AlanC
16-06-2014, 16:16
Anybody have any opinions about the solid adjustable top mounts available from kam racing? I've read lots on here about the AST ones, but little about the kam racing ones.
I bought a pair of these: http://www.kamracing.co.uk/car-tuning/renault/renault-clio-mk1/suspension/bushes-mounts/renault-clio-mk1-kam-racing-adjustable-top-mounts.html just over a month ago - and they've made a fantastic difference over the wobbly rubber ones, plus allowed me to set the caster and camber accurately on my Williams, used for road rallying and Targa rallies.
However - I found that after 200 miles or so of ordinary - but vigorous! driving on ordinary roads, the spherical bearing on one side failed, such that there was about 2mm of vertical movement in the strut and a big clonk going over bumps. Got in touch with kam racing and they said they'd replace under warranty - but then failed to get back to me. I'm thinking that the more expensive AST mounts which are available with increased bearing preload for motorsport applications might have been a better bet.
However, I managed to find a replacement bearing with a phosphor-bronze outer rather than the Teflon-lined outer shell as used, with which you can set the preload by carefully machining the interference fit on the outer face of the bearing - I was a bit worried that the bronze might be a bit soft despite being rated at a higher load than the original - so I did just the one side, then completed a Targa rally last week (Fantastic result btw...), and the bronze bearing is still running perfectly, despite hitting some truly horrendous potholes. The other side with the original-style bearing has however now failed too, so I'll be doing the same mod on that side. Attached are a couple of pictures, although it's not completely clear the difference between the two bearings!
I bought a pair of these: http://www.kamracing.co.uk/car-tuning/renault/renault-clio-mk1/suspension/bushes-mounts/renault-clio-mk1-kam-racing-adjustable-top-mounts.html just over a month ago - and they've made a fantastic difference over the wobbly rubber ones, plus allowed me to set the caster and camber accurately on my Williams, used for road rallying and Targa rallies.
However - I found that after 200 miles or so of ordinary - but vigorous! driving on ordinary roads, the spherical bearing on one side failed, such that there was about 2mm of vertical movement in the strut and a big clonk going over bumps. Got in touch with kam racing and they said they'd replace under warranty - but then failed to get back to me. I'm thinking that the more expensive AST mounts which are available with increased bearing preload for motorsport applications might have been a better bet.
However, I managed to find a replacement bearing with a phosphor-bronze outer rather than the Teflon-lined outer shell as used, with which you can set the preload by carefully machining the interference fit on the outer face of the bearing - I was a bit worried that the bronze might be a bit soft despite being rated at a higher load than the original - so I did just the one side, then completed a Targa rally last week (Fantastic result btw...), and the bronze bearing is still running perfectly, despite hitting some truly horrendous potholes. The other side with the original-style bearing has however now failed too, so I'll be doing the same mod on that side. Attached are a couple of pictures, although it's not completely clear the difference between the two bearings!