Short front shocks

dfhtrhjn · dfhtrhjn's Garage

Has anyone tried the Bilstein RSR or the Von front shocks for lowered cars? Both shocks claim to be shorter and offer more travel for lowered cars.

I like the suspension on my '77 IROC the way it is; it's a little lower than euro but it's in nice condition and I like it. The shock compression wasn't an issue until the roads got worse and I started driving it more.

Portland road conditions have gotten much worse in the last 5 years. I could really use 10mm-25mm more travel in front to accommodate the potholes that seem to come out of nowhere.

Cory M · 02-01-2021, 09:55 AM

Do you have raised spindles? That lowers the car without reducing the bump travel.

dfhtrhjn · dfhtrhjn's Garage

I don't, they're stock with the Elephant bump steer kits. I hadn't planned on spending $1700 on raise spindles if I could get away with $400 in RSR shocks.

If I have to replace the spindles, I'll probably go full coil over and start from scratch

911pcars · 02-01-2021, 10:45 AM

Shorter shocks don't necessarily increase suspension/shock travel. They shock body is just shorter to compensate for the lower ride height. This places the shock in the middle of its travel when at rest, whereas before, the at-rest ride height position was below the middle of shock travel. Depending on how low (or high) the ride height is adjusted, the suspension could potentially destroy the shock as the piston and shaft runs out of shock tube travel. Stiffer springs/torsion bars and shock settings can partially offset this possibility, but at the end of suspension travel, the shock, its mounting points and chassis take the brunt of the crunch.

Sherwood

mar2mar · 10:55 AM

My front Bilstein RSR inserts are the same length as the stock Bilstein inserts, but the rear Bilstein RSR shocks are a bit shorter than stock when fully compressed.

Cory M · 02-01-2021, 12:01 PM

It's not $1700. Elephant charges $550 each, Rebel racing charges $295 each. Of course you have to send your struts in for the service.

911pcars · 02-01-2021, 12:05 PM

I ordered these custom Bilstein rear shocks from Rebel Racing awhile ago. Compare with a standard Bilstein RSR coil-over shock (on right).

Clint custom orders these for your car specs (ride height, vehicle weight, torsion bar/spring rate, operating conditions, etc.). These shocks can be equipped with coil-over parts as well. Notice the spherical bearing for the bottom shock mount.

Sherwood

dfhtrhjn · dfhtrhjn's Garage

Mar2mar, thanks for the input

On some of the nastier potholes the front sometimes bottoms out. I'm trying to figure out if the shorter shock would operate in its ideal range and provide the compliance I'm looking for on beat up country roads.

Obviously as suggested above, raised spindles (albeit more expensive), address the issue pretty well.

Sherwood, based on that picture there's chance that could work for me. I was crossing my fingers for a relatively small change to adjust for the road.

911pcars · 02-01-2021, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dfhtrhjn

Mar2mar, thanks for the input

On some of the nastier potholes the front sometimes bottoms out. I'm trying to figure out if the shorter shock would operate in its ideal range and provide the compliance I'm looking for on beat up country roads.

Obviously as suggested above, raised spindles (albeit more expensive), address the issue pretty well.

If you often travel on rough roads, I'd mitigate the issue by either raising the ride height to near stock and/or increasing the spring rate/shock settings to avoid bottoming.

If a shorter front strut tube was the solution to accommodate a lower ride height, the issue would be a commensurate shorter shock insert. Perhaps the most cost effective solution was to raise the spindle position on the Bilstein strut tube.

Sherwood