SPAX Shocks
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 8,913
Likes: 283
SPAX Shocks
http://www.balancemotorsport.co.uk/p...x3&subcatid=44
Here is place that sells SPAX shocks for the corvette.
Front part # is G021
Rear Part # is G022_24
They were priced at about 68.00 Brittish Pounds. That is about $95.00
each.
Could not find a place in the states, anyone know of one.
Mark
Here is place that sells SPAX shocks for the corvette.
Front part # is G021
Rear Part # is G022_24
They were priced at about 68.00 Brittish Pounds. That is about $95.00
each.
Could not find a place in the states, anyone know of one.
Mark
Race Director
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 12,712
Likes: 2,270
Try Hutton Motor Engineering in Clarksville TN (931) 648-1119. Talk to Bill Hutton or Karl Bell. Bill worked for Cosworth years ago.
HME handled the special order of 25 sets of Spax shocks for the Cosworth Vega Owners Assc. back in the late nineties. They were not cataloged at that time, but Spax had previously cataloged H-body shocks and they still had the specs.
These are BY FAR the best shocks I have ever run on a car. They have 11-way adjustable rebound damping and can be adjusted on the car with a screwdriver. I was quickly able to dial in the damping to handle the very stiff OE springs and larger than OE anti-roll bars I have on my CV. The previous Bilsteins had too little front rebound damping and too much at the rear. My CV now has just about perfect ride and handling with DOT legal racing tires.
YOU CANNOT SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY ON SHOCKS AND TIRES FOR YOUR VINTAGE CORVETTE!!! The OE springs, bushings, and bars are fine as long as they are in good working order. Tires, shocks, and alignment tuning are the key to achieving respectable sports car handling with a well controlled ride under all speed and road condtions.
Duke
HME handled the special order of 25 sets of Spax shocks for the Cosworth Vega Owners Assc. back in the late nineties. They were not cataloged at that time, but Spax had previously cataloged H-body shocks and they still had the specs.
These are BY FAR the best shocks I have ever run on a car. They have 11-way adjustable rebound damping and can be adjusted on the car with a screwdriver. I was quickly able to dial in the damping to handle the very stiff OE springs and larger than OE anti-roll bars I have on my CV. The previous Bilsteins had too little front rebound damping and too much at the rear. My CV now has just about perfect ride and handling with DOT legal racing tires.
YOU CANNOT SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY ON SHOCKS AND TIRES FOR YOUR VINTAGE CORVETTE!!! The OE springs, bushings, and bars are fine as long as they are in good working order. Tires, shocks, and alignment tuning are the key to achieving respectable sports car handling with a well controlled ride under all speed and road condtions.
Duke
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,202
Likes: 44
From: Roswell GA
Delco performers
Have a question on shocks, didn't want to start a new thread.
Duke on that same subject - SHOCKS - I now have Delco Gas Performers. I also have the TRW fiberglass spring. These shocks (according to several CF members from a recent post) seemed to be matched with the 'glass spring. I have no idea what era they came from.
Do you think these PERFORMERS are still a reasonable quality shock, or is an upgrade in order.
Duke on that same subject - SHOCKS - I now have Delco Gas Performers. I also have the TRW fiberglass spring. These shocks (according to several CF members from a recent post) seemed to be matched with the 'glass spring. I have no idea what era they came from.
Do you think these PERFORMERS are still a reasonable quality shock, or is an upgrade in order.
Race Director
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 12,712
Likes: 2,270
The only way I can tell if shocks are properly matched to spring rate and body mass is to drive the car. The type of driving you do and prevailing road conditions also are a factor. In my case I need rebound damping that is firm to support sporting type driving or race track hot lapping. This is usually more than most people like. If you drive easy on smooth roads you don't need as much rebound damping as if you drive hard or on fairly bumpy/wavy roads.
Also, as you increase spring rate at constant vehicle mass, you need more rebound damping or you end up with a pogo stick on bumpy roads and an ill-handling, maybe even unsafe, PIG!.
Shocks are really the key to good ride and handling, but most guys pay as much attention to them as windshield washer fluid, and the same pretty much goes for tires.
The reason why I like adjustable shocks is that I can tune them for my specific driving requirements, and so can anybody else, but not everybody has the ride/handling same objectives as I do.
About those fiberglass springs. The base '63 rear spring is 162 lb/in and the later base variable rate springs are about 140 lb/in at normal ride height. The aftermarket fiberglass springs are about double these rates - about the same as the F-40/41 spring, which was designed for racing. Such a stiff rear spring combined with the base front springs is not only going to make the rear ride stiff, it will greatly increase understeer. Much higher rebound damping rate is required for a much stiffer spring, and since the fiberglass rear springs have less internal damping than the OE multileaf leaf steel spring, the fiberglass spring will require MORE rebound damping than an OE type spring of the same rate, and I don't know of any commonly available shocks that have sufficient rebound damping for the F-40/41 spring unless all you do is drive like an old lady on billiard table smooth roads.
The base Corvette suspension is really quite good as long as it is in good working order and not worn out. All you need to make these cars ride and handle nearly as well as a contemporary sports car or sports sedan is properly functioning base springs and bushings (with the exception of using hard urethane bushings on the front anti-roll bar links), the best available tires, a good set of adjustable shocks, and alignment tuning.
I wouldn't spend a nickel on urethane suspension bushings in the control arms and rear suspension pivot points nor on aftermarket springs, but I have no limit on what I will spend on tires, shocks, and alignment tuning, which for me is "free" because I do my own alignments jobs.
Duke
Also, as you increase spring rate at constant vehicle mass, you need more rebound damping or you end up with a pogo stick on bumpy roads and an ill-handling, maybe even unsafe, PIG!.
Shocks are really the key to good ride and handling, but most guys pay as much attention to them as windshield washer fluid, and the same pretty much goes for tires.
The reason why I like adjustable shocks is that I can tune them for my specific driving requirements, and so can anybody else, but not everybody has the ride/handling same objectives as I do.
About those fiberglass springs. The base '63 rear spring is 162 lb/in and the later base variable rate springs are about 140 lb/in at normal ride height. The aftermarket fiberglass springs are about double these rates - about the same as the F-40/41 spring, which was designed for racing. Such a stiff rear spring combined with the base front springs is not only going to make the rear ride stiff, it will greatly increase understeer. Much higher rebound damping rate is required for a much stiffer spring, and since the fiberglass rear springs have less internal damping than the OE multileaf leaf steel spring, the fiberglass spring will require MORE rebound damping than an OE type spring of the same rate, and I don't know of any commonly available shocks that have sufficient rebound damping for the F-40/41 spring unless all you do is drive like an old lady on billiard table smooth roads.
The base Corvette suspension is really quite good as long as it is in good working order and not worn out. All you need to make these cars ride and handle nearly as well as a contemporary sports car or sports sedan is properly functioning base springs and bushings (with the exception of using hard urethane bushings on the front anti-roll bar links), the best available tires, a good set of adjustable shocks, and alignment tuning.
I wouldn't spend a nickel on urethane suspension bushings in the control arms and rear suspension pivot points nor on aftermarket springs, but I have no limit on what I will spend on tires, shocks, and alignment tuning, which for me is "free" because I do my own alignments jobs.
Duke
