Project Car / Motorbike thread. Let's see 'em.

born-again-biker

Is looking for a 16" bar
I had an old Gen1 Liberty wagon that had this insane factory pneumatic airbag spring system - front AND rear.
There was a compressor, a control unit, pressure & return lines running front to back, an accumulator, ride height sensors etc etc.
It must have been pretty "wow" shit for 1993. In theory it was great because the idea was you could put any combination of warm bodies and gear in the car and it would self level & the ride height would be almost unaffected. For someone like me who uses a station wagon like a ute it would have been good.
Sadly, by the time I bought the car (one lady owner) the system was failing. The front spring bladders were leaking badly and it became dangerous. The compressor was running constantly.
I dicked around for a few months trying various things to try to repair it (I even injected green tyre slime into the bladders) but in the end I found a great deal on a set of low mileage Pedders struts & springs, so the air system was removed almost entirely, various bits sold off, and conventional parts fitted. I must admit the Pedders stuff was very, very good for a road car.....driven enthusiastically.

I've recently finished rebuilding all the suspension on my old Falcon ute.
It was all done with brand new parts at eBay (or similar) prices.
I left the stock springs alone because the vehicle was original specc'ed with one tonne springs - plenty stiff enough. I used SuperPro poly bushes throughout and ended up with Monroe rear shocks and KYB front because that was the best deals - it's not a race car. And I'd rather spend money on my mtn bike & my crotch rocket.
The old shocks I removed were hilarious. I've encountered more resistance from a wet rice noodle.
It drives really well now. Very neutral, possibly slightly underdamped at the rear, but comfortable and controlled.

Like others here, I generally detest standard (or rooted) suspension and have upgraded almost every car/motorcycle I have ever owned. (Brakes are another big one for me).
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
I’ve found Euro cars to be pretty decent in factory spec. The Clio I had was a weapon with some sticky tyres on it - I tried eibachs in that too and they were in the car for about three days before the stock springs went back in!!

The Alfa looks very high in its ride height with pretty big wheel gaps - but the sublime way it handles and especially the way it deals with lumpy back roads at warp speed means it won’t be touched!!

I’m chalking this Megane up to a lesson in properly checking the shocks are actually rooted before trying to fix other things... I’ve had it since virtually new so I guess I got used to the slow deterioration of them.
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
Manufacturers get occasional sweet spots in set up. The stock XR4 has one of the best ride/handling compromises I have encountered. Yet the ST that replaced it is harsh and doesnt ride much better than the Focus RS which is intended to be hardcore. I have been in three different AMGs and each of those were way too stiff for road use and the handling is poorer as a result, one reason why I went with the M. Interesting that the new head of AMG has decreed a better suspension set up for future models. The HSVs were good for what they were as well.

When I kill the shocks in the Mazda 2 it will get coilovers.

Every 4wd I have owned has been absolute rubbish from the factory. Too soft and underdamped. Some of the motion ratios are so bad that getting it right isnt easy. The 70 series is a nightmare. I dont even take them home with stock suspension.

It does help having a mate who is a suspension guru.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
OE springs back in the Meg and all is well again. Feels like the Alfa does a bit now, softish springs with firm to very firm damping.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Not a good day... My DSP has a switchable input between 0.9 and 2.0 volts, and id read that if I moved it down to the 0.9 setting it was up the gain on the output and allow the amp to go louder.

But alas i allowed the high level converter to go up to 8 volts when i was making erroneous assumptions about stuff and fried the DSP. It also in the process of dying clipped the signal int he extreme which unfortunately was when the amp had its gains turned way up.

So in addition to killing my DSP I fried a pair of Rainbow speakers... Jury still out on the Dayton tweeters...

Expensive day :(
 

hifiandmtb

Sphincter beanie
Boo!


Such a meh design, cute but sooooooooooooo conventional. And cheap looking, in parts. Plus bleedingly expensive.

The BMW i3 still rules the roost by a big margin. Aside from the lack of range.
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Boo!


Such a meh design, cute but sooooooooooooo conventional. And cheap looking, in parts. Plus bleedingly expensive.

The BMW i3 still rules the roost by a big margin. Aside from the lack of range.
Three things:
  1. Perfect daily driver.
  2. Unrealistically expensive.
  3. Should've been dressed as Kryten.
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
Bigger wheels are usually significantly heavier too.
Stock size is 17x7 with 205/40 17s. We ran 205/45 17 which isnt a legal size but doesnt matter. Takes 2nd gear out to a genuine 100kph near enough. Dropping to 16s we went to 205/50 16. Profile is only meaningful when taken into consideration with width. 205 doesnt give much sidewall in a 40 profile. Sadly the Federal RS-RR dont come in a size we can use, neither does the Kumho V700s or V720s. Got old Toyo Proxes semis on it now but will grab some Federal RS-Rs eventually. Can get these crazy cheap. Needs more -ve camber up front, now running under 2deg. Wont get a chance to make strut top plates until the end of the month. First job for my new lathe that arrives at that time.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Boo!


Such a meh design, cute but sooooooooooooo conventional. And cheap looking, in parts. Plus bleedingly expensive.

The BMW i3 still rules the roost by a big margin. Aside from the lack of range.
Nah, I reckon these will sell like hot cakes (assuming the price isn’t silly). Theres a big market for “normal” looking.
 
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