How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

I am tossing around the idea of of getting some drag shocks / struts from summit
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SU...RO&prefilter=1

It says they are adjustable. Does anyone know how you adjust summit drag shocks? While i know 90/10 would be garbage for handling, it would be nice to switch to that when I go to the track and take off the front sway bar.

What are 50/50 like? I could set all four to 50/50 on the street. I would be running stock rear z28 springs in the back and v6 springs in the front with a 1le sway bar on the street. I know it wont handle great, but would it be much worse than stock?

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

On my 4th gen they actually helped handling, they are easy to adjust and there are instructions on that page. They are easy install to.

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

So you can adjust the shock/ struts I have posted above while they are in the car?

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

Being able to adjust them on the car depends on the type and style. Rear shocks on a third gen don't support any weight so they can be unbolted and removed while the car sits on it's tires.

Shocks like that need at least one end unbolted to adjust them. They need to be fully compressed then rotated through the adjustment clicks to the next setting then extended and reattached.

Rear shock adjustments are a tuning aid. 50/50 means an equal amount of resistance is required for extension and compression. 3 way rear shocks also have 40/60 and 60/40 settings.

If you play with a non gas filled type factory shock, you'll see that it extends easier than it compresses. This is so it can handle bumps in the road but does little to handle potholes. The stiffer the compression, the stiffer/firmer the ride is since it takes more force to compress the shock. Softer compression allows a much smoother ride.

In a drag race situation, shocks place a big roll in controlling the spring oscillations. Depending on how the suspension is set up, when a car launches, the back of the car squats which actually means the diff/tires are trying to come off the ground. A stiffer compression helps to keep the back from squatting and will keep the tires planted to the ground. If the compression is too stiff, the wheels can go into tire shake. On a well prepped track, it's common to use a softer setting while on a poorly prepped track, a stiffer setting can be used to allow the tires to hook better. Which setting works best for the conditions depends on the tires and how well the suspension is adjusted.

There is no perfect setting for all conditions. That's why the shocks are made to be adjustable. They're used for tuning to the conditions the same as ever other adjustable suspension component.

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

Couldn't add anything to that man. You will like those shocks. I put them on 50/50 and installed them. They made me happy so I left them on that until I sold them. And I didn't sell them because I was unhappy-don't think that.

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

Yeh, it says that they need to be compressed to adjust.
http://static.summitracing.com/globa.../sum-g7600.pdf
I am not worried about removing shocks, the struts in the front are what would be a deal breaker if they have to come off to adjust them. Could I just use a jack to load the suspension, and use a wrench on teh struct tower to adjust?

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

Again, it depends on the brand or style of the front strut. I use Koni SPA1 drag struts. A removable knob is used on the top to adjust the extension. On full soft, I can grab the front fender and pull up the car. On full stiff, I can't pull up on the car at all.

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

I am refering specifically to the Summit shocks and struts that are shown in the links. Konis are a bit beyond me due to cost.

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

As far as I know, summit doesn't make front drag shocks. Only rears.

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

maybe I understood it wrong, but this seems to be the exact opposite of what my Competition Engineering rear adjustable shocks said on the package.:confused:

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

Depends how the car reacts and how the chassis is set up.

I changed some shocks today. I did make a mistake above about factory shocks. They compress easily and are hard to extend. Single adjustable shocks make it harder for the shocks to compress.

Re: How much softer are 50/50 shocks / struts than stock?
 

My understanding is that single-adjustables affect only the rebound damping. That's not to say that the fixed compression damping couldn't be more than the OE compression damping (it would certainly be more than worn-out OE bump damping).

Most "budget" adjustable shocks/struts affect both the compression and the rebound sides and you only get three or perhaps five settings to choose from that either increase or decrease both directions. That's still better than no adjustment at all, but it's more difficult to find a setting that works for performance without being harsh riding (especially if you've installed stiffer springs). Typically when you've got the rebound damping good, ride quality drops off because you've also added too much bump damping, and when you've found a good ride setting for going over small sharp bumps there isn't enough rebound damping to keep the car from porpoising. This is perhaps more important for daily drivers that see hard cornering, but is something to keep in mind.

For "budget" adjustable dampers, I have Tokico Illuminas on two cars (better stuff not available without custom fabrication). One has springs about 50% stiffer than OE, the other rides on the OE's.

I'm halfway toward a set of Koni true single adjustables on a third car (Koni "Sports", aka "yellows"). Rears only at this point because the fronts are on national backorder).


Norm