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Premium Shocks - What Do They Really Do?
WITH HIGH PERFORMANCE SHOCKS BECOMING MORE AFFORDABLE AND POPULAR ON EVERYDAY 4WDS, WHAT ONES SHOULD YOU LOOK AT TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR VEHICLE?
Gone are the days of thinking that a shock upgrade is putting a 'long travel' (+10- 15mm) version of the factory shocks in your 4WD, in the hope of getting a little bit more flex. Technology and material availability has made it so much easier to get a huge range of shock types to suit 4WDs. It wasn't too long ago that long travel remote reservoir shocks were really only used by off-road racers. Now-days that style shock is the standard performance upgrade available in most lift kits from Superior Engineering.
The range of cost effective replacement shocks for most 4WDs is growing.
Shocks that have been custom tuned and feature OE mounting points can be supplied ready to bolt in. On vehicles such as Patrols and LandCruisers you are able to buy long travel remote reservoir shocks with main body sizes such as 2.0in and 2.5in as well as the matching 2in hydraulic bump-stop kits for those that like to push their vehicle just that bit harder!
Even for those with IFS vehicles such as HiLux, NP300 Navara, Ranger and Triton there is a huge range of 2.0in and 2.5in remote reservoir monotube struts that are guaranteed to soak up the biggest of bumps.
Multi stage adjustable billet reservoirs are a standard feature on many Superior Engineering shocks. Finding the right strut can sometimes be a bit of a nightmare, as many larger manufacturers seem to just make a standard strut fit many vehicles without optimising the travel of the shock.
It's always worth finding out and comparing the actual open and closed lengths of the struts and keep in mind what the CVs can actually handle. Unlike many, Superior Engineering design all of their shocks around what the driveline can actually handle, allowing full use of travel and reducing the strain on associated suspension components when pushed hard off-road.
We hear the phrase 'bypass shock' all the time but what do they actually do?
A bypass shock is based around the common monotube shocks that have a piston with a series of shims on either side. This is more commonly referred to as velocity sensitive valving.
The typical arrangement is a pyramid type shape, with the largest diameter close to the piston blocking the ports that allow flow in either direction. The shims deflect to allow oil flow and react like a leaf spring pack, with the longest being the easiest to bend and the shorter ones creating support for more load. In terms of controlling flow the larger shims handle the slower shaft speeds and the smaller ones limit or control the higher speed.
'Bypass' refers to any oil flow that is external to the main shock bore. This is usually a tube (or multiple) that allows oil to flow from one end of the shock body to the other, which allows a reduction in pressure or damping force. The pressure or flow rate is controlled by a bypass valve, which is typically a small spring loaded poppet check valve and threaded adjuster.
The location of these ports on the body allow the shock travel to be separated into a series of zones. These zones give the user a chance to tune the damping force through the range of travel, softer damping during initial travel provides comfort and control, with increased damping during the last few inches of travel to reduce the chance of bottoming.
When it comes to a compact cost effective option to coilovers, air shocks may be the answer.
Air shocks are basically a nitrogen filled emulsion shock that utilises a large diameter main shaft under pressure to exert force and replace the need for springs in lightweight vehicles, commonly referred to as a 'displacement cylinder'. The shock itself doesn't act like a spring but more like a piston in an engine, the more load or compression, the higher the internal pressure. Ride height is achieved by changing the initial nitrogen pressure inside the shock.
The added benefits of these is the ability to change the oil level to fine tune the spring curve at the end of the compression stroke. A hydraulic bumpstop is basically just a really short air shock, so changing the oil level will allow the shock to be tuned on the car to provide the perfect bump zone. Ride quality is reasonably good, as having a tunable shock gives you the ability to adjust valving for lighter weight vehicles.
Superior Engineering are now proud to have in stock the new triple bypass air shocks! Based on the highly successful triple bypass race shocks and combined with the compact packaging of a 2.5in air shock, these are ideal for those with a competitive lightweight TuffTruck, Ultra4 or long travel buggy and also work exceptionally well on race UTVs such as Polaris and Wildcat.
The lightweight, compact and easily adjustable benefits of an air shock combines perfectly with the added adjustability of the position sensitive compression and rebound damping of the triple bypass outer body. The ride height is easily adjusted by changing the nitrogen pressure inside the oversized reservoir, and the damping is adjusted via the bypass tube screws.
For more information or help with these and many other awesome products for you 4WD
please contact Superior Engineering and let their technical sales team assist you in selecting the right parts.