Natural Habitat

[t_kelly94]

Hi all,

I took delivery of my Nomad mid-September and what a weapon it is!! I spent months trawling through the forums and reading everyone's posts/comments so thought it was time to do a quick one of my own.

Driving it back from Somerset was awesome - it surprised me just how at ease it was on the road and how comfortable it was (relatively speaking..!) Getting it home and in some fields though was where it really came alive!

[Trigger]

Looks good - have you taken it off road a lot ? How you finding it ? I cant really see what suspension you have - how are you finding the spring knock if any ?

T

[t_kelly94]

To be honest, the only "off-road" action i've had in it is around the fields etc and a bit of a blast round a few green lanes and that's it.

Suspension knock isn't something i've found a problem but i'm not actually looking/listening out for it. Will see if i hear it when i'm next in it. It's on standard Bilsteins at the moment. I wasn't sure what i'd mainly use it for when i first ordered it. As it stands i'm thinking Fox might be the most sensible way to go for my use...

If anyone reading this has the Fox units i'd be interested to hear your thoughts!

[Trigger]

Being that I wanted trackdays use as well as off road etc I went adjustable Bilsteins - and i dont notice the knock either - but Karl hates it.

Where are u based ?

T

[t_kelly94]

Makes sense. What does Karl have on his again? Was reading his post - pretty comprehensive with some interesting points and insightful info. Going to follow in his footsteps and make a few amendments myself.

Based in Essex, you?

[Trigger]

Karl has the standard Bilsteins.

Down in Surrey - was gonna see if you wanted to come meet our small group next Saturday for our inaugural get together in Surrey but Essex is a fair way to come !

T

[t_kelly94]

I see - i'll have a listen then and see if i can hear anything.

Would have definitely joined but i'm abroad unfortunately. Next time though!!

[Karl V]

Great pics! Welcome to the club...

I'm still toying with getting the Foxes, but it'll probably be in the spring (pardon the pun).

Maybe a bit more tinkering over the winter months. Looking forward to swapping notes!

Enjoy.

[t_kelly94]

Nice, Karl. Any reason you're looking at Fox over the others?

What else are you planning to tinker with?

[Karl V]

I put a few thoughts at the bottom of Trigger's hijacked post - viewtopic.php?f=54&t=17213

From what I can see in photos, the tender springs on the Billies seem quite tightly wound, so are more likely to slap more often; although on the adjustables, you can firm up the compression rate to help against this.

The Fox and Ohlin tender springs seem to have more travel in them. Of course, I don't know how soft they are, so this may actually be irrelevant. I can't really justify the cost of the Ohlins, so I'm thinking Fox.

As for other mods (or chaving more like), I do want to look at a waterproof 'holder' somewhere under the dash of the passenger side. Doesn't need to be lockable. Just somewhere to stash some sunnies and gloves that I can get to on the move.

I haven't decided about perspexing the small triangles by the mirrors yet. I'm not sure it'll make a huge difference.

And I'll probably look at extending the custom fabric roof to do something on the sides when the weather turns.

Other than that, just generally enjoying what I've got. Looking forward to a bit of green laning soon!

[Karl V]

Interior light. That's what I need...

As daylight grows shorter, especially with the roof on, the cabin is becoming a much more darker place to be - both metaphorically and literally.

This evening I parked the car at the local kebab shop (it was actually an off licence, but I don't want readers to think I have a problem!), unclipped my keys from their carabiner clip, and they hit the foot well. Could I find the damn things???

So I'm thinking a small waterproof LED unit with switch either under the dash or under the top of the windscreen.

Dash option: good for seeing the fire extinguisher at night, 'cos you know - not all fires are Infernos.

Windscreen option: good for checking my flies aren't open before getting out of the car, but probably useless for seeing into the foot well.

Early days, but something to potentially keep me busy on a wet weekend...

[autobackup]

Karl

Done the carabiner clip key holder bit - discovered it was often far too painful when driving my Atom and shortly thereafter drop kicked it into the nearest bundu!!

Replaced it with a modified retracting ID card holder on a lanyard which I sourced from Amazon for £3 - with the ID Card bit cut off and replaced by a key-ring to hold my keys and fob.

I wear this around my neck and tuck the keys into my polo shirt breast pocket (it is better with a shirt that has a pocket) or simply drop it inside my shirt if the shirt is pocket-less.

To use I just pull out the fob on the retractable cord and use it - 'simples' - it also extends far enough so as to be able to start my Atom while standing along side!

Thus I don't need an interior light as I NEVER inadvertently drop my keys!!

[t_kelly94]

Karl, how do you find it with "just" a roof over the top to stop the rain? I presume heavy downpoors you still get fairly wet but how does it stand up with light rain?

I went through a light shower on the way back from the factory in it with no water protection whatsoever and didn't feel a drop..! I suspect doing 75 and not stopping helped a little with that.

[Karl V]

Yeah, the roof is mainly to keep the worst off at slow speeds.

That and the sun. As much as I enjoyed our heatwave over the Summer, boy is the car a hot place to be when the mercury nudges the high 20s!

[Karl V]

Good call Autobackup.

I might even just get a magnet on a stick ;-)