[trackday_prep] 205 2.1 16V Rallye Track Car

[rallyeash 155]

Indeed and I think your experience kind of seals it for me.

 

I'm wanting to start develop my suspension, but I will as most do spend the next few years trying to make it as I want it, kill tyres, have unsuccessful track days, spend a lot of time and money like you have and still not have the setup you really desire.

 

or spend out now and have it all done on a proven setup that I have already driven and like, the tyre wear is massively reduced and everything is adjustable if required. Yes it is nearly £2000 for this complete setup including corner weighting, camber, caster and tracking setup but in reality how far away from that figure are you on devolving yours?

[Henry 1.9GTi 36]

well If you discount the damper assembly I havn't really spent much on the front. ~1k over the years. And that includes 309 shafts and wishbones from pug. ouch

 

The rear on the other hand..... but thats got plenty of grip

 

By far the biggest improvement for me on the front end was the dampers. That was a definite step change in feel and performance. prooved at silverstone 1.5 secs quicker on same tyres. However the engine was a little stronger.

[rallyeash 155]

What have you done with your rear?!

 

Mines a standard 1.9 beam with 23mm tb's and 27mm arb.

[Henry 1.9GTi 36]

Its mainly just the iterations its gone through

 

rebuild plus dampers + 25mm arb
rebuild plus 23mm TBs + new 25mm arb (snapped old)

rebuild plus 25mmTBS + ZX arms + new 25mm arb (snapped old again) + tarmac spec dampers
rebuild + negative camber arms + new 25mm arb (snapped old again again!)

New negative camber arms with 0 toe + 28mm arb

so 5 arbs already comes to £750 + £600 for TBs £350 on dampers not to mention rebuild parts fancey pants trailing arms, and the brakes as well. on 3rd set of calipers.

 

Allan and Anthony have both been very helpful!

[rallyeash 155]

Rear coilovers are about 600-700 from colin I think from memory!

 

Indeed cant praise Allan and Anthony enough with my dealings :-)

Edited June 13, 2014 by rallyeash

[Henry 1.9GTi 36]

well 2-3k for full setup seems very very reasonable given the work involved.

 

But I can't justify it right now over what I have. And I don't want to go through the tuning side of it again with a floppy shell

 

Ill be at Brands Hatch 24th July if you Facney a 205 dominated track day! Theres never anything much quicker

[rallyeash 155]

I'd love too but I've got no holiday left :-( off to Thailand for August and just taken unpaid leave to go biking in the alps in a few weeks time.

 

Well up for Brands on a weekend though.

[welshpug 1,656]

colin often builds chassis minus arb, and coils are far cheaper, probably under what you spent in total for much better damper control

[rallyeash 155]

Colins own 205, the production kits are built from a 205 subframe, however you get the idea of whats in the kit.

 

Edited June 13, 2014 by rallyeash

[rallyeash 155]

and an example of 205 rear coilovers, Im very much debating selling my 23mm tb's and 27mm ARB and putting the money against coilovers....

 

[Malc 45]

Any more pics of the rear coil over set up, that looks the nuts, is that using the standard damper mounts or is there a turret welded in, struggling to fully understand the set up.

[welshpug 1,656]

welded in turret and a modified or replacement stub pin

[Malc 45]

Okay I get that so no arb or tbs, is that a floating beam then? Are the turrets a certain spec? Interested to find out more on this.

[Sandy 191]

The set up in that picture is part assembled, dummy drum, no TBs. It runs with standard TBs and the coils are used to beef up the rate and tune it. The turrets are an established design by Colin. I think it's best to contact him if you are interested in it. Getting the geometry right is crucial to the success of it and for what it costs, not really worth joining the bottom of the development curve trying to do it yourself. The two main advantages gained over traditional TBs and standard position dampers, are the travel and compliance control of softer TBs (thick TBs produce peculiar rate and droop properties that are a mare on all but perfect surfaces) and 1:1 damper movement, a moderately good damper mounted this way will match or outperform hugely exotic dampers mounted in the standard position at 2.5:1 wheel;damper movement.

Edited June 14, 2014 by Sandy

[Malc 45]

Thanks sandy, understand this set up now. May contact Colin in the future regards this, funds at the mo are a bit on the short side. However my 205 is an ongoing project (as most are on here) so a potential improvement for future.

[rallyeash 155]

Just caved in to rear coilovers. Colin having a set of used dampers/coils spare from his own 205 at a good rate sealed it!

[stu8v 68 1 Cars]

Do you need a new/modified exhaust manifold too if your moving the steering rack about?

[welshpug 1,656]

no, though the gear quadrant needs lifting sometimes.

[Henry 1.9GTi 36]

unfortunately that rear and probably front suspension would make my car unelligible for the racing I do as it sates standard pickup points. You could argue the rear is standard as its an addition to standard I suppose. I'm happy doing the best I can with what I've got at the moment.

 

Welshpug: you are totaly right but that ethos goes for my whole car, its been a learning curve and I could get to where I am now for about 1/3 cost if doing it again. And probably make it better on the way. But its been fun trying different setups and parts and feeling the difference on the race track. And I do do it for fun (so I keep telling myself)...

 

Alps sounds fun! Ill be driving the length of Switzerland mid july in the megane. We have a 300bhp astra (mk4 with vxr engine) an Exige 240S and my R26 going. Should be a blast. Finish at the ring as well

[rallyeash 155]

Colin has and can build setups like this within regs. Done many for the Castle Combe Saloon Series.

 

Sounds like a good trip planned!

[Sandy 191]

He is shying away from specials a bit these days though (which the Combe specific set ups certainly were). It's very difficult to charge adequately for the time needed to resolve them.

[rallyeash 155]

no real exciting updates but I picked up a set of alloy rear quarter panel badges from a member on here. they use counter sunk bolts so can bolt on tight to the panel and will look pretty OE.

Two mains reasons for these really... No rattle coming from them with harderened engine mounts and anyone whos got a 205 track car will know that trim just loves to fall off! so reduces the chance of badges coming off on circuit. No matter how you try to fix it down!

 

They were in plain alloy so got sprayed up in matt black.

 

 

 

[rallyeash 155]

Removed the rear badges and quarter decals

looks a bit boring at the moment....

 

and a pair of rear 40mm fibreglass arches from a member ordered. Im not sure if ill like them and dont know as yet if they will be staying, however with the proper suspension from Colin going on the car I'd like the car physically lower than it is right now which isnt a problem... however arch clearance is on a base model!

 

If the are staying im not sure if they will be kept blackand more of a contrast, sprayed white to blend in with potentially rallye decals back over. Could also look potentially s*ite!

 

[rallyeash 155]

Long time no update on here.

 

I took the car to pugfest this year and kept having some clutch issues, not wanting to select gears etc on the journey there. The car behaved itself doing 6 runs then again played up on the way home. My thoughts were a clutch plate spring snapped however due to leaving my employer and setting up my own machinery dealership /traveling Thailand the cars been parked up since July.

 

So I was doing some work this afternoon at my new depot I had some time to check out what was up.

 

All springs snapped, a couple missing and two cracks....

 

 

[rallyeash 155]

So Angelsey track day in two weeks... But um yeah no running gear right now.