Suspension
Suspension Discussion
Damper Fault on 1994 Griffiths
Factory Sports Pack and Related Topics
Alternative Dampers
Anti-Roll Bar Fitting
up to contents
Suspension Discussion
[I picked up this exchange part-way through, so it's a little disjointed. I've included it because it does answer a number of common queries about
Griffith versus Chimaera suspension.]
Internet Mailing List June 98
. . . In my experience, the Chimaera is a softer handling car and the trade-off is reduced crisp turn in. It is one of the reasons that I prefered the
Griffith. Your experiences could simply be a characteristic of a Chimaera or something wrong or incorrect in the suspension setup and I would include
the rear setup as well as the front. If your Chimaera was not explicitly built with a Griff spec suspension, including shocks, springs, and roll
bars, than I doubt if you will ever get the Chimaera to handle exactly as a Griff 500 does until all these components are replaced. They share the
same chassis but have different shocks springs etc. . .
Steve Heath
Internet Mailing List June 98
. . . I ordered and purchased my 5.0 litre Chimaera (it is left hand drive by the way) directly from the factory.
I have also owned a 4.0 litre Chimaera and I did not want the "soft" suspension on the new Chimaera.
They assured me that the 5.0 litre Chimaeras and the Griffiths share the same suspension. I think
I will have to test drive a P reg Griffith for a comparison. If there is a difference then I will have a serious discussion with the factory . . .
Minos Mantzavinos
Internet Mailing List June 98
To be absolutely fair to the factory there really is no such thing as a definitive Griffith suspension. If
they say you have the current Griffith suspension, then you probably do have it, but this may well be different to the suspension that your
early 500 had. I've looked at the spares list and it indicates that the current 500 parts are interchangeable between the 500, Griff 4.x and
Chimaera but it also describes several other spring/damper combinations including sports versions. So it is possible that you have a Griff 500
suspension but that this is fundamentally different from the early Griff 500 suspension you liked. It could also be due to suspension settings as
well.
It is clear that the Griff suspension has undergone some serious revisions in the past. In general, the Griff suspension has got softer
over the years and it is this rather than any factory "plot" that may be causing the problem. The reason for this is that owners and reviewers
did not like the very hard suspension and they reacted to the inputs. Nearly all of the reviews that I have of these cars complained about this
aspect. So please bear this in mind if you talk to the factory.
Another factor to consider is that the tyres themselves have also changed over the years (RE71 to SO1 to SO2).
This can also affect the handling feel, especially the turn in.
It is also possible that the L reg Griff 500 had been modified and was not typical of the Griff 500 so a methodical approach might be required
to find out what the problem is and how to cure it. Driving some other cars to get a good feel would be a good start, especially if you can find
one with the sports suspension pack which stiffens the suspension and anti-roll bars.
If these Griff 500's handle the same as your Chimaera, then you will have to tune the handling. If they handle the way you want, at least you have
a model to find out the suspension settings etc which will be a big help and will save a lot of time.
If the Chimaera has been curbed, this can knock the suspension out of alignment without realising it.
If the suspension geometries and tyre pressures are not exactly the same on both sides, it can cause problems. Even if they are within the
prescribed limits.
I know that Team Central have worked with their customers on suspension tuning so it may be worth talking to their service department to see what
else can be done. I heard of one Griff 4.x owner who complained that his Griff 500 was too soft and ended up having the full sports pack
suspension fitted and then they tweaked it further. The cost was several thousand pounds in total.
Steve Heath
top
Damper Fault on 1994 Griffiths
Internet Mailing List Jan 98
The offside rear shock absorber on my Griff' 500 snapped of close to its upper mounting point the other day. Thankfully no crash ensued. I have
since learnt that a number of '94 cars were recalled for a fault in the (Bilstein manufactured) shock absorbers which could result in breakage.
It appears my car somehow slipped through the net and the factory have agreed to replace both rear shocks upon confirmation that they are from
the defective run.
Roger Slee
More about this on FleetNet - choose "more" then "recall info".
top
Factory Sports Pack and Related Topics
Feb 97
. . . Re [TVR Centre Redhill's] suspension modification kit, tell
me more. I want to tighten up mine [a J reg 92 4.3 Griffith]
but it seems the current dampers are not very adaptable.
John McIntosh
Feb 97
Has your car got the factory sports suspension pack (later Bilstein
dampers, uprated springs, heavier anti-roll bars and whatnot)?
