Experience with Aldan Eagle

[wellis77]

Looking to find out if anybody here has had experience with Aldan Eagle shocks/coil-overs? If so what can you tell me about quality, service from the manufacturer, etc? I'll be adapting a Viper IRS to my chassis and have been investigating what to do about rear springs/shocks since I'll want a different spring rate than the Viper and the stock Viper shocks thread into a "horseshoe" which allows the axle shaft to run through it while keeping the shock on the axle centerline. Aldan Eagle is one of few companies that seems to offer something (assuming it's still available) and I should be able to play with various spring rates to get my setup tuned to my ride. Thanks for any thoughts on them.

[LowBuckX]

Not sure about this application but Alden doesnt have much of a rep anymore... Could what they have special for the application be copied to make a better shock work?? got a pic of the special part??

[LowBuckX]

Im looking at their site and They have come a long way since Ive last seen them used... American Made priced nice.. Why dont you call them and get there warranty and repair policy from them.. to bad they dont make the viper in a 12 way adj

[wellis77]

This is a pic of the shock mount. Hard to see how it screws in but it gives you an idea anyway.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

The bottom shock in this pic is the rear and you can see the threads at the bottom where it screws into the mount above. I may be able to use the stock shocks but I haven't been able to determine the size of the springs to see if I can buy a different set of springs. I've been on the Viper boards asking other questions and I haven't gotten a lot of help from those guys so figure I'll try guys I know are cool.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[wellis77]

Im looking at their site and They have come a long way since Ive last seen them used... American Made priced nice.. Why dont you call them and get there warranty and repair policy from them.. to bad they dont make the viper in a 12 way adj

They are made with a crazy amount of adjustment but the cost is through the roof, up to $5k for a set of 4. Anything that says "Viper" = $$$$$.

Thanks for your thoughts. I sent them an email and will try to give them a shout when I get stateside this week.

[LowBuckX]

couldnt you buy a shock that can be mounted upside down then fab a mounting tab like you posted for the bottom eye shoud be fairly easy. I could help with any lathe turning you would need..

[wellis77]

That's a great idea and something I had considered, though I hadn't gone to deep into it yet because I thought it may be easier to build a new set of LCA's. But your comment got me looking a little further into shock options and I found this from QA1 which would allow me to change from a loop mount on the bottom to a stub mount. Then I drill through the horseshoe mount and bolt the stub up, no need to mount the shock upside down and I can get the spring rate I want while running the shocks I want. Any thoughts on whether or not this wouldn't work? The only thing I can thing is maybe the stub isn't long enough (fixable???) and possible interference with the axle shaft. I won't know about axle shaft until later this year when I start mocking up the rear suspension. Any QA1 dealers on the board that know if the stud can be changed to a longer stud?

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

[marolf101x]

We offer a Shockwave for the Viper with a billet lower mount.

With our introduction of the Select Series Shock and coil-over options you'll have quite a few shock options directly from Ridetech.

The coil-overs are not quite ready yet, but they will be shortly. Maybe something to consider.

[wellis77]

I hadn't really considered air but that's an interesting thought. I found the shockwave you are referring to and it fits the generation Viper stuff I'm using. It looks like the picture is not the specific product for the Viper? If you have pics of the entire assembly I'd like to see it. Any idea when the coil-overs will be ready? Thanks Britt.

[marolf101x]

The image on the website is wrong. I've asked the web guy to fix this.
In the meantime here's a screen shot of the lower Viper mount:

I'm feverishly working on the coil overs. Just finalizing suppliers for parts we don't make, and testing everything. I assure you I won't use inferior parts!

It'll still be a couple of months before we have every single application covered, but we'll have parts available soon.

[wellis77]

I like it. Any idea what the ball park price will be? Keep me posted on your progress.

[LowBuckX]

That's a great idea and something I had considered, though I hadn't gone to deep into it yet because I thought it may be easier to build a new set of LCA's. But your comment got me looking a little further into shock options and I found this from QA1 which would allow me to change from a loop mount on the bottom to a stub mount. Then I drill through the horseshoe mount and bolt the stub up, no need to mount the shock upside down and I can get the spring rate I want while running the shocks I want. Any thoughts on whether or not this wouldn't work? The only thing I can thing is maybe the stub isn't long enough (fixable???) and possible interference with the axle shaft. I won't know about axle shaft until later this year when I start mocking up the rear suspension. Any QA1 dealers on the board that know if the stud can be changed to a longer stud?

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

I dont like this for one reason. it looks as the legs on the horseshoe pivots then you have the movement allowed by the bushings thats on this part that will put huge stresses into that little center bolt that runs through the bushings..

[wellis77]

I dont like this for one reason. it looks as the legs on the horseshoe pivots then you have the movement allowed by the bushings thats on this part that will put huge stresses into that little center bolt that runs through the bushings..

