SuperPro Overhauls an ageing SEAT Leon FR at Demon Tweeks
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While it may not be as immediately sexy as say, a set of wheels, or a new exhaust, sorting the suspension on your car really could be the best (and smartest) money you’ll ever spend. We joined SuperPro at legendary tuning house Demon Tweeks to prove just that!
When it comes to making your car steer, handle and stop better than it ever did even when new, it’s hard to argue against countenancing the advice of an industry specialist. While there are countless articles and blogs out there offering great advice (including this one!) there’s nothing like sitting down with a grizzled veteran of the art and outlining your problems or areas for improvement. These consultations won’t just give you the benefit of their many years of experience, but will also help you shortcut to the best results – working alongside someone who’s tackled those very same problems many times before.
If you love your car, but dislike certain of its handling or dynamic traits, where do you start this process? Well, it’s a journey of steps, and the first of which is to accept the fact that what’s good enough for your local MoT man, may not be good enough for your local chassis and suspension specialist. Let’s take suspension bushes as a great example. As long as it’s there, not overtly deteriorated and keeping metal from metal, you’re probably going to get a pass. When you then think that that bush may be 10 or 20 years old, stiffer and harder than it should be, and therefore unable to deliver its required range of dynamic abilities, and you can start to see where the problem lies. Extrapolate that across every bush on the whole car – and you can start to see how even a clean sheet ‘pass’ is no guarantee of driving enjoyment.
The first question to ask yourself is ‘what do I want to use this car for?’ If your daily commute includes potholed roads and rough lanes, you’re probably not looking for a ground-hovering washboard set-up. Conversely, if you’re a trackday regular and ‘B’ road hero, you’re going to need a genuine balance of handing, compliance and comfort – mixed with a precision that allows you to really dial in the car’s tyre contact patch.
SuperPro dealers know that no two cars – or drivers – are the same, and that no two sets of driving requirements are ever identical. By consulting at length with drivers and owners, they build a comprehensive picture of what’s needed and how the car will be used. Once they have that, they can advise as to how to spec the suspension to make the car really fulfil its brief.
As a case study, we joined the team at Demon Tweeks in Wrexham as they set about the 2006 Seat Leon TDI of Sales Manager, David Salisbury. As one of the UK’s leading tuning houses and automotive mail order outlets, Demon Tweek’s experienced workshop team has perfected the handling and poise of literally thousands of cars, and having tried practically every brand and solution on almost every type of car, had more than a few neat tricks up their sleeves.
The Leon, with 115,000 miles under its belt was proving to be somewhat of a dynamic disappointment for owner, David. Straight-line speed was sorted thanks to a recent remap endowing it with some 210bhp, but cornering prowess was sadly lacking. Seeking comfort and handling, and wanting a precision in steering that had left the party long ago, David had turned to his learned colleagues to find the answer.
Experience really is key here. Technician Darren and Demon Tweek’s philosophy clearly match SuperPro’s. With a well-stocked storeroom behind him and a pristine workshop Hunter alignment machine to rely on for millimetric accuracy, it was clear that all the components that were to be fitted would be aligned to perfection. And that really is the key to a great suspension set-up. Many great kit parts have been let down inexperienced technicians – or inadequate kit.
David’s wish was to lower the Seat in order to improve both stance and handling. Before that could happen however, Darren carried out a full diagnostic on the Hunter aligner. While the whole set-up was found to be well within tolerance, you have to remember that tolerances are a very generous thing in alignment terms – with most factory settings allowing a mixture of toe in and out – and negative and positive camber ON THE SAME AXLE!
As well as full geometry measurement, ride height, tread depth and tyre pressures were also all checked – as each can have a marked effect on ride height. Once these were set and noted, ride height itself was measured from the hub centre to the wing edge. This is the only truly reliable method to remove variables from the mix. It’s also an essential part of the process, too. Here, Darren noted that the near-side rear was sitting 10mm lower than it should, with the offside showing some 15mm. Clearly all was not well beneath, warranting further investigation.
The broken springs allowed the chance for an upgrade, so here a set of the much vaunted Eibach Pro-Kit springs were matched with Bilstein B4 dampers to give a true upgrade. A lower ride height, with progressive spring rate – and OEM quality damper will ensure that this Seat will now be punching far above its factory weight.
Demon Tweeks website