Springs/Damper Settings/Tyre pressures

[Andrewa]

Just got myself a Trophy which has the Mark fish springs and koni rear shocks. Have played around with the settings on the shocks and as recommended elsewhere on here have set the rears at 1 and a quarter off full soft and the fronts at 22 clicks. I do a lot of road miles and am finding the springs a little stiff to be honest - do the original springs give anything approaching a comfortable ride?
Goodwood have a test day at the end of the month so I'm going to spend a morning there trying to find a good set up for track work - any suggestions as a starting point for the damper settings and tyre pressures?
Cheers

 

[aucky]

Welcome to Trophydome!

22 Clicks is the standard setting for the front iirc. If you want comfort I think you may have the wrong car!

 

[hoolio]

Trophydome', is that somewhere in some kind of post apocalyptic essex?

 

[Sir_Dave]

If you want a more compliant ride, get some Sportlines, impressed with mine so far!!

 

[Andrewa]

Def bought the right car - it's brilliant - will just have to get use to taking the dentist everywhere with me to re-instate my fillings!

 

[hoolio]

If you want a more compliant ride, get some Sportlines, impressed with mine so far!!

So you think the sportlines are "softer" than the Mark Fish? That would suggest they are actually different and not the same as some have inferred.

 

[Sam_K]

I wouldnt say my sportlines are more compliant than standard?

 

[aucky]

Def bought the right car - it's brilliant - will just have to get use to taking the dentist everywhere with me to re-instate my fillings!

I sometimes take a Chiropractor with me on long journeys

 

[Andrewa]

Thanks for all this - I reckon I'll just have to man up a bit and stop whingeing! Any suggestions on track sttings/tyre pressures?

 

[eljeffo64]

I'd start with stock settings on the shox for 5 or so laps, then add 10 clicks and do another 5, then decide which way to go from there. Depends on the track and how cold it is but (on std rims with road tyres) start at 28 cold and see how it feels - DONT go too low or you'll eat the front outside edges! With semi slicks you can go a little lower as the sidewalls are stiffer: don't play with shock settings and tyre settings at the same time or you'll not know where you are

 

[Andrewa]

28 all round?

 

[Sir_Dave]

If you want a more compliant ride, get some Sportlines, impressed with mine so far!!

So you think the sportlines are "softer" than the Mark Fish? That would suggest they are actually different and not the same as some have inferred.

Without wishing to sound harsh, that was a rumour spread by a potential trader (Matt Wills), looking to punt on their own springs. Unfortunately, most Trophy owners believed them.

The MF Springs are not Eibachs, they are custom ones, probably made by 'Faulkner' or 'CoilSprings'.

I've driven/seen them both on/off the car - & they are completely different in both looks, & feel.

 

[hoolio]

I didn't believe it either buy its always hard getting that info out of him.

 

[eljeffo64]

28 all round?

That's where I start - you could go a couple of psi lower on the rear if you fancy it - In this weather (i.e yesterday on track here) mine worked "best" at 32/30 hot - however, "best" and yesterday's trackday is the subject of another tyre story!!

In brief - it was the first time out since the shox re-furb and replaced wishbones/ball joints (plus re set geometry of course). I had a 75% worn set of R888's on back and a half worn set of Maxis (that were given to me - think I know why now) on the front. Two good sessions in I was hating it - no precision at all, oversteer (wierd) then understeer on the same bend without me touching brakes or backing off (and it's one of my fave bends) - it was a bit damp in places but all the same it felt terrible. Tyres were properly hot so that was OK. Dampers set at about 30 from soft.

Bear in mind, I use the track a lot so am well aware of what time I'd expect, even bearing in mind the temperature and slight dampness the track wheels were going around about 5 seconds a lap light! (that's a lot).

So - for the latter half of the day I switched back to my road wheels/PE2's, backed the front dampers back to stock settings and ...... superb. Now, when I say superb I mean better than it was on road tyres before the re-furb (so that's good!) but not as quick as with a good set of R888's. Quicker, however, than with the track wheels I'd had on earlier (that's not what you'd want!).

Still had great fun though

New Toyos on order - when they arrive then I'll play a bit with the dampers.

So: damper refurb and new wishbones/ball joints = good idea
Maxis trackday tyres (used) = very bad idea

 

[Andrewa]

Thanks for that - I'll try tomorrow!
But today i went 30 front 28 rear on the tyre pressures, 28 clicks on the front and 1 and 1/4 from soft on the konis.
Car more comfortable but didn't have much chance to "test" it otherwise.
Anyway Goodwood's Monday week so I'll know more after that!
Don't know if you're really in SW France, but I get down to Toulouse from time to time so perhaps next time I'll bring the Clio!
Thanks

 

[Luke335]

If you want more comfort for long journeys you can soften the rear fully and it still drives reasonably well but it's much more comfortable. I never go below about 25 from soft at the front though because it doesn't feel very responsive. Just wind them right up on track and then go from there depending on how it's handling.

 

[eljeffo64]

I'm really in SW France, been here 5 years. A couple of hours from Toulouse, near Pau. There are two brit Trophy's here (Tinker, on here, also has one); if you ever bring the T down and fancy an afternoon at Pau Arnos (our local circuit) pm me

J

 

[Andrewa]

I've got a longish haul in it tomorrow so i'll try the fully backed off rears as it were, then.
Also will def get to Pau sometime this year!
Am sufferring from trophy-itis at the mo...driving like a complete loon everywhere!
Hope it wears off as i'm on 9 points already...don't think I've ever had a car that's this much of a laugh and still practical-ish, and I've had a wide varitey of machinery over the years.

 

[Andrewa]

Went to Goodwood yesterday a.m. just me, two radicals and a thing called a Tornado. It was damp and one of the radicals lost it within 5 mins and went into wall and his day was over. Played around with all sorts of settings and as advised what worked best for me was 38 clicks at the front, a quarter turn off max damping at the back and keeping pressures down to 28 all round once warm. Car was brilliant even in the damp, drizzly conditions and tyre wear pretty even. Had forgotten about renault build quality and have certainly loosened up the trim a bit - it was a quiet car before - now you can hear all the plastic moving about, brakes grinding and knocking from cv joint or whatever they have - still it's all fixable! Now need to book up a few Hill climbs/sprints. Any suggestions for getting off the line - was going to try launching at just below the magic 5200 rpm so that I've got some grip before it all takes off.
Thanks to all for advice.

 

[hoolio]

GeorgeK, PeteG? And shiftspark all have experience using the T for hillclimbs and sprints and they are a mine of good info.