Going to speak to BBR in the new year however having had the BBR Koni suspension installed I have found myself hitting the ground a bit on bumpy roads and speed bumps. This has set some alarm bells ringing as before it was lowered we had a few issues with speed bumps in France around where the OH’s summer house is with it rubbing on them and now lowered this will be more of an issue now.
What rubs first underneath? is there anything i need to keep an eye on or do to protect things? I quite like the ride etc now and my bank balance wont accept the ohlins upgrade!
Measure accurately from the wheel arch lip to the centre of each wheel as this is the measurement that BBR will require. I also have this suspension and found the rear springs had settled shorter than designed. I was slamming the rear underside onto the ground on bumpy roads when two up. I received replacement rear springs which, so far, have propped it up enough to be noticeably better.
Like you I’d prefer it higher, maybe only a 10-20mm drop from standard. However all available stiffer springs are also shorter.
Ned, how do you find the standard springs with the konis?
Just had a quick look with the top up and its between 320-325mm from the inside top of the wheel arch to the centreline of the hub. How does this compare to others? I am going to drop BBR a message tomorrow to see if this is as they’d expect as they’re closed at the moment.
I have just come across this thread, sorry for bringing it back up.
I am currently having grounding issues with my BBR Koni suspension and was wondering how the guys with the PRHT have been getting on with their taller springs??
I had this problem last year in November and had the springs replaced, everything was fine and dandy until recently when I have started having the same problems and it seems they are sagging again. I contacted BBR and they have offered me a quote for taller springs, standard factory springs or Ohlins…
I was hoping by asking you guys I could maybe get an opinion on the taller springs and then make an informed decision. My main gripe about the whole thing is that coupled with this the welds on my Grand Tourer back box I had fitted at the same time in November has had the welds fail on the inlet pipe but they don’t seem to be interested in that.
I have exactly the same issues as you regarding grounding. I also have excessive rear inner tyre wear at the rear due to having too much negative camber despite the adjusters being maxed out. Despite these issues BBR don’t accept that there is a problem with their springs being too low. They also sag / settle 15mm lower which puts the original allignment out. The cheap paint finish doesn’t last and the springs quickly start to rust. The weld failure is most likely also caused by slamming the exhaust pipe onto the road and shearing the join. I am currently looking into sourcing longer rear springs and will let you know the outcome. I am happy to contact BBR again regarding this issue if there are a number of people willing to provide their own similar complaints.
Just an update with an easy solution to this issue for those of you in the same predicament.
At the moment I have fitted Grayston spring assistors at the rear. http://www.springassisters.co.uk/menu.htm Part no GE 13. If you look under the rear arch at the spring you will see the top 5-6 coils are touching so they do not actively suspend the car. They are only there to prevent the springs dislocating if the car is jacked up or you get airborne! These rubber assistors are fitted in the centre of this section. I also fitted new bump stops with only one of the 4 ‘blobs’ removed rather than the 1 1/2 left by BBR which explains why the rear frequently slammed onto the ground. The result is about 25mm height increase once settled, greatly improved ride and a massive reduction in squat under acceleration. I think the konis are now working in the correct range of their travel. Previously I could have the rear on the greatly shortened bump stops under hard acceleration in first and second or hard cornering in the dry. I have hit the bumpstops only once since this modification when two up and heavily loaded, but unlike previously the underside did not hit the road. This modification also reduces the excessive rear camber which could not be adjusted out on my car so I have much more predictable handling, improved rear grip and even tyre wear.
Hi that is incredibly helpful! My car is going in for stage two Turbo towards the end of this month and I’m having the Koni dampers and BBR springs installed. I’ve already heard about problems with the springs and I have spoken to Neil about them but he said that it was an issue with the supplier that had been sorted . Therefore, he said I should be okay. I must admit I am not 100% convinced, and this thread and your comments are very helpful. Therefore I propose that the spring assisters are fitted by BBR as they do the installation of the new suspension. Do you think that sounds a reasonable idea ? Oh and would it be reasonable to ask them about the rubeer stops as well whilst they are doing the job? I’ve spoken to Grayson Engineering and they have been very helpful, sending me a PDF showing how to measure the springs so you know which size assisters to buy.
If Neil says these springs are sorted then don’t put the spring assisters in until you see what height it settles at. If you then need to put them in it is an easy job that any competent mechanic can do. If your car is a soft top it will sit slightly higher than my prht anyway.
I would question how much bumpstop is removed as on mine the underside of the car touched down before the suspension bottomed out.
The konis also have adjustable rebound damping and mine were set quite firm. This made the ride extremely fidgety and uncomfortable. I backed these completely off as recommended by koni and the ride was transformed.
The engine work is fantastic, as long as you have somewhere to use it, but as I said, I’d suggest you stump up for the ohlins or speak to roddisons or other recommended suppliers for suspension. I bought my car already converted so couldn’t make that decision I can only advise based on experience.