adjustable shocks

[99LS1]

A dist. for a coilover setup wrote this about adjustable shocks. I wanted to run this by you guys to hear any different angles on his take.

Adjustable dampening, an evil idea in my mind, mostly because it is a marketing ploy for damper manufacturers that sell them for less than $3000usd per set.#Dampers that use a needle down the middle of the piston rod are only bleed adjustment.# Bleed is the hole that you use to bypass the main valve, on passenger cars its usually a drilled hole for comfort at low speed.# Bypassing the valve softens the dampening but if the damper is there to control the spring and you bypass the control mechanism, ie. the valve, then what have you accomplished?

#

True adjustable dampening must be done with a secondary valve, a true hydraulic valve, such as Ohlins, Dynamic, Proflex etc.## The main valve is set#and as the oil is forced to a secondary reservoir it is controlled again by the secondary#hydraulic valve.## The main valve is a stack of shims on each side of the piston, so how would#you adjust that without taking the damper apart.# The secondary hydraulic valve allows minor#changes to the main damping force by controlling the oil#flow.# You can then#have seperate controls for bounce and rebound.# On a mono tube#design the floating piston would move to the external reservoir and this would allow shorter#dampers with longer stroke.#

Hotbits is working on a new line that is 2#and 3 way adjustable.# Highspeed and lowspeed bounce and rebound control on an externally adjustable valve between the main damper and external cannister.

I saw the prototype for the WRX and EVOIIV a year ago, they are hoping to start launching some this year.... The only other way to do adjustable dampening is with the new electro magnetic oils (caddy xlr & new vette)....but I can only guess the price.... I have never taken apart a Tien or JIC, have actually never seen one, which probably means that they are not good enough to rally.## HotBits rally setups are only a revalved version of the street set, I ran 10 National events without inspecting the set in my Focus, when I did, they needed nothing.# So they are#build tough in the TUV certified facility. Watch our website for updates on the Talon set.# Something should be up on the site in August.