Coilovers Vrs Air Shocks

Ricky B

Ricky B

Wiiide Open
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
LKN - Tha Dirty Mo (Mooresville, NC)
Ok so i thought i could get away with the 2" dia air shocks on the front of my s10 blazer but apparntly no so to get the 2.5" air shocks its 700 fer a pair. Now that leads me to the thought that i could get coilovers for pretty close to that price (at least I think).

If I do get coilovers for the front of my S10 blazer w/ no body just tube and a chopped hood w/ the 4.3

What coilovers do i need to get IE: what size shock (2" or 2.5") and also do i need a remote resevoir shock?

And then also where do you get the coils for the coilovers and how much do they cost cause every website i see has the coilover part but i can't find the actual coils that go over the shocks, lol.

If you think I can get away with the 2" air shocks let me know cause that would be my favorite choice, lol, but otherwise chime in on what you think I need as far as coilovers go for my application.

Thanks
 
You will not buy a decent set of COs for $700.....expect $1100 or so for the pair with coils, dual rate kits, etc.


Andy
 
rockmafia said:
DO YOU EVER SEARCH ANYTHING BEFORE YOU ASK HERE? or is you computer stuck on NC4x4?
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Yea I search most of the time, but I know most of ya'll know this stuff so I've gotten to the point where I'll just post here instead of spending an hour and a half looking at random posts trying to find the info I need while not actually getting my exact question answered, lol. I mean thats what the forum is for anyway isnt it ;)
 
jrraw23 said:
getting my exact question answered......I mean thats what the forum is for anyway isnt it ;)
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How many times do you think "what size tires can I put on my Z71" has been asked on fullsizechevy.com?

Ya think they get tired of that?

You have to stop and think that SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE has had the same issue you're facing.

As big as pirate is, SURELY someone there has asked the very same thing and there been all kinds of discussions on it. I hardly EVER post over there, but I use it daily as a resource.

I'm not speaking for the guys running this forum, but I'd imagine thats what this is for as well, and not for a personal Q&A catering service.


Kids today :shaking: right here, right now, without any legwork of their own. You'd never made it back in the days without the internet and where people actually made the trek to a LIBRARY.


People.......We are in fact doomed!
 
CasterTroy said:
How many times do you think "what size tires can I put on my Z71" has been asked on fullsizechevy.com?

Ya think they get tired of that?

You have to stop and think that SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE has had the same issue you're facing.

As big as pirate is, SURELY someone there has asked the very same thing and there been all kinds of discussions on it. I hardly EVER post over there, but I use it daily as a resource.

I'm not speaking for the guys running this forum, but I'd imagine thats what this is for as well, and not for a personal Q&A catering service.


Kids today :shaking: right here, right now, without any legwork of their own. You'd never made it back in the days without the internet and where people actually made the trek to a LIBRARY.


People.......We are in fact doomed!
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Pot meet kettle?

http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10785

:flipoff2:
 
CasterTroy said:
How many times do you think "what size tires can I put on my Z71" has been asked on fullsizechevy.com?
Ya think they get tired of that?
You have to stop and think that SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE has had the same issue you're facing.
As big as pirate is, SURELY someone there has asked the very same thing and there been all kinds of discussions on it. I hardly EVER post over there, but I use it daily as a resource.
I'm not speaking for the guys running this forum, but I'd imagine thats what this is for as well, and not for a personal Q&A catering service.
Kids today :shaking: right here, right now, without any legwork of their own. You'd never made it back in the days without the internet and where people actually made the trek to a LIBRARY.
People.......We are in fact doomed!
Click to expand...

Granted the tire size thing is pretty annoying but theres always gonna be people who don't know whats goin on and ask that, lol.

But yea I agree with you totaly, without the internet, I would know absolutly nothing about offroad modding, it's the only reason I am where I am today, lol.
 
That was best response I've ever read. So I guess what caster is saying is that no one needs to reqister or log in and that we should just search the net including these pages for what we want to know. That makes sense to me lets just close down the web to new input and just search ghost files from now on.
 
did you ever figure out what dual rate was? how 'bout tender coils? helper coils?

just making sure you got all your facts as you make your (expensive) decision...

Greg
 
Actually no, lol, but i got shane (scarface) to tell me what to do, lol. I talked to him today and he set me strait on a couple things, but yea he told me I prob need to figure out my front end weight to determine weather or not air shocks are goona be able to handle the front or if im gonna have to go to coilovers and then if i did I would have to know the weight anyway to know what coilover to get so i got to get that done.

Either way I'm gettin some dang suspension thats gonna frikin walk over boulders so whatever has to be done . . . .
 
there are all types of calculators out there to help...

we just called Dave at Poly Performance when I ordered mine...

the dual rate means there are two coils...usually a lighter first coil that takes the first bit of impact, and then a stiffer second to absorb the rest...

for instance, a 175/325 may have the same calculated total spring rate as a 250/250, but it would be a completely different ride...(I just made those numbers up as an example)...

the tender coil is added when you go to a triple rate setup, and is a real light spring that can keep your other springs from unseating...

Greg
 
Finnaly got the info i needed from a dude on pirate, here's what he said:

I weighed mine when it was stock, but not since its been sas'd. it was 3900lbs totally empty 2100 front and 1800 rear for a 90 2 door 4.3. 2000 a corner should be plenty I would imagine, I doubt your ever going to carry an extra 2000 lbs on your front bumper.
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Figured I'd post it up In case anyone else was interested.

So yea I'm goin with the Fox 2.5" Air shocks, 16" travel. Thanks for all the help :driver:
 
jrraw23 said:
Either way I'm gettin some dang suspension thats gonna frikin walk over boulders so whatever has to be done . . . .
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My leaf springs work pretty darn well for walking over boulders.
 
Having ridden in 2 rigs with 'em, I can say no.
 
Air shocks stifness will vary by how much air the owner puts in them. Also the more air the owner puts in them the more lift they will provide. THere are two things that could cause an air shock to ride very stiff. One Someone tryed to put them on a vehicle too heavy for them to handle at there optimum psi so they had to put excess air in the shocks to keep the vehicle up. Or two the owner did not properly mount the air shock to provide enough lift so htey put excess air in to lift the ride height but at the same time loosing suspension flexyness. Obviously both of these reasons are due to excessive air in the shock. If you do it right you will not have a problem with an air shocks and it will flex super awsome. I also have a friend who has air shocks and his are very soft and not super stiff because he set them up right.

There is one other thing that could cause them to ride rough/stiff, if the owner tries to do high speed offroading ie: in sand or rally style, etc. the excess heat will cause the air in the shock to expand thuis increasing ride height thus stiffining the shock. Thats why everyone says they are for rigs that rockkrawl and tril ride at slow speeds only, which is perfect for my blazer.

But like I said b4 if you do it right they are awsome.

edit: I just realized I learned a crapload about air shocks in like the three days I was trying to see if they would work for my application, lol. I went from like knowing seriously nothing other than they were called air shocks to now I can tell you what you can use em on, what they do, how they work, weight limits, etc. Daggum just shows if your really interested in something you can learn it quick, wish I could get myself that interested in College when I have a test the next day, lol.

btw: everything I learned was from talkin on the phone or face to face to 3 different people I know from nc4x4 so thumbs up to Shane Chris and Andy and nc4x4 for makin it all possible!
 
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