Suspension

[stv-b16a]

Getting my nova to handle.

coilovers, damper-spring kits. Obviously the coilovers offer the best potential.

how do lesser kits such as a bilstien street line kit or spax spring-uprated damper kit ect compare.

im looking to make my little expression 1600 16v handle a bit less like a barge over the local back roads here in N.I.

I will also be looking to use the car for the occasional track day,rally ect.

first on my list is a set of uprated bushes. or dare i say rosejoints-solid bushes.
what about Gp a rally cars or the likes, what kind of setup are they running.
do the track control arms or any other std components need strengtening or uprating.
i already have a omp strut brace which i have ground the powder coating of and welded to my front struts.
and a custom job on the rear with additional strengthening to the turrets.

its a start. where should i go from here. thanks
stv

[stv-b16a]

anyone?

[stv-b16a]

let me rephrase this. who on here thinks they have the best handling nova and what are you running. any advice would be appreciated as this subject is next on my list for my 16v project

[stv-b16a]

so nobody on here has a decent handling nova then?lol

[Lee]

lol, if your using the car mainly on the road, especially back roads, id stay away from coileys cos you WILL get piles, and possibly a ruptured spleen, but they are the ultimate jobbies for go kart hanling.

Go for a 40mm drop, i'd recommend a Spax PSX kit with adjustable damping, but thats only because thats what I used to use. Everyone will have different opinions from their experiences.

If you do decide to go the coilover route, you cant go wrong with a set of Avo's, but if your buying second hand, check the seals haven't burst before you buy.

[stv-b16a]

cheers bottlethroddy, who is that in the picture by the way?

[Lee]

Dar lol

[General Baxter]

rock hard is the way farword, if it dont bounce (wheels off the ground) leaving a speedbump at 5mph, its not hard enough lol

[Philsutton]

ive always used coilovers, you can adjust them so you it doesnt drag along the floor an is rock solid. My corsa is on full height an soft as it goes at the moment and is very roadable, but then again i dont have heaters and my windows dont go down in mine so my definition of roadable might be different lol.

[Dan]

For b road bashing the bilstein sprintline kit was very good, lowered the car about 35mm and had great compensation for the rough surfaces. (obv removal of the front antiroll bar helps alot). Although if you intend to do the odd trackday etc then avo coilovers are the comprimise between the two options bit harsher for back roads but far better suited to tracks etc.

Here are 2 similar shots of each kit, the bilsteins as you see have alot more roll on them compared the the coilovers (bear in mind the coilover shot has one wheel high on the kerb, so the roll in effect isnt as bad as it first looks)

bilstein....

http://www2.novaload.net/files/dan/ang4.jpg

avo...

http://www2.novaload.net/files/dan/llandow/llandow1.jpg

This is not the end of it tho, a limited slip diff is the ultimate in traction which will help cornering ultimatly. personally i prefer a gripper plate diff to the quiaffe fit and forget atb diff. it just means every couple of years i have it rebuilt which costs about 40 quid.

shell stiffening from fitting a cage and stitch welding the shell makes a remarkable difference to the feel of the car as we found out.

Finally tyres are the final say on the subject as this is what keeps you in contact with the tarmac. for b road use and general all weather fun the eagle f1 imo cant be beaten and is my wet tyre for trackdays. Once on a circuit intermediate or slick tyres make the world of difference.

Here is a small clip from inside dar's car to show what difference tyres alone can make, me and dar run similar setups although he has more geometry adjustments. he chose to stay on his yoko a539's and have some fun/kill them where as i put my intermediate tyres on. Note he runs a 200bhp xe on throttle bodies compared to my 140 bhp 1.6 8v. After holding me up for a lap he gracefully yeilded and tried to take chase

140bhp vrs 200bhp (http://www2.novaload.net/files/dan/car/dan.wmv) right click, save as

At the end of the day its down to personal preference but collecting info from everyone can give you a headstart, over the years i have tried many variations of susp etc etc and built my car to suit how i drive and what i prefer. I wouldnt say it was an awesome handling car as the budget is fairly low in the grand scheme of things, but it suits me and my limits