Summer with an Aston Vantage (part 2)

From the get go, I worked out that the Vantage's suspension system was not working at it's best so I did some research and after much chewing of fat, procrastinating about the bush, dismissed the after market solutions, nearly passed out at the price of the Aston upgrades and the Bamford Rose solution... 

...I decided to just get the Geo done. I would normally have gone up to Atherstone to get Chris at Centre Gravity to do the job. Chris knows how I like my cars to feel and I'm always delighted with the results. I wasn't at all convinced that a geometry set-up would cure the ills and so I decided to look more locally. As luck would have it, Torque Developments in Lakeside know quite a bit about Vantage suspension and so I booked the car in with them. 

They offered a 2 (or 3) step approach : 

Step 1 was to just sort out the geo but to not touch the castors - as this requires the removal of the under trays and doubles the bill. Since I was considering a full spring damper and ARB change anyway in future, I just went for the cheap option. 

The car was transformed. Not as much as I was hoping for but it was pretty good afterwards. One of the big problems in the Aston is knowing what the front wheels are doing. My ideal stance is to go in to a corner, 'leaning on the front' and then balance the car on the gas. This was not possible before  - the car just washed out wide well before the back started to move. I was hoping to have the kind of adjustability that would have me chucking the car sideways like it is an M3. Unfortunately it is not easy to achieve. 

The engine is to blame really. Here's what happens. Post geo (TCS OFF), I go into 3rd gear corners, a gear lower, very quickly...the front grips and as soon as I can see the exit, I feed in the gas to wide open throttle and....nothing happens at all. It just revs out and needs another gear. 

OR 

I go into 3rd gear corners, a gear lower, very quickly...the front grips and as soon as I can see the exit, I tread on the gas to wide open throttle and....nothing happens at all...and then the engine gets to 5,500 rpm and I suddenly get massive power oversteer out of nowhere which I can only just catch. And this is from the girl who is happy sliding 996 Turbos at silly speeds (on private roads of course) and drifts around the chicane at Goodwood in her S190 lotus. I'm no Sabine Schmidt but I'm not Miss Daisy either. I'm not happy on the rack stops but I can do oversteer. 

The problems is that there isn't enough torque to make the chassis balance without mega revs and the car is heavy and the momentum starts taking over..

I don't drive it like that any more. I leave the traction control ON and enjoy the car at 8 tenths. It's much better like that. 

It's a charming car to cruise in or drive briskly but if you want to put a rocket in your knickers, it's the wrong tool for the job. 

It's at it's best when I'm pretending to be a rock star. I was with my sister driving into Portsmouth for some shopping last month. It was sunny and we had the roof down. There we were , two raven haired birds in a silver convertible Aston, got to be celebs - right? Right.  People took photos, waved, thumbs up. Unrepeatable gestures from white van men...

That's what the Vantage is great at....showing off ;-)

...oh and when the exhaust is really hot, it crackles and pops on down shifts. Awesome. 

A summer with an Aston Vantage (part 1)

The thing about owning an Aston is that everybody wants to know all about it: "is it expensive to run", "what's it like to drive", "is it reliable?"

Those of you who know a bit about me know that I'm a fuss-pot when it comes to cars. I like them to be practically perfect in every way (like Mary Poppins). My Aston was owned by a pal who likes fast cars but by his own admission, is not an enthusiast. He got the car serviced at Grange Aston Martin - on time every time, bought the right tyres...blah blah blah.

BUT, there were little things that were not right. The gear shift software was all over the place, the suspension geo was horrid, the powder coat was peeling of the mirrors and most of the 'black-work' looked like it need a trip to the dermatologist.

I got cracking with the shift issues first. After a few hours spent on the forum(s), I worked out how to do the gear learning and that improved things no-end. I also learned that you have to lift the gas peddle as you shift (by maybe 50%) to make the shift smooth. Practice makes perfect and it's the only  way to do a full throttle shift without smelling clutch. I reckon it's £20 a sniff !!!

The car is now drivable on the idle and I can park and reverse without any problems at all.

So what is it like to drive and own ? in two words, "very special". It's not the last word in driver involvement. It's not super quick. I worry about electrical issues (which haven't actually happened - touch wood) and the satnav is crap BUT- It's an occasion to drive. Simple as that. Another 50 horse power and a more edgy chassis and I would be in heaven.

I'd take it over a Merc SL AMG every day !