GAZ GHA coilover setup

[firehorizon]

hi guys i have the standard gaz coilover kit setup for my peugeot 106 mk2 and i am struggerling to find a good setup so that my car handles well and is lowered as much as possible at the front without wrecking the front shock absorbers? do i have to adjust the shock absorber to - or + as most of the roads are terrible so i dont want to bottom my shocks out and find out i have to replace them.

[KamRacing]

What ride height are you trying to run at? sadly good road holding and handling are usually the opposite setup to a slammed car.

[Llardy]

the springs shouldn't allow the shocks to bottom out anyways.

[LSOfreak]

them gaz dampers are good to go as low as you want

depending on what your opinion of a well handling car is, generally a very low car wont handle as well

[martyno]

them gaz dampers are good to go as low as you want

depending on what your opinion of a well handling car is, generally a very low car wont handle as well

Not true (i've been low on them and have blown them).

If your car is low and abused (or even just low), quite likely you will hit a pot hole or sunken drain and eventually if done enough times, it will blow.

[martyno]

hi guys i have the standard gaz coilover kit setup for my peugeot 106 mk2 and i am struggerling to find a good setup so that my car handles well and is lowered as much as possible at the front without wrecking the front shock absorbers? do i have to adjust the shock absorber to - or + as most of the roads are terrible so i dont want to bottom my shocks out and find out i have to replace them.

What size tyres do you have? Bigger profile will absorb some of the shock so less chance of bottoming out.

[AaronSAXOVTR]

Not true (i've been low on them and have blown them).

If your car is low and abused (or even just low), quite likely you will hit a pot hole or sunken drain and eventually if done enough times, it will blow.

+1 hit a massive pothole in the dark and before you know it the shock is fucked :(

[LSOfreak]

Not true (i've been low on them and have blown them).

If your car is low and abused (or even just low), quite likely you will hit a pot hole or sunken drain and eventually if done enough times, it will blow.

thats not certain

how low were you on them?

my cars at 90mm on the front and theyve been fine. The roads around london are awful aswell, ive hit some huge potholes and drains and ive never blown a shock?

therefore, with the standard gaz springs wound all the way down (approx 65-75mm lowering) the shocks are still more than capable

[Prickle]

Not true (i've been low on them and have blown them).

If your car is low and abused (or even just low), quite likely you will hit a pot hole or sunken drain and eventually if done enough times, it will blow.

And thats whats put me off buying those.

Read about it not long ago...

Few people have said they have had no issues though :S

[Ross]

Not true (i've been low on them and have blown them).

If your car is low and abused (or even just low), quite likely you will hit a pot hole or sunken drain and eventually if done enough times, it will blow.

Not sure you grasped the context of the statement.

Generally, you can have slammed OR handling. Not both. What you seem to be asking for is a setup that is slammed, handles well, and takes pot holes in its strides. Not gonna happen.

If you want a car that copes with pot holes, jack up the height and soften the shocks off. If you want handling, drop it 50mm from standard or so, mid setting on the shocks, sorted. If you want slammed, wind the springs down as far as you dare and have the socks wherever you want really - the springs won't allow the shocks to over compress.

[monka]

also, tyres, anti roll bar, and rear suspension all effect the handling as well.

adding a set of gaz's to an otherwise standard car isn't going to work miracles

[firehorizon]

im on gti raptors with chunky profile tyres and its only at low speeds mainly i get bother but thats over speed bumps that it knocks slightly and im worried that it mighy be sign the shock is wearing slightly, i dont care about being uncomfortable etc and ive driven with it down and 65mm and it handles great, the whole kit is awesome but the roads i have been on have been so bad im worried that when im hearing knocking from the front i may have blown another shock, what i dont get is if these shocks are suppose to be subject to punishment then why are they so easy to destroy, i know there meant for a track and on smoother surfaces but surely they must longer than a year, i just want to know what will lower the life of the shock more making it firmer of softening it up? What setting is better for the shock soft, medium or firm

[martyno]

Not sure you grasped the context of the statement.

Generally, you can have slammed OR handling. Not both. What you seem to be asking for is a setup that is slammed, handles well, and takes pot holes in its strides. Not gonna happen.

If you want a car that copes with pot holes, jack up the height and soften the shocks off. If you want handling, drop it 50mm from standard or so, mid setting on the shocks, sorted. If you want slammed, wind the springs down as far as you dare and have the socks wherever you want really - the springs won't allow the shocks to over compress.

:wacko:Im not asking for any such set up. My car is set up for handling up only!
I am talking about my old set up and simply explaining that the shocks are likely to blow if too low.
I am not so sure about the statement you have made saying 'the springs won't allow the shocks to over compress'. I have blown this type of shock more than once. They are a poor quality damper! (gona get shot down for saying that I know lol)

[martyno]

thats not certain

how low were you on them?

my cars at 90mm on the front and theyve been fine. The roads around london are awful aswell, ive hit some huge potholes and drains and ive never blown a shock?

therefore, with the standard gaz springs wound all the way down (approx 65-75mm lowering) the shocks are still more than capable

I wasn't even that low on mine. Was dropped all the way down but thats only 65-75mm like you say.

[LSOfreak]

must just be bad luck that you went through shocks.

my 2nd hand gaz coilovers have been on for a year or 2 and havent failed yet, even with the shorter custom springs

[monka]

im on gti raptors with chunky profile tyres and its only at low speeds mainly i get bother but thats over speed bumps that it knocks slightly and im worried that it mighy be sign the shock is wearing slightly, i dont care about being uncomfortable etc and ive driven with it down and 65mm and it handles great, the whole kit is awesome but the roads i have been on have been so bad im worried that when im hearing knocking from the front i may have blown another shock, what i dont get is if these shocks are suppose to be subject to punishment then why are they so easy to destroy, i know there meant for a track and on smoother surfaces but surely they must longer than a year, i just want to know what will lower the life of the shock more making it firmer of softening it up? What setting is better for the shock soft, medium or firm

chunky profile tyres? wow, would that be a set of nankangs then, or something decent??

also, rear suspension?

down 65mm and handled great? mmm, ok, better than standard, but not its best i doubt it.

knocking from the front is unlikely to be a shocker tbh, what faults were at hand that caused you to replace the old ones?

[LSOfreak]

i wouldnt go putting on chunky tyres

yeah they would be more comfy, but you'd probably have a world more of problems with them rubbing if you ever wanted to turn a corner or have people in the back!

when my car was down 75mm front with the gaz all the way to the bottom and 80mm on the rear it handled pretty well. Never once spun out or felt the rear become twitchy. Saying that though, it never saw a track or anything

[martyno]

must just be bad luck that you went through shocks.

my 2nd hand gaz coilovers have been on for a year or 2 and havent failed yet, even with the shorter custom springs

How many miles = a year or 2?
Could be several contributing factors why mine have blown.
Could be my bad luck that they have or your good luck that yours haven't, my driving etc etc doesn't matter really, just don't think they are indestructible lol

Now I have had time to think about this without being half asleep...
I remember a couple of years back my local tuner telling me that on the cheaper adjustable shocks (ie Gaz GHA), winding them all the way up to the stiffest setting will cause the seals on the shocks to fail prematurely.
I think he said something on the lines of....'have it 4 clicks from the max if you want it stiff'

[LSOfreak]

about 10-15k a year

ahh thats a good point, could be related to the stiffness. Mines set nearly in the middle between hard and soft