Nitron - Amazing customer service

[phoenixcsl]

Got an update on my Nitron saga.

So, as many of you know I have the NTR Sport Kit with Turner Motorsport Top mounts, making it a hybrid Sport Plus kit.

Anyway, after months of being unhappy with the handling of the car and the knocking noises which I never got to the bottom of, I decided to sell them and get a KW clubsport kit...so I popped an ad up on Pistonheads.

Last week I got an email from Nitron asking why I would want to swap their kit for KW's etc (they had seen my ad on PH), I replied to him and basically outlined all the issues i'd had with the kit and that I was unhappy with the way the car was etc.

He replied several times over the weekend, he even copied in the technical guy I had been speaking to (Ben) regarding the kit.

Basically the long and the short of it is, they don't want me to go to another suspension manufacturer, so they are going to set me up with full coilover rear units, matched to my front suspension, so new springs, helpers, perches etc, they are going to install it at their race workshops, re-camber, redo the geo and then perform another corner weighting session for me, all for a nominal charge, which is pittance compared to how much what they are doing for me is truly worth.

I have to say, in a world where customer service is falling apart, this is quite the opposite, all this from seeing my PH ad and finding out why I was unhappy with their suspension, to basically giving me a lot of upgrades and it's gone a long way to restoring faith, they didn't have to bother to say anything nor to help me out, so for that I am very impressed.

Roll on next week, i'm confident my car will be just as I want it after this :-D

[mattCSLnut]

Sounds very impressive and hats off to the Nitron crew for their most generous offer :thumbs: As you said, they didn't have to bother to say anything nor help you out.
Keep us posted on the progress.

[azrael]

I could have done with service like that

[83SY]

That's a bloody result. Example to all regarding looking after your customers! :thumbs:

Hoping your happy with the new kit & handling on rails... Let us know

[The Gorilla]

Hi,

Please correct me if I am wrong on this
from what was posted-

You have a Nitron Kit which was Coilover
front, spring shock rear, and when it was first
fitted Nitron did full Geo and Corner weighted
the car, ?

Then for why or what, Nitron agree to replace
rear Spring / Shock set up, with full rear coilover,
and then do another Geo and another Corner weight session
when new rear is fitted ?

Is that correct please ?

Regards,

The Gorilla.

[phoenixcsl]

Hi,

Please correct me if I am wrong on this
from what was posted-

You have a Nitron Kit which was Coilover
front, spring shock rear, and when it was first
fitted Nitron did full Geo and Corner weighted
the car, ?

Then for why or what, Nitron agree to replace
rear Spring / Shock set up, with full rear coilover,
and then do another Geo and another Corner weight session
when new rear is fitted ?

Is that correct please ?

Regards,

The Gorilla.

Evening apeman,

Yes, I have the NTR Sport Kit, with TMS top mounts, it is coilover front, but retails the barrel spring / separate shock in the rear with ride height perches, aka KW V3's etc.

I fitted the kit myself as I find that of thing quite simple, tried to set the car lower than standard but by not much, I was more interested in the rear being 10mm lower than the front.

So I had problems in the following areas:

1/ Ride Height, I could not get the rear ride height any lower than standard, wheelarch to bottom of rim was 606mm which is just above the KDS target.

2/ I also had rear knocking coming from the rear spring perches, so I bought new perches and rubber gaskets, knocking never went away.

3/ I then had the rear shocks serviced on the advice of Nitron technical support, unfortunately this made no difference to the knocking nor the ride height as was expected.

4/ The car felt very unstable at any speed over 70, this was because it was too high at the rear, so the car was raked over the front, if I raised the front, the ride height was similar to a standard E46 M3.

So I had a multitude of problems, I took the car to Simpsons, they re-set the ride height (603mm f&r), had a geo done, the camber sorted and a full corner weighting.

Again, the car felt unstable at speed, leaving me with no confidence in the handling.

So, I took it all back off, now back on standard suspension for now till this gets sorted.

Basically, the phone calls I have had from Nitron (Technical support and even one of the suspension chief engineers), they want to put a coilover on the rear, as the CSL is apparently optimal on this in terms of their products, so that is perches, spring and helper springs, the shock itself can accomodate this as all their products are modular.

My understanding of the kit I have after discussions with them, is that it is more suited to a normal M3 rather than a CSL, so if you have an additional 10% weight on the normal M3, they will be lower etc.

They are going to take off my old suspension, make the changes to the rear shocks, then re-install the coilovers, set the ride height (the coilover rear should give me more adjustment), perform a geo and re-corner weight the car, basically taking me to the next kit up from what I originally purchased.

They have said (which I have in writing), that if I am not happy with the changes, they will reimburse me for the money I am paying for this work, which seems entirely very good of them to do this.

[The Gorilla]

Hi,

Quote - ''My understanding of the kit I have after discussions with them, is that it is more suited to a normal M3 rather than a CSL''


I am really struggling to understand how or
why an acknowledged respected Suspension supplier
would even suggest this ?

The gross weight difference between the respective
cars for the type of use being discussed is
negligible, even more so when you consider that
the main differences between the 2 cars is
slightly shorter front springs.

