adjustable shocks and the range of adjustment.

[old mate]

hi all,

looking for new shocks for the ute (vs v6 series 2) and just can't decide on what to get. the budget choice seems to be monroe gt sport but they aren't adjustable. i know most people wouldn't want the hassle or understand at all what good suspension is supposed to do but i want to play with adjustable shocks. i want to be able to try and get the ute to drive the way i like, not have settings just fixed and have to deal with that.

my ute being live axle doesn't leave me with any off the shelf coil over setups and to be honest, thats a little out of the budget range at the moment. im not looking for ride height adjustment either, i just want to be able to adjust how the shocks peform. this ute will be used for street and track days and maybe drift practice.

theres a few models out there it seems though, but im not totally convinced on the 'adjustability' of the shocks. it seems to be just 1 selector and an unknown range of adjustment (think cheap pushbike suspension forks). i'd love to get the compression and rebound settings adjustable seperately but i just can't find anything short of coil overs to do this. also, it would be nice but not the biggest hassle to have them adjustable on the car. i have a hoist at home so its not that big of a deal.

im not sure what that leaves me with, i assume its just stuff like koni red/yellow, kyb agx and im not really sure what else.

suggestions? your thoughts on adjustable shocks (if you have used them before!!!).

cheers

[hakhawk]

adjustables arent the be all of end all, most of the time they get set and left, rarely any playing around with.

i have koni yellows in the bmw, but im thinking of swapping to custom valved bilsteins later on

[old mate]

yeah i know what you mean by get set and left, its like most people with adjustable swaybars. FULL HARD lol.

the koni's seem to have a pretty good reputation, and it seems that on forums that most people just go on here-say from other people who go from other people etc... so im not thoroughly convinced.

how did you find the range of adjustment on the konis? i think i read that they are only rebound adjustable but compression adjustments are done via shim changes.

[hakhawk]

the yellows are only rebound adjustable yes, theyre a smooth adjustment, so you dont really know where its at, i turn it back full counterclockwise, then turn the same amount each side.

i did have a link to a nice writeup on different shocks, and bilstein and koni were at the top, along with some other ridiculously expensive brands. if i can find the link ill post it

[wraith]

Why would you bother really? I can understand what your trying to do but the way I see it unless your into hard core track work your just paying extra for what essentially is a gimmick.

[Decicrate]

Why would you bother really? I can understand what your trying to do but the way I see it unless your into hard core track work your just paying extra for what essentially is a gimmick.

I think he is bothering because he wants to have some fun on a track going by his first post.
You don't need to be into track work "hard core" to want a reasonable setup to be able to enjoy the occasional track day and if you think that good adjustable shocks are a gimmick, then there is a good chance you have no idea about setup.

To the OP you can make a set of coil overs for the rear of the ute without too much trouble. The biggest problem that you will have is that they wont support heavy loads in the back of the ute.

[ari666]

every single jap car that has come to me with adjustables fitted and 60 thou on the clock needs new struts. im not talking cheap shocks either, kyb, tien, HKS etc.

i would never fit them, but hey. each to their own.

[VK_3800]

They do mostly get left and set. I think the post above is backwards, the red Konis are only rebound adjustable? I have a pair of red Koni adjustables in the front of the Torana and they are far superior to the likes of Monroe GT gas, its quite a noticeable difference.

Bilsteins are generally considered the next step up above Koni, but most are not adjustable. I have a pair of those ready for the rear at some stage when the supporting mods are carried out.

[hakhawk]

most red konis are usually adjustable off car, requiring the strut/shock to be pushed in and turned to adjust the setting. i think some have a dial on the bottom of the shock. my koni yellows have a shaft poking out the top, which allows adjustment on car with a plastic knob. no ripping them out, and no crawling under the car to find the dial.

[old mate]

I thought i would drop into autobarn on the way home from uni today but they werent very helpful. can't get koni's at all and cant get kyb agx. i'll see where i can get some quotes from. the guy was just like 'just get monroe gt gas because i have some here' and didnt really want to help me with the other options. i spose it would be hard to deal with young people just tyre kicking all day that have no idea haha.

ari were those cars that had done the 60 thou in aus or in japan? theres a fair difference in driving conditions and time to clock up that many kays isn't there.

[wraith]

Talk to GSL Rallysport surely they will be able to point you in a decent direction. Plus they are a site sponsor.