SPAX... the facts please

Any issues relating to suspension, steering and brakes.

SPAX... the facts please

by carl_freeman » Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:23 pm

<a href="http://www.spax.co.uk/SPAX_VSX_page.html" target="_blank">http://www.spax.co.uk/SPAX_VSX_page.html</a>

ok, I have searched the forums, and found several mixed opinion references to spax suspension kits.

the link above is to the kit I am looking at, its the fixed, gas dampened spring and shock kit that lowers 35mm.

has anyone actually had any experience with this setup? I hate the hearsay that goes arround, "my mate knew a guy once who said they were crap" kind of thing.

can anyone actually tell me if these are a decent "budget" alternative to the really expensive track quality billstein or eibach setups? they seem to have good reviews elsewhere, why the mixed opinions on calibras?

I want to lower by 35-40mm, and can only afford about £250.

thanks guys.
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by dicky » Tue Mar 15, 2005 12:06 am

Personly m8, i dont like lowering cars with aftermarket bolt-on's. Reason being its gonna muck up all ur steering/suspension geomatry like ur camber and toe.

I mean if it were as simple as spending £250 on a few bits from halfords and nail'ing them together, why do some car manufactors have to get outside help from the likes of lotus to sort out there suspension set-ups?

If all u want is to make it look nice then go ahead and get the SPAX.

Dicky
dicky
 

by Rusty_CallyT » Tue Mar 15, 2005 10:13 pm

got a spax sping and shock set on the turbo... man i dunno if its a lowered car thing but theres a split in our drive with a 1" step and you hit it in this thing it feels like going over a huge kerb lol dunno what the camber etc is like either which concerns me
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by BazV6er » Tue Mar 15, 2005 10:50 pm

carl i had spax lowering springs and suspension on my old nova sr ,i lowered that 35mm but sometimes when i had a few passengers in the car the car used to creak against the axle .
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by projectx » Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:41 am

I had Spax adjustable on my CavGSi...Don't get me wrong, the ride was a little more rough than standard (but I prefer that anyway), but I much prefer it to standard...Less body roll, lower look (obviously), and better handling. If you want a cheap drop that feels good I'd try Gmax as you can't get much cheaper than that, and my Bro has them on his V6 and they're fine....But remember, ride is always gonna be less smooth with lowered suspension, just depends on whether you like that or not (I personally do).
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by Chavtastic » Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:32 pm

In my experience... spax are very very stiff compared to other brands. Regardless of the lowering amount, they seem very hard. Makes your car very twitchy on uneven roads but awesome on smooth tarmac [img]/wink.gif[/img]
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by plug » Wed Mar 16, 2005 8:21 pm

how low can you drop on 17's with out catching whel archs every time you go over pot holes ? whats a fair ly good starter kit
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by projectx » Thu Mar 17, 2005 5:22 pm

Depends on the offset of the wheel and the width of the tyre, but most 17's should easily combine with a 35-40mm drop, and if you choose the correct offset, and 60mm drop would probably be OK.
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by Chavtastic » Mon Mar 21, 2005 4:05 pm

<!--QuoteBegin-plug+--><div class='quotetop'>(plug)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->how low can you drop on 17's with out catching whel archs every time you go over pot holes ? whats a fair ly good starter kit<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I had a 35mm drop on 18's with no scrubbing even with a car full.

Get the correct offset wheels and 205/45/17s and you'll be fine.
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by Animal » Thu Mar 24, 2005 2:05 am

How much is fitting for suspension usually?
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by Chavtastic » Thu Mar 24, 2005 7:11 pm

Rear springs you can fit yourself - *dead* easy! If you can change a wheel you can swap springs.

As for the fronts you might pay £50 for a garage to do them [img]/smile.gif[/img]

If your talking springs and shocks it will be a fair bit more as the shocks are inserts and a bit tricky to fit.
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