I could be wrong but shocks are used to control entry and exit but not steady state through controlling the rate of spring compression and rebound. In the end the shock doesn't control the weight handling like the spring or swaybar does.

The only exception would be on a rough type surface they could be set to over or under dampen and reduce grip on one end vs another.

 

Shocks can reduce grip if they are not tuned properly for the surface roughness.

They can also affect grip indirectly -- ultra high rebound can cause the suspension to jack down onto the bump stops, which makes the suspension much stiffer and reduces roll and pitch. That can increase grip on smooth pavement, or reduce grip on choppy pavement.

 

I thought the same thing about steady state but I was surprised how bumpy even concrete can be. Shocks are constantly moving through a corner so they're always adding something unless you have zero damping. How well they're damped (on rebound) determines how much steady state traction you have. Overly damped on rebound and you'll have much less overall traction.
I think it's more important to think about what the tire is doing at the surface level vs what the car does at entry and exit. I think the most important function of a shock is to keep the tire on the ground with rebound(by using minimal amounts), help keep the car composed with compression and balance the car with throttle.
I may be wrong though and hopefully I'll find out soon enough.

 

[QUOTE=Lhung,May 2 2010, 11:04 PM]Im thinking of starting off my STR build with some new wheels 17x9 ULR's.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm working on dampers/springs and wheels/tires right now, I just wanted to hear what people were running, and how loud they were.

 

mine got quieter on decel when I added the High Flow Cat... just a data point

 

At Castle, with my old super high rebound damping, my car was way better in steady state with rebound set full stiff -- on street tires (!) -- than it was at a mid-range setting. I could actually feel that the car was leaning less and gripping more through the big sweeper (I also dropped almost 2 seconds off my time, so it wasn't just a subjective impression). It was a total longshot, which I did not expect to work at all. It made a big improvement though. There is a reason why people like super high rebound damping. It works for cars with stock suspensions, in certain situations.

 

I knew that would come up even though it's an STR thread
Do you think the same might be true for a car that's sprung stiffer?

 

[QUOTE=alvanderp,Apr 26 2010, 01:41 PM]Wynveen once told me a story of looking through parts bin LCAs and picking the ones where the center hole of the bushing was most in his favor

I've replaced the LCAs once already, and my car got the same numbers when it was brand new as it did when I put the new arms in.

 

I doubt it. The shock book that has been referenced many times here, forgot the name, states that with stiff springs, shock forces should go way down.