Coilover Setup For Track Days

[floodys 4 1 Cars]

Hi,my car is nearly done and ready to start doing some track days, i have a Gaz coilover kit on it, at the mo i think the dampers are wound off to max for road use, when i do track day is it just a case of setting to how i want it to feel on track or do you set them a certain way i.e 10 click in on front and say 5 clicks in on rear etc? i think i'm happy with the height of the front struts, i.e the car is levelish!! cheers

[MrG 3]

can't give you an answer on the question, but how about Cadwell as your first outing? 09th Sept and there's a space available at the disc price as someone's just dropped out! See my sig for the link.

[floodys 4 1 Cars]

would love to go but few things why i cant!! main thing is time off work, i asked about 1 or 2 days off in sept and its fully booked up!! i would take a sicky bit we lose attendance bonus!! doh!! would have been on track by the 10th anyhow as we are going to trax on the 5th!! cheers for the offer thou, keep me up to date with other track days you get booked up on!!

[James_R 3]

If you're asking about damping then really what it's set for on the road should be the same as on track, or at least that's how I set mine up, I usually fine a undulating bit of road (not bumpy in surface just erm up and down if that makes sense) start the car with the damping wound off totally and add it a few clicks at a time till the nose doesn't "bob" anymore i.e it goes up and down with the road no extra spring action going on. then rear I dont' set have billi comp tarmacs, but if they're Gaz's on the rear then allt he way up is still not enough usually.

 

spring rates are more important than damping really you can get away with rubbish damping on good springing on track but not the other way round. What are you running front/back??

[floodys 4 1 Cars]

from memory the front springs are 285lb? the rear beam is just standad 1.9, with the gaz dampers.

[James_R 3]

Will be a bit understeery thing no?? I'd lay your hands on a 25mm ARB for the rear if you can, I was running those fronts with a 24/27 rear beam set up to good effect, think you want to be in the 200 range area.

[welshpug 1,655]

having driven a 205 with 225 front standard rears that will be horrible!

[James_R 3]

having driven a 205 with 225 front standard rears that will be horrible!

 

Worse than a std Corsa GSi even!! (first shape)

[Garry 1]

Others may correct me here, but I think it is a bad idea to run your shocks on the softest setting due to potential damage. I would suggest you go to full soft and then wind it back 4 or 5 clicks.

[James_R 3]

Don't think it would do any damage to the damper, but won't give any "smoother" handling being as the spring will be doing as it pleases rather than the dampering controlling the movement speed.

[Rippthrough 98]

Yeah, you're only adjusting the bypass port needle, the main valve stack is still working, wouldn't cause any harm.

 

It'd bounce like a dingy in a hurricane, but no damage...

[Cameron 16]

Just to add to this, with Gaz HA coilovers you're only adjusting rebound damping. Having it wound off fully soft isn't going to give you a smoother ride as the compression damping will be the same, it'll just make it uber-bouncy; just as having them on fully hard isn't going to make things "better" on track as they'll just pack up (meaning not extending again before next bump). Good case in point was a Clio sport I went out in last year, the bloke had his Gaz dampers on fully hard and it just understeered like a bastard!

[Rippthrough 98]

Just to add to this, with Gaz HA coilovers you're only adjusting rebound damping. Having it wound off fully soft isn't going to give you a smoother ride as the compression damping will be the same, it'll just make it uber-bouncy; just as having them on fully hard isn't going to make things "better" on track as they'll just pack up (meaning not extending again before next bump). Good case in point was a Clio sport I went out in last year, the bloke had his Gaz dampers on fully hard and it just understeered like a bastard!

 

The rears adjust the bump and rebound, and rebound damping does play a big part in ride comfort as well as bump, so it is more comfortable winding it off - to an extent - the problem with rebound damping is that if it's set too soft, it's uncomfortable too, as it is when it's too hard, you only want to drop back around 25% from the ideal to get the best comfort/control compromise from it.

 

As for people winding dampers right up at track days - I'm fed up of telling 'em!

Planks.

Edited September 2, 2009 by Rippthrough

[Cameron 16]

Oh really? The sales blurb said they are only rebound adjustable.

[Rippthrough 98]

Oh really? The sales blurb said they are only rebound adjustable.

 

The fronts are, it's just the needle valve in the bypass port that it adjusts.

Edited September 2, 2009 by Rippthrough

[Cameron 16]

Oh mkay.. well I'll add that to my for sale thread.

[shalmaneser 26]

The rears adjust the bump and rebound, and rebound damping does play a big part in ride comfort as well as bump, so it is more comfortable winding it off - to an extent - the problem with rebound damping is that if it's set too soft, it's uncomfortable too, as it is when it's too hard, you only want to drop back around 25% from the ideal to get the best comfort/control compromise from it.

 

As for people winding dampers right up at track days - I'm fed up of telling 'em!

Planks.

 

do people actually do that?!?! I know very little about suspension (just trying to figure out my Gaz shocks ATM) but that is just plain stupid and shows a total lack of understanding.

 

To the OP:

 

I just wound off all the rebound, drove my car about a bit, discovered it was horribly vague and more than borderline dangerous, increased the rebound a couple of turns, repeat etc etc.

 

It's still a bit underdamped I think, needs more testing.

 

To everyone else:

 

I'm still running a standard rear beam too, and was expecting it to be horribly understeery (it's not that bad, actually) would winding up the rear damping a touch make any improvement during the interim until i can find a 309 rear beam to fit? Or do i just live with it as is until the bank balance looks a bit healthier?

[Rippthrough 98]

It'd make the turn in a bit quicker, but don't go too silly, you generally only need a click or two extra for the chassis control as you don't want to upset the damping too much.