The difference between the std damper rates does
not make a slightly lighter car unstable at speed,
and if this ''Kit'' is as well honed and dialled in
on std M3, which given the remarks so far, I
would seriously question, then making it work
on a slightly lighter version of the same car
should not be difficult.

In not knowing all the facts or components I would
still say that if you had left their Kit on the front
and returned the car to the std suspension on
the rear only, then you would not experince the
handling issues that you have.

I would guess that the spring / shock rates of their
kit are out, and from what you have said they
are to hard.

The rear needs to be compliant and thus a softer rear
will assist, even more so if the front has been made
stiffer.

Altering the rear ride height by lowering the car,
even by just a few mm does nothing much to
alter a spring rate that is to hard, and thus the rear will
''skit' at speed, as their is little compliance left
in the rear dampers, they are unable to function
as being retsricted by the hard springs and its the tyre side walls
now being asked to do most of the work.

On a Road/ Track car that is never really going to
happen at 30/35 tyre profile.

In F1 now most the leading teams run mega hard
front with really soft rear, even some RWD Touring Cars
are now adopting to very stiff front end, either via
dampers or very large front ARB's with much softer rears.

I would also guess that with their original 'kit' fitted you
would have improved the handling by undoing one
of the rear ARB links and letting the rear float.

Bit like taking the rear ARB off in the wet.

I have no doubt that your car will be better
handling with their ''coilover' rear fitted,
as they can a] alter spring rates, b]
fit tenders/helpers and mains, and c]
acheive this at the ride height required.

Incidentally does or did the original kit come
with adjustable ARB drop links front and rear ?

Regards,

The Gorilla.

[phoenixcsl]

I am really struggling to understand how or
why an acknowledged respected Suspension supplier
would even suggest this ?

The gross weight difference between the respective
cars for the type of use being discussed is
negligible, even more so when you consider that
the main differences between the 2 cars is
slightly shorter front springs.

In not knowing all the facts or components I would
still say that if you had left their Kit on the front
and returned the car to the std suspension on
the rear only, then you would not experince the
handling issues that you have.

I would guess that the spring / shock rates of their
kit are out, and from what you have said they
are to hard.

Incidentally does or did the original kit come
with adjustable ARB drop links front and rear ?

Regards,

The Gorilla.

Hi Mate,

Your knowledge of stuff is far above my primative level!

Ok, according to the designer chap, they do not recommend the Sport kit for the CSL as for the normal M3 they use a different spring rate and slightly different valving within the shock, to be fair to them, they have realised I have been mis-sold the kit, they recommend the next kit up Sport Plus and the new R series kits for the CSL.

Putting the oem rear shocks / springs back on might have made a diffference but I didn't think of it at the time.

I think the spring rates are possibly / most definitely out, we discussed the current front spring rates / helper rates on the phone and they said they will get some new springs etc for me next week when I go to see them, the rear springs are the standard esque barrel springs, they only do one rate for the M3 kit.

The front coilovers have Nitron's own adjustable drop links, the rears keep the standard ones.

Cheers
Toby

[shane@mbtech]

I know loads of people who have tried Nitron, with same issues as yourself.

Not only on BMW but lots of other marques.

[northernjim]

I only know 1 person that has used Nitrons, and his car felt really good around Donington:beer:


So good for Nitron, I don't think many manufacturers would go so far out of their way to help....


Hope you all get it sorted Tobyartyman:

[Bealo]

Good luck Toby and i hope Nitron gives you what you were after in the first place. :thumbs:

[The Gorilla]

Hi,

Quote- ''The front coilovers have Nitron's own adjustable drop links, the rears keep the standard ones.

If this is fact, then ask their Technical Guy,
that if the rear is now going to run at a
lower ride height, which is what you stated
you require, then upon Corner Weighting
the Car how do they intend to deal with
rear ARB Pre-Load ?

Regards,

The Gorilla.

[_Nathan_]

I had the first Nitron kit with a 10mm drop that they made for the Noble M12, few issues initially with it bottoming out but once sorted they were mega.

Had them on my TVR as well but you can't polish a turd

[shimmy]

?......

Had them on my TVR as well but you can't polish a turd

While you are going there, did Jim have them on his Focus STi?

[shimmy]

I know loads of people who have tried Nitron, with same issues as yourself.

Not only on BMW but lots of other marques.

I have said to quite a few guys that the early Nitron M3 and CSL kits were flawed. A few guys in LeonB with his CSL had similar issues with them, and even returned them.

I only know 1 person that has used Nitrons, and his car felt really good around Donington:beer:


So good for Nitron, I don't think many manufacturers would go so far out of their way to help....


Hope you all get it sorted Tobyartyman:

My Nitron was the Track NTR (full coilover). They were 2 separate way adjustable and therefore complicated to fine tune, but when I had them running at Donny they were performed ok until I started mucking around with them. Trouble is with 2 way you have to experiment a lot more to get the right settings whereas the valving and springs on then Intrax 1K2 seem to work perfect across the whole range.