megatombomb Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 So i am looking to improve the Z's handling bearing in mind it is my daily driver. I have no intentions of going circuit racing but i enjoy a sunday drive amongst the High peak B & A roads but i dont really want to sacrifice any compliance as i believe good handling on roads requires acceptable ride quality. I have read through some threads and come to the conclusion that the Eibach ARB's are a good place to start and that the Superpro poly bushes for the front banana arms are a no brainer too but i would like something to soak up and stabilise the car over b-road bumps a bit better and i would guess this would mean looking at 'uprated' dampers? Ive found bilstein and Koni but thats about it but i cant find anyone who's fitted these on there own ie without lowering springs!? Do any of the various coilover kits NOT have lowered springs with them ie can you retain standard ride height? Would love to hear peoples thoughts and experiences on this! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I suppose you could drive slower over b-road bumps then you could save loads of cash I think you can get a body rigidity braces that bolt onto the underside of the chassis , these may help stiffen up the body for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I looked for a set of coilovers and couldnt find any that didnt drop the car at least 20mm. If you want better handling then thats the way to go if you are already going to do ARBs. Why not do the ARBs and bushes and see how it feels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev T Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I have just replaced the ARB's on my 370 with stiffer Eibachs and it has improved the handling and feel of the car 100% ( it was quite twitchy on bad roads ) plus they are adjustable so you can fine tune to suit your driving style and TBH it is a relatively cheap mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackpig Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 What do you want from your car? extra grip, less body roll, better turn in? I take handling to mean how controlable and adjustable the car is on the limit. Is this what you want to improve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megatombomb Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 What do you want from your car? extra grip, less body roll, better turn in? I take handling to mean how controlable and adjustable the car is on the limit. Is this what you want to improve? Well matey i kinda did say what i want and obviously i'm not looking to take the car to its limits on tight b-roads. I suppose youre definition of handling is more specific to you. I suppose i should've said that i want to improve the chassis complaincy over the poorer bits of road which in turn would maybe lead to better handling perhaps!? I dont want to lower really so it would be nice to explore better dampers for more control on the aforementioned roads? Ta! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Do the ARBs and get the full set of Summit bracing on there, I guarantee that will solve your issues Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 ARBs here and in stock. viewtopic.php?f=157&t=42412 Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackpig Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 What do you want from your car? extra grip, less body roll, better turn in? I take handling to mean how controlable and adjustable the car is on the limit. Is this what you want to improve? Well matey i kinda did say what i want and obviously i'm not looking to take the car to its limits on tight b-roads. I suppose youre definition of handling is more specific to you. I suppose i should've said that i want to improve the chassis complaincy over the poorer bits of road which in turn would maybe lead to better handling perhaps!? I dont want to lower really so it would be nice to explore better dampers for more control on the aforementioned roads? Ta! Ok Matey, I just wanted to offer some help, but you crack on. Good luck with the ARB's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megatombomb Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 What do you want from your car? extra grip, less body roll, better turn in? I take handling to mean how controlable and adjustable the car is on the limit. Is this what you want to improve? Well matey i kinda did say what i want and obviously i'm not looking to take the car to its limits on tight b-roads. I suppose youre definition of handling is more specific to you. I suppose i should've said that i want to improve the chassis complaincy over the poorer bits of road which in turn would maybe lead to better handling perhaps!? I dont want to lower really so it would be nice to explore better dampers for more control on the aforementioned roads? Ta! Ok Matey, I just wanted to offer some help, but you crack on. Good luck with the ARB's. Thats ok! I was just kinda saying it my own fault for not being specific enough fella! Didnt mean to seem ungrateful Now i know i said i wouldnt lower - mainly because i had Eibach -20mm springs on my last car and they were too stiff and lacked the compliance for the raggedy old B-roads round my way but i've started to wonder just what the Tein S-tec springs are like as it seems they lower only a little and it would be great to hear from anyone as to what they do for the ride on the type of roads ive mentioned.... Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianphampton Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I had BC Racing coilovers fitted recently, and did not want the car lowered much - BC Racing supply extenders so you do not have to lower the car if you don't want to. In the end mine was lowered about 15mm to achieve what we decided was the best compromise of improved handling but still maintaining the ability to drive over normal roads (including speed bumps). I discussed this with the guys at Abbey before they did the job so they ordered the extensions with the coilovers. This also has the benefit of being within the range of adjustment on the support arms (camber arms?) so you do not need to buy special ones to maintain the camber of your wheels. I have to admit I really like the way the car feels, and it's so good to be able to alter the handling to suit what you're doing. I wind the suspension to soft when I'm taking the gf out for a Sunday run to lunch in the sunshine (well, rain then, this is Manchester after all, but it's still a Sunday gentle amble) and then wind her up a bit when you want something more spirited. She's on about 9 or 10 for most of the time, which is just over half way, and it's just a bit firmer than OEM settings. Dropping her 15mm is about right, too, and I can still get over (most) speedbumps (though there are a few round here in Manchester where I need to take it gently) but it is manageable. Mark at Abbey said he regrets lowering his as much as he has for normal road use as it bottoms "all the time" Give the guys at Abbey a call - they're agents for BC and will happily set the car up however you want it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeisterR Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 There are a few way to give better handling without lowering the car. The Z is hardly very high standard anyways. We do have two different option, MeisterR Zeta-S Coilovers and Zeta-R Coilovers (True Coilovers Design). For what you want, I think the Zeta-S will do the job just fine. One of the main improvement of coilovers is the ability to use linear rate springs. This will give smoother weight transition than progressive rate springs meaning you will have less worry over sudden weight changes. This give the driver more confidence as you will know what to expect. As far as the damping goes, you are correct that you do not want over valved dampers for uneven B-road surfaces. The ability to adjust the dampers will allow you to adjust the front/rear bias of the car to your personal preference and of course to the road surfaces. Another good upgrade is that you will be going from the standard Twin-Tube dampers to a high performance Mono-Tube Dampers. These give more sensitive and more consistent damping characteristic, and it is something you will feel when driving over fast B-road surfaces. And if you are only lowering 15mm or so (or even standard height), then there should be no need for adjustable arms as there are some adjustable available standard already. ARB is something I normally something I leave till the end because I find that there are so much adjustments you can do with a good set of coilovers that often there are no need for ARB if you can get the car to perform the way you want them to. Hope that helps, and please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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