WJM Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 ...to see what was REALLY inside and figure out how that shizzle works as it all seemed like black magic even with diagrams.... For the record, i did thoroughly ruin it(cut though the inner shell, and the top section that slides into the inner shell...and a little into the main shaft)...but all the important peices still functioned so I could see how it worked and all...plus the valves are still intact so i can use those as spares. After pouring out the water thin fluid and playing with the stuff for a few mins...and seeing how the valves worked....it occured to me...that the idea I had back in this thread: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=580612 will indeed work. the second strut of the pair (ironically the of the SAME said pair that were 'blown' in that thread) I simply drilled a hole...drained the fluid...tapped the hole for a 1/8-NTP thread plug, filled with some thicker oil (MUCH THICKER...gear oil to be precise) to the appropriate level...and screwed the plug in. results so far are untested on an actual car...but by hand the compression is approximately 4 to 5 times a NEW GR2 and the rebound is about 10x of a NEW GR2. Once I get some more spare time, i will perform said operation on another spare set i have laying around, along with a rear set and throw them on the car. So what do you all think of this? WJM-one who builds a fast car with a string, paperclip, a little boost and oil. :alien: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffast Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 interesting sounds cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanislru Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 I've messed with different oil wieghts in my MTB front shock which had 7" of travel and completely adjustable preload, rebound, etc. It's really surprising how a subtle change in viscosity can make the dampning perform so differently. Some techs (MTB) are very private about their "blends" and most don't use any direct wieghts. Might be less trial and error type work to go with profressively thicker oil instead. Sounds cool can't wait to here what they ride like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 This is VERY interesting! as my car's shocks are probably origional (220k+ miles), and are quite worn. The freeway ride is kinda scary, and I bottom out too easy off-road. I wonder if doing a mod like this would help?! Vanislru? I assume that's why you did it? what'd you think, from an off-road perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanislru Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Chux I haven't messed with one of our struts dampning cartridges I was speaking from my experiances with mountain bike shocks, some of which cost well over a thou bucks, thank god for pro deals. I do think that a thicker oil would be better for sure. The time consuming part is finding which oil wieght that's best. My springs (preload) are pretty good but I have really bad strut unloading, and torque steer too, when I get on the gas hard in FWD so increasing the dampning is something I've been interested in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarutex Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 WJM... I hate to burst your bubble, but you are NOT cool enough to refer to yourself in the third person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tizzle Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex C Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Hey Will, Go see your local harley dealer or performance motorcycle shop. They should know about different weights of oil in shocks, specifically front forks on motorcycles. I know by experience that people who have "soft" forks on their harleys tend to either go with new springs, and or change to the screaming eagle fork oil, which is a heavier oil. This can makes loads of difference. A heavier oil will increase the dampening, as the oil will have a harder time going through the valves. Try and figure out what weight oil comes in them, and try to go progressively heavier to see what works. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted December 17, 2005 Author Share Posted December 17, 2005 Alex, thats where I got the idea from originally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank B Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Where did you drill? Any pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravelRX Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Bwa ha ha. Keep at it Will. You will either break something or find out the secret. Or both. Nice to work in a shop, Eh? Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyrally Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 go will. this sounds like it will be a lot easier than haveing to revalve the shocks. let us know what the results are in the performance tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkx Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 will, if you used a piece of gum too, youd be up there with macguyver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soobscript Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Vaydee eenteresting... You MUST get a set of those modded and installed for a road test. Do you think jumping from thin to gear oil was too big of a first step? Draining it will be fun. I'm sure you've though about this, but if you are going to be testing many weights you might wanna start thinner and work to thicker. It would be cool to tell people your shocks are filled with some 10W-30 How much oil do they hold? [subscribes] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 A thought: Get a viscosity cup (I know you can get one from paint stores, used for telling if paint has been thinned enough to be sprayed) if you don't already have one, and "measure" the viscosity of the original shock fluid, preferably at room and "hot" temps, and then do the same with some known oil viscosity. This should give you a baseline for viscosity changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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