Shocked

Oshea3333 · Samba Member Joined: March 11, 2009 Posts: 66

im replacing the shocks on my buggy and see mixed opinions on using gas or oil filled shocks. Why should you go one way or the other?

BL3Manx · Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:05 am Post subject:

You should not use gas shocks. They are too stiff for a buggy's low weight and don't allow the suspension to work properly and will give a hard unpleasant ride over washboard, bumps and holes.

Alika · Samba Member Joined: February 11, 2004 Posts: 100

Just out of curiosity , what are the coil overs (black with the chrome coils) normally filled with ... if anything?
Thanks.

mwcopi · Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:20 am Post subject:

I have the black ones with the chrome springs and they make it ride like a haywagon even adjusted on the lowest setting. My bosses A/C cobra rides same way with same shocks. Besides they arent the easiest to get on. They do look nice though. Oh -I have no idea what they are filled.

sturgeongeneral · Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:17 pm Post subject:

The coil-overs are just way too much shock for a buggy. I do think they look good but are just too stiff. (also makes wheelies a LOT more difficult) uh I mean that's what I've heard. Ya, that's it.I heard that.
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Alika · Samba Member Joined: February 11, 2004 Posts: 100

Thanks for the replies. Those Wheelie attempts were probably performed by your Stunt Double ... I know I have one.

LeeVW · Samba Member Joined: June 14, 2006 Posts: 1016

Yep, oil filled only. Unless you go with Fox Shox or something like that. You can valve them specifically for your buggy / driving style. Well worth the $$$.

Lee

zancat · Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:49 am Post subject:

All shocks have some type of oil in them, that's where the dampening comes from...

Gas shocks have a gas charge via a sperate chamber sperated by a piston (can be in a remote reservoir), a bag in a seperate chamber (Ranchos used to be this way, I don't know if they still are), plus other methods. The gas charge prevents the oil from foaming and gives much better sustained performance than non-gas charged shocks. Gas charged shocks do a have a little bit of spring in them as the piston has to compress the gas in order to displace the volume of the shaft as the shock is compressed. It's not much in the big picture though.

Some gas shocks are combination gas spring and gas shock (like the big FOX air stye shocks).

Coil over shocks should be used as a spring and shock replacement (no torsions). There are some that are designed as a "booster" spring, but they typically don't work very well. If coilovers are too stiff, the spring rate probably needs to be changed. As mentioned, valving can be too stiff too.

Gas charged shocks are the way to go IMO, the correct ones for the application just needs to be selected for best results.

Hi, I'm pretty new to posting on this site. Been lurking for quite a while. I have an a-arm Manxster dual sport build going on. We should be in final assembly this coming week.

Zancat
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BL3Manx · Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:40 am Post subject:

A typical short wheel base dune buggy weighs about 1250 lbs.
A Manxter with a full length chassis, a full cage and an A-arm suspension, and maybe bus trans and Subaru engine, likely weighs more than a stock VW bug, if not a full 2,000 lbs.

Bilstein, KYB or some other brand of gas charged shocks will work fine on something heavy, but for a light swb buggy with a VW torsion bar front end, a softer non-gas charged shock gives a much better ride, both off-road and on. For the best ride the stock torsion beam spring rate should also be reduced.

Bruce has written a couple how to articles about it.

Oil_Eater · Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:37 pm Post subject:

I have a subaru 2.0 water pumper out of a WRX hanging out the back of my buggy. I run the coil over shocks on the lowest setting and it's just right. As everyone else has said NO WAY would I run coil over shocks with a WV motor. Wink

Jay

Hank22 · Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:14 pm Post subject:

In the Dual Sport buggy forum there is a thread about the Manx shock oil replacement procedure with a nice pictorial.
http://dsb.yuku.com/topic/2216/t/Shock-Therapy.html


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