Suggestions on a good rear shock please

All right guys, the rookie needs some more advice. I see you guys putting the power down with alot more than I have. I need your input. Now that it is getting hot here in Ga, I'm back to some hooking issues. My last outing (see video below) I have went from 13 lbs of psi to 10.5 just to get it to "sometimes" hook. In that video it hooked with 10.5 psi but you can see the problems. As the day went on, it got worse. Went from a 1.35 60' that pass to a 1.50 on my last pass. Here is the vid then I will continue...



In that video, I had a 4.11 gear, leaving at 3600 on the trans brake, just motor, 800+ hp, converter flashing 5200. Just went to a 3.89 gear and will see how much that will help Fri on test and tune night. It's a stock style suspension car with a 9", tubular lowers, adjustable uppers, anti roll, and Carrera coil overs (no valving adjustability). 28 x 10.5 stiff wall tires. Regardless of how the gear helps or does not help, I am set on changing the rear shocks. My question is (other than if y'all see something obvious) is what double adjustable shock would you go with, length, and spring rate. The Carrera has an extended length (car in the air with the rear end hanging) of 19.5" and a tag on the spring stating 150 that I assume is 150lb spring rate. I need to get back to hooking with more air pressure on a consistent basis. See how there is no squat after launch, no weight transfer. 3200 lb car total weight with me in it but haven't scaled the corners.

Springs are too stiff.

I would go ahead a get some dbl adjustable QA1's or Stranges. Both will work fine.

strange dbl adj.

I have Strange double adjustables and like them.

Afco's are another choice also

Any recommendations on spring rate?

soupbean wrote:Any recommendations on spring rate?

I'd suggest scaling the car on all four corners first. A big issue with these big block cars is that they're nose heavy and hard to transfer weight. For example: my car wouldn't hook to save my life so I scaled it. Front was 1685lbs and rear was 1153lbs. Getting the front to rear bias closer to 50/50 will be key to making it hook in all conditions.

I'd scale the car and then call Eric Saffel at AFCO. He can set you up with exactly what you need with shocks and springs.

10.5 psi in the tires isn't enough. Your car is driving the rim into the track pretty hard and the low psi is wadding up the tire and you can see that in the patch it lays down on the track surface. Is it shaking the tires at all? More tire psi and being able to control the hit (extension) of the shock will be key. That being said, weight bias will play a key role as well.

Afco is the shit.................

Call Team Z motorsports Dave and his son are good people to work with. http://www.teamzmotorsports.net/category_s/5.htm

Always go with a double adjustable shock if it's in the budget.

Santhuff & electric Koni doubles are pretty much the top of the heap, best of the best. But they're also the most expensive.

Next is the regular Koni doubles.

Never messed with the Afco stuff, but people seem to like them.

Next is the Strange doubles.

The new QA1 doubles supposedly have fixed all the assorted quality control problems that their older QA1/HAL/AVO brands single adjustables have been known for in the past. Never messed with them but the new QA1 doubles are said to be in/around the same ballpark as the Strange doubles.

Bottom of the list is probably the nitrogen filled Aldan American Eagle coil overs, they are crap in my opinion. One of the worst possible shock choices for a drag car. If someone tries to sell you them turn and run the other direction away as fast as you can.



As for the Carrera coil overs, I think their valving profile is really meant more for street rod/road race use and not drag racing. In fact I really can't remember the last time I heard anyone with a drag car mention them. But back in ancient times I do remember them being very popular on a bunch of the cars that were in a lot of the assorted street rod magazines way back then.

I would run 110 pound springs. My shock recommendation was trying to stay on the lower end of the spectrum. Remember that David Wolfe went ~230 mph on drag radials in the quarter with QA1 shocks. I sure they were revalved but we didn't revalve ours and have gone 1.teens like clockwork on good tracks and low 1.20's around here on our average tracks.

With the four link I do not recommend 50/50 on the bias. Remember that weight travels straight back, it does not cross. There is a reason why the NHRA made a rule on how much weight they could have on the front. Seems the further they moved weight forward the faster they went.

whatbumper wrote:I would run 110 pound springs. My shock recommendation was trying to stay on the lower end of the spectrum. Remember that David Wolfe went ~230 mph on drag radials in the quarter with QA1 shocks. I sure they were revalved but we didn't revalve ours and have gone 1.teens like clockwork on good tracks and low 1.20's around here on our average tracks.

With the four link I do not recommend 50/50 on the bias. Remember that weight travels straight back, it does not cross. There is a reason why the NHRA made a rule on how much weight they could have on the front. Seems the further they moved weight forward the faster they went.

