Handling - not happy

[fatboyslim]

My clio has Gaz coilovers fitted (now before you start flaming gaz hang on), I find im not able to push it as hard on a b road or even at roundabouts at the moment, seems to be understeering quite badly and not getting any grip. The car is stripped out also.
On B roads it feels crashy and rough whereas on the standard setup it could take more punishment if you know what I mean.
The car had a brand new set of Eagle f1's fitted all round last week so im thinking maybe I should give them another 200 miles or so to bed in?
Ive toyed with ride height and damping adjustment but im thinking of raising them back up to a maybe 20mm drop to see if this cures it.

Anyone had similar problems? It just not the car it should be! :dapprove:

Harry

 

[Russ_16v]

have you had the coilovers set up by a pro mate?

i found on my old vr6 that they were crap till they were set up


also remember that the std clio suspension is a very good std and was desighed to soak up all the lumps and bumps in roads matey

 

[graham_172]

coilovers have to be setup or you'll end up in a ditch. cost of setup between £80-£150 from a real tuner.

 

[fatboyslim]

Yeah thats it, I kind of feel like ive destroyed all Renaults hard work and efforts perfecting the std setup.
Im very tempted to just stick a set of eibach springs in.
However clio cup racers etc all seem to be right and low so surely that isnt the problem?
Haven't had them setup professionally no mate, that might be a good idea though! Get all the alignment etc done at the same time.

 

[edde]

Yeah thats it, I kind of feel like ive destroyed all Renaults hard work and efforts perfecting the std setup.

You have IMO Gaz are rubish.

Renault cars are low but also have full cages and a completly different suspension and driving requirments plus GAz dampaers well they don't damper there springs are way to hard and there design is IMO very poor.

No need for profeshional to set them up it can be DIY'd -1.5 degrees of camber no toe etc at the front and set the front lonwer than the back ie if the cars 60 down at the back 60 or more down at the front.

 

[fatboyslim]

So, get the alignment done, let the tyres bed in and see what thats like. If it hasn't improved much ill be sticking the std shocks in with eibach springs.
I have the car with the front sitting lower to try and help get rid of the understeer. Maybe its just too low full stop.
You cant really tell from the pics, though the rear has been raised another 10mm or so since these.

 

[edde]

Rear is way to low for that front end setup IMO.

 

[Tom_E]

that looks extremely low!!!!

 

[Lagerlout]

Putting coilovers on a car and not getting them properly set up is crazy. It's like buying a new radio and not bothering to tune it lol.

Too many people buy coilovers simply to lower there car rather than improve the handling.

Too many of the 'Slam it' brigade on here.

Spend some wedge and get it sorted.

EDIT - Car looks nice btw

 

[fatboyslim]

I always reckoned this didnt necessarily mean a bad thing after seeing cup racers in action. Though yes they have some very trick setups im sure.

 

[edde]

I always reckoned this didnt necessarily mean a bad thing after seeing cup racers in action. Though yes they have some very trick setups im sure.

They run a complety different setup than you are they have a forutune spent on them.

Running low not nesessarily bad but look at the ride height of the car on this forum that Mark fish just setup as a guid as to a good ride height.

 

[Lagerlout]

Nick Hill only lowered about 35mm at he front and 15-20mm at the rear iirc. Certainly nowhere near as much as the majority of cars on here.

 

[fixedgear]

Everytime you change the ride height you have to do the alignment!

 

[fatboyslim]

Yeah but its not really going to be a big deal making very minor adjustments, Im going to raise it up to a more std like height and get it all aligned then

cheers chaps, good to have a second opinion!

 

[medici999]

just take it somewhere and get them professionally set up, then you will notice the difference.

 

[Cro]

I think I heard somewhere that clios have a tendency to be too high at the back resulting the rear suspension messing up under high breaking throwing the back end up? maybe just a standard suspension problem. Mine was quite low before and ended up not getting great grip due to the camber. Some adjustments and a strut brace later and hey presto!

 

[Russ_16v]

my old willy engined clio was -35 mm at front and std height at the bk and i still havent found a car that handles as well


thing about the clio cup cars s tho they are built to run only on a flat racing track,not bumpy b and a roads,hence why they handle so well,but any bumps on uneaveness would have it skipping all over the shop,put in on a normal 'back' road with a normal 172/182 and i know who my moneys on winning.....

 

[Gaz_]

......you say dont flame BUT....... i had GAZ coilovers and found what you did. Had them fitted on my cup, played about with the height and 'rebound' (lol) had camber/tracking done but to no avail. They are just s**t mate, i had them for about 3 months. Changed them to H&R's and never looked back. H&R's arre only slightly firmer than the cup pack your car had. Gaz ruin the car at what is good at, and are cheap for a reason. H&R'd dont, simple as that mate. (sorry)

 

[BenR]

GAZ are harsh and damping control is poor, so thats more likely your problem than anything else, unless they have substantially upped their game since i last saw a shock on a shock dyno.

 

[Gaz_]

boiiing!

 

[DrR]

Looks awful that low.

 

[Markpw]

My H&R's were set up properly and isnt that low not much different to standard but it eats B roads with a vengeance now compared to the standard slightly skittish feel.
so yes defo get it looked at and raise the height !

 

[Gaz_]

Mine is too low also tbh, but even on H&R's, its a world away from the old gaz set up i had.

 

[drhowser]

by the look of your car you have the same problem that made me get my money back from gaz. ie. collapsed rear springs. have a look through your wheel and see if the rear springs are coilbound? if so either order some new springs (from somewhere else!) or look for a better setup.

 

[Jesske]

Maybe stupid question, but I have H&R coilovers. BUT I took them to the same height as my original 182 cup packed suspension was. Do I also need a complete allignement?

 

[Maz]

I had gaz on mine and had to take them off I I couldn't handle the ride on a daily basis.

 

[Ad]

I do think the Gaz setup causes quite a bit of understeer when you lean on them at speed.

I didnt appreciate the Gaz set up on a 182 when i drove. The ride quality is piss poor as well.

Soft setting is too soft and hard is back breaking, there was never an in between.

 

[christian rea]

ive gone with 60 front 50 back it handles well i no its only a 1.2 but can corner at high speeds you want somet like 40 front 30-35 rear be nice looking aswell

 

[Dan R]

I do really hate it when people use the clio cup race cars as a comparison and say things like ' but thats what the clio cup cars are like or thats what they use on them'!!!!! Its not a clio cup race car. Its a road car!!!! Please dont try to copy them or. The road and the track are 2 completely different places!!! They dont do driving down a pot holed B road! Thankyou