Jay Emm’s Gransport

[Mr.Cambio]

So if you fit coilovers don't you lose skyhook? And sport button then only has an input on gear change, and leaves suspension alone, is that right?

I think it has a skyhook cancelling error, in order not to receive CE, but let us Karl clear this.

 

[hashluck]

Each to their own, why I love my Strad is for the more complient suspension but as I said above I had two GS and loved them like my own children.

Just have both, then you have two children

 

[conaero]

Just have both, then you have two children

MC20?

 

[conaero]

So if you fit coilovers don't you lose skyhook? And sport button then only has an input on gear change, and leaves suspension alone, is that right?

They come with a diode that plugs into the skyhook connector and send a valid signal back to the ECU do it does not error so yes, you get one setting be it in SPORT or not. All other functions will still work, exhaust valves, throttle response and CC pump running at higher pressure to quicken shifts.

 

[safrane]

I think it's the 19" wheels, not the suspension itself. When i drive on a smooth and curvy road, i wish the suspension was even stiffer.

More like the tyres, or lack of them on thise wheels...plenty of cars run >19" without the spine shattering crash over imperfections.

But once on smooth roads is glides.

 

[Karl GS]

The sky-hook suspension is a compromise. In normal mode the damping is set softer for comfort. In sport mode the damping is set stiffer for ride control. Good in theory and works ok on smooth roads.
The problem is, that the damping never matches the spring rate. The springs are quite soft already and get worse with age. So in normal mode the car is floaty, and also when you hit a large bump the shocks run out of travel and bottom out. This causes a thump in the suspension and through the body.
When you switch to sport mode the damping is stiffened to reduce initial body roll and improve corner turn in. This sounds good but there is a problem, the damping is now too stiff for the soft springs. So when you hit a bump the soft springs compress too quickly for the stiff damping, causing a hydraulic lock effect and therefore another thump through the car.
So in both modes the ride is crashy over bumps.

With the KW coilovers (and any other good quality coilover for that matter) the damping matches the spring rate.
Although the springs are stiffer, the damping matches the spring rate perfectly. This gives good body control without the thumping over bumps or potholes. I can now enjoy driving the car and not worry about every little bump in the road. They dont run out of travel or hydraulic lock over bumps like the original setup did.

Are there any negatives. There is a small one. The ride is a little bit jiggly at lower speeds. Thats it, nothing else.

When I bought the car there was a lot I loved about it, but as the months went by the crashy suspension really started to annoy me to the point where I started to think of selling the car.
But I decided to spend the money and upgrade the coilovers. 5 years later, I can tell you it is the best decision I made for that car. It is that much better.
The other benefit is of course that the car now stays in sport mode all the time to enjoy the better gear changes. They mufflers now operate off a separate switch.

Bit of a long winded post I know, but I hope it all makes sense.

 

[Karl GS]

So if you fit coilovers don't you lose skyhook? And sport button then only has an input on gear change, and leaves suspension alone, is that right?

That is correct. The sport button will alter gear change, open the mufflers, back off the traction control a bit and change the throttle mapping. The suspension becomes stand alone and doesn't change.

 

[Mr.Cambio]

The sky-hook suspension is a compromise. In normal mode the damping is set softer for comfort. In sport mode the damping is set stiffer for ride control. Good in theory and works ok on smooth roads.
The problem is, that the damping never matches the spring rate. The springs are quite soft already and get worse with age. So in normal mode the car is floaty, and also when you hit a large bump the shocks run out of travel and bottom out. This causes a thump in the suspension and through the body.
When you switch to sport mode the damping is stiffened to reduce initial body roll and improve corner turn in. This sounds good but there is a problem, the damping is now too stiff for the soft springs. So when you hit a bump the soft springs compress too quickly for the stiff damping, causing a hydraulic lock effect and therefore another thump through the car.
So in both modes the ride is crashy over bumps.

With the KW coilovers (and any other good quality coilover for that matter) the damping matches the spring rate.
Although the springs are stiffer, the damping matches the spring rate perfectly. This gives good body control without the thumping over bumps or potholes. I can now enjoy driving the car and not worry about every little bump in the road. They dont run out of travel or hydraulic lock over bumps like the original setup did.

Are there any negatives. There is a small one. The ride is a little bit jiggly at lower speeds. Thats it, nothing else.

When I bought the car there was a lot I loved about it, but as the months went by the crashy suspension really started to annoy me to the point where I started to think of selling the car.
But I decided to spend the money and upgrade the coilovers. 5 years later, I can tell you it is the best decision I made for that car. It is that much better.
The other benefit is of course that the car now stays in sport mode all the time to enjoy the better gear changes. They mufflers now operate off a separate switch.