Thanks. But keep in mind this is not a ladder bar car. Stock style suspension. Do you still recommend the same?

soupbean wrote:

whatbumper wrote:I would run 110 pound springs. My shock recommendation was trying to stay on the lower end of the spectrum. Remember that David Wolfe went ~230 mph on drag radials in the quarter with QA1 shocks. I sure they were revalved but we didn't revalve ours and have gone 1.teens like clockwork on good tracks and low 1.20's around here on our average tracks.

With the four link I do not recommend 50/50 on the bias. Remember that weight travels straight back, it does not cross. There is a reason why the NHRA made a rule on how much weight they could have on the front. Seems the further they moved weight forward the faster they went.

Thanks. But keep in mind this is not a ladder bar car. Stock style suspension. Do you still recommend the same?

I was referring to stock suspension. I was assuming you had a rear mounted shock setup. We use a regular 4 link calculator to plot our cars and scales. I don't particularly care for ladder bars especially when the stock style tuff is so good.

Alright guys, got some parts in today. Got the double adjustable QA1's 19.5" fully extended (Strange was out of stock) with 110 lb springs. Some difference in opinion on the spring rate but majority ruled in favor of the 110's. A couple of other changes I'm going to do tonight per suggestion of a trusted local feller, adjust driver upper control arm to "neutral" and ensure pinion angle with pass upper. Set anti roll at neutral, make a pass, and adjust as needed. Now, with correct ride height of the new QA1's, QA1 recommends starting with 12-16 clicks on the compression valve and 0-4 clicks on the rebound while others have said start with the middle setting (in this case 9 clicks on both compression and rebound) and go from there. Opinions? Try both ways on the first two passes then go with the best outcome as a baseline to begin dialing in?

with driver in the seat ... race ready .....

What is the part number of the shock? I can't suggest anything without that.

DD701 with 14" 110lb springs

soupbean wrote:DD701 with 14" 110lb springs

thats just the longer ones of the ones we use. we just use the 12" spring version DD501

they will work fine. I would start with 8 off full loose on compression and 3 off full loose on rebound. which is pretty close to what you mentioned earlier. you will just adjust tighter from there. as you probably notice the shocks are very tight. that is why i suggested the 110's. you are controlling the car with the shock valving and not the springs like your old setup.

whatbumper wrote:

soupbean wrote:DD701 with 14" 110lb springs

thats just the longer ones of the ones we use. we just use the 12" spring version DD501

they will work fine. I would start with 8 off full loose on compression and 3 off full loose on rebound. which is pretty close to what you mentioned earlier. you will just adjust tighter from there. as you probably notice the shocks are very tight. that is why i suggested the 110's. you are controlling the car with the shock valving and not the springs like your old setup.

Thanks man. I appreciate your help! I'll update with what she does.

You need to get some good front coilovers on that thing. Its just like some one told me, get two people. One person is the rear end and have them stand on a scale. Get a 12 foot board and hold one end and have the other person hold the other end(other person is the front end). Try to pick the whole board up by yourself and watch the scale go up. Then have the other person help you pick the board up and it will be alot easier with less stress on the rear person. The car launches good it just doesn't have enough front end travel. You need good fronts on it to assist the front end up so it doesn't come back down so hard. If you watch your videos, when the front end comes back down so hard is when it spins.

Fronts would help but you can control that with the rears too.

BlackBetty wrote:You need to get some good front coilovers on that thing. Its just like some one told me, get two people. One person is the rear end and have them stand on a scale. Get a 12 foot board and hold one end and have the other person hold the other end(other person is the front end). Try to pick the whole board up by yourself and watch the scale go up. Then have the other person help you pick the board up and it will be alot easier with less stress on the rear person. The car launches good it just doesn't have enough front end travel. You need good fronts on it to assist the front end up so it doesn't come back down so hard. If you watch your videos, when the front end comes back down so hard is when it spins.

It has QA1 single adjustable on the front (not sure of spring rate though). The QA1's I just put in the rear helped but it is still not happy. I need to scale the car. I think some things will come to light when I do that.

Scaling the car and finding out where you are with the suspension is a must if it still won't hook. We did some work on a car last week. Scaled it, lowered it, and some other things that aren't free . This is a car that ran mid 5.30's with 1.33-1.35 60's. After we worked on it it went mid 5.20's with 1.23 60's with the same tuneup as before. This was all on Mickey Thompson 275 drag radials.

by chance this wasnt at Denton this past saturday was it?

richter69 wrote:by chance this wasnt at Denton this past saturday was it?

Yes it was that track has been a drag radial track all year. They are doing a great job of track prep.