QA1 coilover vs. Varishock single adj

[SShep71]

How do the QA1s compare against the Varishock single adjustable? Car will mainly be a driver that sees auto-x and 1/4 miles on occasion.

[LS1NOVA]

Cant answer your specific question but call Viking Shocks, they have great products and pricing on double adjustables.

[Rod]

I will stick my neck out here, and probably get flamed by a manufacture, but here's my story and I'm sticking to it, the first set of QA1's I had were awesome and did everything I wanted for a year, but one of the shock bodies was damaged while racing, I called about getting it repaired (no I didn't want the repair for free) but someone at QA1 said they couldn't do that...really? ok whatever, so I bought 2 new QA1 to replace the rear of the car and within 2 months they leaked(both of them mean while the fronts were still fine) so my answer is
QA1 coilover vs. Varishock single adj

pick the Varishock just from the poor customer service and product QA1 showed me

That said I used the single adjust Ridetech/Fox for about 6 months and they were the best damn shock I have every used, my car was faster with them then the QA1 the ridetech/fox shock smoothed out some jolts and bumps at a track I run often and by smoothing them out I was able to drive that problem area faster, I was so impressed by the shock I went with there Triple Adjust right away

[Josh@Ridetech]

Thanks Rodney!

We use a Fox monotube, impact forged bodied shocks. Depending on what you're looking to do with the car, we have a non adjustable, single, and triple adjustable version. They've performed great on all of our cars, the 48 hour Camaro and 33 Ford are been doing great on the track....and they have a 1,000,001 mile warranty, these shocks are built to last and we're definitely behind them!

[Carl @ Chassisworks]

How do the QA1s compare against the Varishock single adjustable? Car will mainly be a driver that sees auto-x and 1/4 miles on occasion.

Hi, VariShock (http://www.varishock.com/)is a Chris Alston's Chassisworks brand. That means that we designed and developed the VariShock and we build it in house at our Sacramento, CA facility. The dampening range is wider than the QA1 which means that our full soft is softer, and our full stiff is stiffer. Because the shock has a wide dampening range and 16 different settings, you only need to make 1-click changes when tuning, instead of 3-4, to notice a difference. Also, even though it's a single adjustable shock, the dampening is adjusted on compression and extension. Give me a call and I can answer any of your questions. My extension is 247.

~Carl

[Rod]

How do the QA1s compare against the Varishock single adjustable? Car will mainly be a driver that sees auto-x and 1/4 miles on occasion.

there you go! you have Varishock and Ridetech both ready to answer your needs and give you great service

[dontlifttoshift]

Viking and QA1 are different but I don't believe the technology is any different between the two. If someone has knowledge otherwise please share.

The larger pistons in a monotube shock are generally considered to better than a twin tube and in my experience they have always been better than a twin tube in ride quality and ability to keep the tires in contact with the road.

Shocks that adjust both rebound and compression at the same time, while convenient, are far from ideal. Typically, by the time you dial in enough rebound the compression is too high and ride quality suffers. Again, just my experience. In most cases a single rebound adjuster is all that is required for most cars and most drivers.

[Carl @ Chassisworks]

OP, if you're planning on daily driving the car, but also want to get in some autocross trips and some drag racing, you might consider going to a double adjustable (DA) shock. We include an easy to use tuning guide with every pair of shocks to help make the process less confusing. A DA is going to be a much better option for getting the car to perform well in three very different principles. And, because we make our shocks in house, we can keep the cost reasonable; it's only $200 more for a DA shock and spring package.

This tech article that Chris Alston wrote has some good info for you to consider: Shock Absorber Basics (http://www.cachassisworks.com/Stories/TechVAS-002_WEB.pdf)

By the way, Increasing the dampening on our single adjustable (SA) shock has a significant effect on the rebound, while increasing the compression dampening only slightly. It's not adjusted on a 1:1 ratio. For example, here's a dyno graph for a SA shock and a DA. You can see that as the dampening is increased on the SA, the rebound goes up but the compression only makes a small change.

