need new dampers.. I think..

[The Hoff]

Hi all,

Last year I had a new set of OE tyres fitted on my Exige S at Hexham horseless carriages (Lotus/TVR). From the word go, the ride was instantly harder and has steadily got worse. Since then I've also had the wishbone bushes replaced at the rear as they were worn out. The ride was then slightly less crashy, but I'm convinced that the standard dampers are also worn out. My exige has only covered 24500 (road) miles in 3 years and I tend to tour a lot , so I think I should be looking for a new set of dampers with a similarly standard damper rating.
Would anybody be able to recommend the best possible damper/spring setup, for an Exige which spends 99.9% of it's time on the road? and/or..
Do the springs need changed if I were to go for standard Lotus sourced dampers?

Any help would be much appreciated.

cheers,

Cowan

[mckeann]

Hi all,


Would anybody be able to recommend the best possible damper/spring setup, for an Exige which spends 99.9% of it's time on the road?

cheers,

Cowan

If the dampers are worn, the original lotus/bilstein dampers are your best compromise for road use. They might not be the cheapest though

[Mikie711]

Very much depends on your budget. I take a guess that it's an S2 Exige, that being the case then your options are fairly straight forward IMO. First off and cheapest is to just replace like for like with OE Bilstiens. If you want to splash some cash at your pride and joy then the two main contenders are Ohlins, what Lotus supply as part of the upgrade package or Nitron. With the Nitron I would go for the Hoffmans re-valved set rather than direct to Nitron. Having had both types of Nitron's IMO the hoffman set up is worth the extra. That said neither the Ohlins or Nitron dampeners will ever be accused of being cheap, but the difference, even on the road is astonishing. No more crashy ride, much better control over uneven surfaces and ride quality is much better. Then again you get what you pay more. One thing to bear in mind is the Nitrons and Ohlins won't be maintenance free, the will need looking after by that I mean regular cleaning and checking of the adjusters to make sure they haven't seized.
All in my experience of original Lotus, Protech, Spax and Nitron units that I have used/owned in the past. For me it would be Hoffmans every time.
Looking at prices the Nitrons will run you twice the price of Billy's and Ohlins three times. Plenty of other offerings from Gaz, Protech, AVO and Spax but if you have a look around the forums not many venture away from the three already mentioned. There is also a cheaper Nitron Street dampener currently being developed but still no sign of it on their web site.

[tut]

Cowan only bought his Exige new in 2007, and sold me N3, he does not track it so for road use only the dampers should not really have gone in that period.

tut

[Sanjøy]

Hoffmans for the hoff ?

[The Hoff]

Cowan only bought his Exige new in 2007, and sold me N3, he does not track it so for road use only the dampers should not really have gone in that period.

tut

Hi Tut,

Hope all is well with you. The crashiness only became apparent after the last change of tyres. I played about with tyre pressures etc. ,but to no avail.
After the bushes were replaced on the rear it was slightly better, but still not like it should be. I liked the quality of the ride with the standard dampers when it was new, but just wondered if there was something else I was missing. I can't be bothered with having to mess around with settings, ride heights, rebuildable etc.. I had my fill with N3 for 7 years.. I guess I'll have to go the orginal damper route .

Thank you all for your advice.

cheers,

Cowan (p.s. ..I'll have to change my Username...)

[tut]

N3 going stronger than ever Cowan, bodywork not quite in the same condition as when I bought her from you, but just good honest shot blasting.

Keep The Hoff, it has class just like N3.

tut