How important are shocks?

[turtlevette]

Is it worth spending more than 25-50 bucks on a shock absorber?

And do you want very stiff shocks, medium, or soft?

[jimalley]

This is one of the most important decisions you will make. Choose wisely! I cannot offer ant tehnical advice, but my best advice is to continue to seek advice from fellow Comers who are knowledgable in this area and rehaps with your car.

good luck.

[Mark Swinehart]

I would suggest talking to Kevin Foote in reference to vehicle dynamics and suspensions.

His e-mail address is listed on the COMSCC website under "Club Contacts."

[Crusin]

Shocks are very important to vehicle handling and dynamics. Sears Roadhandlers won't hack it. If you look around the COM pit, you will see a variety of shocks or complete suspension packages. Adjustable shocks, not Monroe Adjust-a-matics, help balance the cars handling. Stiffer shocks help dampen the spring movement, both on compression and rebound. Some shocks are double adjustable, meaning you can adjust the compression and rebound rates individually. Be prepared to spend, on the low side, about $150 per shock. Consider some of the top cars will have $4K to $6K in a set of shocks.

How fast do you want to go,,,,How much money do you want to spend?

[Bane of Tires]

I would suggest talking to Kevin Foote in reference to vehicle dynamics and suspensions.

I will heartily second this suggestion. This past winter I decided I'd dawdled long enough on improving my suspension (my off at LRP cemented this decision - I have a bad habit of procrastinating until shoved firmly ).

In my quest to find the "right" suspension I turned to my friend The Intarweb. The Intarweb, as you have probably noticed, is proof of the adage "Opinions are like...". I found LOTS of opinions, and basically no reasoning to support them. I spent a lot of time researching and never left Square One - I was just a helluva lot more confused.

When I finally contacted Kevin, he dropped some serious science and I wound up buying from him - being a salesman myself, I know there's no better way for a customer to show their appreciation!

I have been extremely happy with my new suspension (although some portions of the underside of my car probably aren't ).

To actually answer your question (sorry, I'm a tangent-aholic): yes, shocks are huge. My car rides almost as well now as it did with the stock suspension. This is with springs that are DOUBLE the spring rate of stock. My car (an Integra) is not known for its cushy ride either. Just the same, my car is very flat through corners and far more manageable at the limit.

[enjoythemusic]

Shocks are very important to vehicle handling and dynamics. Consider some of the top cars will have $4K to $6K in a set of shocks. How fast do you want to go,,,,How much money do you want to spend?

OMG... this is a question i ALMOST know what i am talking about (usually talk out my... but shocks i learned the hard way (as usual).

turtlevette, shocks and springs are a 'system' as are the sway bars. Others here suggest Kevin Foote and i say go for it! Please be ready to provide various data to your suspension engineer who (hopefully) has worked with same make/model as yours.

[kfoote]

[back from Phoenix now...]

To third the suggestion, emailing Kevin Foote is a good idea

My email address in the contacts list is still valid, and I check it regularly. Depending on exactly what you want to do and what class you're planning on running in, I'll be happy to put together a shock package for you. For some good news, C3 Corvette shocks are relatively simple to build and design in the grand scheme of shocks, meaning they are generally less expensive than something comparable for many of the other cars out there.