Hi all.
I've weighed in on this topic before, so here I go again. I have been
working on my own conversion design for some time now. (it's a project
that moves very slowly, as, beleive it or not, I've more important things
to do much of the time!) I've been pursuing it for fun, and hopefully one
day I will actually build this thing and install it on my car. Lever
shocks actually have at least one property that is very desirable, in
theory. That property is unsprung weight. This is something that most
folks wouldn't notice much or care about, but you give up this (SLIGHT)
benefit when you make the move to tubes. (Not to mention the damage you do
to the body and value of the car by drilling a bunch of holes in the body
shell.) Basically, and again...in theory, that lever arm doesn't weigh as
much as the piston/reservoir end of a tube shock. (That's almost always
the lower end, fixed to the suspension, not the chassis.) I haven't
actually weighed the parts so I can't give you imperical, objective
figures. Anyway, aside from that, I am convinced that telescopic shocks
are by far superior to lever shocks. Much of this, I suppose, is simply
because lever shocks haven't undergone the kind of development that tube
shocks have over the years. My understanding is that the levers suffer
from poor longevity, unlike a good tube shock. I would agree with anyone
who says that for a daily driver, and even more so for an occasional
driver, lever shocks that are in good shape are perfectly adequate, as long
as you don't mind replacing them or having them rebuilt every so often.
However, anyone who desires added performance and longevity for
autocrossing, or for any other reason, would definitely be better off with
a well engineered tube shock conversion. (providing the rules allow)
Trouble is, I've never seen or heard of one. (except for my design, of
course!);^) The ideal kit would require no drilling into body panels or
chassis members, it would retain the low unsprung weight characterstics,
(perhaps even improve them), would be easy to remove so that levers could
be re-installed for concours events, and it would utilize the rebound stop
provided on the chassis. No kit that I've seen has any apparent provision
for a rebound stop. I assume that these systems rely on the internal
mechanical limits of the shock itself to limit the downward movement of the
suspension, which I suspect may not be good on the shock. (Most suspension
designs provide bump and rebound stops that come into play before the shock
reaches its limit of extension or compression.) I also have doubts as to
how well the existing tube kits work with the geometry of the suspension
the way they are typically mounted.
So that's my $.02 worth. And you probably all think I'm nuts now, too!
Pete "Just Can't Leave Well Enough Alone" Chadwell
1973 TR6, currently riding on levers!!
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