What after market dampers would people recommend for a 360? I've seen some KYB ones (Premium and Excel-G types) for the front but they dont seem to do them for the rear.

Or is just replacing old worn ones with some standard new ones a good enough difference to start off with?

I'd say replacing suspension with new standard would be a pretty big improvement, it certainly was on my parents 345GL's

There were some Koni adjustable shocks on Ebay the other day too Dunno what they're like though.

I can supply rear spax ajustables at £120 a pair, they do give a massive improvment.
The fronts are still under r/d.

Dai

I'm going to be trying out the Monroe's soon.... Fake's coming back to the road (cos of another project... without wheels) and looking under her today the only thing that looks iffy are the dampers... the outer slidey bit isn't a straight cut circle anymore, looks like staligtights, theres about 3" rotted away on both sides in places. I have a set of Monroes in the loft that I bought a year or so ago.

Then again... I still think I'll put Dai's spax stuff in Kar, just waiting for all of it, and too see how good the Monroes are

SteveP wrote: There were some Koni adjustable shocks on Ebay the other day too Dunno what they're like though.

Last time i checked konis were designed to be repairable as well as adjustable (cause my dad used to have them on a few cars and as part of a service person on a low budget race team was readily able to strip and fix the unit, for rallying, EVERYTHING can and will break at the worst possible time unless you check its in perfect order before it goes on the car)

There's still a plan afoot to adapt the suspension to allow the fitment of Bilsteins, or to offer a custom coilover setup, probably from Leda. This is for people with a deep pocket...

cheers

James

Interesting...!

My pockets are far from deep!

The coil over part is easy to do. It the mono tube damper that is expensive at about a £100 a unit + the outer case fixing nut and a new strut top is going to be best.
When the front Spax are ready I think this is the best most of us can afford.
The coil over idea is really only of benifit on curcuit use but it does llok cool

Springs are readly available any height any poundage.

Dai

Dai is quite right...the coilovers would be a non-essential luxury for most.

As I see it, we'll have four levels of setup, increasing in price...
# Off the shelf stiffer gas shocks...KYB spring to mind
# Koni or Spax shocks, combined with stiffer springs with stock fitment...probably uprated anti-roll bar(s?) too.
# Leda's take on 300 suspension - probably a coilover version of the stock setup...presumably rather like the 'towing springs' on the rear.
# Bilstein shocks combined with a funky suspension setup...probably retaining struts (with coilovers) in the front (although investigating double wishbone), and some sweet multi-link stuff in the back.

Levels 3 and 4 are really only for those interested in competition. The nice thing is that coilover springs are widely available (ie: in a vast range of different spring rates), and dirt cheap. For what it's worth, I'll probably go to stage 2 with the 360, and possibly investigate/evaluate stage 3/4 with Nessy.

cheers

James

And then you've got a mate of mine at work who is tempted to stick double wishbone's on the front of his (or get me to let him do it to Kar)...... But then he has too many projects

If you want the ultamate double wishbone then get an amazon or 140.

Dai

164s are double wishbone too, no? Still handle like pants I think you'll get 'good enough' results from retaining the McPherson strut arrangement...think about many racing cars still use it. There's a lot more development mileage in it beyond just springs, shocks and ARBs....although it'd be a sweet project.

Now the rear end...

cheers

James

Yeh i wanna get my suspension and breaks etc sorted before i stick the other engine in!!!
As for the back i'm fairly keen on these coilovers from Dai, along with lowering blocks!!! As the dampers are retained and the extra springs stiffen the back end up.
I'm currently modifying a rear anti roll bar from a 240 to fit to mine aswell!!! Should help somewhat!!
Cheers Adam

Make sure it's the thick one from....er....pass. There are quite a number of different versions, so might as well get the thickest one you can. Shall I find out?

cheers

James