Coilovers...

[sowen]

I've decided I want to fit coilovers to my Rover P6, problem is I don't know anything about them apart from what they look like and they come in a variety of sizes. Are there any guides, do's/don't's of picking and choosing them? They appear to come in two main diameters, my car weighs approx 1300-1400kg so I presume I'd be better off going for the larger of the two diameters? Spring rates I should be able to guesstimate where to start as the original Rover spring ratings are available, and I plan to fit the coilovers in place of the original springs. I'm measuring up what lengths I think I'll need that will fit into the existing suspension so that I'm happy with.

I've been looking at stuff like this:

AVO coilovers

Have an inspiring old racing Rover

[SamR380]

As I'm sure you're aware, P6 front suspension is a bit of a special case. You'd normally poke the threaded end of the coilover through the strut top and bolt the 'eye' end to the bottom wishbone.

Neither of those locations really exist on a P6, so an amount of modification would be required. The more difficult bit,I would imagine, is attaching it to the lever arm where the spring normally sits.

Try changing the name of the thread to include 'P6' - someone else might be able to help.

[sowen]

Feb 18, 2014 23:08:18 GMT SamR380 said:

As I'm sure you're aware, P6 front suspension is a bit of a special case. You'd normally poke the threaded end of the coilover through the strut top and bolt the 'eye' end to the bottom wishbone.

Neither of those locations really exist on a P6, so an amount of modification would be required. The more difficult bit,I would imagine, is attaching it to the lever arm where the spring normally sits.

Try changing the name of the thread to include 'P6' - someone else might be able to help.

I've already figured out how to mount a generic bushed eyelet coilover into the existing suspension, I'm about to make some drawings to have the bits laser cut then I'll weld it all together once I have all the parts to hand. I have a full set of suspension parts off one of my spares cars, and a dead P6 sat in the garage part stripped being welded up, so sussing out the fitment and dimensions isn't too much of an issue. Anyway, almost all P6 knowledgable types will advise against doing anything with the front suspension because it's supposedly difficult and dangerous to work on and they should be kept in original condition

I'm really after what the difference is between the different diameters, single/double/non adjustable and even recommended manufacturer.

I don't want to find that I spend a big wadge of cash buying something when it would have been better spent buying one of the alternatives!

[welshpug]

Type of damper chosen is reliant on budget as much as anything, closely followed by use and application.

As the damper is not yet mounted, and to a certain extent you have some movement on its placement, i would suggest getting the damper mounted as close to the wheel as possible, to get wheel to damper movement ratio as close as you can.

Doing this will lessen the workload on the damper, meaning they will work more consistently and last longer.

Got any pics of the suspension layout?

[sowen]

This is one of the better diagrams showing the suspension layout



I think from the measurements I've already made one of the shortest available coilovers would fit where the horizontally mounted front spring is, the rear is a more conventional trailing arm layout so a longer coilover will happily fit in there.

This is why I'm asking, it sounds like a great idea, but sometimes great ideas should remain just that.

[octagonalpaul]

I'd contact Gaz, they specialize in making custom setups for things like this. It could be more expensive but you can guarantee you'll have perfect fittings and peace of mind

[sowen]

Feb 19, 2014 11:08:53 GMT octagonalpaul said:

I'd contact Gaz, they specialize in making custom setups for things like this. It could be more expensive but you can guarantee you'll have perfect fittings and peace of mind

I've found on the GAZ and Avo websites that they do coilovers that appear to be suitable for what I want in terms of physical size. I already have a full set of Rover P6 specific GAZ dampers which seem OK, except I've had to wind them up almost to the max to get an appropriate ride on my Rover. I'd really like to stick to off the shelf parts if possible, and keep away from expensive one-off parts.