That's a good thought. As I thought about it a bit more yesterday, with the movement on the horseshoe pivots, it would be quite a bit of stress on the stub, and likely a fair amount of additional unnecessary deflection in the bushing. Likely why Chrysler went with the design they did. Also why I'm intrigued by what Ride Tech is working on.

When you mentioned mounting a shock upside down then fabbing a tab similar to the stock mount, I thought this concept is what you were getting at. Can you give me a better idea of what you were thinking?

[LowBuckX]

my 4 am blurry eyed mspaint rendering
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[LowBuckX]

I see the horseshoe is huge but still should be doable https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/02/acrshockssprings-1.jpg

[wellis77]

If I'm following you correctly, you are suggesting a similar idea with the stub mount, but having the spring come all the way down to the horseshoe and rest on a tab that has been machined to fit the horseshoe OR machine the horseshoe to fit the spring size. That would definitely address the problem of movement on the horseshoe mount. My main concerns are shock selection and ability to get a different spring rate than what is specific for the Viper. Your solution solves the spring problem and possibly the shock selection as well. I need to look into a shock that can mount upside down. I'm also going to wait to move on anything until I see the Ride Tech options. I like the concept behind the select series shock. Thanks a bunch LowBuck!

[LowBuckX]

No problem.... Hope ride tech doesnt use the "Viper tax" like the other companys are pulling off. Big big money for nothing more than a small modification to and existing product..

[wellis77]

I hear you on that. "Viper-tax" is brutal! I knew that going in though so I'm prepared anyway; maybe a lack of intellect, but I'm prepared... I like what Ride Tech is offering though and if there prices come in where I hope, I'll be jumping on board the Ride Tech train.

[Yellow Peril]

It's a couple years since I dealt with them, but I found Aldan absolutely outstanding. I went directly to their shop in Carson, CA. They worked with me in every way to see that I got the right springs for my needs and did not charge for exchanges, rebuilt racetrack-damaged shocks for free, crawled under the car with me to look at the situation. They have several options for adjustable shocks, too. I have thousands of trouble free miles on the shocks now, playing with the car on winding mountain roads and fast lane of LA freeways.

[wellis77]

Thanks Yellow Peril. Aldan is still an option as it seems they are one of the few that don't subscribe to the "Viper-tax". I appreciate the feedback on their service. My brief communication with the so far has been great and they seem pretty stand-up.

[marolf101x]

I'm not sure yet what the coil overs will cost, but they should be similar to our Shockwaves (which start at $1000 a pair for the Black Series, and go all the way up to $2100 for the Titanium Series)

You will notice that the Viper parts are slightly higher priced than a "normal" Shockwave. This is not a "viper tax", this is more simple than that. The lower mount is a custom billet part, and we only build a handful a year (not many guys putting air on Vipers, but Dodge wanted a couple of kits so we built them). The "normal" Shockwaves use a bearing mount, which we build in the tens of thousands annually. So the price had to go up slightly for the big chunk of billet hanging off the shock.

[BMR Tech]

Ahhh...the Viper tax. I am unfortunately familiar with that. When we were developing our Viper half-shafts we took a GTS to the drag strip for testing. On the 1-2 shift, the driver's side half-shaft came apart and broke the coil-over fork shown above along with the rubber brake line. This of course put the car down on top of the tire and covered the track in brake fluid. Fortunately the tire didn't damage the quarter panel but the new halfshafts, brake lines, and coil-overs came to something like $4500 if I remember correctly! Not a fun experience....

[wellis77]

The prices on the Shockwaves for the Viper seem reasonable to me so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where the plane lands on the coil-overs you guys are working on Britt.

That's a real crappy story you have there Brett. I haven't picked up my half-shafts yet but I'm going to run stock to begin with and may upgrade later when I start getting into the motor.

[LowBuckX]

I'm not sure yet what the coil overs will cost, but they should be similar to our Shockwaves (which start at $1000 a pair for the Black Series, and go all the way up to $2100 for the Titanium Series)

You will notice that the Viper parts are slightly higher priced than a "normal" Shockwave. This is not a "viper tax", this is more simple than that. The lower mount is a custom billet part, and we only build a handful a year (not many guys putting air on Vipers, but Dodge wanted a couple of kits so we built them). The "normal" Shockwaves use a bearing mount, which we build in the tens of thousands annually. So the price had to go up slightly for the big chunk of billet hanging off the shock.
Yes more money for a billet addition is noted but no chunk of billet that small is worth $2000 over a standard part....

[Tony@AirRideTech]

Yes more money for a billet addition is noted but no chunk of billet that small is worth $2000 over a standard part....


That price is for the whole pair of Shockwave assemblys... not just the billet fork. depending on the production run, material, and how long it takes to run the part and program the part.... they can be worth that much. :)