Bit of a long winded post I know, but I hope it all makes sense.

A 390-400 hp car is expected to be stiff. Sometime we need to find out what those 400 hp look and feel like, so a stiff suspension is a must.
You cannot ask for a fast car to be riding like a limo. Even limos with high HP and soft suspension are a nightmare to drive let's say under curvy roads. And when not a nightmare, they are made by Germans, who produce fast cars, but with no connection between the driver and the car.

Nice to have some feedback re KW. I followed the FD springs/sway bars route, which have made the car planted, and to limit floating.

 

[Felonious Crud]

... one third of my daily commute is on single lane tracks, so the more narrow the car, the better. Indeed, I’ve swapped my GS for a narrow bodied 911 and that’s even more fit for purpose.

Bicycle?

 

[Ewan]

Bicycle?

Yep. I have some of those. And the 4 days a year the weather is nice, I like to use one of them!

 

[Zep]

The sky-hook suspension is a compromise. In normal mode the damping is set softer for comfort. In sport mode the damping is set stiffer for ride control. Good in theory and works ok on smooth roads.
The problem is, that the damping never matches the spring rate. The springs are quite soft already and get worse with age. So in normal mode the car is floaty, and also when you hit a large bump the shocks run out of travel and bottom out. This causes a thump in the suspension and through the body.
When you switch to sport mode the damping is stiffened to reduce initial body roll and improve corner turn in. This sounds good but there is a problem, the damping is now too stiff for the soft springs. So when you hit a bump the soft springs compress too quickly for the stiff damping, causing a hydraulic lock effect and therefore another thump through the car.
So in both modes the ride is crashy over bumps.

With the KW coilovers (and any other good quality coilover for that matter) the damping matches the spring rate.
Although the springs are stiffer, the damping matches the spring rate perfectly. This gives good body control without the thumping over bumps or potholes. I can now enjoy driving the car and not worry about every little bump in the road. They dont run out of travel or hydraulic lock over bumps like the original setup did.

Are there any negatives. There is a small one. The ride is a little bit jiggly at lower speeds. Thats it, nothing else.

When I bought the car there was a lot I loved about it, but as the months went by the crashy suspension really started to annoy me to the point where I started to think of selling the car.
But I decided to spend the money and upgrade the coilovers. 5 years later, I can tell you it is the best decision I made for that car. It is that much better.
The other benefit is of course that the car now stays in sport mode all the time to enjoy the better gear changes. They mufflers now operate off a separate switch.

Bit of a long winded post I know, but I hope it all makes sense.

The major difference I found moving from GS to Stradale was how resolved the damping was. Does sound like an excellent mod.

 

[williamsmix]

Yep. I have some of those. And the 4 days a year the weather is nice, I like to use one of them!

I was out today!

 

[Ewan]

 

[Ewan]

Looks like mine is a bit more road-friendly!

 

[Motorsport3]

I typically opt for the bicycle regardless of the weather as at the end of it I will need a show come rain or sun.

 

[HTAFC4200]

I really wanted him to keep it and extol the virtues of these beautiful cars, but I guess these little examples of Italian loveliness can be our secret.

The fuel consumption is poor being honest, but I knew that coming into ownership. It's not a modern V8 with one eye on mother earth.

Sitting at circa 3k at 70mph is not conducive to economical motorway cruising.

For a guy like me, this is as close to a Ferrari as I'll ever get and I love it for what it is.

 

[JimBlob]

Karl - what was the total cost of going down the KW coilover route?

 

[Delmonte]

That is correct. The sport button will alter gear change, open the mufflers, back off the traction control a bit and change the throttle mapping. The suspension becomes stand alone and doesn't change.

You mentioned its expensive. What sort of cost we talking?

 

[Guy]

Interesting to note that the best QPV suspension is renowned to be on the GTS, which I had two of and loved, and the MC Stradale, which was definitely better than the MC Shift suspension it replaced, the best on the Granturismos. Both using fixed spring dampers (Bilstein's coilovers?). It should not be a surprise that this is the ultimate solution for the GranSport.

 

[philgarner]

You mentioned its expensive. What sort of cost we talking?

Search on here for KW V3. I paid about 2100 for my set but that was on sale, and pre-covid pricing. I think they are made to order. Plus whatever for fitting, probably a few hundred at least, and then you need full alignment and setup, maybe a couple of sessions.