What are the signs of dampers starting to fail and what life span is generally expected from standard items that have been 'well used'?
Thanks.

Stef.

 

Stef,

I read once that dampers start to lose their effectiveness after about 30k miles, and that you should be looking to replace them by about 60k miles, even though they are still operational. This was quite about 10 years ago, and obviously technology has moved on quite a bit since then.

Signs that they are going off -

Tendancy to weave under heavy braking,
Sloppiness in the steering (slower response to direct inputs)
Tendancy to skip on uneven/poor road surfaces.

There are probably lots of others, but if you have done more than about 45k miles, and have used your car enthusiastically, then I would suggest getting them replaced as a matter of course, simply for safety reasons.

If you are after more standard ones, then try phoning around some dealers, who often have 2nd hand ones lying around (but almost new), which they could let you have for a modest fee.

John

 

Hi Guys

When you fit up-rated springs that are not matched with up-rated dampers you will have damper problems much sooner than 30k miles,(as I believe was pointed out at the time the Eibach springs were fitted to your standard dampers)

Your first real indication that you have problems will be patter and weave under braking followed by excessive body movement in transients.

I would suggest you invest in a properly developed suspension kit that contains dampers matched to the springs which will last considerably longer than 30k and which is covered by the 3 year / 60k UK warranty. Something like the full Prodrive suspension kit? Which is available from you local dealer.

It has been said that “our” parts are expensive, I would reiterate development cost’s money – but helps to ensure longevity

Cheers

Simon

 

Stef,

if it's the rears that have failled and they are Prodrive ones then they make a knocking noise - that's what mine are doing

I'm not going to start a slanging match, but they only lasted about 15K miles - much less than I expected! Still, I'm hoping they are under warranty

Andy

[This message has been edited by andyp (edited 29 August 2000).]

 

Simon Lines,

I have to assume from your posting that you have a direct relationship with Prodrive... Is this the case?

I couldn't help noticing how part of your post seems like a rather unsubtle attempt at marketing the Prodrive product. I am not sure if you are aware of the response that BPM received when they first started using this board as a marketing tool, but maybe you could have a look in the archives.


Stef,

I assume you may already be aware that a few posters are running koni adjustables with their eibachs and reporting good results.

My eibachs work extremely well with STI version 3 dampers... which are still going strong after 33k not-slow miles.


Moray
(Who doesn't work for Koni, Eibach or STI)

 

Hi Stef

since I've seen you're awesome braking pics I wonder how you drive like that with original dampers.
Seriously as I posted already before when I tried the Eibachs with the softest Konis setup (should be a bit stiffer than original settings) the car was vastly underdamped and in my opinion it was not at all satisfying. Especially when I consider you drive a MY 98 which is supposed to have softer dampers than MY 99.
With Morays dampers it's a different story because they're already stiffer so the damping should match the stiffness of the springs.
Last but not least there is another advantages of the Konis which should also pay off in the long run. As you know they're adjustable so if they get softer you can still readjust them to the settings before. Should save you some money in the end.

Cheers
Mike (happy Eibach/Koni user)

(if you check my profile you won't find any connections to any mentioned companies here!)

 

I would like to point out that I am not currently experiencing any problems with my dampers, I was asking what signs to expect before I would need to.
I have now done 60,000 miles on my original dampers so perhaps they are due for a change anyway! Koni's seem like the favourite option at present.
I have found absolutely no adverse effects runnig the Eibach springs with the original dampers, but having some adjustability would certainly be a bonus.

Stef.

 

Hi Steff

In response to your question about why I seem to think you were wrong to use up-rated springs with standard dampers.

The function of dampers is literally to damp, the springs hold up the vehicle, the dampers stop it pogo’ing down the road.

Dampers are designed around a particular spring rate (this is true of a Mini and it’s true of an F1 car) they CAN also be used to influence the vehicle’s behaviour in transient manoeuvres.

The dampers will cope with a small change in spring rate, most up-rated spring kits make a change of 30 – 40% (or more in some cases) This is a lot more than the dampers were designed to damp. Therefore they will be made to work a lot harder, they will not be in proper control of vehicle movement and they will fail in fairly short time.

The above is a simple explanation, it is possible to say pretty much the same thing with loads of long words and complex calculations. But in my opinion it’s totally unnecessary to add complexity just for the sake of it.

Cheers

Simon

 

Thanks Simon.
However, I am experiencing none of the problems you mention despite the age of my dampers and the fact that I have changed the springs. Maybe I'm lucky?
Have Prodrive done any tests with the OE dampers to see what spring rate they are able to handle?
Also, in layman terms, if a damper is set to work with spring rates within a cetain range, what happens when you use adjustable dampers?

Stef.

 

This reply is not directly linked to Stef's orional question, but after reading a couple of the replies my dealer is offering there own suspension package.
They keep the origonal dampers, fit Eibachs and a strut brace.
But they want far too much for it.

 

WHAT!!!!
A Scooby dealer is offering an Eibach upgrade keeping the original dampers and fitting a strut-brace?
Sounds familiar , but surely not!
Wouldn't the dampers be over-worked and fail a lot sooner as a result?

Stef.

 

Simon.
Further to your comments, what is your opinion of this, which I found in the FAQ at Eibach's web-site...

Does the Eibach Pro-Kit work with the OEM shock?

All Eibach Pro-Kits are engineered to perform in harmony with the original damper of the special vehicle - take for granted a good working condition. All TÜV approvals in Germany certify the combination of the Pro-Kit with an OEM shock.



What happens to the warranty of the OEM shock when combined with Eibach Pro-Kit?

There is no change of the warranty. Actually, the weight of the car and the required basic dynamic work remain the same. Though with special progressive characteristic of the Pro-Kit, the damper is challenged more and usually makes it wear out faster.


So it would seem that they work perfectly well with OE shocks, but may wear them out faster.

Stef.

 

I know this is slightly off thread, but I think tnat my dampers are on the way out and after some investigation, via Power Station, I have found out that Bilstein are currently developing a height and ride adjustable kit for the scoob, for road use, that will be available around the end of this year.

 

If that's true I'll wait!

Stef.