BigMat

When i bought my S2k i knew it would need a few things doing, but that was reflected in the price i paid for it and it's always nice to have things done right for peace of mind. Well it is for me anyway It handled fine on smooth roads and at low speeds, but start to put your foot down and it was frightening, even worse show it a rough Yorkshire road and it wanted to join the sheep in the nearest field

So i had to fix it Asap as i wasn't enjoying driving it at all!! I started by changing the rear tyres to Bridgestone Potenzas in the right size and profile instead of the rain tyres fitted which weren't! Three new brake calipers were then replaced which improved things no end as one of the rears was sticking badly enough to make the alloy too hot to touch. Things were getting better with each change, but it still wasn't a good drive. My pals garage checked shocks and bushes and tried to move all the bolts for adjustments and found a few seized and a couple of bushes that needed replacing.

So i searched these forums and the net for the best place for a geo setup and to do the work on the car. I found great reviews for Center Of Gravity down in Atherstone and whilst they weren't the cheapest they sounded the best. So i rang them and explained everything to Jayne, Chris's wife who impressed me straight away as she knew more about suspension than i did haha. I later spoke to Chris who expained what they would do and how my day with them would go so i asked for a quote and booked myself in.

The date couldn't come soon enough for me and i set off bright and early to get down to them for 8.30am. First thing was introductions and a welcome coffee then out for the iniial test drive with Chris who explained how the car should behave and what it was doing in reality. Then it was back for the health check where they measured everything from tread depths across the width of the tyre to damper tests. It was a comprehensive check and reassuring too as it's nice to know every problem would be addressed.

Various things were found apart from the seized bolts and bushes and Chris explained everything to me in an informative and easy to understand fashion which was a bonus as not only was my car being sorted but i was learning more about it too. I left him to cut bolts off and press new Powerflex bushes in where needed, while a local engineering firm made me a couple of spring seats to raise the rear ride height till i've saved enough for some coilovers.

I spent a while in the well appointed waiting area surfing the net and watching Top Gear till it was time for the Geo setup. Chris and Pete his right hand man set about my car with me helping by getting in the way and slowing them down answering my questions Everything was set for fast A and B roads and to my driving preferences and then when it was done it was out for the final test drive.

Chris was driving again and showed how the changes had affected the car from the mornings run then it was my turn. What a revelation, it was a different car!!! I could push the back end and it simply dug in and gripped with fast bumpy roads now being a delight to drive down. I carved through a series of bends faster than i would have thought possible for someone of my mediocre driving skills, then turned round and did it faster the other way (staying within speed limits at all times though officer)

Happy days and even better when we got back to the workshop the actual price for the days work etc was nicely less than the quote due to Chris saving me cash when he could. I was there from 8.30am to 7.30pm and it was one of the highlights of my motoring life, learning new things, having a laugh and best of all getting a new driving experience from my S2K.

Highly recommended and i would like to thank Chris, Jayne and Pete for all their hard work and great customer service.

Deadly Aura

Sounds like a great experience. Thanks for sharing. Would you say how much it cost you? Just so we have an idea of whats involved.

Thanks,

Ben

ORINOCO

I'm slowly but surely getting my car in order too. My next expenditure is to replace the tyres. Especially the rears which are running the wrong height. i.e 245/45 zr17 99W. Not only that but the manufacturer is Forceum, Indonesian tyre. My fronts are the right size however they are Enduro-916.

This setup doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but I'm scots and kinda hate spending money on tyres which have plenty of tread ;-)

I've got to say I've always thought the car should take corners better. However I'm scared to find its limits. It's ok on the straights and the tyres are very good at absorbing bad rutted roads but I have very little feel of the road. At least it doesn't skip and hop around..

ORINOCO

I've got to say I might be Scottish but who in there right mind would fit this setup to a sports car. It was bought from the London Sevenoaks area..

MB

Someone who couldn't afford to own it.

Would always raise a lot of questions to me, buying a car with remould grade tyres on it.

tonksy

I'm pretty sure they are the same tyres which were fitted to my S when I purchased her. Actually, RE050s were in place on the test drive but when going through the MOT the garage changed them all to the Enduro.

They were shocking on my car, car felt very unstable. Thankfully, although not so good for finances, one of the tyres got a nail in a few months into ownership which couldn't be repaired. Off they came for a full set of RE050 MZ.

I have actually seen a few cars with the Enduro fitted so I can only assume they are the cheapest of the cheap. Not fit for burning IMO.

VulcanDriver

First thing I did was to change the budget tyres on mine. Felt 100% better and was more sure footed. No wonder the bloke I bought off was not happy with it! Now its a joy to drive

PhilipGB

Then sell that tat on Ebay and enjoy the free half a tank of petrol they will probably net you. Get Event tyres to come to your home to change them and they will leave your old ones for you.

Seriously cheap tyres on the right car are a laugh. On an MX5 or crappy little hatchback with a forgiving compliant chassis the predictable lack of grip is fun so long as you are always ready for not having something solid under you. My Micra is on cheap ass Kingpin's and where I run out of courage before my S2000 is even in the ball park of it's limits, the little micra slips and slides in the most predictable, manageable way at speeds that wouldn't break an egg.

But on an S2K? Safety aside as you can always just drive slow, it's the wrong car to pinch pennies on.

BuggyofMildDiscomfort

Hey, I have to race on remoulds!

BigMat

The Geo was about £280 which was a bit more than other firms charge. But I think the service received was a much more involved experience than I have had before with the test drives etc and i think was worth every penny! I will happily spend this again when i get my new Bilstein coilovers The rest of the work was done at their normal hourly rate which again i was happy to pay as Chris worked very hard and saved me cash rather than sell me products he could have made a mark up on as some unscrupulous garages do.