Clear out your PM box!! I just tried PMing you and got the responce saying yours was full, but anyways... as long as I've got your attention: How many authorized mechanic shops are in the US for the McLaren F1? I know Turner is 1, and there's only 1 other, right? 8 total if I remember. But where is the other?
There's only two, so far as I know. One in New Jersey, at the BMW headquarters there, and one in Oxnard, Ca...the BMW West Coast tech center. I know Turner MS looks after 3 McLarens that belong to the same gentleman (and he almost bought a fourth in November!), so McLaren might have given them some kind of official recognition. Several other dealers have close relationships with collectors and sometimes work on a McLaren if it is part of their client's collection, but I am only aware of the two facilities I mentioned as officially designated McLaren service points. Will do on the PMs--thanks! And thanks for a whole thread dedicated to me!!!!
ok, some TVR stuff for you, if you are not too bored! I just finished swapping out my suspension for the fourth time...it never seems to get easier. First swap I did was from stock Cerbera suspension to Ohlins race suspension coming off the Cerbera GTO. The rear anti-roll bar was a complete b1tch to remove. The remote reservoirs were very difficult to place in a nice, protected location. Second swap was back to original Cerbera suspension after front two Ohlins shocks snapped! Except the Ohlins had thinner spacers and the torqued bolts had twisted the metal brackets slightly, so there was less clearance. Took all night to get the spacing right. Third one was from stock Cerbera suspension to AVO units. Great improvement, for the street. I had it installed in England. So it was a piece of cake for me. Fourth one was yesterday and today. With the help of David yesterday and with Danoush and Glen's help today. Much appreciated, guys! This one was ok, just time consuming. Getting the shocks out was quite difficult in the front, and I had to grind two spacers down. But otherwise it was straightforward. EVAL Stock suspension is very basic...works fine if you want to go straight. Also gets tired within 20,000 miles, and can leak as well. Ohlins...fiddly, but very good. Awesome adjustability. It comes from the GT3 racecars, so it's not designed for the TVR. That makes it a bit too difficult unless you really like to mess around with suspensions. AVOs - fine for the street. Car still "rocks" or lurches heavily when straightening out after a high-g turn. Not a good feeling and likely to snap the rear loose. Definitely stops being a linear response. That is one thing I didn't like. I also did not like the fact that it was not adjutable. It felt like it "crashed" over big bumps. I did like the overall roadholding though. Nitron - supposedly one of the best companies in England? I love their shocks. Awesome adjustability, and very easy. The adjusters are on the shocks, no remote canisters you have to wrap in sponge, hide, and cable-tie -- all while making sure it's accessible. I took it out to do some testing, and the Nitron setup is the best I have had. The car grips tenaciously, and that's on a wet road with fairly stiff settings. Best of all, the rocking motion is gone. I can come out of a slide and not have it lurch and break traction and slide in the other direction. I can't wait to practice more. I still have to adjust the ride height...right now the car is sitting about two inches too high, so it looks like some weird rallycar. Then I am going to set it to a fairly soft setting as it's fairly wet out, and to see if the rolling motion is gone at all suspension settings or only when it's stiff.
Faisal, that's a LOT of information; how come you're swapping the suspensions so often...? From the sounds of it, i gather you track your car... TVR doesn't make a racing-type suspension...?
