[Ramp]

[QUOTE=BILLWOLK;25427]It's definitive - if there's a sport button on the console, it's Skyhook equipped. It's really not a deal-breaker either way, just a matter of preference. I agree with FlashGordon that the standard Skyhook setting is way too soft much of the time and switch the system over to sport mode pretty often, but I like hard riding sports cars. The nice thing about Skyhook is that you have the choice. Enjoy the car!

Thanks - I got a copy of the original order sheet and confirmed its Skyhook. Today's the day. Need to test drive first, however, compare it to my 911

[RickBullotta]

Originally Posted by flashgordon

I have an 04 Spyder with Skyhook. I am an experienced aggressive driver with two other high performance cars (Infiniti G35 sports) and quite frankly I find the stock suspension on the Mas a complete joke. The car rides like a '73 T-Bird (e.g. it wallows, floats, and is just plain scary at high speeds) despite good ultimate grip. The odd part is that the Skyhook does nothing to improve the handling but makes the car ride very rough at low speeds. If anyone does not believe me, just check out Jeremy Clarkson's review of the Coupe on Topspeed.

The ONLY solution to this sad situation is to upgrade the springs to something much, much, stiffer. If you are serious about handling and don't want an '87 Golf to blow by you in the twisties, then I would suggest that you dismiss Skyhook and solve the real problem by stiffening the entire suspension.

Actually, the '83 VW GTI was the owner of the twisties. That car was on RAILS. I used to drive it so hard through the esses that on two occasions, with recommended tire pressures in the stock Pirelli P6's, I actually peeled the tires off (debeaded them). That was without equal the tightest handling car I've ever owned. It got to the point that I actually installed a stopwatch on the dash, and every day on my way to work I'd try to better my time on a 3/4 mile stretch of road. Basically a stretched out autocross with potholes. What fun that was...

[Fastfreddy]

The Maserati is a GT car. If you want an autocrosser, get an old Lotus or, apparantly, an '83 Golf. All cars are a compromise and trying to make it into something it is not will be frustrating. Of course, there is certainly room for improvement to suit individual tastes.

Does anyone know if the larger diameter sway bars from the later cars will bolt right into the early cars?

[flashgordon]

With respect to Fast Freddie's comments on GT versus autocross handling - I agree completely that that Mas is a GT car and when I bought it, I did not harbour any illusons that it would equal a Porsche 911 or Lotus or similar hard core "sports cars" in handling (especially not in Autocross situations). The problem is that (in stock trim), the Maserati it is not even up to the standard of a very mediocre handling car let alone something with sporting aspirations like my 07 Infiniti G35 Sedan (which is by no means even close to state of the art).

As an example, I went directly from driving my Maserati to a Ford Mustang GT rental this summer while on vaction and I was dismayed that the Mustang out performed the Maserati in every meaningfull performace category related to handling. Believe me - I did not desire this.

The problem is the springs. They are specced for the NA market and are simply too soft and too high - just look at the clearance over the wheels (it is over 3 inches!!). My understanding is that the tall and very soft springs were installed for the US market because the cars are marketed as "GT cars" or as a luxury alternative to Ferrari.

I am not advocating turning the car in to something incompatible with its fundamental design (like an Autocrosser). But let's face reality here - try driving the car to its max speed on anything other than a perfectly straight, glass smooth road and you will quickly discover the shortcomings of the stock suspension set up - it is truly frightening at anything above about 125 MPH. I think a reasonable expectation for an italian exotic GT is that it at least handles as well as a mid priced japanese sport sedan (Infiniti G35, Acura TL, Lexus IS 350 etc.).

The good news is that there appears to be a cheap solution for Skyhook cars - both Formula Dynamics and Leo Nardo make stiffer springs that should solve the problem. I just bought a set from FD (less than $1000) and I will have them installed in the spring. I will post the results.

Going back to the original posted question - my opinion (for what it is worth) is that Skyhook is a "must have" because nobody makes stiffer springs for non-Skyhook cars and without the stiffer springs, the car is simply substandard when compared against other modern performance vehicles.

[dchao]

By looking at the diagrams on Eurospares's web site, the springs for all versions of the car look the same. For all Coupe/GS/Skyhook, the part numbers for the front/rear are: 197890/197896.

The only different is the shock assembly, the sports version has an electronic damper. If there is any difference between the Euro and NA specs, it could only be the height of the spring settings.

One could always lower the springs to get the car back to the original specs, which should improve the handling. There was a post a while back, someone did it and had great success.

Front shock for Coupe

Front shock for GS

[quentinc]

Hi.

Just just installed Formula Dynamics' springs on my '06 Coupe. Huge difference. Really, it's like a different car wrt the handling. It's not super-cheap (cost of the springs, installation, plus re-alignment), but very worth it.

-Quentin

[jamesaronson]

I just purchased a set of Formula Dynamic springs and plan on installing them soon. How much did you lower the car - 1 1/2" or more? Did you lower it the same all around? Is the car much stiffer on straight highway? I drive with a set of Goodyear F1 GS D3 tires that came with the car. Do you have the details of the alignment - toe in, etc? It looks like there is no reason to change the shocks.