Here at Torque developments we speak to many Aston Martin DB9 owners and whilst most are very happy with the way their car looks and sounds, allied to its strong straight line performance, many are dissatisfied with the way that the car actually feels to drive. Common complaints about the standard DB9’s handling abilities range from the front of the car feeling “fidgety,” to the rear of the Aston Martin feeling unpredictable with a limited amount of grip when exiting corners.

Over recent years the Torque developments chassis dynamics team have tackled and comprehensively defeated the handling gremlins of large variety of Aston Martin cars including the Vanquish S, the Vantage V8 and Vantage V8 Volante, and now we can add the DB9 to that list. From the very first test drive our technicians were able to diagnose multiple layers of issues that corresponded to the owner’s list of complaints and from there we were then able to drill down into the DB9’s chassis detail to isolate the various causes of the problems.

After a period of extensive testing, including workshop and live driving measurements, Torque Developments now has a detailed understanding of the DB9 chassis and has arrived at a set-up for the chassis geometry that we can offer to other Aston Martin DB9 owners who are in search of a nicer, more user-friendly chassis performance. For more information please call Torque Developments Plc on 0800 107 3250.

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

Sharpening the Aston Martin Vanquish S It’s probably a fair question to ask – ‘why does a 520bhp supercar like the 6.0-litre V12 Aston Martin need sharpening?’ Well, surprising as it seems, many Vanquish S drivers report a lack of consistency in the chassis feedback during spirited driving, with a feeling that the car will lurch into oversteer, particularly over challenging terrain. “It’s an odd combination of float, nervousness and poor disturbance rejection on bad roads,” says TDi’s Sam Borgman, “plus a tendency for the braking based stability program to activate very early on.”

Forensic analysis of the chassis settings by TDi’s technicians using its state of the art John Bean 38-angle optical chassis dynamics rig revealed severely compromised geometry, with large amounts of preload. “This has two negative effects, firstly it causes significant tyre scrub, which overworks the rubber and is a big problem for tyre longevity. Secondly, it encourages the tyre to reach its grip limit quickly, which forces the traction and stability programs to intervene at a very early stage to stabilise the car.”

Having reviewed the situation, TDi were able to fine tune the Vanquish’s suspension geometry to ‘Fast Road’ specification, making the car feel more relaxed and predictable nearer to its grip limits, with a consistent, linear response to steering and throttle inputs. This has increased driver confidence, enabling Aston Martin Vanquish S owners exploit the performance of their cars with a greater degree of safety. “I’m extremely satisfied with the end result, as it’s a night and day improvement,” says TDi’s Sam Borgman. “We’ve engineered a nice blend of driving characteristics, so the Aston Martin feels keen but very predictable, so you can now ‘hustle’ the Vanquish S in confidence without troubling the traction control systems. Plus, your tyres will last longer, so it’s a win-win situation.”

The Aston Martin Vanquish S ‘Stage 1 Fast Road’ geometry set up is available now from TDi-plc, by appointment only at http://www.tdi-plc.com/catalog/fast-road-geometry-calibration-stage-p-18854.html

Stop Press: Our Stage 2 upgrade which incorporated revised springs for a further improvement in dynamic performance is now also available http://www.tdi-plc.com/catalog/fast-road-geometry-calibration-stage-p-19295.html

Torque Developments International were commissioned to evaluate the engine performance of the Astin Martin DB7, with a view to enhancing the torque.

We already had a wealth of experience of tuning the Jaguar 6 cylinder 4.0 supercharged engine, so we expected to apply some of our learning to the DB7 which shares some commonality with the XJR.

The test vehicle is a stunning manual transmission example in red, having covered a very modest mileage which the owner had previously installed a high performance exhaust system from the catalytic convertor backwards.

The first stage in the evaluation process was to extract some performance and dynamic data from the standard engine using our Rototest chassis dynamometer and DataQ data aquisition centre.

Our testing indicated the following limitations that need to be addressed:

1. The intake temperatures are too high and are uncontrolled (see data log sheet below showing the increase from 43 degrees at low speed on the first run, to 58 degrees at high speed on the 3rd run).

2. The power and torque drops by 10% over the course of three power runs (see attached performance snapshot – runs 5-7 below).

3. There is an intake restriction before the supercharger (see the green line on the data logging sheet – runs 8 & 9 below).

4. There is a substantial back pressure present in the exhaust system (measured in the down pipe (see data logging sheet – runs 10-11 below)) of almost 1.7 bar (absolute).

5. The air/fuel ratio is very rich.

This is the exhaust back pressure test taken from the down pipes, showing a 1.7 bar (absolute) of back pressure in the exhasut system. That is higher than the supercharger boost pressure!

This is the restriction in the intake system.

This is the intake temperature. Note how the temperatures rise from 43 degrees to 58 degree over only three power runs. Worryingly, the temperatures seem to be uncontrolled and continue to rise the longer that full power is used.

This is the power and torque curves of the standard engine. Note that the power and torque reduces by 10% after only three power runs!

Our testing has revealed that the following critical path should be followed:

1. De-restrict the exhaust downpipes and catalytic converter.
2. Design and manufacture a large capacity charge cooler pre-radiator.
3. Manufacture a less restrictive intake system.
4. Re-check the air/fuel ratio after the above solutions have been implemented.

Following the implementation of the above, if the AFR’s are still too rich we will then consider an ECU solution to remedy this. If the exhaust back pressures and intake temperatures come into acceptable limits, we will then consider raising the boost pressure.