Shock Valving—Front vs Rear?
Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 6:14 pm
I’m after some opinions about shock damping rates for a coil sprung vehicle — specifically a Patrol with a 6 inch lift. Should shocks be valved differently on the front and the rear?
I have heard from some people that front shocks need more compression damping where the rear should have softer compression with strong rebound control.
I was interested in Tough Dog adjustable as they are long enough and seem to be geared towards heavy trucks like mine.
The thing that puts me off is that I have had one guy at 4-Way Suspension tell me that their shocks have front and rear specific valving while another guy at 4-Way told me that they were all the same and you just adjust the damping to suit.
Twisting the dial is going to alter both compression and rebound on these shocks which appears to be a compromise fix if front and rear shocks do require different compression and rebound characteristics.
I can imagine that ‘one type fits all valving’ would make stock control a lot easier but I don’t know what the go is with these TD shocks.
So Basically:
- Should valving rates be front and rear specific?
- Does anyone out there know if the TD 45mm bore foam cell adjustable have front/rear valving or are they a ‘she’ll be right mate, just turn the dial till it feels right shock?
I have heard from some people that front shocks need more compression damping where the rear should have softer compression with strong rebound control.
I was interested in Tough Dog adjustable as they are long enough and seem to be geared towards heavy trucks like mine.
The thing that puts me off is that I have had one guy at 4-Way Suspension tell me that their shocks have front and rear specific valving while another guy at 4-Way told me that they were all the same and you just adjust the damping to suit.
Twisting the dial is going to alter both compression and rebound on these shocks which appears to be a compromise fix if front and rear shocks do require different compression and rebound characteristics.
I can imagine that ‘one type fits all valving’ would make stock control a lot easier but I don’t know what the go is with these TD shocks.
So Basically:
- Should valving rates be front and rear specific?
- Does anyone out there know if the TD 45mm bore foam cell adjustable have front/rear valving or are they a ‘she’ll be right mate, just turn the dial till it feels right shock?