Building a Hot Rod can be of great satisfaction to the owner but does sometimes have issues.

We had a customer enquire about some shocks earlier this year. The majority of the time Hot Rods (even well engineered designs) are supplied with shocks that do not have enough travel. This is also often found too late in the build to perform major suspension or chassis modifications.

In order to have sufficient stroke, a longer shock is required eye to eye when fully extended. This usually entails moving the upper mounts higher or lower mounts lower on the front or rear suspension.

Also depending on the engine used, calculation of the overall weight is higher than originally considered especially over the front axle which meant the shocks compress more when loaded reducing compression travel from ride height.

With this project, the owner had to stiffen the springs at the front & rear to get some bump travel back & stop back breaking jarring moments when the shocks would run out of travel.

The front continued to present issues with the only fix available without major modifications was to change to a remote canister design shock.

Most shocks marketed for Hot rods are of a twin tube design. What we offered the customer was a monotube design which enabled the use of a short body to increase shaft travel but still allow the oil to be displaced into a remote canister. The additional support of the gas chamber helps to improve damper response & reduce cavitation.

We also designed a simple 3D printed canister bracket to give the Hot Rod something unique but professional look to keep the canister in line with the shock body.

These units fitted were non adjustable damping to save on costs. However these are also available as single or dual adjustable units coil over design as utilized for the rear. The JRi Shock unit can be serviced & rebuilt by us locally in Melbourne. We are also the only authorized Australian sales distributor for the brand.

Just because your Hot Rod is of vintage design doesn't mean it needs to ride this way. Get in contact with us to improve your custom ride with the USA made JRi Shocks.

Check out our website https://www.racingshocksaustralia.com.au

With many choices of aftermarket shocks advertised for motorsport, it can be difficult for the consumer to make an informed decision. It can also be confusing to understand the differences between two products that look well-made but perform different to each other & have different life expectancies.

The consumer's budget is ultimately the deciding factor to what brand they will purchase. We like to breakdown the quality of the shock brands into three markets.

Budget brands -

• Priced at below AUD$2000.00 a car set or $500.00 individually
• Are made to suit many models in high volumes which leads to poor tolerances due to mass production.
• Problems that occur include poor ride qualities, seal failures often within the first 12 months of operation & the use of inferior raw materials to manufacture the components which can fail
• These are only suitable for the street, not for track work
• Most units remain as oil only units (no gas pressure chamber) & often of twin tube design
• Ensure you have an additional budget for more appointments to see your chiropractor to fix your spine alignment from the jaw jarring ride qualities they present

Mid-Range Brands -

• Priced between AUD$2000.00 to $5000.00 or between $500.00 & $1250.00 individually
• Often advertised by a brand with HQ outside of Asia but essentially made in Asian based factories with higher quality control
• Advertised as units that can be utilized for track work but still remain as a street derived design
• Lack technical support, service & warranty issues with no local service representative
• Often more expensive to repair than premium brands with unobtainable parts requiring custom repairs & higher labour time
• Poor matching of units after some use (different damping characteristics across the one axle)
• Will be gas supported but may not have separate oil/gas chambers (emulsion design). Split between twin tube & monotube design
• Still targeted at mass production but in lower volumes

Premium Brands -

• Priced at over AUD$4000.00 & up to $20,000.00 or between $1000.00 to $5000.00 per individual unit
• Proven motorsport reliability & essentially designed for motorsport as priority
• Hand built & made to suit the vehicle application (custom design)
• Local & international technical support provided
• After sales advice
• Modular construction for easy repair
• More than 1 year warranty
• Made in Europe, USA or Australia
• Various designs & piston options available to alter the damping characteristics. Most will be of monotube design with exceptions of thru shaft which will be of twin tube design
• Hand built & every unit dyno-tested to check conformity to build tolerances
• Dyno test sheets supplied
• If one corner becomes damaged, only one unit will need repairing or replacing
• Build tolerances are small so the internal design reduces hysteresis, improves internal efficiency, increases adjustment range without causing major ride quality issues
• Can be serviced which extends the life of the units more than 4 times longer than cheaper brands & essentially cheaper to own long term with better damping characteristics
• Low gas pressure technology improves damping response & ride qualities
• Oil is not sensitive to temperature change but remains as low viscosity & protects internal components over the duration of events
• Seals are of a low friction design & temperature stable
• Often these units can be upgraded to a higher spec or more adjustability
• Can be resold at a decent margin for a return of investment after many years of use
• Helps the environment by not ending up in land fill

Before you purchase your new shocks for your vehicle, check what support & warranty you will receive vs the outlay. Experience can't be bought & what we offer with our premium brands is far more value than what you will receive from cheaper brands.

Your results & essentially your safety depends on it.

Check out our website https://www.racingshocksaustralia.com.au