Winter work part two - shock therapy

The S1 Elise came with Koni "red" shocks from the factory. These are recognised as being a good damper, but they're really not good enough for the Elise chassis. They clunk and knock and are too softly sprung meaning it's possible to roll the car far enough to fully extend the inside rear shock - which makes things interesting when you're really on it!

 So, part of the upgrade plan was always some new shocks and I was lucky enough this year to be able to pick up a set of Nitrons secondhand from Irelands Lotus guru patmcb, with spring weights chosen for a perfect fast road and occasional trackday setup - 325lbs front, 400 rear. While the car was there the shocks were fitted, corner weights taken and adjusted with my considerable ballast in the drivers seat and all the geometry set a little more aggressively.

 Car weight with around a half tank of petrol;

The change was instantly noticeable. Firstly of course the doubling of spring rates meant the car was transmitting a lot more bumps to me at town speeds, but it was thankfully far from harsh or severe. But it is at 80kph and above that the new suspension setup comes alive. What was fidgety at slow speeds suddenly begins to flow as the damping circuits find their mojo.

 By far the greatest improvement however is in the twisties. The higher spring rates control the body roll to a much greater degree, a future roll bar upgrade will improve things further but for now roll is controlled enough to keep all wheels on the ground at all times when cornering. What's more, even with only a single damping adjuster it is possible to feel the difference in only a few clicks which can completely change the balance of the car.

 Anyhow, enough babbling on, after a few months on the car they were filthy and one of the adjusters had stiffened up. So with the car in hibernation for the winter I decided to give the shocks a good clean and loosen out the adjuster, ready for action next year. An hour in the shed and a half can of wd40 later.... :) 

Before;
 

After;