Suspension – How to upgrade your Figaro for a more comfortable ride
Words and Pictures: Tobyn Brooks The Figaro Shop
The Figaro isn’t known for its road-handling prowess and can sometimes feel a little bit like a dog wiggling its tail when you go over a bump! Over the years we have been adjusting and tweaking the suspension on these great little cars, and certain areas have helped improve the ride. Even if you were to close your eyes when driving (don’t do that!) you would be able to pick out the difference between a Fig with worn suspension and steering parts, in comparison to one with the right parts upgraded or replaced. Hopefully, this article will enable you to improve the ride and increase your enjoyment on your Figgy journey.
“These changes do make a world of difference, the reports we get back when we carry out improvements are always reviews like ‘night and day difference’ or ‘ I could feel the change in the first 50 metres”.
Changing the right parts is the important thing, just throwing money and time at new parts won’t necessarily make the Fig drive better. Here are the items that we change during our bespoke restorations, do feel free to get in touch if you’d like further advice or clarification.
Firstly, let’s identify the parts.
FRONT SUSPENSION
Firstly, having good shock absorbers and top mountings means the car doesn’t jump around too much. They are the main component between the chassis and the wheels and must be true and fully working. I’ve driven cars that have jumped wheels off the ground at the back as you change lanes and hit bumps. A good test is the simple bounce test. Press down on the rear or front wing and the car should rise back up softly and settle, with only the slightest bounce. In a type of floating motion. If the Fig bounces like a pogo stick it will hugely affect the ride, this can be so dangerous and many owners don’t know a different ride so aren’t aware of how unsafe their car is.
What often happens is that the shock absorbers leak out their oil, the oil is what assists them in dampening the bounce. If the shock absorber is leaking or damp during an MOT it will fail, however, on many of the Figs, the oil has long drained out. This leaves no evidence of leaking so isn’t identified in the MOT. They do become dangerous; as there is nothing to catch that on the MOT check, so they can often go unnoticed sometimes over many years.
The next important point is the wishbones or front suspension arms. Those being in good condition will mean that the car travels quietly and safely across bumps, and worn joints will lead to noisy rattles and uncertain steering. This is never an enjoyable drive. Once worn these give that rattling drum sound that can be heard and felt through the floor. They can often be the culprit responsible for that wobbly steering and the reason that you don’t have confidence changing direction at speed.
REAR SUSPENSION
The final area of the front drivetrain we recommend servicing is the steering parts. The steering rack, as well as its arms and track rod ends, are vital to check, and replace if required. When you get used to your car you may not notice wear and tear. In our case, driving lots of different Figs, some with new parts and others with old or failing items, it’s very easy to feel the wear and to hear the difference. These types of parts fail and usually show their face when you’re driving over small humps in the road or on a poor surface. Usually, everything shakes and rattles, right through the steering wheel. They can also lead to uneven tyre wear and make it tricky to set and maintain the tracking. The steering wheel not being central is a giveaway that something is amiss.
Our most successful upgrade has been the development and supply of the rear suspension arm bushings, there is not something available until now but the difference is immense. Partly because of the wear and partly because the new ones are made from Polyurethane. This is a harder and more durable rubber so slightly stiffens the car too. They have been a great success and are the icing on the cake if you’re doing a suspension overhaul. We have added pictures of the parts with some notes, as well as them on the car in their worn-out condition.
Although none of these parts will make your Fig feel like a sports car they will dramatically improve it, as well as increase the enjoyment and confidence you get whilst driving. They make the car safer, quieter, more reliable and in the long run save you money on tyres and and other items which wear as a result of poor suspension and steering parts.
FITTING GUIDE
We hope this was useful to you but if you need any more information let us know. It’s also well worth having a read of Simon Smith’s (our very own forum moderator) detailed guide he made whilst fitting our rear suspension bushings. If you’re thinking about having a go, or are just interested, then this incredible guide is a must!
Detailed Fitting Guide is located on our club’s forum Click here
WATCH VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIRaa4ZYPeE[/embedy
BUYING PARTS
The Figaro Shop sell all the parts required.
As the Nissan Figaro ages, critical suspension components tend to wear causing the vehicle to feel less responsive, crashy and less enjoyable to drive. These suspension components allow for safe handling, braking and road stability so replacing them all together makes a vast improvement to the feel of the vehicle.
This original suspension design does have its drawbacks as the vehicle can feel a little unstable round corner with a high degree of body roll, unstable at speed and excessive suspension travel. This is all by design but as the years have progressed, suspension technology has taken leaps and bounds in developing comfortable suspension systems with far greater performance.
As always anything in this article or any of the links has been created to reflect our own experiences. If you decide to make any changes or carry out any work on your car we cannot in any way be responsible for damage to the car or harm to yourself.
