shock tactics

[r73]

I know this has been asked a thousand times but i'm struggling to make my mind up (nothing new!)
Which shocks? Dropped spindle balljoint beam and slamwerks pates down 1 spline

Bugpack oilfilled - will they be too soft?
KYB GR2 - will they be too firm?
KYB Gas-adjust - ???
KYB GAZ - ???
SPax Adjustable - creative/machine7 - ???
Bugpack Coilovers - don't really want to lose the suspension drop - how much will these bump it back up, if at all??

the front is the problem - think the standard shocks are knackered, so anything will be an improvement, at the moment the beam is bottoming out and so are the tyres 185/60/14.
If reccomended i'll change the rears as well though.

thanks
Rob

 

[moler]

I have, and would recommend Spax all round...not the cheapest option, but cured all my problems in one go

 

[the_troupster]

I have, and would recommend Spax all round...not the cheapest option, but cured all my problems in one go

Are they £75 a corner or per pair?

Cheers,
Jim

 

[r73]

I have, and would recommend Spax all round...not the cheapest option, but cured all my problems in one go

Are they £75 a corner or per pair?

Cheers,
Jim

looks like £91 from M7 and £85 from CE EACH!
do seem to do the job though?

 

[K@rlos]

I've got T2D slam shocks on the front (which I was told are actually Bugpack red's but with £20 more slapped on them) on the front and KYB gas-a-just on the back. But I'm thinking of getting some GR2's for the back

 

[r73]

I've got T2D slam shocks on the front (which I was told are actually Bugpack red's but with £20 more slapped on them) on the front and KYB gas-a-just on the back. But I'm thinking of getting some GR2's for the back

I'm sure the T2D slam shocks are bugpacks! a bit like the T-Haus spindles How do you find them - they're oil filled right, but are they the coil over ones? Why the change from Gas-a-just is it to firm it up a bit with the GR2's?

 

[moler]

I have, and would recommend Spax all round...not the cheapest option, but cured all my problems in one go

Are they £75 a corner or per pair?

Cheers,
Jim

looks like £91 from M7 and £85 from CE EACH!
do seem to do the job though?

They where only £75 a corner when I bought them!! I will be fitting them to my next bus

 

[Clem]

I have the bugpacks on the front of mine, ive not been bothered about any raise as I also have an adjuster, but it certainly stopped any rubbing. I know GrahamL has been playing with coilovers to get the stiffness without height comprimise.

Short GR2,s on the back work well.

 

[K@rlos]

I've got T2D slam shocks on the front (which I was told are actually Bugpack red's but with £20 more slapped on them) on the front and KYB gas-a-just on the back. But I'm thinking of getting some GR2's for the back

I'm sure the T2D slam shocks are bugpacks! a bit like the T-Haus spindles How do you find them - they're oil filled right, but are they the coil over ones? Why the change from Gas-a-just is it to firm it up a bit with the GR2's?

I haven't drove mine with the new front end yet so I can say how they perform but as for the rears I'm gonna fit GR2's to stop the back end bouncing around which is how it was before I took it off the road.

Karl

 

[Graham L]

Yep working on some shorter coilovers for the front that will not raise the bus back up by an inch like the ones that T2D and T Haus supply which are the same ones that GSF sell for £59.95 but are simply too long in the body.

I'm running a set of modified units on Monty at the moment and so far the results are good, maintaining the ride of the dropped spindles without bottoming out but sitting lower than the bugpack ones, not going to be as cheap though with costs looking like £100 a corner.

Will post some more details up once I have them, hopefully in the next week!

 

[r73]

yeah my feeling is that the bugpack coil overs are a bit long. what would be the benefits of the modified coil overs over an uprated off the shelf gas or oil shock (bugpack oil or GR2)??

 

[Graham L]

You'll find that just fitting GR2s or similar will result in you bottoming out quite easy even on dropped spindles. Remember all of these shocks are designed for buses that have been lowered by adjusters therefore reducing the travel on your suspension. (I had GR2's fitted and instantly ground the bottom of the beam end plates off).

Flipped arms & dropped spindles still give you the full suspension travel you get on a standard bus but on average 4 inches lower so its very easy to either foul the inner wheelarch or the beam especially on bumpy roads.

