The AST 5200 is right around the same price as the Moton Clubsports.

 

Has anyone developed anything with the PSS or PSS9 shocks? I've had a few ideas that require exploration unless someone else has tried.

PSS/PSS9 Thoughts (goal to achieve PSS based DAs with digressive valving)

• Add a bung and external canister to get compression adjustment (remove divider piston). For rear it may require removal of the piggy back reservoir.
• Change the piston to digressive if not already digressive
• Figure out a way to convert the simultaneous rebound/compression adjuster on PSS9 to rebound only
• See if the Bilstein double adjustable shaft will work in the PSS/PSS9 (mentioned) and adapt to S2K.

The appeal of the Bilsteins is that you can get all the parts and rebuild them yourself. They are one of the best DIY shocks. I already have a home made pneumatic shock dyno, so measuring characteristics and relative valving changes can be done.

Depending on how the above ideas pan out you could have a nice set of SA or DA shocks that can be tuned at will. The trick is to do it and stay far enough below the cost of Penske's ($3,400 from AKE). My goal would be to achieve PSS based DAs for under $2,300. PSS set are about $1,200 (new) and PSS9 about $1,500 (new)

Anyone tried these kind of ideas?

 

Josh: In all seriousness, shocks for autocross have been discussed many times on the forum, and the advice applies to just about any class you might run. The basic answer is that if you get shocks that can be custom valved and get someone who knows what they're doing to set up the valving, it does not make an enormous difference which brand you have. There will be some difference in the adjustment range and consistency depending on the price level, but any of them is likely better than anything you buy off the shelf as-is.

 

Bret Norgaard at Bilstein in San Diego would be the guy to talk to about PSS9s. He has done some Bilstein setups for stock class S2000s. I think he told me that the PSS9s adjust compression and rebound simultaneously. If that's correct then it might take more than just an external reservoir to get an independent rebound adjustment.

Fat Cat Motorsports does Bilstein DA conversions mostly for Miatas. At one point, he was using Ohlin pistons and shafts in Bilstein bodies.

 

Yeah there has already been some development on that front. Mainly in my garage. But some others are on the same path.

In my opinion, if you buy PSS's you are wasting your money. Like I said above, there are cheaper ways to get Bilstein's on your car. Not easier, but cheaper. For me, its about an afternoon worth of work to get a set of circle track shocks fabricated to fit to my car. For a total cost of about $200 if I can find some used shocks. If I buy them new, they still only cost $400. If I go aluminum body the price point doubles and then some because I have to get mounting forks fabricated. If I use steel body shocks I can just take the forks off my OEM shocks.

The PSS9 adjustable shaft is crap. You basically have full stiff and full soft. There is no in between. The DA shaft from Bilstein is expensive, not sure how much but the person I talked to about them basically made it sound like "not worth it". But that being said - if the shaft is $200 - put them in shocks that cost $400 - then you have DA Bilsteins for $1200.

I also don't know a whole lot about the DA shaft. I don't think they use a bleed window like they do on the PSS shaft. I think its much more like the Penske's where its a needle jet. But like I said, I don't know. They might be no different and the adjustments could be useless.

 

shocks make me confused. I wish thier we already proven to win set-up everyone can copy....

what tires are everyone looking at running? XS's?

 

XS's will be crap on our car. No forward bite, you'll be fighting to put power down the entire time.


Here's a proven setup that works on the street and at the track.

600F/500R - Revalved SA Koni's - Saner Front bar on full stiff, no rear bar.

You'll be amazed. Run that for a few seasons and then come back and we'll get you up to the next level.

 

thats the thing I dont want to keep having to buy buy buy. I dont mind a rough ride as long as I'm not having to rebuild shocks all the time. I'm defently going sfr solid bar though.

 

Fine, go 800/700 on the Koni's. They'll be fine.

 

Here's a n00bish question that I think I have the answer to already (via searching) but just need to confirm, and maybe it'll be a good tidbit for this thread:

When people say "revalved Koni's," they are referring to a valving that is set up already, right? As in, an "auto-x spec," and most people aren't choosing custom damping rates whenever they have this done. Is this right? Also, is the main difference a higher compression rate?

That's a steak house right? Mmmm.....steak.....