Winning Shock Valving and Settings

One can determine a good starting point for shocks from a seven-post shake rig.  Additionally, every potential tuning adjustment (springs, bars, tire pressures, etc.) can be tried in numerous combinations to find a setup that minimizes tire force variation on the rig.  Unfortunately, only very well funded teams can afford to take advantage of this exceptional tool.

Alternatively, armed with data which includes spring rates, motion ratios, bar rates, tire rates, sprung and unsprung weights, Shock Shop can utilize a mathematical tool called  Critical Damping Analysis to predict reasonably good damper dyno curves.  Shocks can then be valved to perform close to the predicted values.  Download Critical Damping Analysis data sheet in  PDF  or   Excel  format as well as instructions.

Regardless of where one starts, the only way to determine the best shock set-up for a particular car is through thorough on-track testing.  However, the greater knowledge put into the starting setup, the greater potential for starting near an optimal setup. 

Always work on one end of the car at a time.  This provides a yardstick by which to measure the affect of a change.  Survey shock adjustment settings (stiffer and softer) to find the peak of the grip curve.  When a gain is achieved at one end of the car, start working on the other end.  Don’t be forgiving of the car or driver.  A couple of laps to warm up car and driver should be enough.  Then one lap should be enough to evaluate each change.  This helps maximize the gain from limited time on a test day or race weekend.  Lastly, if an improvement is found, it should be backed up by returning to a previous setting for a lap to be sure the gain was real.

Shock Tuning