Suspension & Seat upgrade options for Robin Mark 3 New

[rread97]

Hi all,

 

Ive not long had my Robin and im still learning lots about them, two of the first  things im looking to sort are any suspension upgrades to improve ride comfort and to swap out the seats, the seats are mega uncomfortable and dig into your legs ( it looks like there's room to fit wider seats)

 

Im thinking better shocks all round is a good place to start, does anyone have ideas what shocks i can fit, front & rear? 

and the next question is does any one know what seats i could fit in the Robin?

Any help is much appreciated

[TezzerTel]

I'm no expert and a newbie myself but I'm lead to believe that smaller diameter rims with a deeper sidewall tyres is a good place to start 

[IanS]

I would add that tyre pressure is low in these light cars.

I run 18psi and most run in the range of 18 to 20 psi.

[dandan62]

Does your mk3 have inboard or outboard front coilovers? If inboard it may well have the original springs which are much too firm. Its usual to change then to 130 lb. My original ones were red. Maybe post a picture of them? Also does it have the original Sierra anti roll bar connecting both sides of the front suspension. Top of the list is to change to tie rods. Lots of discussions on here will explain how to do it. It transforms the ride and handling. 

If yours has the later mk3 with outboard coilovers then I'm afraid I cant help.

[rread97]

On 4/26/2023 at 12:32 PM, dandan62 said:

Does your mk3 have inboard or outboard front coilovers? If inboard it may well have the original springs which are much too firm. Its usual to change then to 130 lb. My original ones were red. Maybe post a picture of them? Also does it have the original Sierra anti roll bar connecting both sides of the front suspension. Top of the list is to change to tie rods. Lots of discussions on here will explain how to do it. It transforms the ride and handling. 

If yours has the later mk3 with outboard coilovers then I'm afraid I cant help.

Thanks for the response, yes mine is the later mk3 with outboard coilovers and they are red springs, I need to check if mine has the original anti roll bar, do you have a photo of what I’m looking for? 
 

also do you know anything about seat dimensions and what options I have? 

[dandan62]

 Here is a photo of my converted anti roll bar into a tie bar. The original anti roll bar is a continuous steel bar running under the car connecting both sides of the front suspension.  It was designed for the weight of the Sierra and so does not flex enough with the much lighter front end making it too stiff. A very common conversation that is recommended. I think you need advice from someone with the outboard coilovers like yours as to whether your original springs are too stiff. They certainly were on the inboard ones.

[dandan62]

Sorry, forgot to answer your seat question. These cars are narrow so tricky to find but they do come up used if you keep an eye out on the Facebook Robin Hood forums. I cant think of any road car seats that fit but someone else may know. I found some comfy ones years ago that came out of an old RH but don't know the make.

[niduncan]

I have a Series 3 with inboard shocks and have Intatrim Odyssey seats fitted.

When getting seats be aware that the passenger side is narrower than the drivers side.

Nigel.