stock rear shock absorbers/ dampers

[speed-demon]

Affect handling in a good way?
When I was younger I had a car that was lowered and larger/wider wheels were fitted. The car then performed like it was on rails! A marked improvment...

I get the impression you're telling me that dropping an inch would make handling worse? Or do you mean different? Or better but far stiffer etc?

The reason for the drop in height is not so important, it's just I understand Gary's midnight blue car has been dropped on Avo's and I think it improves the appearance. I wonder what settup he has exactly? Gary...?

[dapinky]

Cars can be lowered in a number of ways, each will have a different effect on handling and roadholding (which are NOT the same).

Any car which is lowered by a complete suspension unit change (try searching for and reading the thread on Bilstein/eibach suspension) can be made 'better' than standard.

However, by simply keeping the original springs and dropping the seat height by an inch it will effect the way the spring reacts, as it will be under different compression at different times during suspension travel, from that as was designed - whether it is an improvement, is up to you to decide (but unlikely).

Similarly, just by fitting shorter springs it will behave differently.

Also, changing to softer springs will lower the static height, but wreck handling....

There are 2 many variables to go into here (it's all on the forum elsewhere).

As I say, if it is just for looks, then fair enough - but don't expect to improve the handling just by lowering the spring seat.

[speed-demon]

No. The looks are secondary really. Would be in my main interest to sharpen the handling a little with some fresh and updated kit. The one inch drop was merely a thought as the two ideas come hand in hand.

[Marcus_uk]

It maybe a daft question but will the avos and protech rear dampers be a straight swap for the oem (one all the settigns are dialled in?) or do they need different springs etc? I just need a straight swap for the oem s2 damper.

[dapinky]

Hi Marcus,

Not a daft question at all!

Dimensionally, the Protechs are identical, so will work with the original springs, I haven't used the Avos, but I believe them to be the same as well - perhaps Monty can confirm?

[Gazza]

I replaced mine with Avo's all round and 4 new S2 springs. The car is lower by probably an inch or less not really sure. Ride is harsher from what i can remember but my suspension was shot so hard to compare. Just think it looks so much better lowered as the wheels fill the arches better.

It's just a case of trial and error on the settings until you are happy. We set the height that i was happy with then played with the settings.

Other than getting off my drive i don't really have to much problems with the height issue.

Still thinking about the Bilstein/eibach suspension Bob's doing to get it 100%

Gazza

[speed-demon]

Gazza. Any chance you could post some pictures of your car? Profile, front and back etc. So we can see for ourselves what the drop looks like.

[Gee0]

Any Ideas?

Gee0, AFAIK the OEM rear shocks are no longer available. The S2 damper is recommended for all non-Federal cars, part No E100D6011F, see page 237 of the Parts Manual.
I think they are Monroe dampers but I've never been able to find a Monroe part number.

If you find a source for the OEM's or particularly a Monroe part no please let us all know.

I was chatting to my contact in the trade and he said IF the OEM was a Monroe, there will be a number stamped into somewhere, can somebody have a look.

Thanks

Gerry

[Specky]

What would a Monroe part No look like... Configuration etc

I've got a few new sets of fronts, so this may guide someone in the correct direction, I just need to know what style of No I'm looking for.

TTFN

[saska]

What would a Monroe part No look like... Configuration etc
I've got a few new sets of fronts, so this may guide someone in the correct direction, I just need to know what style of No I'm looking for.

Dave, the Monroe shocks will have a part number containing probably 5 numbers -- could be 4 but more likely 5. But get any numbers you can find.
Monroe spring part numbers will probably be of the form SPXXXX (where X = a number)
So currently I think the front spring for ROW SE/S2 is a Monroe SP1337 = B100C0086F (Yel/Yel/Green)
I also believe the rear spring is a Spidan (GKN) 55653 = B100D0071F (Grn/Yel/White) -- don't yet have a Monroe number

Have been unable to do more research on this recently due to work, but anyone with some front and/or rear dampers/springs that they can read any numbers on them, please let us know what type of car to which they apply NA/SE/S2/Fed.
Been thinking about trying to source a set of new SE/S2 front & rear springs and dampers, if possible, with a view to:
1. Getting the springs duplicated by some one like Turtons and trying to cross reference the dampers with a modern part number replacement. Or, failing that, getting them tested so the correct setting(s) for an AVO/Protech replacement could be documented. Monroe changed their product line names at some point but there is a conversion matrix.
2. Sending a front & rear spring & damper to Bob (or Nitron) for those doing the N/E conversion so that Nitron has the best possible OEM baseline reference for road use. Assuming, of course, that BobB would want this input.
For the S2/SE ROW setup I'm pretty sure I can obtain everything except the rear dampers so their number(s) would be extremely useful.
Of course there are the NA & Fed cars to look at but I haven't got that far yet. It may be possible to get spring specifications and/or manufacturer part numbers out of Lotus for those parts they no longer supply but again, I'm not there yet.

[Specky]

Here's the No's of the New Bits I've got

Remeber the SE,N/A and S2 front dampers are all the same, the springs are different as it the complete fedral set up.

N/A Front Spring A100C0087H....(Brand New the other month)

Yellow Yellow White...(Red paint mark as well)....No Markings on the spring itself



N/A Front Damper/Spring Assy F100C0043F....(brand New the other month)

Yellow Yellow White...(Red paint mark as well)....

Second number on the Lotus sticky label, 120398

Pt No on the Damper...F100C6015

MADE IN ENGLAND

8116 2959 5BA



FED Front Damper Assy C100C0123F (Brand new a few years ago,still in the box)

Blue Yellow Orange

B100C0123F

MADE IN ENGLAND

010672

8116 2974 1HB



N/A Front Damper Assy F100C0043F, by the book....(off the project car, different style lower fork as well, when did that change? )

Yellow Yellow White...(Red paint mark as well)....

