Nitron and adjusting.

[pete]

So my rather marvellous new car has Nitrons. ANother member suggested "backing them off a few clicks" for the road as it is too hard for regular road use and keeps trying to spit me into hedges.

How do I do this?

(If you do have the time to reply then that would be marvellous and don't think I will be embarressed by you writing your reply in terms a small child would understand.)

[BiggestNizzy]

Dunno if this is what you have fitted

http://www.nitron.co.uk/files/downloads ... NTR_i2.pdf

[j2 lot]

I had to be told how to do it too No need to jack the car up or anything -at the bottom of the shock there is a shiny stainles steel 'knob' - give it a turn and you hear a positive click - turn it clockwise to harden and anti to soften the suspension. Takes minutes to adjust all four

[PartTimer]

If it is the first time you are adjusting, I'd suggest winding to full soft then to full hard then backing off 18 clicks on each. That way, you work the mechanism from end to end and set each wheel to the same point. You can then experiment with different settings. I usually run at 12 from hard on the road, but it is quite a form ride. Also ask any passengers how they feel.

It is good practice to set from hard each time you adjust as it works the mechanism and ensures you have the same settings on each side.

[robin]

Backing off the dampers won't stop it trying to spit you in the bushes; instead you need to put some of the camber shims back in it. You'll need 4mm worth of shims each side I think to return it to "standard" as that's how much was removed from each plinth ... best check with the previous owner though as I might have
Also, the car has been trained to use all the road, so maybe you're just trying to take a line that's too conventional ... or perhaps you are trying to drive the car straight instead of at 8 degree slip angle at all times

Cheers,
Robin

P.S. If you wanted to return to standard plinths I would be happy to swap my plinths with your plinths (mine haven't been machined, but I was going to machine them).

[campbell]

[mckeann]

It is quite firmly sprung, and it does have alot of camber. Robins memory is correct, i had 4mm machined off the steering arms, so it has 2 deg of camber at the front. I think i gave you the last geo setup print out in one of the folders?? I never really fiddled with the damping since its last rebuild, as it just worked perfectly out the box, i think its 10 from hard all round.

You need to explain what you mean by 'spit you into hedges' though?? is it the steering tugging over bumps, and actually steering you off course, or is it hitting bumps, and running wide due to the lack of defelction????

[mckeann]

Pete,

i remember offering at the time that i would help you set the car up to your liking, this offer still stands.

[pete]

Pete,

i remember offering at the time that i would help you set the car up to your liking, this offer still stands.

Thanks Neil. I may yet take you up on that.
After the first 60 seconds or so I could see your lips moving but in my head all I could hear was "I'm buying a new car! I'm buying a new car! La la la la, I'm buying a new car!" etc etc. In my head it's very much like an episode of Peep Show. When the song finished I kept hearing the conversation I was about to have with Suzy, and that in itself was quite distracting.

1. On track it could not be better. No really. OK Icould be better, and it could have more power but realistically it's spot on what I wanted. (When I saw Gourlay had sold the Honda I felt not even the slightest pang of envy - that is how good it is).

2. On the road it is a tad harsh. On the straights bumps will cause it to change direction, I think ( There is a small chance the noise scares me and I inadvertently move the wheel). This does not seem as noticeable in corners, but on straights it has caused me to be rather conservative on the line I choose as I suspect if I'm too close to the verge I might bounce into it. On the upside it does mean I drive a little slower.

It is quick in the corners, it's just on the straights I was wondering if more compliance in the suspension might make it hold it's line better.

So I thought well if I make the suspension softer it will be a bit more forgiving when it hits a bump, I accept this might be bollocks, but cars must have suspension for a reason and mine seems to have none. That's all I'm really trying for. The only real scare I've had was when (on a private road) I landed it with too much throttle on. As the power kicked back in it made it bounce and try and change direction. Coming off the throttle for the second landing stopped it happening again. Although I did have to slow down.

Pete

[pete]

It is quite firmly sprung, and it does have alot of camber. Robins memory is correct, i had 4mm machined off the steering arms, so it has 2 deg of camber at the front. I think i gave you the last geo setup print out in one of the folders?? I never really fiddled with the damping since its last rebuild, as it just worked perfectly out the box, i think its 10 from hard all round.

You need to explain what you mean by 'spit you into hedges' though?? is it the steering tugging over bumps, and actually steering you off course, or is it hitting bumps, and running wide due to the lack of defelction????

What does lack of deflection mean? (And no. It doesn't run wide in corners. Just "bump steer".)

[robin]

Bump steer possibly caused by gripping the wheel too hard.

Or it's actually "tramlining" caused by the tyre wanting to follow the ruts in the road; made worse by increased camber + R tyres.

I have a spare set of standard S2 wheels with RE040 or similar tyre on - you're welcome to swap rims for as long as you like to see whether running on road tyres makes the problem "go away". If it does, you know it's not the suspension but the camber, I think.

Cheers,
Robin

[Andy G]

Might be worth getting used to the car the way it is and adjusting your style accordingly.

Apes car was VERY well set up

[Scotty C]

worth taking off a handful of clicks when driving on the road.

as robin said R tyres and camber = all over the road. My 211 is the same i really need to change it.

[mckeann]

Pete, maybe i should have said lack of absorbtion, rather than lack of deflection. I just meant the suspension giving way to a bump in the road, to keep the car stable, and the wheel in contact with the ground.


Try things one at a time, so you know what effect each change has.

1. measure the tyre pressures. I used to run mine pretty low for track, and didnt always remember to pump them back up afterwards, this makes the tramlinging worse. Make sure they are at the reccomended pressures

2. take 4 clicks off each damper and see if this makes the car absorb bumps better without bouncing you off course

3. In terms of suspension height, the damper is sitting just below mid stroke, so i doubt its hitting the bumpstop, but we could raise it up a touch to see if that helps with your issue.


Alternatively, PM me your days off in the next 2 weeks, and we can arrange to try out a few things with regards tyre pressures and damper settings to see if it goes away.If it doesnt, you'll need to chnage the geo, but i can advise what to go for based on what we see on the day.

[pete]

Sorry for the slow reply, was away.

It's not so much bumps, as following the undulation of the road. I'm definitely not gripping the wheel too tightly. I have road tyres for it, that might be worth a try.

Thanks for the offers of help, I might yet take you up on them but for the moment I think I'll try and not fiddle and just learn to live with it instead. It does go very quickly.