how to find coilovers

[greencactus3]

im still in the middle of designing my rear suspension for my truck (3link) pretty much from scratch, and i need to find coilover shocks for it.

i know the extended and collapsed lengths i want the shock to have, but no idea how to find a coilover from these numbers.

its obviously not a stock replacement so when a website asks me what vehicle its for, it isnt helping me.

i dont need anything adjustable, i just need it to be consistent,reliable and as cheap as possible without getting something crappy.


i also do have a clue about what kind of valving i want, and since coilover swaps in the rear for the s-series trucks is not done very often, i dont even have feedback from what other people have done in the past.

the coil rate i can do the 'math' to find later, but i want to kind of have a basic idea of what shock i will be using, so if you guys could help point me in the direction of how to find a shock which will suit my needs, that would be great. thanks!

[EFI69Cam]

This should help you.

http://varishock.com/DataSheets/VAS_110XX_DS_WEB.pdf

[greencactus3]

thanks, but are there any cheaper alternatives?
as much as i understand how cheaping out is not going to be helpful performance wise, but on a college budget means i have to pursue cheaper alternatives.

those varishocks would cost me well over $400 for a pair of coils and shocks

[dipren443]

thanks, but are there any cheaper alternatives?
as much as i understand how cheaping out is not going to be helpful performance wise, but on a college budget means i have to pursue cheaper alternatives.

those varishocks would cost me well over $400 for a pair of coils and shocks

Probably the cheapest pair of tuneable coils you will find. Everything else I have looked at (Koni, Penske, Bilstein) is an order of magnitude greater than the Varishocks...

Link to the Koni site:

http://www.koniracing.com/roadraceitems.html

[greencactus3]

thanks, that has lots of specs and dims, but no pricing. lol

i heard somewhere that bilsteins were good for the 'cheap beginner'
but i seem to fail at navigating the bilstein website.

[dipren443]

thanks, that has lots of specs and dims, but no pricing. lol

i heard somewhere that bilsteins were good for the 'cheap beginner'
but i seem to fail at navigating the bilstein website.

I have yet to find a website listing the prices of Koni's. I priced out Koni's some time ago, but the placed I called seems to have stopped selling them and now exclusively carries Ohlins (Super High $).

Even if the Bilsteins are priced for the "cheap beginner", I would be willing to bet that the Varishocks are still considerably cheaper...

Just to give you an idea, when I priced the Koni 3012 (External Double Adjustable), they were about 500 each without a spring... :doh:

The 30 SP8, I believe, is Koni's cheapest threaded body shock.

[greencactus3]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
^ how i feel....

damn. time to expand my budget for this project.... again....
the digits just keep getting higher

[dipren443]

I had to do some digging, but this place has prices for a select few of the Koni's and several other brands also.

http://performanceshock.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1

And the list of dealers as listed on Koni-racing.com:

http://www.koniracing.com/wheretobuy.html


Best link I have found yet!!!!

https://secure1.securehosting.us/jerrybickel/prodlist.cfm?category=Shocks%20and%20Accessories

Scroll down about halfway to the 8216. $269 each and you still dont have springs....

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

Did you find this link on Bilstein's page??

http://www.bilstein.com/race.php

[greencactus3]

that is awesome! thanks!
the 8216... the dimensions dont get bigger on this page
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
http://www.koniracing.com/8216.html

what size coils do konis take?

[dipren443]

2.5" Coils I think, not sure though....

Also, the 8216 is a single adjustable version of the 8212. All dimensions of the 8212 should apply...

http://www.koniracing.com/images/File/82121400.JPG

[greencactus3]

thanks! ill look into it more when i have time

[greencactus3]

how much total suspension travel do you guys reccomend on a daily driven vehicle?
i might need to change the location of my mounts because i think im short a bit

[greencactus3]

i found some cheaper ones from QA1 and Strange

what do you think about these?
http://autofabcart.net/strangesingleadjustableshocks.aspx
http://autofabcart.net/singleadjustablepromastarcoilover.aspx

[greencactus3]

seems that Strange is more drag racing?

which means the valving will not be very optimal for road racing correct?

same with Competition Engineering coilovers?