Best non adjustable damper?
 

Folks,
What's the best non adjustable shock/strut package for our cars? Let's say we mate them with a set of Steeda Sport springs. Would be used for aggressive street driving and maybe once a year on a twisty track.
Thanks!

Best non-adjustable? Koni STR.T all the way. Feedback has been excellent, the Koni quality and warranty is far superior to others, and they are intended for mild lowering springs like you are planning. The fact that they are $415/set until the end of the month is a bonus (they go up about $42 or so after 3 pm on 6/30).

FWIW, I can help you with both the Steeda springs and the STR.T dampers. :)

Feedback has been excellent? With a koni would you have it any other way, they're a good company that's been around for decades?

Koni STR.T all the way? I doubt you have a basis to judge them being the best all around.

Your claim is substantiated until otherwise mentioned by the STR.T's being built well and working with lowering springs. The dimensions dampers need to work with a set of lowering springs are almost nonexistant, in fact ride height is something that is adjusted on professional race cars independently in all the setups I've worked with in the professional world meaning it not a critical dimension to compensate for with those dampers.

The only big thing I see that the SRT.T's have going for them without actual testing with the Steeda springs are that they are well made (correct me if I'm wrong). The leg of my desk is also but that doesn't mean it will work with Steeda springs. Dampers are specifically MATCHED to a set or range of springs you calibrate them to each other for the best result you don't just slap awesome parts together and call it a day these are very intricate setups and chances are that the SRT.T's are designed to work with a set of lowering springs calibrated to the stock stiffness as their ideal spring rate the Steeda springs are not the stock stiffness. I'm sure you'd agree with both of those points.

The best nonadjustable dampers possible for I8ACHEVY's car based on the current information readily available on the forum are the Steeda adjustable d-specs set to the factory recommended clicks. I've worked with Steeda and driven their demos at homestead miami racetrack and I can tell you that they are on the bleeding edge of setting up mustangs. Anything that's short of amazing against their setup will work worse.

Not only does this Steeda setup have excellent reviews but it has a proven track record of obliterating Ferraris at the track. I would know I've done so with the full steeda kit much to the owners embarrassment. Handling is not something easy by any means to get right, and reinventing the wheel or going with untested unsubstantiated parts is a terrible idea.

I hope that advice helps you make a better car.

No offense; but this is complete BS. Just because I could pass a Carrera GT or a Gallardo in my Lightning around a road course does not give one the right to say that the suspension setup on my Lightning "obliterates" those found on those cars. It's just not valid. I can tell you that only a small percentage of the folks I know that track 6-figure cars drive them the same way that they drive their dedicated track or race cars. Given your penchant for pseudo-scientific statements, I'm surprised that you would try to make such an ill conceived assertion.

That's a fair point.

The assertion is one I picked up from Steeda, it's not science but their unofficial slogan is that their S197 setup destroys Ferraris on track days and Steeda has video to back it up.

The car that I beat was a Ferrari F360 driven by a pro Formula Atlantic Driver (he has 2nd place in the 2009 championship), it was his personal car. He's a very good friend of mine and to add to things he has crashed it before on the track so neither his end nor mine were taking it easy, both were on fresh Hoosier race tires.

Wow! that may be the most humble reply by Legion5. Well done, EdwardGT. no offense L5.

Wow! that may be the most humble reply by Legion5. Well done, EdwardGT. no offense L5.:icon_wink:

Legion -

Please explain how the best NON-adjustable dampers are the ADJUSTABLE ones. Since you know so much, you also know that driving styles differ, and that corner weights on two identically built cars will be different right? Yet, you automaticly default to reccomending the Steala ToCheapo's set at factory settings. RRRRight.

Please enlighten us all also as to what series ANY Mustang has "obliterated Ferraris". With Steala parts no less.

Most of the aftermarket springs are in *roughly* the same range in rate/drop. Any non-adjustable damper is going to be a standardized relative guess, which most of the cheap non-adjustables are. I can sleep at night knowint that Koni did their homework.

"bleeding edge of setting up Mustangs". PUHHHHHLEASE.

Let's talk about the championships Steala talks about in their claims. American Sedan? The class ruled by '82 Camaro's that allows hardly any suspension mods? Steeda's 5-link is used because of a chicken-**** exploitation of the rules and nothing else. Grand Am? Hmmm, Steala is based in Florida. Grand Am is based in Florida. Coincedence or special deal? The series that allow parts from companies other than Steala are dominated by cars that don't use Steala parts. Have another cup of that Kool-aid buddy!

