LY200 - too loud or blow up again, taking bets!

[TB Rich]

Too late for that after I fixed it for them.... unless I ask them to pay for my labour too LOL

 

[Yiannis197]

A few people have reported that fitting is not plug and play but I wouldn't imagine it was that bad. Personally I'd send it back..

 

[pdd144c]

Shame it didn't fit... Hopefully my brackets fit better! Suspension seems fine.

 

[TB Rich]

A few people have reported that fitting is not plug and play but I wouldn't imagine it was that bad. Personally I'd send it back..

Do you know if other people have had them tilt and sliding correctly or not?

Yes I probably should have sent them back but by the time I encountered the first problem the seat was apart and I'd be ****ed if I was putting it all back together for nothing. Then the first Dremel fix in a way invalidates the chance to send it back - despite the fact it 100% needed to be done.

Perhaps they can do me a sizeable discount on suspension to make up for it. - Actually regards the AST's you have, has the fitment issues with those been sorted yet? I understand the earlier versions were pre-load adjustable but the bracket fouled on something? Then the later version had the bracket fixed in position so no independent height/pre-load but does it still foul or not??? I think one of the foreign Clio guys got around the issue by changing wheels and adding spacers or something?!

 

[TB Rich]

Shame it didn't fit... Hopefully my brackets fit better! Suspension seems fine.

Yeah shouldn't be any issues with a basic side mounter I guess. I'm not ruling the suspension out, but I am certainly wary.

Considering you can get basic B14's now for £658 I want to see some suitably impressive dyno curves to justify it all. Thinking I may use the AST top mounts anyway as the diagonal adjustment gives increased caster, I think their adjustable mounts are parallel like Simo's so no caster increase.

 

[chris1888-197]

That is atrocious after the money you paid for the frame you had to do all the work to basically make it work as it should!! Top work from yourself tho. I have been in rosscoe clio 197 with the ast suspension on track and honestly is unreal how good the car handled! I don't think you would be disappointed with the kit although it is alot of dollar for the suspension kit.

 

[TB Rich]

That is atrocious after the money you paid for the frame you had to do all the work to basically make it work as it should!! Top work from yourself tho. I have been in rosscoe clio 197 with the ast suspension on track and honestly is unreal how good the car handled! I don't think you would be disappointed with the kit although it is alot of dollar for the suspension kit.

Thanks, a well deserved 'victory/moderate success' vodka is being enjoyed now! Stuff like this reminds me why I don't even bother doing my own oil changes any more though!!

Yes AST certainly get very positive feedback from the mk2 boys too, although the customer service I'm told is fairly poor? See what Yiannis says though as he recently had his stuff rebuilt so will know all to well how they are to deal with.
I know they are mono-tube and you can get digressive pistons so the spec on paper is good, not to mention 5100's compared to some of Madeno's kits are actually cheap! mg:

 

[N0ddie]

How simple a job is it to remove the seat base?

 

[TB Rich]

How simple a job is it to remove the seat base?

Just the base as in the bit you sit on? That bit off the frame is easy, only 4 Allen bolts.

Can see the OEM base frame roughly centre and the bolts are on the 2 bars that run perpendicular to the sides.

 

[Yiannis197]

Do you know if other people have had them tilt and sliding correctly or not?

Yes I probably should have sent them back but by the time I encountered the first problem the seat was apart and I'd be ****ed if I was putting it all back together for nothing. Then the first Dremel fix in a way invalidates the chance to send it back - despite the fact it 100% needed to be done.

Perhaps they can do me a sizeable discount on suspension to make up for it. - Actually regards the AST's you have, has the fitment issues with those been sorted yet? I understand the earlier versions were pre-load adjustable but the bracket fouled on something? Then the later version had the bracket fixed in position so no independent height/pre-load but does it still foul or not??? I think one of the foreign Clio guys got around the issue by changing wheels and adding spacers or something?!

I'm not sure mate tbh if it would tilt and slide

Re AST best person to ask is Simo as he just bought a set for his Clio so I would have thought he got the latest version. I know Tampas worked around the problem by using OZs with smaller offset but having said that, Simo is running OZs as well so he wouldn't notice...

I've still got the early version and no issues yet whatsoever so i really don't know why they revised the design? Yes the customer service is not brilliant I have to say but it's not even close as bad as they make it to be. It took them longer than the initial estimate to upgrade my shocks (fair enough) and one of the rear shocks started to leak from the canister so I went over their workshop, they removed both rears (long winded job as I've got the canisters in the boot), they completely took them to bits and re-serviced them, put everything back together, dyno'd and put them back on. For the inconvenience they gave me a set of helper springs for the back for free as they were totally rusty (the only thing that was rusty on my dampers after 3 years).

Also they couldn't find my old rear springs (110Nm, I've now got 80Nm) - springs that I would never use due to 5200s nature - but instead they gave me a brand spanking new 70Nm eibach springs for the front to replace my 80Nms.

I didn't pay a penny, all I had to do was to either send the shocks to them or drive there and get the work done.

Bad customer service? Yes in terms that the shocks were not supposed to leak after just been done but No because they made up for it to the maximum.

Now in terms of car handling with the ASTs on, this is a completely different things altogether. I can not rate them highly enough.

 

[TB Rich]

Thanks, forgot it was Tamas who had them - I'll follow up the fitment thing with him and Simo. Although I could buy 5100's and OZ for the same as Madeno's adjustable CS kit!

