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Hi Guys, I'm right at the point where I've got to have a rear coil over to do the last of my fabrication. I'm looking at a Bilstein racing shock (no particular reason - other than I've used them on several other cars). My question is which coil over is the "right" one for my car - I've always run a stock replacement shock, for obvious reasons I can't do that in this scenario. I'll call Bilstein in a bit, but in the mean time, I'll appeal to the collective knowledge of the board for some basic assistance. I think the ASN Series from Bilstein will fill the need. I'm estimating that 7" of stroke is going to be plenty (push rod with 1:1 ratio) and I'm also planning on mounting the set up at 1/2 of the compressed vs extended length so at ride height I've got 3.5" of rear wheel travel in both directions.
Any experience or thoughts about the mounting or the style of shock would be really appreciated.
Craig
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Not that I have a lot to add but thought I'd give some links for others if you're interested:
The Aldan Eagle link does have some good tech info at the bottom of the page. Myself, I'll likely be going with the AE 655 or 658 for my '59 El Camino.
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Good info - thanks...I'm a bit worried about that amount of suspension travel. That shock is short enough for application. How much travel do you guys design for with the Jag IRS? The Toyota is a SLA design and my intention was to use the existing steering knuckle strut mount point to run a rocker to the coil over?
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One thing to remember is how the angle of the shock affects the suspension travel. I believe the equation is:
Suspension Travel = Shock travel/Sin (degrees)
In my case, 3.7 inches/Sin (30) = 7.4 inches of travel. In short, I'll have nearly the same amount of travel with a different shock because of the angle I mount it at.
The other thing which seems peculiar to me is, most shocks (limited experience on my part though) come down 1 - 1.5 inches from fully extended at ride height once mounted. Is there something different in the setup for the Bilsteins which has your setup coming to the middle range of the travel?
It would seem to me the ride would be soft as all get out with that kind of travel in both directions. I can't imagine what it would feel like if the shocks were mounted at any kind of angle. The same 30 degree angle I'm using would nearly double the range and I'm guessing it would be a mushy ride.
Also granted, my goal is a comfortable cruiser any kind of a race setup.
Also call Aldan Eagle, I talked with them last year about which spring rate to use.
Good luck!
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From what I was told by a Pro Shocks rep. Go a bit less than half way down. I'm dealing with 4 inches of travel with a C3 setup and that's almost the same motion at the wheel and no angle.
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You know, with 3 or so inches of travel, a bit less than half way down is the same as the 1 - 1.5 I had heard.
I think Ralphy hit this on the head!
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I'll also second the notion that the range of motion - should be less than the shock motion!
You'd want to hit a physical limit on your suspension before bottoming out the shock - or ripping its guts out.
I know QA-1 makes some bump stops you can put on the shock shaft to help limit the motion.
Did you have a time finding the shocks you wanted? I struggled to get shock data before ordering mine - and probably should have made a phone call or 2 first.
Sounds like you are on a good path.
Cheers - Jim
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When I saw the post I figured I could help but you guys got it answere fairly well. I ended up going with QA1 shocks and then thought I had a good spring rate. turns out it wan't quite correct and I had to order a second set of springs, however I can't remember what I ended up with.
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Don't forget motion ratio as well as spring angle.
See slide 8.
GAZ has a selection of coilover shocks for Jaguars.
For a dissertation on Motion Ration and an easy way to determine wheel rates see:
With a Jag XKE or XJ6 the total shock/spring travel is no more than 4.00 inches. 1/2 of this available for jounce is the minimum. I used .6 to 2/3 for my design.
Last edited by irstang (6/05/2013 12:08 am)
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So much stuff to jam in my head for a single build! I'll be trying to work out the motion ratio as has been suggested and I'll be sure to put a positive stop of some sort in the design so I don't rip the shock body apart. I'm still fiddling with stuff in advance of calling the motosports division of Bilstein.
Craig