Just wondering about everyone's experiences on what different weights do in the side shocks,i.e.,thicker vs. thinner.

DK, I think this could be debated from a lot of different angles. I believe that spring to oil ratio is the key. Find the oil that the car seems to like and then match the spring rates to create the rebound you need at the same time. Several elements will dictate the combo's depending on track, class, tires and etc. I guess that is kinda a wide open door in a way but it is a start.


Rob

I've often wondered the same thing.

I notice most of us run the same oil in both side shocks...

back in the mid 80's when I was doing a lot of Dirt Oval, I always played with stiffer oil on the inside and softer oil on the outside. This in combination with a stiffer outside spring and soft inside spring seemed to let the car work really well. The soft spring/stiff oil kept the inside of the body/chassis from picking up or lifting, and the stiff spring/soft oil on the other side let the spring do most of the work on the side getting the load.

Where most of the cars at that time were lifting the LF tire off the ground and having lots of body roll, mine would plant in the corners.

SWT,

What weight oils were you using? Do you still use this combination in your pan car?

The way I understand side shocks is that a thinner oil will allow the car to react quicker than thicker oil, especially at the entry of a turn. Also as Murdoch stated above generally lighter oil = softer springs and heavier oil = stiffer springs. Hope this helpful.

Doug P.

Springs hold the weight of the car up to a height.
Oil is use for dampering or timing.

Off-road - lighter springs and thicker oil is the exception. :thumbsup: