Eagle suspension mods - does anyone know?

[Fredrik1]

Hi!

Having read about how well the Eagle works on road, I am curious on what modifications besides Ohlins suspension they may have made. Does anyone know? Or is there a consensus on modifications made to the rear resp front suspension for improved cornering without modifying everything, never mind what springs/dampers are used?

BR,

//Fredrik

[paydase]

Good question.

It may also enlighten the hot debate on the roll centre and handling: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14546

Also, I am wondering if there were any substantial modifications in the suspensions concepts of the works Lightweights that have raced successfully, compared to the standard E-Types.

[chrisfell]

There is a rumour, which I am going to spread here despite being based on hearsay, that the last of the original lightweights, PS1175, became so highly “developed” by its owner, that it was refused entry to historic race meetings. It was certainly very quick, particularly in the hands of Martin Brundle and Gerard Berger. That owner? Adrian Newey.

PS1175 has been notably absent from Goodwood meetings for several years.

[mgcjag]

We do have a Competition department fit section on the forum viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7464

[Heuer]

There is a rumour, which I am going to spread here despite being based on hearsay, that the last of the original lightweights, PS1175, became so highly “developed” by its owner ...

I saw the car and was given a tour of it, reported in a thread here. I was basically 'required' to remove the thread by the car's custodians as it revealed too much of its "development"

[Gfhug]

Fredrik, are you wishing to use your car primarily on the race track or on the road? Maybe the Eagle changes make it faster on the track but detract from the period style of driving the standard (in other words, original) E Type on normal roads? I don’t know what the various versions of the Eagles are like to drive so can not comment.
But your answers may help getting useful advice or thoughts.

Geoff

[MarekH]

There is a rumour, which I am going to spread here despite being based on hearsay.......

Let's remove some of the "noise" from the analysis here.

Firstly, if you hand any car to a professional racing driver of that calibre, it'll appear to go faster than if it were driven by its owner, in much the same way that if Martin or Gerhard design the next Red Bull F1 car, expect that to be a tad slower than it might otherwise have been.

Next, given the gentleman amateur's ability to crash his precious car in public, expect him to have learnt his lesson and not enter his now repaired car at every subsequent event. It's his choice, not some evil conspiracy. Maybe he's just moved on. Good luck to him.

Lastly, I'd expect every lightweight to have a different spec every time it is rolled out of the garage - that's the nature of a racing car. If the owner doesn't want to divulge the changes, that's their perrogative. They shouldn't have talked so freely to David if they subsequently wanted him gagged and there is nothing to stop David talking privately to whomever so he wants to when he wants to. Given it is the internet, just use a wayback machine archive website to find out what David originally posted if you are so inclined.

Note also that every time a car manufacturer brings out a new model, the rival companies buy ten cars off of the showroom floor, take them back to their research centre, dismantle them, reverse engineer the electronics, cut up and crash test all of the components and generally learn any and all of the secrets they can from each other. A couple of gentleman amateurs squabbling over how fast their etypes are is nothing more than a bit of internet entertainment for the rest of us. Enjoy!

kind regards
Marek

[Fredrik1]

Fredrik, are you wishing to use your car primarily on the race track or on the road? Maybe the Eagle changes make it faster on the track but detract from the period style of driving the standard (in other words, original) E Type on normal roads?

I have no clue on how the Eagle handles, besides the rave reviews it has received. I am after a well handling car with uprated shocks etc but as that will be an investment, I thought I would see if anyone knew what these E-type pro's hade done or at least a pointer to what components are changed/improved upon, besides shocks and anti-rolls bars. I will not be racing, but an occasional trackday with modern cars is absolutely in the cards - as is long journeys south!

BR, //F

[Gfhug]

Fredrik, I will ask why you have an E Type rather than a modern car like an F Type? The E Type is a 60 year old design with all the charm and pleasure of driving a car of that vintage. They are an absolute pleasure to drive and you’ll read of those who have driven 50,000 mile (80,000 km) without need to change the suspension or other elements. Some have tried so called upgrades and reverted to the original.

It’s your car so you must do want you want. Just a comment or two and no disrespect to what you are looking at.

And remember Eagle are promoting their ideas, is all you read about their “improvements” more than snake oil?

Good luck and all the best

Geoff

[Series1 Stu]

This is an interesting discussion.

We can all see how the ride and handling of something like a Ford Escort or other cart-sprung classic can be transformed with better damping and axle location. These cars were truly built down to a price as transport for the masses. Success in motor sport demonstrates the potential of the cars.

The E Type, however, starts from a much higher level of engineering refinement and is therefore much more difficult to improve upon. The rear suspension system has earned many plaudits for ride comfort and handling, especially in the XJ6 (or was it the XJ12?).

Like others on here, I believe it is quite arrogant of people to assert that they can improve on something that was developed over a period of months and hundreds of thousands of miles by a team of expert engineers. Yes, technology has moved on but the engineering principles and laws of physics haven't changed. I would suggest that any alterations made by these specialists would be difficult to quantify as improvements, especially by the average driver.

Ohlins make fine suspension components, of that there is no doubt, but do they actually improve the experience of driving an E Type? Probably not. At least not to the average driver on the average journey.

I sometimes think that we should rename the E Type Upgrades section of the forum as E Type Modifications because some may be difficult to justify as upgrades.

Regards

[mgcjag]

Hi Fredrik.......Rob Beere Racing is well repected for for their "race" modifications and parts.....could be worth you looking at what they list on their website .....also contact them as they are very open to discussions. ... http://www.rob-beere-racing.co.uk/

[Fredrik1]

Fredrik, I will ask why you have an E Type rather than a modern car like an F Type? //

It’s your car so you must do want you want. Just a comment or two and no disrespect to what you are looking at.

No offence taken! But, for the sake of keeping the discussion on a sane level, I will keep my mods for myself for now...

//F

[Fredrik1]

Hi Fredrik.......Rob Beere Racing is well repected for for their "race" modifications and parts.....could be worth you looking at what they list on their website .....also contact them as they are very open to discussions. ... http://www.rob-beere-racing.co.uk/

Thanks! Yes, I have read most of what is available out there but found no specifics about Eagle, besides the Ohlins, hence the question.

//F

[mgcjag]

Hi Fredrik your original question wasnt specific to Eagle.....you also asked....."Or is there a consensus on modifications made to the rear resp front suspension for improved cornering without modifying everything, never mind what springs/dampers are used?".........Hence i pointed you to Rob Beere..........Steve