Peter Belej wrote:
>I am new to the list,... I have a question. What are the pro's and
>con's of a Gas shock conversion. I currently own a '74 TR-6 and it
>rides pretty rough. Will the 300$ conversion make a difference?
I would not recommend any currently available tube shock conversion for
TR6's, for one thing. They are all cheaply made and none are designed well
in terms of geometry or structurally, for that matter. (Structurally some
are indeed not so bad, but still the geometry sucks no matter what you buy.)
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm developing my own tube shock kit
for a TR6 that I hope to build someday. However, before you conclude that
I'm just trying to pre-sell my own kit by bad-mouthing the others, it is
nothing that I plan or expect to actually market, for a variety of reasons.
One reason is the size of the market is so small and to make matters worse,
this kit I'm designing would be way, way more expensive than anything
currently available, so I doubt that anyone would care enough about
geometry that they'd spend three times the amount for my kit.
Realistically, I'll probably never even build it for MY OWN car, although
that is my goal.
Now, having said all that, I'm not sure that new shocks of ANY type are
going to solve the problem you describe. Assuming that your car currently
has OEM shocks all around, if you upgrade to Konis or Spax shocks in the
front and put new "heavy-duty" levers in the back, it will probably make
your ride quality WORSE. I say that because in general high performance
shocks are STIFFER than OEM shocks, not softer. But it WILL improve the
handling.
If you really mean that it "rides rough", then it could be that your
springs are no longer up to the task and are allowing the suspension to
bottom out all the time. True, worn shocks can make this a little easier,
but generally worn shocks will just make your car bounce up and down all
over place, because they can no longer control the oscillations of the
springs. That, after all, is really the job of shock absorbers. They
don't so much absorb shock as they do dampen the oscillations of the
springs.
I have competition springs in my car, 25% stiffer than OEM springs, and
yes, it "rides rough." That doesn't bother me. (I drive it every day) But
the good news is that the car corners relatively flat, feels very stable
and secure at speed and doesn't wander all over the place. So if you like
those benefits, you may decide that the firm ride is worth it. But,
unfortunately, you can't have both.
"Rides Rough" means different things to different people... but I can tell
you with some confidence, that you will never get a car like this to ride
"softly."
These are just my opinions... God knows I've exposed my relative lack of
knowledge before on this list, but that's why I love it so much... because
you list members out there teach me a TON of cool stuff!!
Pete Chadwell
Ready to learn more!!
1973 TR6
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