Z06Z28

I guess I'll wait on the sway bars and look into a lil further. So what shocks are a good match to a Hotchkis spring. I thought the Bilsteins were pretty stiff, hmm..I wanna get some shocks that work well with the Hotchkis springs without killing the wallet. Anything in your product line that would work good that you recommend? Also, I think the Hotchkis Panhard bar is non-adjustable. So I should get an adjustable bar just to be safe? I'm looking at the Spohn panhards right now and trying to decide which one adjusts easier and has the best strength. Maybe the last one with the adjustable spherical rod end?
Spohn, adjustable w/ poly bushings
Spohn, adjustable spherical w/ poly bushings
Spohn, adjustable spherical rod ends

ZaneO

Sam can re-valve some Bilsteins to meet your needs if you go with the Hotchkis springs.

Heatmaker

For shocks I'd go with QA-1's hands down... wouldn't run anything else...

and they cost about $50.00 to have reworked if you ever need it.


As far as PHB ... I'd go hotchkis... Good quality stuff...

When it comes to setup up the rear you will get allot of different stories... but mainly because people do different types of racing with thier car.

IF your dragging your car and want the best bite on the track you'd want a good strong set of LCA's and the Relocation brackets on your car... if you want to see some good 60's...

IF your more of a circle track person... some light wieht tubulars should suit you just fine back there.

ZaneO

QA1's are not too good unless you are drag racing. They cannot compare to the handling capabilities of something like the Koni SA.

ltlover

So how do the Bilstein's do with stock WS6 springs, or is it a must to replace springs as well?

Heatmaker

Says who?

Where do you get this info from?

QA-1's allow you to adjust your shock from rock hard to super soft... they have all the reasons to out handle and outperform the competition. A shock that allows you to adjust the characteristics can be an advantage in varying racing conditions. As an owner of QA-1's I stand by them. There are allot of people that do not drag race that use these particular shocks on thier applications.

I can't believe you said a QA-1 can't out perform a cheaply built shock like Koni...??? I wouldn't put Koni's on a Huffy.

Have you ever used QA-1's??? or is this 3rd person info?

I always wondered how opinions get turned into facts on the internet...

Sam Strano

Oh my god..... It's been 5 minutes and I'm *still* laughing. Dude, QA1's compared to Koni's is like comparing a Chevette to a Corvette.

Koni's suck so badly for handling they came OEM on the 1LE's from 96+. They make shocks for handling primarily, but also some for drag racing too. Not that a lot of ProStock cars use Koni's drag shocks, and on the other end of the spectrum the BAR/Honda Formula 1 team uses Koni as well.

As for the Koni's be cheap and lesser shocks than a QA1. Let's look at the differences:

Koni's are gas charged, QA1's are hydraulic only. Gas pressure is used to keep the oil from foaming at higher temperatures so you don't get shock fade. And shocks change energy stored in the springs into heat, they do run warm. The pressure works just like a radiator cap does, more pressure on the oil, less foaming. And air bubbles don't exactly work to damp well. And that's just the very tip of the comparison iceberg.

How about the fact that QA1's adjusters on bypasses on the body. They simply allow more of less oil into the outer shock tube when the piston moves. Koni's adjustment is on the piston itself, actually varying the amount of oil passing through the piston. Aside from valving changes that are much more accurate and controllable, it also results in a damper that is velocity sensitive. And this important, as your low speed shock damping is what slows roll and pitch. High speed is what damps bumps. When you don't adjust your piston, all that happens is the faster the shock moves, the more oil gets displaced to the outer chamber. The result is if you want to tame you body roll some, (low speed), you need to turn the shock up. But, that also drags the high speed with it, and makes the car worse over sharp bumps.

I can't actually believe this guy is serious, especially given the "I wouldn't use Koni's on a Huffy" comment. And it he is, I've got a bridge in New York to sell him, cause he fell hook, line and sinker for the QA1 sales pitch. And I'm also guessing that he's not had Koni's on his car either. And I've driven lots of cars on crap dampers like QA1's.

Let me finish by saying that you can get a damn good idea what QA1's are meant to deal with (and not all that well) by looking at their coil-over spring rates. They run from 275 to about 325, or about stock (which is 292). Trouble is, when you lower a car at all right away you need to add spring rate since you are closer to the ground and bumpstops and have less suspension travel. They don't, knowing full well that coil-overs are for that purpose. Then add the fact that shocks are really spring dampers, and looking at the spring rates they use, you can see that they aren't meant for, or can handle any kind of spring rate you'd really want for "handling".

ZaneO

I thought to myself, "I'll wait until Sam replies to this one." Boy am I glad I did.

ROFLMAO

Heatmaker

I wouldn't bite a word of what you say.

QA-1 builds many shocks for a range of applications, I wouldn't even get into it.


Nor would I waste time arguing why QA-1 is a more preferable shock over a Koni.


Go call QA-1 and learn about thier products first hand. I wouldn't waste a key stroke on this post.

I hate when biased info is spread around on a message board, then people who are actually looking for some good suspension products get mind swept by bull doo doo.

The only other shock that is compairable in performance and quality is bilstien. Which is OEM equipment on some 200K cars... I can spare to mention. QA-1 develops all around race shocks for various racing styles.

Koni shocks are cheap alternates to adjustable shocks. If anything I've ever read on here... most people either have Bilstiens or QA-1's .. I've never heard a complant from either...

You guys can like what you like... that's fine... but don't pass out false information about a product that you don't use.

ZaneO

Heatmaker - Did you happen to read his signature?? Did you happen to read that he does have experience with QA1s?

I admit that I don't have experience with them, but it's because I have done TONS of research, and always get the same response/information...not very good.

Peace, I'm out

5.0THIS

Having read many of Sam's posts... He has more experience with just about any shock you can put on an F body then anyone else I've ever heard of.. He knows so much more than you about even the QA1s it's not even funny. Not trying to start a fight here, just telling you what's going on.

ltlover

So will the stock springs work fine with the bilsteins?

Jeff 97 FS T/A

So, how did your Konis perform?

... as do Gabriel, Monroe, Sears, but I wouldn't run them on my F Stocker...

Truth is, Koni makes a fine shock. They have a proven track record. GM put Konis on the 1LE for a while, and the original Shelby Mustangs - the ones built to race - had Konis. I guess Carroll was a victim of false information on the internet?

Heatmaker

My favorite thing on these forums is how everyone is an expert, and automaticly knows more than the person they are talking too, even though they have never meet them before nor ever seen them in person. You have no idea of any of my experiences...it wouldn't make sense to say... " I know more than you" you've never met me, or been to my garage. I'm not interested in these types of arguments. The point is that most people who use Koni's on thier f-body brought them because they were a cheap soulution. If you look closer on this board most people either use Bilstiens or QA-1's.... but the point of this post was that is was stated that QA-1's are for drag racing only... which is a false statement. QA-1 formerly HAL shocks manufacturs thier shocks for many different kinds of motorsports, they have completely different lines of shocks... even now included are the "R" series which is design specifically for dragging. I'm not a guy reading comments and posting random info... I've done my research...but I'll give you this to ponder about... just how many motorsport retailers out there carry the QA-1 Brand over Koni's? Last time I checked they normally carry mainly 2 brands. Bilstien being one and QA-1 the other... there's a reason for that. They carry what products are in demand...

ZaneO

Your signature fits you very well.