Had a really good conversion with a major shock supplier this morning so am hoping to be able to offer an alternative product very soon.

 

[sparkywig]

You'll find that just fitting GR2s or similar will result in you bottoming out quite easy even on dropped spindles. Remember all of these shocks are designed for buses that have been lowered by adjusters therefore reducing the travel on your suspension. (I had GR2's fitted and instantly ground the bottom of the beam end plates off).

Flipped arms & dropped spindles still give you the full suspension travel you get on a standard bus but on average 4 inches lower so its very easy to either foul the inner wheelarch or the beam especially on bumpy roads.

Had a really good conversion with a major shock supplier this morning so am hoping to be able to offer an alternative product very soon.

:lol:

You're not wrong, I beached the beam on Saturday......

 

[cunning plan]

Will post some more details up once I have them, hopefully in the next week!

Interested Graham. I tried to get the Red9 Spax coil-overs to work the T-Haus dropped spindles, but the Spax were too short. So I bought T-Haus coil-overs thinking they would go straight on without effecting the ride-height, but obviously wrong! I've tried to get them on a few times and it is clear they will lift the bus as they are about 40mm too long. :roll:

 

[r73]

cheers graham - can see the dilema. what about air shocks? Evil Ben does some for 130 a pair. they're oil shocks with air, and run from 25psi to 200, you just pump em up (or down), not sure if in order to stop bottoming out you have to run so much air that you end up raising the bus though?

Are the shocks your looking into Graham going to be servicable? cos i know a mate that runs the bugpack coil overs and they dont last that long (about 18mnths)

 

[67westy]

I've tried to get them on a few times and it is clear they will lift the bus as they are about 40mm too long. :roll:

Oh bugger, I bought some of these as well. Might have to give it a try and see how high it lifts it, needs to be low enough to still get in the garage!

I've got an adjuster on the beam as well, anyone know if this this be used in combination with T-Haus spindles and shocks to get a bit lower without compromising the ride too much?

 

[cunning plan]

Oh bugger, I bought some of these as well.

Exactly what I thought :roll:

I've got an adjuster on the beam as well, anyone know if this this be used in combination with T-Haus spindles and shocks to get a bit lower without compromising the ride too much?

I'm pretty sure you can notch the adjuster down a little, but if it is welded in the usual place, you won't be able to adjust it much without bottoming out. However, if the coil-over wants to sit that high, it IS that high - I don't think making the suspension lower will make any difference as the coil-over will just push it back up :?

 

[r73]

I've tried to get them on a few times and it is clear they will lift the bus as they are about 40mm too long. :roll:

Oh bugger, I bought some of these as well. Might have to give it a try and see how high it lifts it, needs to be low enough to still get in the garage!

I've got an adjuster on the beam as well, anyone know if this this be used in combination with T-Haus spindles and shocks to get a bit lower without compromising the ride too much?

If you fit them - could you please do a before and after measurement - i';d like to know the exact lift please - think i'm going to put some gas beetle rears on for now cos one of the front shocks is knackered anyway (17 quid each from GSF)

 

[Graham L]

Using the coilovers from T2D or T Haus lift the bus back up by approx an inch due to the length of the damper body and spring, when I first fitted them I had to jack up the bottom of the damper just to get them to fit (ie they were longer than the suspension at full drop when it was up off the floor)

The units we are working on are from a very well known damper maker in the UK and will be fully serviceable. At the moment I'm running modified bugpack ones that we had some new spring seats and collars made for but the units we are looking at are off the shelf items that we can get have adjustable platforms on them and once we get the spring rates right and height right we will then offer them for sale. Alex at THaus has already expressed an interest!!

I'm not sure the air shocks will work as again these are designed for slammed buses so even though the psi can run up to 200-250psi it will only lift the bus up a few inches from slammed!!, I may be wrong but I just dont think they have enough travel to cater for full suspension movement.

 

[67westy]

If you fit them - could you please do a before and after measurement - i';d like to know the exact lift please - think i'm going to put some gas beetle rears on for now cos one of the front shocks is knackered anyway (17 quid each from GSF)

I would do but the bus is already quite low at the front due to the beam adjuster so I don't know if I would be able to get any useful measurements from it. Sounds like Graham knows what he's on with though