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[UMI Tech]

78102

Hey guys.

We've been using Viking's lately and feel they are a great value. The attached pdf shows the dyno sheet for the Viking's.

I'd agree that Viking and QA1's technology are very similar.

We deal with Viking almost daily and their customer service is always excellent.

Many of our Pro Tour customers go cruising one day, drag racing the next, autocrossing the next - and the DA shock suits them well.

Have a great day!

ramey

[High Plains Mopars]

I picked up some used Varishock SA at a swap meet. One was all torn apart, the other was together but reported to be thrashed, but I was getting a screaming good deal on them so I took the chance. Sent them back to Chassisworks, they overhauled them both, got them working again and sent them back to me. I've got some real nice shocks now and including the reubild, cost me less than half of a new set.

[SShep71]

Sorry for not staying in this more guys, it has been busy over here. I originally was going to use the Varishock single adjustable from SC&C with the traditional SPC spring kit. I found a really good deal on a 9" rear and the guy has a set of QA1 coilovers for cheap. Since I had made the decision to go back to school when I get back I am all about saving $$ to use it else where. I also knew there was a set of QA1s on here also for a good deal I picked them both up. I got a real good deal on both sets. I am looking at my Chevelle being my next project and I am certain that it will be a Ridetech setup. I just couldn't swing the extra cash this time. I hope that QA1s customer service isnt that bad, I had heard good and bad things about it soo far. Talk about rolling the dice right!

[csouth]

Viking and QA1 are different but I don't believe the technology is any different between the two. If someone has knowledge otherwise please share.


From what I heard, the Viking people are former QA1 guys. This could be why there are similarities in technology.

[UMI Tech]

From what I heard, the Viking people are former QA1 guys. This could be why there are similarities in technology.

It's true. Viking was started by the former Prez and Vp of QA1. They also have the Autometer director of Engineering. We've been very happy with Viking's quality and performance.



ramey

[Ron Sutton]

Ramey,

The link to the dyno sheet for the Viking's is broken. Can you either re-link it or simply post it?

[Buryingthesun]

I have heard good and bad storys about all coilovers. I run QA1's in my 67' Firebird, no leaks and no damage. But I guess it all depends on how you use them, take care of them and service them.

[UMI Tech]

78183

Hey Ron.

We'll try it again.

Thanks for your help on here. I enjoy the learning.


Ramey,

The link to the dyno sheet for the Viking's is broken. Can you either re-link it or simply post it?

[Ron Sutton]

It worked that time. Thanks !

[Doodler]

It's true. Viking was started by the former Prez and Vp of QA1. They also have the Autometer director of Engineering. We've been very happy with Viking's quality and performance.



ramey

My one complaint with QA1 was there customer service. Just lacking all the way around. I just met Chris King from Viking last weekend and he was great. The technology is close, but not exactly the same as QA1. They only have double adjustables, but as Carl had pointed out, when you decide to upgrade you'll be much happier with a double.

[UMI Tech]

My one complaint with QA1 was there customer service. Just lacking all the way around. I just met Chris King from Viking last weekend and he was great. The technology is close, but exactly the same as QA1. They only have double adjustables, but as Carl had pointed out, when you decide to upgrade you'll be much happier with a double.

Chris does a great job for us as well. Good guy.

[rustomatic]

I came very close to buying TCP/Varishock coilovers, but after many days of research, both online (hundreds of chat thread comments) and in person/at tracks, and years of admittedly misguided experience with KYB and others, I chose to use Konis. They are not super-cool coilovers, or even gas shocks for that matter, but the usage by fast guys on tracks, and comments of ten+ years of usage (of the same shocks), in addition to effective, yet simple adjustability, sold me.

The idea is to make the car (mine, anyway) function more effectively, rather than appear (to myself) more attractive; this last point was tough to get over, and I do wish for a bit more simple ride height adjustment in the rear, but there is always some kind of compromise...

With this in mind, the car will continue to evolve. Increasingly, changing something on the car is regarded as just that; many components will always lack permanence...