air shocks, what to do?

[Graham Hantz]

Hi guys and gals,

Does anyone have advise for me. I drive a 1983 T-type. At some point aftermarket (Monroe) air shocks were put on the rear. They have small air lines and I stem near the rear license plate area.

Are these adjustable?
Will they adjust ride height or stiffness/traction or both?
Are they troublesome? (mine look somewhat old)
Can I adjust them to an optimal point to drag race?

How does one adjust these?

Thanks!
Graham

 

[Black Box]

Best thing to do is get rid of the air shocks. Air shocks are a stop-gap effort to crutch the problem of old, worn out, sagging springs.

Airing up the air shocks will naturally raise the ass end of the car, but at the expense of ride harshness. Most likely they will not help any existing traction issues.

If you look at the rear upper shock mount, you'll see that it's merely a diagonal bracket going from the frame rails to the crossmember. If you air up the air shocks, the upper shock mount will become a weight bearing member, something it is simply not designed to do.

Best bet is to put new springs in if they are sagging. Moogs are popular, as long as you buy the correct ones (do a search on this board for "Moog"). A new set of shocks will be required too. Lots of good shocks out there. In order of price from low to high:

• Monroe Sensa-Tracs. I have them in my car, they ride nice but it certainly won't win any autocross competitions.
  
• KYB's are a step up, they should make it handle a little better.
  
• Bilsteins seem to be the shock of choice for all around usage. Firm ride, yet still compliant enough for street driving.

Air bag(s) in the coil spring(s) can be used to tune the launch characteristics of the car. They're available from some of the TR parts vendors....I got mine from Jack Cotton. www.cottonsperformance.com You can't go wrong ordering from Jack.

Good luck
Steve

 

[Ormand]

I put air shocks on a previous car, a 75 Nova hatchback. I used them to level the car when it was loaded. Stock, the springs were so stiff that the rear end sat too high, with no load. I put softer springs on it, with the air shocks. They increase the spring rate slightly, stiffness doesn't change when you add air. I remember that they had a minimum of about 5 psi, and I pumped them up to maybe 50 when I had the trunk full of parts and things. But it's been a few years, I may be remembering those numbers wrong.

 

[turbofish38]

Steve, Air shocks in the rear only affect ride height, not the compression or rebound which means they shouldn't ride any harsher than non air. Many fine luxury cars from GM, my Riviera for example and just about every model of Cadillac made in the last 15 years, come with air shocks or struts as standard equipment and I dont think anybody is saying those cars have a rough ride. I agree with you though, ditch the airs and get something that will let you get some traction. Changing the ride height affects the roll center of the car which is why a car with its azz sitting high can spin the tires more easily.

 

[Black Box]

Very true....but ride quality is dependent on the air pressure in the rear shocks.

My '89 Olds 88 had airshock load-leveling and it rode like a dream. But many times, people who put in aftermarkets tend to pump the snots out of them, which will result in a bouncy ride. 100psi in the rear shocks with no weight additional weight in the back is going to affect compression characteristics.

But you are correct, airing them up just enough to level the car shouldn't affect the ride.

Steve

 

[Rickracer]

OE air shock held considerably more volume...

...and used less pressure, that's why they rode nice. Most aftermarket air shock are smaller volume, higher pressure, and will usually ride rougher. Moog Cargo coils are the way to go, and air springs work well too, if necessary for load handling.

 

[chris j. 87gn]

i'm not as old as this will sound , but i remember back when these idiots would put air shocks on their car, jack 'em up and throw some slicks in there to clear the quarters, but they couldn't figure out why they couldn't hook with slicks...! hmmm?!! granted.. do it right and sure you can hook but not by this alone...no one would listen , and it was fun to go by these guys with street tires...JMO!

 

[Chuck Leeper]

$.02 worth...

1. Air shocks usually have a smaller body than a good performance shock, as they are made w/ space restrictions taken into account...Not good for a performance car.

2. Cargo coils are exactly that.. Made to provide added support when loads are incurred. For that reason , they are not what you need to use for a performance application.[Drag racing]

My $.02 worth... A set of NEW, OEM rated stock coils, and a good performance shock.. See the list already posted.

An air bag will help some, but the best solution is an anti-roll bar, such as the HR Parts bar..
FWIW, I have removed the ATR bar, removed the air bags, cargo type springs, and added stock springs, an HR PARTS bar, on my car.. It's now very stable at over 140, even w/ the "aerodynamic brick" body design..[I use the HAL Stocker Star shocks]

Back under my rock...