21st CENTURY BITURBO MAN
Text and photos courtesy of Mark Carter
 I bought my first Maserati in 1993, the car in question being a 1989 Karif, in black, with 13,000 miles on the clock. The car was stunningly quick, far faster that either my driving ability or nerves could handle. However, even in those early days I found the handling questionable. The car never felt firmly planted on the road and displayed a very unsettling tendency to tramline giving the distinct feeling of driving on ice with very little control over the directional stability of the car.
Thus began my love/hate relationship with the Karif. Even on a single journey the emotions could swing between these two extremes several times. Just sitting in the sumptuous cabin is an event and never fails to win me over, as does its effortless ability to dispatch slower vehicles with a satisfying whoosh and to transport you over long distances with consummate ease. However, minor electrical niggles, air con failures and the feeling that you are about to depart from the confines of the tarmac all create stress and the occasional surge of adrenalin.
Over the years the handling deteriorated still further as the dampers and springs grew tired and weary to the point where I was very nervous about planting my right foot in any situation except a clear, dry, straight road. After discussions with the usual suspects (Auto Shield and Bill McGrath Limited) it became evident that to replace all the dampers was going to cost in the region of £1,400 for genuine Maserati parts plus the cost of fitting. Whilst this would undoubtedly have improved the handling I could not help but reflect that the handling had not been that great in the first place and that over the past 20 years technology must have moved on a step or two. Thus began the quest for an improved suspension set up that would dynamically improve the car and enable the real performance of this `rocket ship' of a vehicle to
be exploited.
 I must confess that the prime mover for this project was my friend and fellow Karif owner, Lee Garner. Lee's passion for enhanced performance resulted in us both agreeing to develop our cars in tandem. Lee had numerous conversations with many potential suppliers before we settled on Leda Suspension (01376 326531) for the construction of bespoke, fully adjustable, coil over dampers. A sample of both a front and rear suspension unit was removed from the car and dispatched to Leda as the template from which to create the new units. We also drew on information on Enrico's Maserati Pages (www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk) for the original suspension settings of the Karif.
Fully adjustable for both ride height and rebound, or firmness, the units can be trimmed to provide the suspension set up that suits your desired use for the vehicle. Rebound is controlled by a simple knob located on the side of the damper housing, which has 24 settings from soft to very firm, whilst ride height is adjusted by means of two screw nuts running on the threaded body of the damper housing. Leda constructed the units over a four-week period fitting Eibach springs in the process. Total cost of bespoke units £1,300 per vehicle.
Fitting this kit to the vehicle was a relatively easy process, being almost entirely dependant on how corroded the original fittings were for the old units. I also found that the bearings in the mounting caps for the front dampers had seized on my car and these were replaced. Not an expensive item at approximately £30 each. Once fitted, adjustment of the ride height is a little tricky with the wheels in situ, however, rebound can be easily adjusted without the necessity of
removing wheels.
 The second stage of upgrading was in the brake department. We sourced 4-pot Wilwood calipers were deemed to be sufficient to complement the new set up. At a cost of £120 each (Forged Midilite Caliper (4-pot) Radial Mount) along with aluminium mounting blocks at £14 each, these represent a very cost effective upgrade. As the original caliper only utilised a
single large piston the new 4-pot units had the potential to offer a vastly improved performance. More importantly, the new calipers in a satin black finish look better! To complete the brake upgrade the original discs were all removed and cross-drilled. All of this machining and fitting was undertaken by Melnei Engineering (01243 829103) at a total cost of
£600.
Thus the total cost of the suspension came to £1,300 with fitting undertaken by us and the brakes, fully fitted, came to approximately £900. The only other cost was a computerised alignment set up by Discount Tyre Direct in Worthing (don't be put off by the name, they are actually a Pirelli Performance Centre and very knowledgeable 01903 203477) at £90.
A quick word on tyres: The car had been fitted with 225/50/R15 on the front when I bought it and like most people I had just replaced like with like. Luckily a fellow Maserati Club member pointed it out to me that these tyres were in fact too large. Just prior to the work detailed above I replaced the front tyres with Yokohama AVS Sport, 205/50/R15. The change was dramatic. The tramlining that I had been experiencing completely disappeared and the `turn in' and control through bends was vastly improved. The Yokohama's are a soft, sticky tyre that will probably only last 5,000 miles but
with a usage of 1,500 miles per annum that should not be a problem.
The vehicle was collected from Melnei Engineering on a Friday lunchtime, just in time for the ferry crossing I had booked on the Saturday morning for my first trip to the famous Nurburgring in Germany. The 400 mile journey across England, France, Belgium and Germany proved ideal to bed in the brakes and to get my first real taste of the suspension set up. My initial choice proved a little harsh for the motorway drive but ideal for the twisty bits. The transformation of the car was stunning; this was the vehicle I had always expected the Karif to be but somehow it had always failed to make the grade. The Karif had now graduated with 1st class honours.
On the Ring (plenty of scope for school boy humour there I can assure you) the car felt completely planted at all times with never a hint of anything unexpected. I even had the courage to do a couple of laps in the rain and provoked some side ways slides around a couple of bends. With more experience these could have been exploited to the full, however, with 13 years of tentative driving, especially in the wet, the survival instincts kicked in and the right foot was raised allowing the resumption of a customary line. As the car exhibited no discernable roll I left the suspension setting as
they were, front 15, rear 12 which is approximately mid range.
Even with some spirited driving the car remained completely planted and neutral. This gave me exactly what I wanted, no surprises and a gradual building of confidence in the car's abilities. The brakes never faded or gave any cause for concern. A feature of the 4-pot caliper is considerably more brake pedal travel, but once provoked into action their stopping power is Herculean. Personally, I rather like that as you get an excellent feel for the brake action.
The Karif is now the car it should always have been, devastatingly fast, agile and responsive. For a very reasonable amount of money (I have had services that have cost more than these upgrades) the car has been brought into the 21st century.
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