Hi, someone was telling me at Billing, I can't remember who but he had a Red TT with nice 18" wheels (Ok so that could be anyone!!), anyway he was telling me that If you lift the handbreak up one notch, this stiffens up the rear suspension.

 

Is this true ?!?

 

Mike

Only on UK spec cars

'UK Spec' i.e Jap Imports to a UK Spec or a full 'UK Car' as mine is a 'UK Car'

 

Mike

UK models,

 

mine does it, the rear suspension just feels a big tighter down the road. its a bit of a novelty i think, i rarely use it.

You have actuators on your back shocks. Yank Z's have the additional button to change the ride from soft to hard.

 

We weren't fortunate enough to warrant having a nice switch so it's wired into the handbrake circuit instead.

 

If you junk your stock shocks you'll lose that feature.

 

My MkIII Supra was the same, Yank and Jap Soups got TEMS, Toyota Electronically Modulated Suspension with a button for normal or sport mode!

 

We don't get the toys here in Blightey.

 

What makes me laugh is that there are NO bends on American roads FFS! LOL

 

So if anyone needed adjustable suspenders it was us in the UK...Doh!

 

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"My mother was like a sister to me, only we didn't have sex quite so often."

Emo Philips

 

[This message has been edited by Timmy_Turbo (edited 11-09-2002).]

Originally posted by Timmy_Turbo:

What makes me laugh is that there are NO bends on American roads FFS! LOL

 

So if anyone needed adjustable suspenders it was us in the UK...Doh!

 

 

True, but the quality of many American roads is dreadful, especially after the winter.

Mines is downright uncomfortable with the rear stiffened. Shocks are new and also using 18" wheels. It goes near rigid!

 

Willie

Cool, I'll have to see if I can wire up a switch from the handbreak somewhere, because I'm so tall, leaving the handbreak on one notch is not an option.

 

Mike

 

is this some kind of wind up???!!!

Originally posted by wild turkey:

is this some kind of wind up???!!!

 

Nope, it's all true matey. I discovered this when my car was at Arriva Nissan in Peterborough a long time ago.

 

My back end was bouncing and skipping dangerously even when I drove over a manhole cover.

 

Bob Ford told me it was my rear shocks KO'd.

 

While out test driving the car he told me to pull the handbrake up one click. Go and have a look at your stock Nissan rear shocks if you have a UK spec car.

 

You can see the actuators at the top!

 

I dunno, some people are finding it hard to distinguish between reality and all the bolliocks now! ROFL

 

------------------

"If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land

on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of

a cat and drop it?"

Steven Wright.

 

[This message has been edited by Timmy_Turbo (edited 11-09-2002).]

iv read in the manual that you can test it by pressing down at the back with the handbrake on/off to test the difference in resistance - just 1 question............WHY??

 

why would you want the shocks to increase in resistance with the parking brake on??

 

i believe there is also a control unit in the circuit - is it not some kind of speed related active suspension?? would make more sense.

 

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I feel the need, the need for speed!

 

You never seen cars with Normal and Sport mode suspenders Paul Meister?

 

Where've you been? Looking after German Sausage Munchers for too long I suspect! LOL

 

 

 

------------------

"If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land

on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of

a cat and drop it?"

Steven Wright.

hi,

this is true adjustable rear susp.

but looking on the wiring diag.

there is power from the ecu,hicas,abs to the rear susp so maybe it uses it more than you think,mine certanly gets harder past 100mph about the same time the steering gets heavier!

 

--neil--

 

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OK chaps, you got me curious. From here and some other reading it appears that:

 

US spec cars have switch for driver to use

UK cars stiffen rear suspension by raising handbrake one notch (and as neil says, possibly driving fast!)

What do J-spec cars have? Anything? In particular, does my 1990 2+2 have anything or do I need to be careful when specifying new rear shocks?

 

(My rubber gaiters have gone already - is there a cure apart from new OEM shocks?)

lol timmy mate!! - dont knock them german machines - apart poss those sh!tty old ones with the cr@ppy cozzy engines in!!!

 

what i was trying to say was whats the point in it stiffening with the parking brake on???

 

mercs have had active susp on for yonks now, 129 sl's had the option of reactive suspension - stiffens up the opposite side on heavier cornering to keep the vehicle more level. worked really well too.

 

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I feel the need, the need for speed!

 

ps thanks neil - thats what i actually meant

 

glad someone here understood

Jap guys couldn't be arsed to spend an extra couple of yen giving us a switch to activate it like on the US cars. So they connected it to the handbrake, there is no point in it! Doh!

 

Just the Japs being lazy, you only pull the handbrake up one click so it's not fully activating the handbrake. Just activates the actuators when the handbrake light is illuminated.

 

 

 

------------------

"If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land

on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of

a cat and drop it?"

Steven Wright.

It,s for the dealer to do a test on the rear to see if the rear actuators are working. I think the actuators work when you drive hard of the line so it stiffens the rear up.

 

jay

Yup, that has always been my thoughts - it's a kind of primitive anti-squat system and the handbrake is just a diagnostic test.

Interesting reading. I did wonder if my suspention was seized because there just seemed to be no movement in the rear shocks when I tested it on the drive. Obvioulsy the hand brake was on.

 

Stuart

This is probably something completely different but when i reverse off my drive i hear something at the rear of the car that sounds like a little motor moving something similar to the noise the mirrors make just a little zzzzz for a second or two, only happens when reversing, its not a problem, just wondered mhat it was.

 

By the way its J spec so it cant be any rear shock thingys.

 

B19RKS

Dont Jap Z's have a bong noise inside the car when you reverse?

 

Stuart

I'm sure Misseur Ford told me that the actuators only activate at a certain speed???

 

B19RKS that buzzing noise is yer fuel pump reaching pressure mate!

 

------------------

"If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land

on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of

a cat and drop it?"

Steven Wright.

 

[This message has been edited by Timmy_Turbo (edited 12-09-2002).]

Originally posted by SRRAE:

Dont Jap Z's have a bong noise inside the car when you reverse?

 

Stuart

 

Kevin Phillips Bong strikes again

interesting, it just seems a bit daft driving round with the handbrake light on for extra road hold/driving ability!! whatever next? leave the drivers door slightly ajar and you get more boost?

 

steve

Originally posted by MikeGroves:

UK models,

 

mine does it, the rear suspension just feels a big tighter down the road. its a bit of a novelty i think, i rarely use it.

 

I always use it except for when taking it easy on the motorway. Just makes the car feel that much tighter.