If not this might be the best thing to go for. Costs about
£1200, I think.
The TVR Centre's mods are a bit different, and aimed mainly at
improving the anti-roll bars and stopping the wishbones from moving
about (there's about 3mm of slop at each wheel apparently). They
had hoped to produce this as a pack, but apparently it's very
fiddly to do properly so they are keeping it in house for the
foreseeable future. They've done a couple of cars so far and
the cost is very roughly £1500-£2000.
Peter Beech
Feb 97
Thanks for the info on suspension. I have Koni dampers. I believe
the suspension for the K registration was an improvement over
the J but I have no supporting evidence, just hearsay. The Bilstiens,
I believe, were fitted only to the 500 as standard. They do a
good job at realistic rates. My Griff lacks a positive feel at
the front and it could be a result of too much travel - aside
from the roll.
I spoke with TVR Centre Redhill and it seems the simplest route
is to go with the Sports Pack. Otherwise it is a custom job.
Since suspension settings always take time to get right, customisation
can cost an amount of money. What they didn't know was the standard
spring ratings. If I have that I can get an idea of what to try
first.
My view is that you can buy all the bits for about £700,plus
VAT. A competent mechanic could install in about 4 hours. The
harder part is the geometry which might require changes to the
wishbone placing and making them more adjustable. Fairly expensive.
John McIntosh
top
Alternative Dampers
Internet mailing List Apr 97
You might be interested in the fact that I upgraded my Chimaera
from standard Bilstein shocks to Konis. Jens Bech, the technical
guy at BV Nimag (dutch importer for TVR ) and Koni developed a
shock absorber specially suited to TVR. It's a completely adjustable
absorber and gives big improvement on straight on stability (I
mean if you are driving in a straight line) especially when there
those heavy truck grooves in the road. They give you better predictability
in corners as well. The bounce and rebound is completely adjustable
as well as the riding height so you can adjust everything to your
particular needs. In my setup the ride is a little stiffer than
the Bilstein set-up but the whole roadhandling of the car is much
improved. The shocks are made to order in the F1 and racing department
of Koni in Oud Beyerland which is about 30 km from my home.
Paul J Schoenmakers
top
Anti-Roll Bar Fitting
Internet Mailing List Sep 98
I don't know if this has been discussed before but for those who may not know I thought I would pass on this info.
Early Griff's did not have a rear anti-roll bar fitted (I don't know when this changed), this results in what could be
described as twitchy back end on uneven roads. I have recently discovered that this is easily rectified,
and was told from another Griff owner is a major improvement (thanks Jonathan).
All you need to do is purchase the rear roll bar parts from TVR and fit, on some cars the holes
where the roll bar bracket mounts are pre-drilled so just bolt away. Some you will have to drill 4 holes.
The AR Drop Link Brackets can be simply clamped to the bottom wishbones using U bolts of a suitable size, and are
pre-drilled for this. They were welded in place on later Griff's so this could be done if you prefer.
Fernhurst rang TVR and asked how much the kit was, and �800 came back (could have been a mistake),
I was told this was complete with templates and diagrams etc.
However Darren (Fernhurst) remembered fitting one for about �350 all in. He checked this out
and they had ordered all the parts individually and this totalled about �200 +VAT, quite a difference.
I have included the list of parts below. The only thing missing is the U clamps.
The U Clamps (exhaust clamps) can be sourced from any car parts dealer, 35 mm width, and use Nylock locking nuts on them.
| Part | Qty |
| ARB bush | 4 |
| Rear ARB drop link | 2 |
| ARB mounting plate (rear) RH | 1 |
| ARB mounting plate (rear) LH | 1 |
| Sport AR bracket | 2 |
| AR bush | 2 |
| Rear ARB | 1 |
| ARB drop link bracket | 2 |
| nuts, bolts & washers | |
As far as I am concerned the �200 is money well worth spending.
On uneven roads I am no longer constantly correcting the direction of the car as it bounces from bump to bump. The rear end is much more
stable and if anything the ride is much more comfortable. I have driven a 500 Grif and it feels very similar. If anything the car is much more responsive when turning in, being more precise to wheel movements, something I like. I would say that it has eradicated a previous tendency to understeer. I haven't had the opportunity to push the car at high speed through a fast long bend yet, but I think it will be more stable. Also I am interested to see when the rear breaks away now, whether its more sudden or not.
Adrian Slade
top