coil over q's for those that really know!

[bru21]

my old man just made a set for a 7 replica and they worked out cheap as. so it got me thinking. i am looking at using a ralf shock as a base and going from there. what i really want to know is is there a real benefit apart from adjustability to using them. i intend to use them for obc style events. for a gq ute. i just don't want to go to the effort of making new perches and cutting my spring mounts off etc as well as the $$$ for no benefit.

my thoughts so far is to have at least 250mm of adjustment to set ride height and tension, and allow fine tuning for comps. also intergrating a multi position mount height as i have a fork at work and would like the ease of quick rta happy height adj!

any suggestions from those that know. wendle i look foward to ya reply

cheers bru

[hotrod4x4]

wendle doesnt use coil overs

u need to find someone thats been using them for a while an been playin with setups
they r the only ones that would know if its worth while

and from what i've seen , its either the buggies , or apparently a few victorian trucks

so call cheezy to find who to talk to about it , since i recall him sayin theres some outback cars running them now

or a buggy guy like trailcraft or someone similiar.....'fourwheelin' jamie uses fox air shocks......will b diff setup tho

then again , a buggy would b setup very differently to an outback car

[stuee]

From what I've seen and read it seems most of the top end guys steer clear of the adjustables and go for quality shocks(koni bilstein) and get them valved right for their springs.

When you say a 7 replica I'm assuming you mean a caterham 7 and the loads placed on those coilovers are nothing compared to obc. So by the time you can get some coilovers designed around the ralf shock it would cost big bucks. At the end of the day for reliablity you would be best off getting some fox or bilstein coilovers. If you learn to rebuild them you can also revalve them yourself for different spring combos.

If your after a cheaper option I believe there is an Aus company that makes coilovers for desert racing (AusShock or something) whcih a lot of offroad racers use.

I personally believe that adjustable shocks are just gimmicks. Every thing I've read to date says that to get best performance from your suspension the shocks should suite the sring rates etc. Just my opion though.

[bigpat]

Coilovers are nice and neat, until you bust a shock rod or dent the canister, then you're F*&^%d, because both items are in one unit. With conventional set up, you still have your spring to keep going, even if you kill a shock.

Also, the loads from a coilover setup is different from conventional, which spreads the loads over the spring 'perches' AND the shock mounts. Coilovers concentrate em on one point, so make sure you get your sums right when re-enforcing the shock mounts, top AND bottom. Remember shock mounts were not originally designed to carry the weight of the car, springs and their locators do that.

If you real decide you want a coilover however, don't worry about engineering a solution around a standard shock like the Ralph. The outer tube, shock rod, and bearing wasn't designed to support the bending loads imposed by coils. Best to buy a dedicated coil over, it'll be cheaper in the long run. With a dedicated unit, you can rebuild and revalve the internals ( to same as a Ralph if you want) when you need, and to suit different springs, unlike a Ralph which doesn't come apart. Tough events really heat up shocks which kills the seals, and most importantly the oil. Rebuildable shocks allow you to change these things after an event and the external pressured canister type have larger capacity which help keep temps down, and prevent cavitation of the fluid.

I saw the KING adj. units at Cheezy's which look tough. Dunno if they make coilovers. Or, you can ring Jamie Drummond, at Drummond Motor Sport in Wodonga. They make good quality ( I've seen inside em) aussie built units, and could be custom made for you. They are a top quality unit, that is exported, and used by the factory Mitsubishi , and Simon Evans rally teams. If you're serious about doing the OBC, don't cut corners with your suspension considering the pounding it'll cop.

Just speaking from experience with rebuildable, racing coilovers, and having dealt with helping to design some racecars. Hope this helps...

Pat.

[planb]

you could build it like a pre-runner with 20 plus in of travel and a driveshaft hoop for jumps !

although there are concerns for safety coming from event organisers, they still havent slowed down the events by adding more winching etc.

having said all that, look who won this year, hilux on leaf springs if i remmeber correctly.

dont waste your time and money on home made units, you can buy racerunners here for $500 aus, and they will love the mud (not)

i would just stick to what you have, easy to fix and find parts. which is part of every obc competitors week

you stuff a homemade coilover, you better have a spare or three/

[bru21]

thanks fellas all valid points. i was refering to a caterham 7 just cause i started thinking of the idea not the design. i thinking along the lines of using the shock to locate the coil only. making ends that hold the springs and take the compression loads with retention straps to take the rebound limit load. the shock then screws in to either side.

if there is no real benefit other than neatness and adjustability i might get over it. especially as it is so hard to refit the old setup after grinding it off etc.

thanks fellas

bru

[professor]

Have a look at dobbins coil overs it may help you
www.dobbinengineering.com/

Chad

[MARKx4]

Once again dobbins coilovers are made around a rancho shock. There have been a few people who have made them out of ranchos and stopped due to them bending after a while. Plus $800 for a rancho coilover is out of control. You can go to bigballsoffroad and get the race runner which are 16 to 20inch travel, which they use in the baja buggies in the states with the springs and everything to put in for the same cost $800 and they are a deddicated coil over. Not a made up one from what was never desgined in the first place to take that type of abuse.