Their must be something in that swamp water down in Florida that makes the Mustang guys there a little cooky......


To the original Poster -

Strictly going off their reputation (MANY Koni equipped cars actually HAVE obliterated Ferraris), my experience with their other lines, and the price - I would go with the Koni. Support a vendor and another grassroots racer and get them from Strano.

RodeoFlyer, where have you been man! I have been waiting for your comments regarding these fueds.

Anybody have some input on the Bilstein's? They're not adjustable and their price makes me think they are very proud of them for some reason.

Kind of indirectly.

Bilstein is another European shock mfr that's been around for quite a while. AFAIK, most of their products are gas pressure designs. My experience in another car (another stick axle car of generally similar size, weight and weight distribution) is that they ride noticeably better than KYB Gas-A-Justs while offering slightly better control.


Norm

Wow Norm - that's the most uncharacteristicly vanilla answer i've ever heard from you lol.


If anybody wants a set of Bilsteins cheap, send me a PM. I have a set in my garage that need a home.

Try the European GT4 class where the FR500C is taking no prisoners.
My friend Eric De Donker is the 07 and 08 champ.

Of course, my response is not a real answer to your post, since Ferrari (and Porsche) left that class and the Mustang doesn't run Steeda or Koni shocks.
And also, those are full blown race cars...
The FR500C however, cleans the Aston's clock on those European tracks.
I thought all this was worth mentioning. :)

Ultimately, when cars are in close performace to one another, the driver will still make the difference.

I do agree with your comments on that post.

haha, soooo..back on topic
ideas for more non adjustable shocks that would be one step below adjustables?

i crossed my fingers and blindly ordered a set of koni STR's and vogtland springs. i'm daily driving just like you and i'll let you know how they work out when i get em on

Would you be interested in physically testing your handling results when you get the parts for research? I sent you a PM to help get things along.

Let me know what youd like me to do and I can most likely take care of it. I dont have a track nearby though, nor a G-meter. I'm also rolling on stock fanblades and 235 eagle GT's, that will limit the full potential but I'll give it a shot :)

double post

PMed back

Koni. Junk only used by a number of F1 teams. :rolleyes:

FWIW, the GT4 Mustangs, and even the Grand-Am Mustangs aren't exactly normal Mustangs. While they start out that way completely seam welded cars that end up weight a good 300 pounds less than a street car are a little different. But the good news is they are a similar car, and you could replicate one. And yes, they mostly use Dynamic dampers, but then they are huge money and considering some here bitch (sorry, but that's the best word) about single adjustable shocks I can't imagine they ponying up for triples....... And fwiw the Shelby GT's OE dampers are tuned by Multimatic (who makes Dynamic shocks)... and frankly they suck. Ask anyone who's run on those vs. a set of Koni's, or even D-specs. The cars work so much better over imperfections with the others than with the Multimatics it's stunning.

And yes, I am a Koni fan.... because they work--period. Koni has history, proven history, proven results, including such piddly little things like F1 World Championships... And if you were to pay attention through 2008 you could see just how well Koni equipped cars rode curbs vs. some others). And fwiw, not only do they win there but everywhere they race--all the way down to us bottom feeder autocrossers. Hell, they even make dominant Drag shocks (ProStock NHRA champions run Koni drag shocks). Prodrive Aston Martin runs Koni, McLaren F1, on an on.... While none of those shocks are what you use on this, car normally you could. 2812 series race shocks are available for Mustangs if you have the bucks and inclination, and those are directly derived from racing. Knowledge trickles down... Koni's FSD technology came directly from Formula 1. We're talking about a company with wins and championships in every major race and series in the world and a history of winning not only today but for more than 50 years.....

But alas, Saleen is the shiznit. I bow to thee.

Bilstein's are great shocks, but overpriced for non-adjustable dampers. For the money you can buy Koni Sports and have options over the way the acts, reacts, feels. I sell Bilstein, great quality--even used some to win a Championship in 2002. Nothing against them, but my job for my customers is to make the best recommendation I can--and here that wouldn't be a Bilstein for cost vs. flexibility reasons.

Yeah, I know. But I'd be reaching too far to pin it down any closer than that, and a comparison at least starts to put things in some kind of order.

For that other car (the '79 Malibu), I'd get the Bilsteins again unless I also go much stiffer with the springs than the ~640/165 that are in there now (for reference, the OE sport suspension springs I took off were 420/140 or so, base OE is ~350/120). Koni yellows are not available for that car, nor are D-specs or even Illuminas.


Norm