What think ye of Tony Thompson shocks and springs?

[Frankster1955]

I am currently doing the front end of my s3, the goal a sporty driver. I seek to improve on the original -- with no intention to race. I will be doing a 140-145 hp engine upgrade eventually. TT has original shock configurations and race versions. But they also have a midpoint shock and spring set of interest. Your conclusions based on your ownership of these and/or other brands is essential for me making an informed choice. Thanks for your time and effort.
Frankster

[disquek]

I love mine! They are the fast road version. TTR knows their stuff!

[baileyman]

Mine are their FIA qualifying pieces. I have 100lb springs on front, 80 on rear, and that feels about as hard as I want to go on the road, both less than their recommendation. I think I found that the shocks have to wear in because they seem to feel better now than when new. John

[Mazzini]

I have TTR fast road suspension on my S3 and rebuilt Classic Konis on my S2. Both cars have tuned engines, but other than that are perfectly standard (Lotus chassis).

The Koni's probably worked out more expensive as they were rebuilt by the Koni agent. I love the ride quality of the Classic Konis. The TTR suspension is firmer and very probably better at the limit. Personally, for general motoring and spirited use, I think I prefer the Classic Koni's, but on balance, the TTR suspension is easier to source and doesn't require rebuilding and is less expensive.

[disquek]

I should mention that my TTR dampers are adjustable. So I can easily get soft or hard with a knob. I have them set on the soft side of the range for road use. They are also ride height adjustable.

[h20hamelan]

I also installed TTR on a S4, though I dont have as much experience as others as to comparisons. I like them.
My +2 I am hoping to rebuild the original Koni. ElanTrikbits (Col) has a rebuild link for the Koni. My reason for attempting a rebuild myself is also because of shipping costs, as well as rebuild costs.
My S4 is for fast road as that is the TTR spring shock rating, while the +2 is more touring oriented hence the Koni.

Sure wish someone had the rebuild kits for the Koni, simply the correct seals ultimately.

[greg40green]

Do Nitron do dampers for the Elans ?
Nitron 2 - 3 ways, fitted to my Elises over the years are fantastic .
TTR's fitted to the Elan I own and previous Elans require constant re-adjustment of springs which have become vertually spring bound due to lack of suspension travel .

[vstibbard]

Sounds like your springs are poor quality if constantly requiring resetting. Buy some eibach springs instead

[h20hamelan]

I have found Eibach too soft, albeit all I have tried are the progressive ones on my Mercedes and Fords have not been adequate.
Went to H&R etc.

[disquek]

Sorry to hear about your spring issues.

I've had my TTR dampers and springs for two years and they haven't moved a bit.

[nmauduit]

TTR's fitted to the Elan I own and previous Elans require constant re-adjustment of springs which have become vertually spring bound due to lack of suspension travel .

this sounds like a severe case of settling (issue with material composition or treatment?), which I would think should not exceed a few percent after initial installation : have you contacted the seller about that ? how long have you used them since new and still experiencing notable settling ?

[Frankster1955]

So I chatted TTR up and they asked about what I have read about the regret people have reported from replacing their springs. I speak of replacement shock springs skewing in their perches as described on another blogs here. Pinching somehow. Eternally problematic. Seeking to avoid this. TTR said this is caused by the original shock being 16 inches tall and theirs is only 11 inches tall. I do not know how a replacement height under load of the weight of the car could do such. Second, TTR spring is only eleven inches? I have a hard time picturing this in that it seems that this would affect ride height. Yes, Koni classic is the obvious alternative and if so where would I get the best deal on this brand should I go this way.

[Mazzini]

It looks really bad, the front springs are screwed up high on the perches. I can post pictures if you'd like? They work okay though, they've been like that for the last ten years and many thousands of miles.

Koni stopped making the Classic damper for Elans a few years ago, occasionally NOS dampers come up for sale, but I used to buy used ones and have them rebuilt by the Koni agent. They are the closest thing you can get to the original Armstrong units.

[mbell]

A friend of just fitted the ttr fast road to his S3 last week. Initial reports are very good but the rear shocks were gone on it, so anything would have been a big upgrade.

I am currently in the process of fitting the fast/comfort on my +2 but not drive yet.

I believe the ttr springs are a more common size, so if you do have problems with sag there is likely to be reasonable options to replace the springs.

[andyelan]

I've just put a pair of TTR Fast/Comfort inserts on back of my Plus +2 and have been using them for about 5 or 6 weeks now. Can't praise them too highly. They're excellent