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Torque Developments hones the Aston Martin V8 Vantage

April 15, 2010 | Author

Having successfully validated a revised ‘Fast Road’ suspension geometry package for the Vanquish S, Torque Developments was commissioned by an enthusiastic Aston Martin Vantage V8 owner to assess whether similar improvements could be made to the 380bhp, 175mph baby supercar.

Happily, TDi’s Technical team, lead by Sam Borgman, was able to undertake a detailed analysis of the suspension settings using its state of the art John Bean 38-angle optical chassis dynamics rig.

This revealed dynamic shortcomings, much like those discovered on the Vanquish S, so a similar prescription of ‘Fast Road’ suspension geometry settings was administered. What was the result on the Aston Martin Vantage V8? Well, we will let the owner speak on our behalf:-

“The geometry revisions are simply sensational!! To say I’m pleased with the work is a massive understatement…My feedback:

  • Steering wheel now centred
  • Much sharper turn in
  • Far more accuracy on cornering, especially the initial turn in, which is now far easier to judge
  • Greater feel through the steering wheel
  • Car feels like a single unit now – was rather “disjointed” before
  • The ride seems more compliant, with less shimmying over bumps
  • Massively improved stability during hard braking

 

Sam was pleased to take me through this fix in detail (and the geo’ changes) which was an added bonus.”

Not only does the Torque Developments ‘Fast Road’ improve the dynamic qualities of the Aston Martin Vantage V8, the reduction in scrub will promote longer tyre life, making it a ‘win-win’ for owners.

The Aston Martin Vantage V8  ‘Stage 1″ geometry set up is available now from TDi-plc, by appointment only at http://www.tdi-plc.com/catalog/suspension-technology-c-1_2_22_23_29.html

Stop Press: Our “Stage 2″ upgrade which incorporate revised spring rates to further enhance the dynamic performance is now available at http://www.tdi-plc.com/catalog/fast-road-geometry-calibration-coupe-stage-p-19290.html for the Coupe, and at http://www.tdi-plc.com/catalog/fast-road-geometry-calibration-volante-stage-p-19291.html for the

Volante

Posted in Aston Martin | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
  • Liam Connors

    Regarding the above blog on the V8 Vantage I can confirm that the “enthusiatic owner” is me!
    Having initially visited TDI for some tuning work I was treated to a demonstration of how they’d improved the handling on a Vanquish S.
    I was very impressed and it was immediately clear that my Vantage would also benefit massively from some bespoke geometry and set-up revisions (even though I’d recently upgraded the suspension and wheels with Aston’s “Sportspack”).
    Having left the car with them for a further week (with welcome daily feedback on how things were progressing)the Vantage “Fast Road” package was finally the best they could make it.
    My first drive out was simply astonishing. It truly fely like a new car!!

    I won’t repeat the feedback given in the above blog but suffice to say that for between £100-£200 it is without doubt a MUST for all Vantage owners.
    I’ve spent about £12k making my pre-owned 4.3 the very best it can be yet this upgrade competes with all of them in the performance improvements it delivers.

    For a full breakdown of the performance upgrades I’ve made to the car visit the Aston forum on Pistonheads and type “V8 Vantage tuning (SLINC) – Index” in the Search field.

    Liam

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