking of getting Koni adjustables for the rear, and selling on the original Renault dampers.
Can anyone confirm if this is worth doing for just a road car, not being used on track?

I currently have Eibach Proline springs on my car, should/could I use these with the Trophy dampers or is it better to use Sportlines or Mark Fish springs?
I am quite keen on a slight drop in ride height, but not at the expense of ride quality.
I presume with any of these lowering springs, I should fit front camber bolts and rear shims, to allow for camber adjustment?

Any opinions appreciated. Cheers

 

[Sir_Dave]

I've driven a MF setup Trophy, & prefer mine tbh.

Spec is:

Standard Sachs fronts - still pinned
Standard Trophy rears
Eibach Sportlines
Whiteline ARB - set to hard
Eibach Front Camber bolts - set to max (-2.8 degrees)
Slight front toe out
Standard rear camber (mine was -1.8 degrees)

No understeer, with a tendency for on the limit oversteer (adjustable with the throttle.).

It basically handles like a 106/306 Gti, but with more overall grip.

 

[alolympic]

I've driven a MF setup Trophy, & prefer mine tbh.

Spec is:

Standard Sachs fronts - still pinned
Standard Trophy rears
Eibach Sportlines
Whiteline ARB - set to hard
Eibach Front Camber bolts - set to max (-2.8 degrees)
Slight front toe out
Standard rear camber (mine was -1.8 degrees)

No understeer, with a tendency for on the limit oversteer (adjustable with the throttle.).

It basically handles like a 106/306 Gti, but with more overall grip.

That's great, thanks for that, exactly the sort of thing that helps make decisions, Cheers

So, based on your set up and experience, there would be no value in the Koni adjustables or the MF springs.
Will the Sportline springs lower the ride height much from standard Trophy?

 

[Trophy237]

Correct me if i'm wrong but it not a simple take off put on job! iirc the hubs and fittings all have to be changed!

A lot of work invoved in that!

 

[alolympic]

Nah, they are a straight swap onto a Cup packed 182.

 

[Sam_K]

The drop on with sportlines fitted are barely noticable

 

[alolympic]

The drop on with sportlines fitted are barely noticable

So will the MF springs be the preffered option if I want a drop too?
I've searched for photos on here and some cars on MF springs do seem to look noticeably lower than standard....

 

[Sam_K]

Yes I think that the MF ones look lower too. The sportlines do lower the car but when you look at it you wouldnt instantly think ooh thats been lowered. Sportlines i would say are a bit harder than the original eibachs, cant say for the MF setup as I havent driven one. I think the prolines have more of a drop dont they?

 

[Luke335]

The Mark Fish springs will feel quite stiff on the road relative to standard. I would try the Trophy front dampers with revalved koni's on the rear along with a whiteline Arb and 2.0 degrees of camber on the front. I used to have 2.0 degrees on the front and the Arb and it was a very playful setup with standard springs. Much more font end grip. I would have liked to have tried that with the revalved koni's as I prefer the fronts a little stiffer than std but no use if you can't match the rears. I suspect that would be the perfect road setup with Trophy springs. I now have the full MF setup which has more grip but is a little stiff if you are just going to drive on the road and seems less playful. The ride height will appeal though if you want it a touch lower and it will roll less.
Luke.

 

[alolympic]

I've just completed the 1st stage with my plans for my 182.
I've fitted 15" Superleggeras on fresh rubber. The difference in ride quality around town is really noticeable, so much better. I can't vouch for changes in handling/grip etc but pretty confident the lower unsprung weight will mean all positive results.
Now I'm worried that I will go to a lot of effort and expense for the Trophy set up and be worse off on the majority of drives compared to what I have now. I guess I don't do many B road blasts in reality.
If anyone has ever driven/ridden in a 182 with Proline springs, can you tell me how much stiffer a standard Trophy set up is from that?
A bit confused as to whether I should stop where I am and sell on the Trophy dampers......

 

[Sir_Dave]

Personally, i would shy away from the MF stuff - whilst the stiffness would be better on a smooth track, it would reduce the ability of the Trophy on the road imho.

Hence my setup, still road biased, but more than capable on a circuit.

In addition, ull probably find that the prolines are night on exactly the same as standard Trophy eibavhs, hence the use of Sportlines for the slight drop. maybe -10mm over the standard springs.

The T is a fast road specialist, dont modify it away from that spec imho, just improve what is already there.

 

[alolympic]

Personally, i would shy away from the MF stuff - whilst the stiffness would be better on a smooth track, it would reduce the ability of the Trophy on the road imho.

Hence my setup, still road biased, but more than capable on a circuit.

In addition, ull probably find that the prolines are night on exactly the same as standard Trophy eibavhs, hence the use of Sportlines for the slight drop. maybe -10mm over the standard springs.

The T is a fast road specialist, dont modify it away from that spec imho, just improve what is already there.

Cool, I think that is good advice.
I'll just start with some Sportlines then, rather than jumping in with a different set up.

Just out of interest, how stiff should the front dampers be? I have them unfitted at the moment and can't get the piston to move one bit with all my weight leaning on them. Maybe that is normal?? The rears are obviously a lot softer and are easy to compress.

 

[hoolio]

Yeah they should be as solid as a rock.

 

[alolympic]

Yeah they should be as solid as a rock.

Cool, thanks. I think :shock:

 

[Feirny]

I've driven a MF setup Trophy, & prefer mine tbh.

Spec is:

Standard Sachs fronts - still pinned
Standard Trophy rears
Eibach Sportlines
Whiteline ARB - set to hard
Eibach Front Camber bolts - set to max (-2.8 degrees)
Slight front toe out
Standard rear camber (mine was -1.8 degrees)

No understeer, with a tendency for on the limit oversteer (adjustable with the throttle.).

It basically handles like a 106/306 Gti, but with more overall grip.

Mine is the same bar camber bolts and toe. It's nigh on perfect now.

 

[Luke335]

-2.8 sounds like a lot of negative camber for road use. Is it a bit of a handfull on uneven roads?
The MF setup is much faster than before on all but the very worst roads but it is a bit stiffer. A good Nurburgring setup IMO.

 

[Sir_Dave]

-2.8 sounds like a lot of negative camber for road use. Is it a bit of a handfull on uneven roads?

Not really, tramlines a bit on the motorway, but overall its no worse than the standard setup, just considerably more pointy. The standard damping means that it still drives just as well as the normal Trophy on bumpy roads, but the addition of the rear ARB gives the rear end that additional bit of stiffness when pushing on on a track.

I think that with a stiffer setup, ie coilovers/MF setup, the additional camber/toe would cause a problem on the uneven stuff, but there is enough 'movement' in my setup for it not to be a concern.

Probably wouldnt recommend such camber for a daily road car though, purely as it will go through tyres considerably quicker than say -2.0 degrees.

 

[Luke335]

Sounds like fun. I remember having to start holding the wheel with two hands a lot more when I had mine set from STD to -2.0. Not sure of the toe setting though as I just let Mark set it to what he thought. Would like to try more sometime but I do lots of motorway miles at the moment. Some rear toe could be interesting too.