What suspension do you have?

Talk about E-Types here

Topic author
lee-type
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2018 5:43 pm
Great Britain

#1 What suspension do you have?

Post by lee-type » Mon Jun 18, 2018 5:48 pm

Good evening all

What is the suspension setup on your car?

How soft/firm is the ride?

How has the ride changed if you have replaced your shocks?

Cheers
Lee
S1 4.2 OTS

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

User avatar

mgcjag
Moderator
Posts: 8070
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: Ludlow Shropshire
Great Britain

#2 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by mgcjag » Mon Jun 18, 2018 7:42 pm

Hi...welcom to the forum...whats your name....you need to give some more info....what model are you refereing to..also why do you ask..are you haveing problems.. Steve
Steve
69 S2 2+2 (just sold) ..Realm C type replica, 1960 xk150fhc

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

User avatar

JJC
Posts: 388
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:06 pm
United States of America

#3 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by JJC » Mon Jun 18, 2018 9:01 pm

On my Series 3, I use standard BOGE shocks....available from anyone. I live in NYC, so I enjoy a soft ride.....use 205/70/15 tires from Goodyear......not to stiff......nice fat sidewall to soak up the bumps. Great ride , with great handling.

John

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

User avatar

Barry
Posts: 515
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2012 1:11 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Great Britain

#4 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by Barry » Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:48 am

There is a lot of choice out there. Gaz, Spax, Koni to name but three. However, if you are prepared to pay for the best damper technology currently out there to give your E-type the best ride, handling and body control, there is only one option; Öhlins.

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links


christopher storey
Posts: 5698
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:07 pm
Location: cheshire , england
Great Britain

#5 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by christopher storey » Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:41 am

Barry wrote:
Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:48 am
there is only one option; Öhlins.
Rather a sweeping statement , isn't it? In any event, in relation to road cars , what are Ohlins ' credentials ( can't do the umlaut on my keyboard ) ?

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

User avatar

Heuer
Administrator
Posts: 14744
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:29 pm
Location: Nottinghamshire
Great Britain

#6 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by Heuer » Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:01 am

The best dampers and springs are the ones Jaguar used thanks to the thousands of hours and hundreds of thousands of miles Norman Dewis spent testing. Anything else (e.g. Koni, Ohlins, GAZ etc) are put forward by armchair testers who believe the manufacturers hype or have studied the specification sheet but done limited or no testing. Koni's, in particular, are poorly suited to the E-Type. Their adjustability is an illusion, their quality is suspect (I had three fail after 10,000 miles) and their valving upsets the E-Type's handling. The OEM Girling units are no longer available but Boge have produced a damn good copy of the original specification and they work very well. You do not need anything different unless you are going racing or your heart is set on a poorly handling car. This can be furthered by fitting anything other than 185 tyres on the 6 cylinder cars or 205/70 on the S3.
David Jones
S1 OTS OSB; S1 FHC ODB
1997 Porsche 911 Guards Red

Add your E-Type to our World Map: http://forum.etypeuk.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1810

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

User avatar

Barry
Posts: 515
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2012 1:11 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Great Britain

#7 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by Barry » Tue Jun 19, 2018 3:58 pm

On this one, im afraid you are wrong! Not often i can say that to you, my friend! You need to drive an Eagle E-type, and then you will realise Ohlins are streets agead of anything out there. Yes, i agree Jaguar did thousands of miles of testing, but technology in certain quarters has moved the game on. Not all those currently on the market are ok, and you are right about Koni. Dreadful! However, Go and see Paul Brace at Eagle, and you will agree with me!

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

User avatar

Heuer
Administrator
Posts: 14744
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:29 pm
Location: Nottinghamshire
Great Britain

#8 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by Heuer » Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:44 pm

I can't argue with Eagle and what they produce however their choice of shocks is part of a much wider suspension, wheel, tyre and handling package - in other words they know what they are doing based on years of experience. You can't just bolt on a set of Ohlin shocks to any old E-Type and claim it is going to make a huge improvement which is where I take issue.
David Jones
S1 OTS OSB; S1 FHC ODB
1997 Porsche 911 Guards Red

Add your E-Type to our World Map: http://forum.etypeuk.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1810

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links


Topic author
lee-type
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2018 5:43 pm
Great Britain

#9 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by lee-type » Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:46 pm

mgcjag wrote:
Mon Jun 18, 2018 7:42 pm
Hi...welcom to the forum...whats your name....you need to give some more info....what model are you refereing to..also why do you ask..are you haveing problems.. Steve

Hi im Lee

Im intersted in all models as i am not a E-Type owner yet!

The suspension is a very important part of the car this is why i am interested in what peoples opinions and experiences are.

Cheers
Lee
S1 4.2 OTS

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

User avatar

Barry
Posts: 515
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2012 1:11 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Great Britain

#10 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by Barry » Tue Jun 19, 2018 5:04 pm

Can’t argue with that, David. That’s why it’s going to cost me £6500 to sort out my V12 with Öhlins at Eagle and setting it up correctly.

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

User avatar

JJC
Posts: 388
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:06 pm
United States of America

#11 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by JJC » Tue Jun 19, 2018 6:04 pm

I agree with Mr.Jones. Opinions always vary, and to each, his own, of course. But my testing consist of around 8K mile a year in and around NYC, my home town. BOGE, and nice , soft, ADVANTAGE Goodyears, 205's do the trick nicely. Perhaps you may make your E-Type into a race car ( which actually, it will never be, just a fun car to thrash around in ), but remember, your E was born to be a street car, and nothing wrong with that !!

Happy motoring !

John

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

User avatar

Moeregaard
Posts: 763
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:23 pm
Location: Thousand Oaks, California
United States of America

#12 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by Moeregaard » Tue Jun 19, 2018 11:58 pm

I fitted Konis to my '65 FHC during restoration back in the early '90s. All rubber bits had been replaced, along with the rear springs. The original torsion bars were reinstalled and tires were Avon 185-15 skins, so the suspension was about as factory-original as possible.

The Konis didn't cause any problems during the remaining five years I had the car, but they are far too stiff for an E-Type used for touring. Even at their softest setting they were "too much of a good thing" for the way I used the car--and they were damned expensive.

I'll probably draw some fire for this, but I think some E-Type owners are trying to turn their cars into modern rides. Even though the E-Type was far ahead of its time in 1961, when most other cars were still running drum brakes and live rear axles hung on cart springs, it is based on technology that was state of the art almost sixty years ago. Just trying to put things into perspective.
Mark (Moe) Shipley
Former owner '66FHC, #1E32208
Former owner '65FHC, #1E30036

Planning on getting E-Type No. 3 as soon as possible....

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

User avatar

MarkRado
Posts: 338
Joined: Fri Jan 26, 2018 9:13 am
Location: Graz
Austria

#13 Re: What suspension do you have?

Post by MarkRado » Wed Jun 20, 2018 4:03 am

I reverted back to Boge, but on my list (concerning handling) are uprated antirollbars to keep up with my friend's Porsches during cornering :wink:
Mark
1963 OTS 880436

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
Hide post links
Show post links

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic