Shockworks Coilovers & BBK

[Manaz]

Oh YEAH!!!
Who is the other lucky one?

The other one will be going to GTBee as he asked to pay a deposit on this set before manufacturing even begin.

He wasn't alone in that

[owen]

Indeed. However you haven't responded to my PM so I assumed you had other plans.

[Manaz]

Indeed. However you haven't responded to my PM so I assumed you had other plans.

I have to make sure I have the money before I can commit. Unfortunately, I'm currently looking at $30k or so to replace the roof on my house - that's my first priority. Once that's sorted, I will be purchasing a set.

[HardwareBoB]

I want a set of these but won't probably have spare money until next year - what endlinks/sway bar mounts /etc/etc would you recommend as a total package to balance it?

[owen]

I want a set of these but won't probably have spare money until next year - what endlinks/sway bar mounts /etc/etc would you recommend as a total package to balance it?

These are tuned to suit stock sway bars and endlinks.

MCA also recommend stock sway bars and endlinks. We've ripped the thick bars out of our race cars, refitted stock ones and found big improvements.

[bigBADbenny]

To quote Brett Obrien: "let the chassis breath."

http://vimeo.com/m/95726630

[pips06]

Anything for Gen 5?

[owen]

Anything for Gen 5?

No plans sorry. Shockworks never planned anything for the Liberty at all until I came along and did most of the hard work for them. Now that development is complete, my Gen4 is back up for sale.

[bigBADbenny]

I picked up the car this eve from the Shockworks HQ high in the hills in Melbournes deep east (thanks Owen for the lift) and was immediately taken for a test drive by Brett's son and assistant Chris. He explained the what and whys of the revised-for-wagon shocks. Basically it's all about getting the side to side and diagonal balance evened out and working in sync.

The effect is amazing, the shocks have the slightest initial firmness on smaller bumps, reminding you these are sport coilovers. Where the genius of Brett's piston design and damper tuning comes into play is with bigger bumps, braking bumps and broken surfaces which are hoovered up with aplomb, they simply don't upset the car, leaving the driver free to concentrate on control.

I'm familiar with the roads up there, they're fast and flowing but also reasonably rough and bumpy... So much nicer on the new coils. The freeway felt great too but the real revelation was in my hood, being able to take the local speedbumps at least 10k faster than before with little discomfort or bounce.

As I said to the Shockworks guys, I now have the suspension to suit the rest of the car: smooth, refined, fun and most importantly safe!

I believe these coilovers are a genuine bargain, for this price there is nothing available that matches their bespoke character and the state of the art technology they employ, nor offering the option of very affordable local servicing.

Thanks again for making this happen Owen, you've made my car a major step closer to my idea of perfection

[brainy]

BBB, while you say the car remains composed with the bigger bumps, do you tend to think that you feel it more or less with the SW?

[bigBADbenny]

What I notice is grip is improved, the car feels more hooked up. You're welcome to try it for yourself

I still need to get an alignment and dial in more camber/roll guards at the rear (my 18s are +35 lol).
The shocks have just 150k on them, running full soft, so there's still some more to be explored for sure.

[Brunsy3.0]

Some awesome feedback BBBenny. A lot of followers will appreciate this, me included. Ill have to recover some funds and aim towards a set of these.

[bigBADbenny]

It's important to reinforce that this is not down-low suspension just for looks.
This is a tailored setup that is supplied out of the box with a preset height for maximum bump travel.
Every component is matched from springs to bushes to the unique piston design that provides the non linear damping.

So to answer Brainys question my strong impression is that bigger bumps are felt a lot less.
And that's on 235 40 r18's...
As for the smaller bumps they're still felt, but less of an irritation.
And probably a tyre with a taller sidewall would help if really required, eg my touring wheels with 225 55 17's.

[Brunsy3.0]

When they settle in can we get some pics up please of ride height.

What sort of drop over stock can you estimate?

[bigBADbenny]

Will do.
I went for a quick drive on some of my local routes. A great example is northbound on Brunton ave to Albert st east Melbourne then onto Victoria parade eastbound down the hill and into Cromwell St...
As Albert crossed the tram tracks on Victoria the car just hunkered down and got into it just lapping up the immediate next corner onto Vic pde. These tram crossings are similar to big speedbumps, with extra little bumps from the tracks. The section down the hill towards Hoddle is all concrete blocks with big expansion joints: these are no longer a big irritation. Turning into Cromwell the broken tarmac and undulations are smoothed out but the highlight is how the shocks handle big dome shaped bumps in the road, these are just taken in stride.