slammedkustom
Well-known member
well ive been thinking quite a lot about the new front wishbone suspension that red9 have developed, seeing it at stanford made me think even harder about it so after speaking to simon at red9 i thought id investigate. judging by the interest the last thread generated i thought id let you all know
me and a mate took a little drive up to rotherham for a test drive, i live in kent, my mate is camden so it was a long day, we also had to pick up a type3 interior in leeds on the way back. :shock:
we met simon and his dad around lunchtime and after the much needed cuppa we had a good look under the bus. it all looks very well made and we spent time discussing various aspects of the set up. one of the main points i like is that the front is really a seperate subframe so when you raise or lower it on the van you dont affect the wishbone geometry, very clever stuff.
we jumped in the bus n found some rough roads to test the set up. first i was a passenger and was suprised to find it rode much like a standard or mildly lowered bus, in fact the bus is slammed and the front bumper is about 3 inches off the deck! :shock:
then it was my turn to give the bus a spin, well to be honest the steering was a major shock, it was very light and nimble, not in a vauge way but much more like a modern vehicle. it was easy to steer, the ride was very comfortable and the rough roads were easily handled, no crashing about or jarring just a real comfy ride.
i didnt give it too much welly as (A) i dont like to push someone elses van and (B) simon was sitting beside me :lol: my good friend maurice gave it a spin and was very impressed with the set up then simon had another go. well he knows the van and the roads around his home and i can honestly say he pushed the bus harder than i would dream off and it felt totally safe, comfortable and held the road like no other bus ive been in.
there is no wandering, its responsive and instills a lot of confidence.
we headed back to simons for an unexpected lunch, more tea and more chatting.
the final verdict was that it is a very well engineered piece of kit, totally bolt on and transforms the way a bus drives. i can see that you could easily drive a couple of hundred miles an still feel fresh at the other end.
speaking to simon and his dad shows they really know their stuff, engineering is in their blood for sure.
now the big question, do i think its worth the money? well i drove a 500 mile round trip to test it, i was very impressed, i laid down my cash and so the next avalible kit is winging its way to me in few weeks.
im not affiliated with red9design at all but just thought you guys would like to know a bit more info. i have no qualms recommending this kit to anyone, it really is that good
many thanks to simon and family for the hospitality, hell they even sent me off with a doggie bag for the road!
me and a mate took a little drive up to rotherham for a test drive, i live in kent, my mate is camden so it was a long day, we also had to pick up a type3 interior in leeds on the way back. :shock:
we met simon and his dad around lunchtime and after the much needed cuppa we had a good look under the bus. it all looks very well made and we spent time discussing various aspects of the set up. one of the main points i like is that the front is really a seperate subframe so when you raise or lower it on the van you dont affect the wishbone geometry, very clever stuff.
we jumped in the bus n found some rough roads to test the set up. first i was a passenger and was suprised to find it rode much like a standard or mildly lowered bus, in fact the bus is slammed and the front bumper is about 3 inches off the deck! :shock:
then it was my turn to give the bus a spin, well to be honest the steering was a major shock, it was very light and nimble, not in a vauge way but much more like a modern vehicle. it was easy to steer, the ride was very comfortable and the rough roads were easily handled, no crashing about or jarring just a real comfy ride.
i didnt give it too much welly as (A) i dont like to push someone elses van and (B) simon was sitting beside me :lol: my good friend maurice gave it a spin and was very impressed with the set up then simon had another go. well he knows the van and the roads around his home and i can honestly say he pushed the bus harder than i would dream off and it felt totally safe, comfortable and held the road like no other bus ive been in.
there is no wandering, its responsive and instills a lot of confidence.
we headed back to simons for an unexpected lunch, more tea and more chatting.
the final verdict was that it is a very well engineered piece of kit, totally bolt on and transforms the way a bus drives. i can see that you could easily drive a couple of hundred miles an still feel fresh at the other end.
speaking to simon and his dad shows they really know their stuff, engineering is in their blood for sure.
now the big question, do i think its worth the money? well i drove a 500 mile round trip to test it, i was very impressed, i laid down my cash and so the next avalible kit is winging its way to me in few weeks.
im not affiliated with red9design at all but just thought you guys would like to know a bit more info. i have no qualms recommending this kit to anyone, it really is that good
many thanks to simon and family for the hospitality, hell they even sent me off with a doggie bag for the road!
