Hi Alan,
I'm well aware of the tube shock - lever shock differences & designs. I
know what a good race chassis is composed of & how it is built. It's
been a long time since I fell off the turnip truck. It is my opinion
that if the Healey is not being pushed to the absolute limits, the
average Healey driver will not notice a lot of difference in shock
design. If it is being pushed to the limits, there are too many other
shortcomings in the chassis/suspension/tires that overshadow the shock
issue.
After all, most of the parts came fron an Austin sedan. You get a
very hard response from the woefully short suspension travel no matter
what. Probably worse than the Austin donor. Bump steer is a matter of
suspension geometry, shocks can only compensate for a little of it at
best.
I suspect that more than a little of the present day Healey handling
problems, and bump steer can be attributed to frame/body flex
which was not there originally, but has gradually increased as rust took
it's toll. Enjoy your lever shocks, they are a perfect complement to the
rest of the "compromise" chassis. Or do all out modifications like the
rally cars.
Regards,
Dave Russell
BN2
Blue One Hundred wrote:
> Dave -
>
> Hope I'm not opening a can a worms here, but lever shocks can't
> compare with tube shocks. Oil filled lever shocks, by design, are
> somewhat flawed because under sharp loads, the oil will increase its
> resistance to movement (in the shock) and you get a very hard
> response from the suspension when you hit a bump... that's why
> healeys have such bad bump steer problems.... good or bad lever
> shocks don't make a difference here. Think about pulling the trigger
> on a squirt gun... if you pull it slowly, it is easy to pull... but
> if you pull the trigger real fast, it builds pressure and the trigger
> becomes harder to pull. The squirt gun can only let so much water
> through the spout at any given time.
>
> Gas shocks, by design, are much better set to taking sharp/shock
> loads, hence why tube shocks will have a much better ride quality
> than old-school lever shocks. In addition they will do a much better
> job of keeping the wheels on the road, stopping bump steer.
>
> That being said, both my healeys have lever shocks on them... I guess
> they are good enough for me for the time being.
>
> Regards,
>
> Alan
>
> '53 BN1 '64 BJ8
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