156 supension

SteveH wrote:

> Catman <catman.TakeThisOut@rustcuore-sportivo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Grrr wrote:
>>
>> > hi all
>> >
>> > 156 v6 of a 1998 vintage.
>> >
>> > it has a u/s front damper, what can you guys recommend,
>>
>> Do them *both*
>
> Agreed. May as well fit uprated parts whilst you're at it.
>
>> > and when changed
>> > will it stop hitting the deck all the while?
>>
>> Maybe. They have rather low ground clearance to start with though. AIUI
>
> Depends on the spec. Our Lusso doesn't seem to pose any issues, however,
> ISTR yours is a Sport.

And neither are V6s.............
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 156 TS S2
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

SteveH wrote:

> Catman <catman.TakeThisOut@rustcuore-sportivo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> >>
>> >> Maybe. They have rather low ground clearance to start with though.
>> >> AIUI
>> >
>> > Depends on the spec. Our Lusso doesn't seem to pose any issues,
>> > however, ISTR yours is a Sport.
>>
>> And neither are V6s.............
>
> This is true. I'm not really in a position to comment on the reasons why
> a V6 would ride any lower.... the extra weight should be taken care of
> by uprated springs, but I suppose there could be an issue with the sump
> sitting lower.
>
ISTR that owners have reported poor ground clearance. IME the SP1 156 ride
height is not that low. No lower than the Giulietta for example. *My*
Giulietta that is.
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 156 TS S2
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

Any recommendations on uprated parts if mated with the standard
springs?
Koni yellows? Bilsteins?

SteveH wrote:
> Catman <catman RemoveThis @rustcuore-sportivo.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > Grrr wrote:
> >
> > > hi all
> > >
> > > 156 v6 of a 1998 vintage.
> > >
> > > it has a u/s front damper, what can you guys recommend,
> >
> > Do them *both*
>
> Agreed. May as well fit uprated parts whilst you're at it.
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

On Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:14:16 GMT, Catman
<catman.DeleteThis@rustcuore-sportivo.co.uk> wrote:

>SteveH wrote:
>
>> Catman <catman.DeleteThis@rustcuore-sportivo.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> Grrr wrote:
>>>
>>> > hi all
>>> >
>>> > 156 v6 of a 1998 vintage.
>>> >
>>> > it has a u/s front damper, what can you guys recommend,
>>>
>>> Do them *both*
>>
>> Agreed. May as well fit uprated parts whilst you're at it.
>>
>>> > and when changed
>>> > will it stop hitting the deck all the while?
>>>
>>> Maybe. They have rather low ground clearance to start with though. AIUI
>>
>> Depends on the spec. Our Lusso doesn't seem to pose any issues, however,
>> ISTR yours is a Sport.
>
>And neither are V6s.............

*All* 156s are blighted by a suspension setup for (German) smooth
tarmac. On UK roads this design failing shows up as excessive vertical
movement and a loss of body control over undulating road surfaces.
This is a well documented and known Alfa issue and it affects *all*
their current cars to a greater or lesser extent. The 159 gets all new
suspension and Alfa say it's better - I'll believe it when I
experience it.

If you have a 2.0 156, or less, the body control problem is much less
noticeable than the heavier engined cars (all V6s and 2.4JTDs). Also,
if you have not got the factory lowered suspension, you have 20mm
extra body movement before you batter the underside of the car. These
two factors add up. IIRC, the 2.0, 2.4 and 2.5 have the same
suspension which works better for the 2.0 but not the others.

An improvement may be obtained by getting dampers specifically tuned
to control this body movement better. The Harvey-Bailey's from EB
Spares being one such attempt. These are very expensive for cars that
aren't worth much anymore though!

An alternative is to get the newer plastic undertray, which doesn't
smash the first time it hits something like the older fibre ones. I
chose this route and just moderate my driving over poorer roads.

--
Z
Scotland
Alfa Romeo 156 2.4JTD Veloce Leather
'Oil' be seeing you..
(Email without 'Alfa' in subject are auto-deleted..sorry!)
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

buzzardous.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com wrote:
> Any recommendations on uprated parts if mated with the standard
> springs?
> Koni yellows? Bilsteins?
>
> SteveH wrote:
>> Catman <catman.TakeThisOut@rustcuore-sportivo.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> Grrr wrote:
>>>
>>>> hi all
>>>>
>>>> 156 v6 of a 1998 vintage.
>>>>
>>>> it has a u/s front damper, what can you guys recommend,
>>>
>>> Do them *both*
>>
>> Agreed. May as well fit uprated parts whilst you're at it.

gonna do all 4 was just after some recommendations.

google is my friend

Gary
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

Grrr wrote:
> buzzardous.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com wrote:
>> Any recommendations on uprated parts if mated with the standard
>> springs?
>> Koni yellows? Bilsteins?
>>
>> SteveH wrote:
>>> Catman <catman.TakeThisOut@rustcuore-sportivo.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Grrr wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> hi all
>>>>>
>>>>> 156 v6 of a 1998 vintage.
>>>>>
>>>>> it has a u/s front damper, what can you guys recommend,
>>>>
>>>> Do them *both*
>>>
>>> Agreed. May as well fit uprated parts whilst you're at it.
>
> gonna do all 4 was just after some recommendations.
>
> google is my friend
>
> Gary

and i cant spell suspension
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

"Zathras" <webnewsgroup.RemoveThis@nospamthanks.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uk95h1te9jkg3gv5th0a72cbbohsmhbj86@4ax.com...

> *All* 156s are blighted by a suspension setup for (German) smooth
> tarmac. On UK roads this design failing shows up as excessive vertical
> movement and a loss of body control over undulating road surfaces.
> This is a well documented and known Alfa issue and it affects *all*
> their current cars to a greater or lesser extent. The 159 gets all new
> suspension and Alfa say it's better - I'll believe it when I
> experience it.
>

I think I remember reading somewhere that the 159's suspension had been
'tuned' for UK roads...whatever that means!

Certainly the new 147's suspension is noticeably softer than the original.
It's a more comfortable ride over bad road surfaces (and there's plenty of
those about!), but, to me, the car felt that it had lost its sharp, sporting
edge.

The face-lifted 156 looks to me as if it's got a bit more ride height, too.
I suppose all this adds up to Alfa acknowledging that there's a problem with
their suspension on UK roads...they must have spent a fortune on warranty
claims for bushes, etc.

The ride quality in a friends 3 series BMW, with sports suspension and big
wheels, is fairly awful, but nothing has broken or worn out prematurely...so
it'll be interesting to see if Alfa choose to go softer or stronger to try
and solve the problem on future cars!

Regards
Ross
2002 147
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

On 29-8-2005 17:36, Ross wrote:
> "Zathras" <webnewsgroup.RemoveThis@nospamthanks.hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:uk95h1te9jkg3gv5th0a72cbbohsmhbj86@4ax.com...
>
>
>>*All* 156s are blighted by a suspension setup for (German) smooth
>>tarmac. On UK roads this design failing shows up as excessive vertical
>>movement and a loss of body control over undulating road surfaces.
>>This is a well documented and known Alfa issue and it affects *all*
>>their current cars to a greater or lesser extent. The 159 gets all new
>>suspension and Alfa say it's better - I'll believe it when I
>>experience it.
>>
>
>
> I think I remember reading somewhere that the 159's suspension had been
> 'tuned' for UK roads...whatever that means!

Yes, the British roads have been subject in this NG a couple of times.
What's wrong about the British roads? In what aspects does it differ
from other countries. It has been a couple of years back since the last
time I have been in the UK and I do remember that in general the surface
is quite rough, producing a lot of sound of the tyres. But are the main
roads that bad? I can't really recall.

Arjan
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 15:36:17 +0000 (UTC), "Ross"
<ross DeleteThis @redtreeorchard.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:

<snip>
>I think I remember reading somewhere that the 159's suspension had been
>'tuned' for UK roads...whatever that means!

It probably just means that the 156's wasn't!

<snip>
>it'll be interesting to see if Alfa choose to go softer or stronger to try
>and solve the problem on future cars!

Softer!

