Difference in Setting of OEM Shocks?
 

Just out of Curiosity:
As we all know, Honda changed the spring rates etc. on our cars often. See: https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-br...prings-818884/
But Honda also changed the OEM shocks together with the springs, the Part-Nr. are different.
Just out of Curiosity, anybody know the difference between the shocks, wich ones are harder / softer?

I would think they just changed the damping to match the springs. So stiffer springs mean stiffer damping.

Stiffer springs would mean more rebound and less compression *in theory*.

But shock tuning outside of those conventions can also be done, in order to get favourable results.

Yes...Honda changed the shocks. But nobody knows how without dynoing a set from every change.

Then you need to interpret the dyno chart to know how they will act with a specific spring.

Then you'd need to know how these changes would affect the chassis for some specific use.

Then test it out.

So...you'd need a lot of money and boredom. And some obsession with making a setup only using stock shocks.

And then we'd all have to trust the opinion of someone who is obviously insane.

The easy answer is that the CR shocks are the stiffest.

So...buy those for maximum stiffness.

I know. I was hoping to find this lunatic but symphatic person in this wonderful asylum for S2000 Lovers. :)

Lol no sympathy, no.

What are you looking for in the end? Or is this just a question out of curiosity.

"Stiff" shocks can mean a lot of different things. Some shocks are more agressive at lower piston speeds. Some at higher speeds. Some stiffer on compression, some on rebound. Airspring pressures. "handoff" points between compression and rebound. etc.

Performance suspension does not reside on a linear arc of stiffer is always better performing.

In fact, in general the stiffer the suspension the LESS traction. Stiffer however gives better control. So you are trying to find that balance between traction and control.

Most cars that aren't focused single mindedly on performance are typically designed way too far in the soft direction. So often just making things stiffer makes for better performance, as you are moving much closer to the control vs traction balance. But that simple formula can make things worse if blindly applied to a car that already exists within the realm of balancing traction and control.

If you increase traction by fitting stickier tires, you have moved the balance. To move it back requires stiffening the suspension. Thats way track cars need stiff suspension, and also why race car suspension with street tires generally has less performance than suspension better matched to the tires.

This hasn't even touched on the nuances of what 'stiff' even means. Stiffer springs? Stiffer rebound, stiffer compression? Stiffer at what stoke speed? What is the shape of the damping curve?

The question was mostly theoreticaly, out of Curiosty. It came up as i talked about this with annother gear-head.
For example, if i use a set of Mj 2004 shocks in a Mj 2000 S2000, i have mixed shocks with springs. Did this make a notable difference when i drive the car hard, at the limit?
I am aware that this queation is really theoretical and that the chance that soembody can answer this is almost zero.

I did this. I experimented with mixing and matching stock springs with stock shocks of different years. I used front springs from a different year car on the rear shocks.

I have an '06, which stock understeers way more than my liking. So I wanted to cheaply verify if stiffer spring rate in the rear woukd be effective. The rear springs in my car are among the softest of any stock springs.

...more to write later

A few people have put the OE units on shock dynos. Here are some *old* measurements (not mine) of '01 and '04 shocks that I came across here on s2ki back in the day. Take with a grain of salt, of course.

'01 vs '04 comparison (metric units):
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...e79d9f88b5.jpg

'01 shocks (English units)
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...ed998df0a9.jpg
'01 front shock only (English units; compare to previous):
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...7968b58773.jpg

'04 shocks (English):
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...7df2fe05d4.gif
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...6d7e8f6489.gif