The Four P’s

Something that has always puzzled us is black magic of shock absorbers.  Besides tires, these are the most important parts on your car.  They need to be perfectly matched to your springs, your driving style, and your car overall.  We break shock absorbers into 4 key components:

• Price
• Performance
• Piston size
• Pressurization

Until now, there has not been a way to achieve all four of these key items when shopping for shock absorbers.  If you wanted Piston size (monotubes), you had to pay for it.  Likewise, performance usually adds an extra “zero” to the cost.  Pressurization (175 psi+) has only been found in high performance monotube shocks.  So you see, there has always been a compromise when shopping for shocks.  This is why we are working with AST where we can achieve all four and create a value package that we know our customers want.

Price
Perform an “apples to apples” comparison and you’ll see that we have a competitive product.  No, the 4100 series shocks won’t be the least expensive kit on the market, but they won’t be twin tube inserts put into stock shock bodies.  These shocks are hand built using brand new, custom housings that house the same components used in our 4200 and 4300 shocks.  Yes, you are getting the internals of the 3 way shocks in a single adjustable (rebound only) coilover kit.

Performance
If you’re like us, you want to spend your money wisely.  What makes the difference?  All high end shocks are monotube designs for a reason; they perform better.  When will you notice this?  Primarily things like big bumps in turns and fast transitions on the track or autocross course.  Ride in or drive any car with this level of shock and you’ll know instantly why people buy them, they make the difference.  Other designs are made for two reasons:  comfort and inexpensive manufacturing.  Step into your local parts store and ask for any car out there, you can get a $15 shock (it won’t be a monotube).

Piston Size
Simply put, if you have a twin tube that’s an insert in a strut, how big do you think your piston is?  A monotube uses the outside wall of the strut body so the size difference can be dramatic.  For every pound of force put on that piston, think of the loading a little piston sees for every square inch versus a monotube.  That translated directly into the ability to fine tune the shock.  Only gross adjustments can be made on small diameter pistons, fine adjustments separate monotubes from twin tubes.

Pressurization
All of our shocks are pressurized to a minimum of 175 psi with nitrogen.  Some twin tubes will say they are pressurized, but they are 1-2 bar or 14 -29 psi.  High pressurization keeps the oil from cavitating around the piston.  It is amazing to see when we rebuild a shock that this can be shown by simply pulling the piston out.  Under pressure, no bubble form, but under low pressure, they are present.  Cavitation makes the shock ineffective, pressurization makes a consistent environment for the shock to do its job correctly with every stroke.