Reply to "Consensus for Aluminum Shocks for Street?"

I think a lot of the differences people find with shock comparison is as much to do with setup as to the differences in shock brand.
I have the adjustable QA1 alloy shocks installed.

What I mean about setup is I have always had a preference for soft springs, slightly stiffer dampening settings & stiff anti roll bars.
I’m shocked, (pardon the pun) as to the stiffness of some of the springs many Forum members are using.
I‘m using QA1 springs.
Front: 12-250, 12” spring 250 lb.
Rear: 12-400, 12” spring 400 lb.

Even with these light weight springs I can still pre-load them & adjust ride height.

Now this is really soft compared to what Forum members are running on their Pantera’s.
But I don’t have a problem with tires rubbing on fenders; (with 285’s on the front & 345’s on the rear) the car is really comfortable, no noticeable body roll in hard corners.

My point being is that if you have stiff springs you have no choice but to run stiff dampening settings.
After all, the dampening is there to control the spring in compression & rebound, if the dampening setting is not stiff enough for the spring the car will continue to bounce like a pogo stick.
So with stiff springs you have no choice but to run heavy dampening & thus you will have a very harsh ride & with low profile tires the situation is exacerbated.

With soft springs you can run much lighter dampening, or as I prefer, slightly stiffen the dampening to create a firmer ride, but without the harshness created by stiff springs.
In roll the heavier anti roll bars stop excessive body roll.
I’m running 1” anti roll bars, cornering is rock solid & the car remains flat during cornering.

The car is low, (around 4.25”) very comfortable to drive, no harsh bumps & handles really well, the softer springing stops the wheels skipping over bumps which aids traction.

Just a different approach I guess.

Regards,
Tony