Lowering springs for a 205

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jpl
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Lowering springs for a 205

Post by jpl »

I am looking to lower my 205 1.1 by around 40mm to try and stop the body roll. What make of springs have people tried and recommend.
I do not want to destroy the ride quality just lessen the roll in corners. Has anyone any experience of ventura springs sold by ........................?
macaroni
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Post by macaroni »

I have fitted Jamex front struts and springs from a gti to my xs and it is down at the front by about 35mm.
Don't just fit lower springs as they will kill the shocks in no time. If you can afford it, go for a spring/shock combo for the front.
The back is more difficult as it requires a lowering of the torsion bar. It is a possible DIY job, but if your 205 is very old, it will be virtually impossible. A good specialist should be able to do it for about £100. Let me know where you live and I should be able to recommend someone who can do this.
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matt
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Post by matt »

Hi jpl,i currently have spax 40mm drop fitted but on a gti,ride is not to bad but if its body roll your trying to sort out you really need to look into fitting a thicker roll bar up front,thats if its got one at all[:0][?]
jpl
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Post by jpl »

Thanks for the advice guys.
Could I fit GTi front struts and springs to lower the car slightly and stiffen up the handling.(money is tight)
The car does have a front anti-roll bar but is probably not as strong as a XS or Gt item.
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fastandfurryous
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Post by fastandfurryous »

best bet would be to find an XS/GT model that's either rotten, crashed or blown up, buy it for a tenner, nick all the suspension (and anything else that looks good) from it and then get the scrap man to take the shell away. You then have complete XS/GT suspension, which will handle significantly better than the original 1.1 setup. If you're serious, you can change all the suspension bushes at the same time, and have a car that handles like brand new. Makes a huge difference.
Done this before on a 405. MI16 suspension all round in a TD model. Handled rather well.
jpl
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Post by jpl »

Buying a whole car seems a little drastic.
I am loathed to start swopping lots of mechanical parts as the car has only done 38000miles.
Could I just swop my springs for GTI springs.
Has anyone tried this on a lower spec 205?
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matt
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Post by matt »

Just had a look at the spax website and its the same part no for the gti 40mm springs and the 1.1/1.4 etc so the standard Gti ones most likely will fit[:)]
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fastandfurryous
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Post by fastandfurryous »

What will you do about the rear then? If you only change the front springs (and dampers too if you want to stay on the road) then the car will handle very strangely indeed, as it will have a low stiff front end, and a high soft rear.
Strikes me that with all the mod's you want to make to this car (noting the carb thread) you'd be better off selling this car as a very low mileage cheap-to-run 205, and buying an XS.
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matt
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Post by matt »

Fastandfurryous is right,thats what i would do and its well worth looking into,an xs or gti would be more fun in the long term[:0]
jpl
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Post by jpl »

Has anyone got a pair of standard (oe) gti front coil springs.
I am going to see how this affects the amount of roll and ride quality at the front.
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Post by macaroni »

I have a pair of OE xs struts if that is any help? It is quite hard to change just the springs as you will need a spring compressor and dismantle the strut.
I drove mine around for few months with just the front lowered - it gave the phrase "tail happy" a new meaning. Not recommended.
Regarding buying an xs, I have done so much work to mine, people keep saying why didn't I just get a gti, but that isn't point. Maybe jpl can't afford the insurance on a gti, or just wants to do some simple work himself.
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fastandfurryous
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Post by fastandfurryous »

However, the insurance cost on a modified car is going to be far more than that on a standard higher spec car.
Of course, you must tell your insurance company that you're making these modifications. If you don't, when you crash the car into someone else because you only lowered the front and made it ****ing dangerous to drive, your insurance company will inspect the vehicle, tell you that because you've modified it, you invalidated your insurance, and hence you are uninsured. At this point you become liable for the other person's costs (£20k personal injury claim?) and will be prosecuted for driving on the road without insurance.
Doesn't really seem worth the risk does it?
Either: Do the modification properly, with lower stiffer springs & stiffer dampers ALL ROUND, tell your insurance company, and pay a higher premium. Or, leave it all alone and either drive the car, or sell it.
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Post by macaroni »

Or, get insured with HIC, declare all your mods and get cheap insurance for an unlimited modified vehicle including track days and up to 10bhp extra engine mods.
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fastandfurryous
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Post by fastandfurryous »

Ok, that sounds far better!
I'm guessing there's going to be some restrictions on age of drivers, or a rather expensive premium?
jpl
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Post by jpl »

Rang up insurance company.
NOT very happy at all.
NO modifications whatsoever.
Looks like a 205 GT might be on the cards.
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