adjustable shocks - what should they be set at?

[l1ttle_d3vil]

the corolla has got (from memory) 8 point adjustable shocks in the rear, rancho brand - not sure on the exact model number right now.

question is, what should they be set at for street driving, drags, drifting etc? hardest, softest or mediumest? or is there one which would be ideal for all of the above? its fairly bumpy on the open road at the moment, although I'm not sure what setting they're on yet.

i know sfa about shocks - let alone adjustable ones - so any advice is good!!

cheers
-matt

[Mr Revhead]

rancho?
congratulations you have 4wd shocks!
i would start with them on the softest setting and go from there seeing how it feels
they are made for a heavy 4wd pounding around rivers etc so could be rather stiff
btw they are 9 point adjustment. 1 being softest i think

[Akane]

Soft for maximum grip, but lazy, hard for lesser grip, but more sharper handling.

for a FR, IMHO I'd go for:

Street: Soft soft for comfort
Street drift: soft front, soft/mid rear
track drift: mid front, hard rear
drag: soft rear.


that's IMO ofcoz.

[l1ttle_d3vil]

rancho?
congratulations you have 4wd shocks!

yeah I noticed that when I checked out their website!! were already in when I got the car, it was being setup as a serious drag machine so they went all out.

thanks akane, pretty much what I wanted - i'll have a play around with them.

has anyone used rancho shocks before??
any feedback, good, bad or otherwise?

[ChaosAD]

Ideally on a shock dyno, as unless they are a matched pair, soft on one could be mid on the other.

[Mr Revhead]

they are a good shock, we sell a lot to some real rough buggers!

i was recomending starting soft as they could be quite a beefy shock

i would also be going softer in the rear than front as there is more weight in the front and going harder could lead to less grip in the rear.

really the only way is to have a play

[Akane]

i would also be going softer in the rear than front as there is more weight in the front and going harder could lead to less grip in the rear.

That's the whole point isn't it? No grip at the rear, skids!

[postfach]

FWIW I run my dampers softer on the rear and harder on the front. I've tried almost every combination of settings from as soft as they go all round to as hard as they go all round. Hard was stupid, there was no traction at all, serious understeer which turns into serious oversteer as you correct it. Soft is ok, but bigger/sharper bumps at speed can cause me to bottom out, scrape wheels on guards while turning etc. My optimum setting was just under halfway to hard on the fronts, and a couple of clicks softer on the back.

My advice: play with them until you find a setting you're happy with. Start from as soft as they go all round, then work your way up evenly. You'll know when you've gone past the sweet spot.

On mine, while cornering hard (on the track, obviously) the back feels like it tracks slightly outside of the front, like you're almost about to slide, but still holding the road firmly at the same time.

[matt dunn]

Shock settings reed to be adjusted to spring rate,

so if you dont know the spring rate your just geussing anyway.

try the different settings and see how it feels.