996 Geo

[beershark]

Unfortunate enough to have a rear puncture and needed a new tyre so decided to have the geo checked - its been a while since it was last done and had new tyres etc. and still feel the front it light and wanders slightly at speed.

I was using a local tyre specialist and in the past have used either OPC or more recently Pro-Tyre in Enfield who have always been pretty good.

For the first time I was given a choice of vehicle C2, Sport or X74.

Neither Pro-Tyre or OPC asked me about suspension settings - it it obvious what you have when up on ramps?

I thought the X74 was the right choice and on checking the geo was slightly out. I did a quick google on my phone and it would appear the M030 and X74 are quite different. I got them to check against the Sport and the setting were miles out....

Can anyone advise me if the Sport option is for the M030 is correct or, ideally what the setting should be for my setup?

I have a C2 Tiptronic, M030 suspension with 18" Sport Design 2 wheels.

Quite happy generally with the handly apart from the front seems a little light / wanders slightly at speed. Low (ish!) speed enthuseastic cornering feels ok and on a good bend / roundabout (on a track of copurse) it will 4 wheel drift a little . My only criticism would be maybe I would like the front to turn in a little better.

The front tyres were replaced recently and fairly even tyre wear but the rears are worn slightly more on the inside.

As for specialists, I am going to give Centre Gravity a call but would also be happy for my local wheel / tyre specialist (AS Wheels in Wanstead) to do it if I was sure about the settings.

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

You should be using the RoW M030 (Sport) settings, not X74. X74 has more negative camber front and rear. I suspect that you would be hard pressed to feel the difference under normal driving, but you will probably get slightly uneven wear in the long term.

Here are the settings:

 

[beershark]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for that - just what I needed.

Quick question, heard some good things about Center Gravity but of course they are not cheap.

For general / fastish road use and occasional track days is it worth spending £100 extra to go with them and will I notice the additional benefits in the short and long term?

They seem very thorough and I am tempted to get them to do it at least once so I know and can feel the benefits.

Thanks,

Rob

 

[NXI20]

Without a doubt it's worth it. Chris will set the car up for your style of driving & intended use. IME, the car will behave more predictably & be more stable under heavy braking on track. I've been going for nearly two years now & wouldn't go anywhere else.

 

[beershark]

Hi Nick / Richard,

Thanks for that, will book myself in with them over the next few weeks I hope.

I have been assuming that the light feel / floating is more the setup but has occurred to me my suspension / shocks may be at the end of their life.

I believe the whole package was fitted in 2005 but has only done around 20-25,000 miles since - a combination of a couple of tracks and regular commuting / long drives.

How long would shocks normally last?