Pt No on the Damper... C100C6015 H

MADE IN ENGLAND

010672

4563 3455 OBC C7 150



Suspect Front Damper Assy F100C0043F....(off the N/A project car, This a replacement due to an accident long before I owned the car and guess they put on an SE assy)

Yellow Yellow Green....(I can see only one mark of yellow and one green)

Pt No on the Damper... F100C6015 F

-MADE IN ENGLAND-

8116 2959 5BD

So that's the fronts,

As you can see there are trends linking all of them, but will it help

We could do with some S2 markings, I haven't looked at the SE parked out side

As for the rears, I have my old N/A rears on the Carport floor, but I must pack for my Hols

TTFN

[dapinky]

A quick look at the web gives these part numbers for the springs :-

Assuming that my Latvian is okay, then the front is a GKN 55652, and the rear is GKN 55653

see here

Is anyone else any good with Latvian???

Algirdas, is it anything like Lithuanian??

[Specky]

Is anyone else any good with Latvian???

Get me a Latvian, I tell you...

and I won't be Russian......

TTFN

[Specky]

I think you're on the money

Clicky

Clicky

Clicky



TTFN

[Specky]

Try this Dave

http://www.autospares.lv/catalogs/index ... &mdf=11999

Bugger... that didn't work... I've got a translation thingy on my tool bar it's quite a good site...

TTFN

[dapinky]

I've tried the auto translate, but unfortunately, even my meagre knowledge of Latvian is better than Bill Gates'.

So I had a brainwave, and followed the link to the GKN Germany site, but my German is very poor (I can order beer, but that's about it).

They have the site availlable in English, so I thought I was onto a winner, until I put the part number into the search, and came up with....

....Nothing!

but from the original Latvian site, it gives us the part numbers, but I can't sus out if we can order them, or not!

[dapinky]

My Latvian was good enough to translate it into Russian, and then I saw on the Russian site that they do an English version of the catalogue!!

click here

They won't give you prices until you register, and I'm a tad dubious about giving my details to an interweb user in that part of the world. But at least it does give us part numbers and cross references for lots of useful bits and pieces.

[GeoffSmith]

Nice work - there are even some Lotus part numbers in there!

[saska]

Nice work - there are even some Lotus part numbers in there!

Indeed. The one I found earlier for frt spring was from here
Searching for the rear spring is what found me the Monroe SP1337 number in the same place.
The rear S2 damper remains elusive so far.
A summary of what I and others have found so far:

Normas
Front Spring/Damper Assembly: F100C0043F Yel/Yel/White
Parts Manual agrees with Specky's numbers
Front Spring: A100C0087H Yel/Yel/White (Concurs with Specks)
Front Damper: Original number C100C6015H R/B F100C6015F (S2 Type)
The Replaced By number agrees with Specky's number off the new assembly damper F100C6015.
Rear Spring/Damper assembly: Same as RowSE F100D0030F Grn/Yel/White R/B J100D0030J Grn/Yel/white (S2 type)
Rear Spring: Same as RowSE/S2 B100D0071F Grn/Yel/White Possibly Spidan (GKN) 55653
Rear Damper: Same as RowSE/S2 C100D6011H R/B E100D6011F (S2 type)
So everything except the front spring is the same as S2 setup.

Federal
Front spring/damper assembly: C100C0123F Blue/Yel/Orange (Concurs with Specky)
Front Spring: A100C0126H Blue/Yel/Orange
Front damper: B100C6029H
Rear Spring/Damper Assembly: B100D0083F Red/Yel/Orange
Rear Spring: A100D0082H Red/Yel/Orange
Rear Damper: B100D6025H
So the whole setup is different to NA/RowSE/S2

RowSE
Front Spring/Damper Assembly: F100C0077F Yel/Yel/Grn
Front Spring: B100C0086F Yel/Yel/Grn (Same part number and colours as S2) Possibly Spidan (GKN) number 55652 or Monroe SP1337
Front Damper: Original number C100C6015H R/B F100C6015F (S2 Type)
Rear Spring/Damper assembly: F100D0030F Grn/Yel/white R/B J100D0030J Grn/Yel/White (S2 type)
Rear Spring: Same as S2 B100D0071F Grn/Yel/White Possibly Spidan (GKN) 55653
Rear Damper: C100D6011H R/B E100D6011F (S2 type)
Hence it appears that the RowSE setup maybe replaced entirely by the S2 setup

S2
Front Spring/Damper Assembly: H100C0077J Yel/Yel/Grn
Front Spring: B100C0086F Yel/Yel/Grn Possibly Spidan (GKN) 55652 or Monroe SP1337
Front Damper: F100C6015F
Rear Spring/Damper Assembly: J100D0030J Grn/Yel/White
Rear Spring: B100D0071F Possibly Spidan (GKN) 55653
Rear Damper: E100D6011F (This is the really elusive bugger)

Geoff: I've been thinking that a few people are researching this topic and having a place where different people can add information that they find regarding the suspension would be very useful. While I've the skills & resources to do something like this it would take considerable time and effort to setup and test. Time which is presently very short. Would there be any objection to using WikiLec for such a purpose as long as it got tidied up and summarised (or even deleted) when a result is obtained?

Thanks to all for their efforts so far. If anyone has any S2 dampers (particularly rear) they can read numbers off please let us know.

[Gazza]

As requested speed-demon.

Gazza