Sounds like the service you got was decent enough, I suppose nuisances happen and they made up for it which is what counts.

How do you find the 70/80 spring rates, sounds about ideal tbh.
I assume the 5200's with remote res run higher gas pressure and that's why you dropped from a 110 rear?

 

[Yiannis197]

I haven't fitted the 70s yet Rich, I still got the 80s at the front (which came with my 5100s), at some point now the car will be going to Sean@jade for some work and I'll do the whole lot at the same time.

Initially I had massive reservations in terms of running same springs rates both ends. Curtis@AST reassured me that the new setup still gives enough rear stiffness so the car can rotate and then the compression damping will do the rest. I made it clear to him that if I ended up with a understeering car i would return the dampers back to him the next second.

He was absolutely right I have to say. At dry Silverstone the car was so tail happy - and therefore fun - it was unreal. On the other hand yesterday@Bedford it was wet and greasy so I was running a more balanced setup. Amazing how the whole behaviour of the car changed and how predictable it became as you could easily balance it out with the throttle. The result was me overtaking every single car on track (with video to prove). And no, I'm a very average driver so the credit def goes to the car.

Now you'll ask my why I'm fitting softer front springs. To achieve an even more oversteering car, I can always play around with the settings and balance it out anyway

I'm not a technical expert but I believe that the remote canister allow higher gas pressures and more oil, also - always in theory - compression can be adjusted without affecting rebound and vice versa. Gutted because I haven't got my dyno graphs, I forgot them and the invoice at their workshop

 

[Raptor6767]

Hats off to you Rich on your patience. :thumbup1:

 

[TB Rich]

Ah so they gave you the dyno's, always a good sign.
How's the overall ride comfort on 80's? would it be equally adept bombing along a country road if it was softened off on the dampers perhaps?

Raptor, my patience is thin right now I can tell you!! :\ (back looking at BRZ's!!) However, once the steering wheel is on properly I'll be much happier, was annoying me this morning being ever so slightly off. I don't know if it is a poorly machined OMP boss or I did get it a spline out, I'll whip it off in a bit and have another try. I presume re-tracking the car would fix it anyway?

 

[Flacsi]

[MENTION=339]Rich[/MENTION],

yes its me, who bought the AST 5100, for little bit less than €2k. Long story short:
It does NOT work with OEM 17" wheel, becasue of the ET68.
However it does work with 17" OZ Ultras, where the ET is 55 only.
I have the custom spring rates 80Nm front and 110Nm at the back, using Simo's top mounts and the car is superb on track: Hungaroring, Slovakiaring, Pannoniaring. BUT very harsh on street.

Pls check my thread for further details and contact me with any question.

I have the Recaro CS lowering subframe, currently checking how it fits to RHD.

cheers
Tamas

Thanks, forgot it was Tamas who had them - I'll follow up the fitment thing with him and Simo. Although I could buy 5100's and OZ for the same as Madeno's adjustable CS kit!

Sounds like the service you got was decent enough, I suppose nuisances happen and they made up for it which is what counts.

How do you find the 70/80 spring rates, sounds about ideal tbh.
I assume the 5200's with remote res run higher gas pressure and that's why you dropped from a 110 rear?

 

[TB Rich]

Thanks Tamas. How harsh is the front end? I'm thinking about 70N front and rear?
--

So I investigated why it doesn't tilt and slide, and tracked it down to a missing bracket on the new Madeno frames.

This is the original base frame where you can see the bracket I don't have and also the 'tab', which on my new Madeno frame bends the other way and hence why I had to Dremel the clearance...!
However this at least makes the fix easy; I have some pre-preg carbon L-shape angle I will bond to the correct distance, and cut a U shape from it to hold the plastic cable piece. Good news as it means I can have tilt and slide once again on both seats for safety.




I've spoken to Madeno and they say that the base frame portion of what they supply is from Recaro (probably from the Vanialla CS seats I would guess).....so it seems strange they haven't had these issues before, unless Recaro have changed the design :\ Anyway I'm an hour or two from being fully sorted and a couple of weeks for them to send me the RHD cover.

Also found my stickers from the Recaro Apex buckets I had........only 1 place for those
Madeno/Drivers side:

Px side:



Also found the quickest way to wash your wheels.........have another set refurbed the same colour


Nice and clean and back on AD08R for track on Sat. Front end feels keener and more responsive, so thinking now these don't cost £130 a tyre I'll probably stick with them as the all-season tyre and bin the Conti 5's off instead for an r-comp?

 

[Chris]

Ad08s as all seasons? Wouldn't fancy semi slick in ice lol

 

[TB Rich]

When they have enough tread they are fine tbh, I've been through standing water when I first had them at high speed (fully puckered I was!) but they dealt with it fine. However when they are worn they are a bit **** in the wet.

But I got the 2 fronts for £85 each delivered. So at that price I'm happy to replace frequently enough to keep them well treaded. - we'll see, just a thought at moment!
But as we are coming to spring now anyway I probably won't be putting the Contis back on after.

 

[Chris]

Yeah im currently running winters and itching to get my summers back on (and coilies at the same time ) in mid march. You probably wont have to worry about that until the end of the year anyway, spring is nearly here! £85 a corner is a bloody decent price!

 

[john_walker74]

Are you coming to Bedford? Any chance I could try your lowered seat to see if it really worth the cost?