Nova Spax RSX Set Up? (Tyre Choice)

[keelanj]

Just installed a set of Spax RSX Coilovers & due for a track day!

Any one already have a set up / dial in for these shocks for a track day?

I know tyres & wheel size make a masive differance to the set up but yokohamas are currently on 16" Allesio 2's on the car with a view to changing to 15"s with 195 45 15's

Any view / ideas????

Cheers

[Edwin]

yep!

What engine are you running? coilovers just on the front, or all around?

Get an extra set of 15" with michelin S9A's 180-540/15

[keelanj]

Engine is C20XE (Astra GTE 16V)

Coil Overs on front with the Adjustable RSX shocks on rear with the RSX springs!

[Edwin]

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2042/corsa3ne4.jpg (http://imageshack.us?s=1)


This car (witch i sold last year) is fitted with a test set witch was produced by spax/apex was an experimental kit for the nova. I got it just to test it for circuit use only.

It's very important not lower the car as far as it will go!
Adjusting ridehight can be a bitch. My shocks were adjustible in (i believe) 32 steps. For the rear springs they gave me 2 sets. One set -60mm en one -80mm. I only used the -80mm springs on te rear. Shock were set to 15 clicks from fully closed.

Ridehight at the front was udjusted by messuring the hight from the floor to the connection rod mounting point at the car and the differance of hight from the floor to the connection rod, just under the hub.

The connection rod should be 1cm higher from the ground on the wheelside then te car side. Front damping of the shocks is the same as rear. Depending on the weather you have to adjust the damping for the front and rear. When driving in wet you have to soften the damping!! keep in mind, that you have to set the damping in "wet" a few clicks softer then the front.

It very important to give the car the right alignment! Do you drive with the orginal suspension busses? If you whant i can give you an alignment setup.

[keelanj]

Cheers for the reply!

I have the original bushes, but i need to back up a bit, when mounting the shocks following the fitting destructions when putting them together on the front there seems to be no bearing movement? the shafts turn not the bearings on the bearing plate? Looking at getting the eccentric plates with the bearings on this will be able to sort the camber casteras well as the bearing problem?.

I think the rear springs are 60mm not 80mm

Got a day at oulton on sat to test the car see how it goes!

The coilovers ive got are just the standard RSX set

Thanks Again James

[Edwin]

No bearing movement with the orginal topmounts is commen. Do not try to ettemt to drive with this problem. Your shock will not like it. To solve it, you need to get some space between the top spring holder and the topmount, by ussing a little washer. If i rember it right, there is some one selling TAS topmounts! have a look at the adds. Thoose are perfect! because you can udjust them in many ways! Aspecialy at Oulton! Have driven there more then ones and with a frontcamber of 2? 15' negative, it lots of fun!
If you can find them and install them before saterday, then try to get as mutch caster that you can get. This comes in handy at the 90? right turn before start/finisch and the mini carousell.

Wish you lots of fun!

[keelanj]

Will be purchasing these top mounts but not before Saturday, just have to suffer - First time out anyway with the car so wont batter it to much???? Yea right!

let you know how the car is - When driving it on the road it feels skaty as in not solid to the road skating around, do you think it will feel better on the track?

Also i did put a washer between the spring mount & the vauxhall cone that places in the rubber but still felt no movement?

[Edwin]

will be home arround midnight. post a reaction when i am at home

[keelanj]

Feels a little better now, just had the four wheels re balanced.

[Edwin]

it's strang that you still haven't any movement on the top mounts. I do not remember exactly how i solved it. Do you have a extra set of vaux topmounts? what you can try to do, is to fit an extra bearings to create a dubble bearing. be sure that those two bearings ar in contact with each other by ussing washers or busses. the advantids is, that you then creat some space between the spring mount and the top mount.

About car handling. if you mean by "skaty" bouncing, then yes, that's normal because the tyres ar taking the bumps. The car should react directly on steering movement. do you use a ARB on the front?It almost sounds that your alignment is wrong.
Get the front camber set to -1 degree and 30 minutes(-1?30') by using camber bolts. and set toe to, 0 degree and 00 minutes(0?00?)
Try to get it aligned before you go to the track day.

[keelanj]

Got back today with no damage!

Brilliant day - slow to start with but grew with confidance stiffened the Spax handling well, tyres are worn so didnt help but good day all round - DIDNT smash it up!

Didnt get to do the aligment before the track but it went well anyway, sorted tyre pressures & adjusted the suspension to the best of my knowledge. Deffinatly getting the adjustable top mounts will contact again for your knowledge on the camber caster - Cheers Again Edwin Thanks for the advise!! Got some photos but cant post!! pretty good an all!

[Edwin]

If you every need any help, just say so! hope you gone have a lot more fun in the future.
btw! some one send me a small video of me and my old nova at spa in 2006.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqbszUTsFVU