# suspension & handling kit



## mike746 (Jul 8, 2015)

Im looking into upgrading my suspension. with so many options out there, where do you put your money?

at the mo I'm leaning towards the Litchfield suspension and handling kit. 
any reviews, pros or cons will be great. also running cup2's if that helps???


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## Johnny G (Aug 10, 2012)

mike746 said:


> Im looking into upgrading my suspension. with so many options out there, where do you put your money?
> 
> at the mo I'm leaning towards the Litchfield suspension and handling kit.
> any reviews, pros or cons will be great. also running cup2's if that helps???


That’s the perfect road going / occasional track setup. Makes for a very usable, pointy and driveable car.


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## mike746 (Jul 8, 2015)

Johnny G said:


> That’s the perfect road going / occasional track setup. Makes for a very usable, pointy and driveable car.


how does it hold up with more trackways/ nurgburg etc


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## Teaboy (Apr 24, 2016)

http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/462041-kw-variant-3-hybrid-coilovers-feedback.html

Worth a read and I highly recomend


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## Johnny G (Aug 10, 2012)

mike746 said:


> how does it hold up with more trackways/ nurgburg etc


Short of going with dedicated track suspension, it’s absolutely spot on.


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## mike746 (Jul 8, 2015)

Johnny G said:


> Short of going with dedicated track suspension, it’s absolutely spot on.


sounds perfect then. hopefully its money well spent


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## Mr.B (Feb 18, 2016)

I've got the Litchfield suspension and handling kit and I think it's the best mod you can make. It feels like a totally different car. And before the knockers chip in, if it was rubbish I'd be the first to say so. 

I think Litchfield have development cars with this fitted so it may be worth asking to take one out for a spin.


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## Takamo (Oct 18, 2005)

Look no further, a tested and trialed solution which has overwhelming success.... Litchfields kit


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## Stuzee75 (Jan 19, 2016)

Mr.B said:


> I've got the Litchfield suspension and handling kit and I think it's the best mod you can make. It feels like a totally different car. And before the knockers chip in, if it was rubbish I'd be the first to say so.
> 
> I think Litchfield have development cars with this fitted so it may be worth asking to take one out for a spin.


Going to litchfield for my service soon and I’m seriously tempted to get the suspension and handling kit done to plus full Titan race exhaust fitted and 4wd clutch upgrade plus upgraded 1st gear and shaft done when cars in and have the latest ecutek software done.


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## mike746 (Jul 8, 2015)

Stuzee75 said:


> Going to litchfield for my service soon and I’m seriously tempted to get the suspension and handling kit done to plus full Titan race exhaust fitted and 4wd clutch upgrade plus upgraded 1st gear and shaft done when cars in and have the latest ecutek software done.


I think I'm just going to take the plunge. was thinking maybe get motor built but swaying towards suspension first.
how you finding the 850 odd bhp? useable? worth the extra?


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## Stuzee75 (Jan 19, 2016)

mike746 said:


> I think I'm just going to take the plunge. was thinking maybe get motor built but swaying towards suspension first.
> how you finding the 850 odd bhp? useable? worth the extra?


Yes loving the stage car is at at the moment, very useable power but I’m looking for more but costs to go higher will be a lot.


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## mike746 (Jul 8, 2015)

Stuzee75 said:


> Yes loving the stage car is at at the moment, very useable power but I’m looking for more but costs to go higher will be a lot.


mmmm... need to start saving I think, I don't want a 1000bhp car I just want useable power. think the suspension is money well spent as there is no point having a crazy quick car that gives you no confidence on winding roads and on track. my old gt3 at spa would absolutely spank my Gtr around the track. setup is everything


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## Stuzee75 (Jan 19, 2016)

mike746 said:


> mmmm... need to start saving I think, I don't want a 1000bhp car I just want useable power. think the suspension is money well spent as there is no point having a crazy quick car that gives you no confidence on winding roads and on track. my old gt3 at spa would absolutely spank my Gtr around the track. setup is everything


Yeh power is nothing without the ability to control..


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## misters3 (Jun 23, 2008)

Before you get new suspension take a look at the replacement suspension controller. I've got the bilstein Litchfield suspension and it didn't give me enough of an improvement in comfort for daily driving (not what its designed for) and the suspension controller hugh fitted for me was a revelation. Best of both worlds for me. If you can get a test drive in a car with one I'd seriously check it out along with the other options. Of course you could do both like me!!


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## motors (Mar 14, 2013)

misters3 said:


> Before you get new suspension take a look at the replacement suspension controller. I've got the bilstein Litchfield suspension and it didn't give me enough of an improvement in comfort for daily driving (not what its designed for) and the suspension controller hugh fitted for me was a revelation. Best of both worlds for me. If you can get a test drive in a car with one I'd seriously check it out along with the other options. Of course you could do both like me!!


Same here got both controller gives best of both world comfortable when driving in town and tightens up on outside when cornering or braking. Happy for you to try my car if you are ever in tayside


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## Stuzee75 (Jan 19, 2016)

misters3 said:


> Before you get new suspension take a look at the replacement suspension controller. I've got the bilstein Litchfield suspension and it didn't give me enough of an improvement in comfort for daily driving (not what its designed for) and the suspension controller hugh fitted for me was a revelation. Best of both worlds for me. If you can get a test drive in a car with one I'd seriously check it out along with the other options. Of course you could do both like me!!


What sort of work is involved with fitting the controller after the litchfield kits fitted?


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## misters3 (Jun 23, 2008)

Stuzee75 said:


> What sort of work is involved with fitting the controller after the litchfield kits fitted?


30-60 mins removing the existing stock controller and replacing. It's behind the glove box. 

Then Hugh will tailor the 3 maps controlled via the OEM switch to your needs. Or you can do it yourself.


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## motors (Mar 14, 2013)

20 mins to fix just need glove box out and it can be removed easily if you sell car


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

more good feedback on the controller. I'm running stock CBA suspension paired with the KW coilover sleeve kit. I really like what I have but am very tempted to try the controller alone before upgrading anything else. It might be enough on its own without having to bother changing the entire suspension unit.


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

Stuzee75 said:


> Yes loving the stage car is at at the moment, very useable power but I’m looking for more but costs to go higher will be a lot.




Glad to hear you're enjoying your car and it's drivable. What turbos are fitted and what torque are you making? Do you drive it wide open throttle much and is the car stable in the lower gears?


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## motors (Mar 14, 2013)

gtr mart said:


> more good feedback on the controller. I'm running stock CBA suspension paired with the KW coilover sleeve kit. I really like what I have but am very tempted to try the controller alone before upgrading anything else. It might be enough on its own without having to bother changing the entire suspension unit.


If also has launch control settings to help transfer weight to rear


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## motors (Mar 14, 2013)

gtr mart said:


> more good feedback on the controller. I'm running stock CBA suspension paired with the KW coilover sleeve kit. I really like what I have but am very tempted to try the controller alone before upgrading anything else. It might be enough on its own without having to bother changing the entire suspension unit.


If also has launch control settings to help transfer weight to rear


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## Stuzee75 (Jan 19, 2016)

gtr mart said:


> Glad to hear you're enjoying your car and it's drivable. What turbos are fitted and what torque are you making? Do you drive it wide open throttle much and is the car stable in the lower gears?


Fitted with litchfield LM800 turbos and capped torque of 674 until I repair the 4wd clutch. Then they will increase this to what it can safely run when I’m back down next month. I’m having further work done to the built gearbox so this will further help get more torque from it and with a few other bits to be done when down I’m hopeful of tuning to nearer the 900bhp mark, that will be where this setup will stop until I plan for further works later. 
When I get the right opertunity it’s great fun to fully open up, but try not drive it like a bell end.
Yes it’s very very drivable in the lower gears you wouldn’t know it has the power it has very discreet noise wise and smooth but this will change when I fit the Titan race exhaust lol.


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## Stuzee75 (Jan 19, 2016)

LM 800 turbos 674 torque capped just now will have this raised when I***8217;m back down next month for gearbox upgrades. Drives great in low gears no problem at all. 
Yes you can drive it fully open can be a handful but keeps you alert ***55357;***56834;


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## [email protected] (Nov 27, 2017)

Hi, we have a range of dampers to suit the GTR. We offer 1 way adjustable for road and trackways, then up to 2 way for trackday and race and 3 way for trackday and race. We are able to tailor the spring rates and damping to your requirements and custom build your dampers. Alternatively we are able to offer our recommended rates for your application.

AST Suspension UK - GT-R Register - Nissan Skyline and GT-R Drivers Club forum


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

motors said:


> If also has launch control settings to help transfer weight to rear


Which is certainly appealing. DudeSVR uses it and says with a custom drag map he has been able to eliminate wheel hop on launch which is the main killer of the transmission / driveline. He also managed to run pretty good times for the power at the recent Supra vs GT-R day at the pod.


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## motors (Mar 14, 2013)

gtr mart said:


> Which is certainly appealing. DudeSVR uses it and says with a custom drag map he has been able to eliminate wheel hop on launch which is the main killer of the transmission / driveline. He also managed to run pretty good times for the power at the recent Supra vs GT-R day at the pod.


That's all down the Hugh who sells it he is real engineer, he will provide you what you want on the dsc. dudesvr has probably the best times for the power he has. His launch stats are awesome


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## twobadmice (Jul 2, 2013)

I would also strongly recommend the quaf dif it makes a big difference with the suspension and handling kit.


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

did you have the quaife diff fitted in isolation or with other handling mods? Is there a noticeable difference/gain? I'm interested as could have the engine out soon for a bit more power.


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## Maxgas (Sep 27, 2017)

Regarding the Litchfield kit , has anyone actually done back to back testing
on track against a standard car and one fitted with the Litchfield kit.
I mean same driver , same track and conditions against the clock ?

Would be interesting to see if it is actually faster around a track or it
just feels better ?


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## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

Maxgas said:


> Regarding the Litchfield kit , has anyone actually done back to back testing
> on track against a standard car and one fitted with the Litchfield kit.
> I mean same driver , same track and conditions against the clock ?
> 
> ...


Unless you're racing your car in competition where seconds matter it's an utterly irrelevant exercise given its ALL about the feel for a road going car.


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## mike746 (Jul 8, 2015)

charles charlie said:


> Unless you're racing your car in competition where seconds matter it's an utterly irrelevant exercise given its ALL about the feel for a road going car.


Agree totally. I'm sure the upgraded suspension would be better as Iian and the team test most stuff before it comes out


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## Maxgas (Sep 27, 2017)

Ok so it feels better but it is not quicker then a standard car, well
let’s just say I am racing it . Would it be quicker or not ?


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## Hugh Keir (Jul 25, 2001)

Maxgas said:


> Ok so it feels better but it is not quicker then a standard car, well
> let’s just say I am racing it . Would it be quicker or not ?


Agree completely with charles charlie.

IMHO, the answer depends whether you can drive your car in the same way as professional racing drivers do.

Litchfield developed their suspension with the assistance of professional drivers, so the answer has to be yes if you have their skill.

A key element is whether you have the ability and commitment to balance the car on the throttle as you drive through corners.

My experience with setting up the DSC Sport controller suspension maps is that individual suspension preferences are not the same.

Many prefer the DSC controller to alter the balance of the car shifted forward, improving turn in and making the car easier and therefore faster for them to drive, however this is not a universal comment.

Different tyres, anti-roll bars, wheel caster angle etc. all affect the balance, so I do not believe there is a single answer to your question.


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

having blasted with cars running the Litchfield suspension, their view is they are generally able to get on the juice sooner coming out of roundabouts so clearly the car is feeling planted and giving them confidence. Or, they need more power. 

Universal feedback on that kit is it makes the car feel really good. If a car feels good and stable then you are likely to open it up more and thus makes it faster.


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## Maxgas (Sep 27, 2017)

“Litchfield developed their suspension with the assistance of professional drivers, so the answer has to be yes if you have their skill.”

I have seen the video with Rob and Tim , yes the both said that they would take
the car with the Litchfield suspension which is all very good but my question
was has anyone tested it against the clock ?

Same tyres, track , driver etc . It would have been very easy to do , they
had 2 very good drivers and I am sure they could get a standard car
to compare it against. Maybe they did but have not posted the results ?


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

if you are after track performance and counting the seconds then the litcfield kit is unlikely to be what you are after. 

I would suggest the 4 way ohlins (as per the JCR offering) or perhaps the tractive set up with dsc controller would be the ones. I doubt there is timing data available for them either though


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## [email protected] (Nov 27, 2017)

duplicate post


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## [email protected] (Nov 27, 2017)

If you were going for for circuit suspension we offer MOTON 2 and 3 way for GTR.

2 Way Moton Circuit suspension £4383 Inc VAT and delivery
3 Way Moton Circuit suspension £6514 Inc VAT and delivery
Spring Kit £300+VAT

These pics courtesy of Race Consulting Agency in the USA.


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## Maxgas (Sep 27, 2017)

Thanks for the information Guys but at present the car is plenty fast
enough for me at the moment , plus I already have a track car with Ohlins
suspension . It was just curious what the improvements were on the
Litchfield kit . :thumbsup:


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## DocT (Dec 17, 2014)

Any chance of a DSC sport controller group buy?


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## jds123 (Jan 13, 2017)

Just been following this thread through out of interest would there be much noticeable benefit in the DSC sport controller on a standard DBA suspension setup?


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## simGTR (Aug 5, 2017)

Same confusion. Some will say it's the best thing since sliced bread, others will claim 10% at best. You'll get massive reduction in understeer, followed by reduced understeer and the next mod will improve the massive oversteer.

You'd think the GTR had the chassis of a T reg Ford Fiesta.

I've no doubt improvements exist, but at the end of the day, it's down to your own interpretation.

A sharp steering pointy front end might just be twitchy and hard to control for some. For others it's ideal.

I suppose with the DSC you can see Hugh and try it out, only takes minutes to fit and can be removed. There's pretty much no going back when opting for the litcho suspension. Not cheaply, anyway.


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## motors (Mar 14, 2013)

jds123 said:


> Just been following this thread through out of interest would there be much noticeable benefit in the DSC sport controller on a standard DBA suspension setup?


Yes huge difference on road you can have a comfortable car that still handles really well. One of best mods I have done try and find someone with dsc so you can judge difference for yourself.


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## jds123 (Jan 13, 2017)

Thank you SimGTR and motors, sounds very tempting but like you say really need to experience it and judge for myself first!


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## ChillyFly (Aug 14, 2015)

I've only just fitted the Litchfield handling kit, but not their Bilstein road suspension yet. I was worried about the lower front ride height (not being adjustable) and potentially grounding out on speed humps. It's not an issue at the moment. So I'm on CBA stock springs and dampers, Litchfield caster correction kit (handling kit') and also front and rear Eibach anti-roll bars, also supplied by Litchfield.

With cold and mostly grimy roads it's not had a decent trial yet, but it has transformed the front end. I can't say how much of that is just the caster increase as I fitted the handling kit and ARB's at the same time, but the anti roll bars were a cheap upgrade and a quick install. Initial response to direction change is vastly improved and it feels far more precise. But other comments here are right, it depends on what you are used to and what you want. I like the car to have a very precise front end, not ‘pointy', but to be able to place it where you want it. Watch the Litchfield video on YouTube and you'll see both Rob Huff and Tom Chilton both agree, it's the set up you'd have if you wanted to ‘go for a time’, so perhaps that half answers the question about if it’s quicker? They both said it feels a lot more ‘race car' in its balance. 

There's a slight wheelbase increase, and also more dynamic camber change, so if you want, you could take off some negative and get less wear on the inside shoulder of the tyre, particularly if you're running Dunlop's still and do a lot of motorway miles too.

I'm just waiting to see if Litchfield come out with a sleeve kit for the dampers. Iain was talking about developing a sleeve kit for the stock Bilsteins so you could up spring rates yet have ride height control. I've seen others on the market, but would rather see something they develop first. I'd rather do that before taking the plunge on an expensive spring and damper kit, or even Ohlins. The money I would spend on that, it's 2/3rds the way towards a gearbox upgrade! :nervous: Or a quieter exhaust so I can actually drive the damn thing on a track one day. Because let’s be honest, talking about understeer and oversteer on a GTR on public roads is kind of irrelevant isn’t it!?


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## L6DJX (Sep 15, 2017)

ChillyFly said:


> I've only just fitted the Litchfield handling kit, but not their Bilstein road suspension yet. I was worried about the lower front ride height (not being adjustable) and potentially grounding out on speed humps. It's not an issue at the moment. So I'm on CBA stock springs and dampers, Litchfield caster correction kit (handling kit') and also front and rear Eibach anti-roll bars, also supplied by Litchfield.
> 
> With cold and mostly grimy roads it's not had a decent trial yet, but it has transformed the front end. I can't say how much of that is just the caster increase as I fitted the handling kit and ARB's at the same time, but the anti roll bars were a cheap upgrade and a quick install. Initial response to direction change is vastly improved and it feels far more precise. But other comments here are right, it depends on what you are used to and what you want. I like the car to have a very precise front end, not ‘pointy', but to be able to place it where you want it. Watch the Litchfield video on YouTube and you'll see both Rob Huff and Tom Chilton both agree, it's the set up you'd have if you wanted to ‘go for a time’, so perhaps that half answers the question about if it’s quicker? They both said it feels a lot more ‘race car' in its balance.
> 
> ...


I have the same as above, plus Hugh's controller, and i dont know if i feel the need anymore for a full blown coilover kit... 
Car is more stable, and at high speed corners such as silverstone, it still turns even over 80/90mph coming out of the pit straight...

ps, all you need to get it quieter is a silenced Y pipe 
I have a full 102mm litcho exhaust fully decat for the roads and for unsilenced track days, but for silverstone/rockingham etc i just swap the Y pipe to a silenced one, and jobs a good'un 

Thats my 2p worth,
I (should) be at the litcho silverstone day April 3rd if anyone wants a go in it to experience what it's like


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## ShadyGTR (Aug 20, 2017)

I am running a MY17 engine & gearbox in a 2010 GTR, just went to a stage2 along with Litchfield road suspension, Litchfield handling kit and a Litchfield exhaust, it drives great, handling is so much sharper and the steering wheel is weighted better now. For me it was well worth it.


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## ChillyFly (Aug 14, 2015)

L6DJX said:


> ps, all you need to get it quieter is a silenced Y pipe
> I have a full 102mm litcho exhaust fully decat for the roads and for unsilenced track days, but for silverstone/rockingham etc i just swap the Y pipe to a silenced one, and jobs a good'un


That’s good to know. Can a silenced Y-pipe be fitted to my Meister-R Drag system with Miltek downpipes?


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## Hugh Keir (Jul 25, 2001)

DocT said:


> Any chance of a DSC sport controller group buy?


DocT,

No worries to get a DSC Sport controller group buy together.

If you can get 5 together, should be easy enough to get a decent discount sorted.

For 2 or 3 controllers it would be a bit less, but could still do something.

How many do you think would be interested in joining in a group buy?

L6DJX, thank for offering to let folk experience your car, so much better to feel the effect first hand.

Thanks

Hugh


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## JoGoGTR (Sep 1, 2015)

I'm running the Tein EDFC Pro set up and so far it's been a great improvement over the KW sleeve kit, which was too stiff for Road use.

The Tein can either be set up manually(exhaustive and complicated) or you can use a whole series of presets.

It stiffens or softens the dampers according to speed, lateral and front to back g.

So you can have it set relatively soft for normal use and then at a flick of a couple of buttons on the control unit stiffen it up for track days. 

Not had it on track yet but did some spirited driving across Europe and found it superb....

If only I could get rid of the side wall flex in the Sport Cup2 tyres I'd be laughing! 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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