Slideshow: Shocks: The Most Important and Overlooked Mod
Springs? Wheels? Tires? None of the above. The answer isn’t as shocking as you might think. It’s shocks!
What they do
Understanding what shocks do is the first step in understanding why they are so important. Essentially a regulator, the shock absorber’s job is to control how fast the spring can compress and expand. As a car moves left to right (like a slalom) or lands after hitting a big jump, (think Trophy Trucks or World Rally Championship) it is the shock's job to make sure nothing happens too fast or too slow. If it fails to do its job or can’t keep up with the demands, these movements transfer into the body of the car and cause oversteer or understeer that can be very difficult to control.
Aeration
Shocks operate by moving a piston through a body of oil that resists movement. How this movement is controlled isn’t important right now, but what is important is to understand that as the piston moves up and down, the fluid can turn from liquid to gas in a process called cavitation. This occurs when too much heat is put into the fluid (from constant movement) causes the fluid to degrade. This is also why you don’t buy cheap shocks.
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Piston Design & Adjustments
Resistance to fluid movement is controlled by covering or exposing orifices in the piston to allow more or less fluid to squeeze through. Here is where your adjustable shocks come into play. High-end shocks can adjust bump and rebound without the two interfering with each other. Ultra high-end shocks on cars that require a body to remain flat so aerodynamics are unaffected will have a way to adjust high speed and low-speed movement of the shock piston independently. 3 and 4-way adjustable shocks are largely unnecessary for those without big aero.
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How to Spot Quality
Penske, Ohlins, and Sachs are a few of the brands that will light your bank account up like a forest fire. Companies like Tein and other popular Japanese brands are not as good but can be made to work well so long as your suspension system is free to move without binding. FEAL has made its way onto the time attack scene in recent years with great results. When it comes to quality, you don’t have to break the bank, but I would advise using anything that isn’t being used by racers. Avoid any E-Bay coilovers!
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Critical Component
Turbochargers and wheels get all the attention because they’re sexy. It’s what people see and what we all love to brag about. Dyno figures are a staple in the tuning community, but shocks are what hold everything together. Blown units can literally make a perfect handling car flat out dangerous. For track guys out there, the right shocks are worth seconds on the track. Not tenths.
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Affordable Picks
KW suspension and Bilstein are both relatively affordable systems that guarantee quality that is built on a proven record, with KONI coming in close behind. One trick autocrossers like to use is the re-valving of KONI yellows from single adjustable to double adjustable with the utilization of Swift Springs on a generic sleeved coilover like Ground Control. While this isn’t the best solution, it is more custom than a generic setup for a middle of the road price. If done right, it can handle great for a fraction of the cost.
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Bottomless Pit
Shocks can get extremely expensive. From $800 full coilovers to $3,500 for one shock, you can spend as much as you want on this often overlooked modification, but you really shouldn’t. Quality shocks improve road manners while simultaneously giving you the edge on the race track. High spring rates can be run with ease if a high-quality shock is paired to them, so don’t cheap out. You’ll get more than you paid for and elevate your S2000 to supercar levels of cornering speeds. Cheers.
>>Join the conversation about the importance of shocks right here in S2Ki.com.