309 Gti Specific Suspension Upgrade

[Guest LOTRS]

I want to upgrade the suspension of my 309, but dont want to turn it into a 205 (no offence meant ) in that I want to keep the good front/rear balance and subtlety of the 309 and not make it skittish in a 205-type way.

 

Am I right in thinking that this unwanted trait most likely to happen if I go for a too hard a set-up? Do adjustable dampers have the range to enable me to have the flexibility to keep the 309ness but also firm it up if I do a trackday?

 

Does the extra weight of the 309 over the 205 have an affect on the springs that I should look at?

 

Also, what about upgrading the ARB? I believe they are thicker on the 309 than for the 205, due to it's extra length (?) but have you found any benefits for the 309 in going any thicker?

 

I would appreciate any feedback on what people have found to work for the 309.

Cheers

[d-9 0]

Ive had a few 309s now, and for road use I really think the best suspension is totally standard, my '92 309 has standard stuff on it, in good condition with new topmounts and you cant fault the handling, plus the ride is fairly compliant.

 

For track use, then something a bit stiffer might be a plan, on my old 309 i started of with a PI-60mm kit, which was far to stiff, the back would skip out as it bounced over bumps on corners (no, it wasnt hitting the bump stops). I swapped the rear dampers for gravel spec bilstein group N's and the handling was perfect.

[Guest LOTRS]

Thanks for this.

Bit surprised, but I guess this involves having a std setup in good condition

Would the extra weight of a Mi16 have any bearing on your comments?

Cheers

[Duroc 2 1 Cars]

I swapped the rear dampers for gravel spec bilstein group N's and the handling was perfect.

 

Well, I just happen to have some for sale, my friend.

 

Bit surprised, but I guess this involves having a std setup in good condition

 

You said it. Your front suspension is probably original (they're still Peugeot dampers anyway), and the rears are some KYB's, which don't look very recent. It's fair to say they're past their best.

[Guest LOTRS]

You said it. Your front suspension is probably original (they're still Peugeot dampers anyway), and the rears are some KYB's, which don't look very recent. It's fair to say they're past their best.

 

From the knocking sound from the OS front shock, I'd have to agree

[huxley309 0]

I ran grp n mounts and skip brown roadspeed dampers and found this to be the best for the 309 for handling and road manners

 

£600 asking price mind