--
Z
Scotland
Alfa Romeo 156 2.4JTD Veloce Leather
'Oil' be seeing you..
(Email without 'Alfa' in subject are auto-deleted..sorry!)
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 18:18:04 +0200, Arjan Renting <inv RemoveThis @lid.invalid>
wrote:
<snip>
>Yes, the British roads have been subject in this NG a couple of times.
>What's wrong about the British roads?

Neglect!

> In what aspects does it differ
>from other countries.

Neglect!

>It has been a couple of years back since the last
>time I have been in the UK and I do remember that in general the surface
>is quite rough, producing a lot of sound of the tyres. But are the main
>roads that bad?

Well I can ground the bottom of my 156 on one of our motorways!!!

> I can't really recall.

It's on the fun roads off the motorways - settlement and neglect mean
undulating surfaces that make a heavy Alfa one of the slowest cars
about. The council just permanently closed a road a few miles from me
saying that there wasn't enough money to fix it. This was after a low
loader had grounded out and got stuck on it.

--
Z
Scotland
Alfa Romeo 156 2.4JTD Veloce Leather
'Oil' be seeing you..
(Email without 'Alfa' in subject are auto-deleted..sorry!)
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

On 29-8-2005 22:22, Zathras wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 18:18:04 +0200, Arjan Renting <inv.DeleteThis@lid.invalid>
> wrote:
>>It has been a couple of years back since the last
>>time I have been in the UK and I do remember that in general the surface
>>is quite rough, producing a lot of sound of the tyres. But are the main
>>roads that bad?
>
>
> Well I can ground the bottom of my 156 on one of our motorways!!!

Hmm... that's not good.

>>I can't really recall.
>
>
> It's on the fun roads off the motorways - settlement and neglect mean
> undulating surfaces that make a heavy Alfa one of the slowest cars
> about. The council just permanently closed a road a few miles from me
> saying that there wasn't enough money to fix it. This was after a low
> loader had grounded out and got stuck on it.

I can imagine on small country roads (round surfaces) but on the
motorway... Maybe a stiff Audi won't ground but won't have that much
comfort either. I do recall however that when I was having my 155 which
was also pretty stiff (low tyres) I felt many heavy bangs when I was
driving on mainroads in England but not on the motorways.

Arjan
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

"Zathras" <webnewsgroup DeleteThis @nospamthanks.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uvq6h15ga9ve7uqpqfs5gqkftqfmch4kgn@4ax.com...

> <snip>
> >it'll be interesting to see if Alfa choose to go softer or stronger to
try
> >and solve the problem on future cars!
>
> Softer!
>

Yeah, softer...I assume Alfa want to cure the grounding problem and the
problem with bits of the suspension wearing out too quickly/becoming
noisy...the new 147 is softer than the old one, presumably to give the
suspension components an easier time(especially the bushes!) and improve the
ride so you don't get so much of the 'crashing' through potholes.

From what I've read, I get the impression that the grounding is caused by
the suspension 'pumping down' over a series of bumps and eventually hitting
the deck. Presumably that could be cured with better damping but would still
need stronger bushes etc in the suspension to withstand the shocks and not
wear out prematurely...or softer suspension, obviously with more ride
height.

I've only driven a couple of 156's and haven't experienced the grounding
problem...so I'm only surmising.

Regards
Ross
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension 

"Arjan Renting" <inv.RemoveThis@lid.invalid> wrote in message
news:4313353e$0$11072$e4fe514c@news.xs4all.nl...

> Yes, the British roads have been subject in this NG a couple of times.
> What's wrong about the British roads? In what aspects does it differ
> from other countries.

As Zathras says, it's mainly down to neglect. The spending on roads is being
cut back and the maintenance back-log is increasing...the potholes and
cracks just keep getting bigger and councils are spending more every year in
compensation to drivers who have had their cars damaged by poorly maintained
roads...but STILL the councils wont spend the money on repairs!

When repairs are carried out they use the cheapest possible methods and the
cheapest contractors to do the work, with no thought to the long term!

It's even worse for motorcyclist's, a poor road surface that will damage a
cars suspension can bring you off...I've had a few close ones recently!

Regards
Ross
 >> Stay informed about: 156 supension