Which shock do I need?

Shock selection can be quite confusing… twin tube… monotube… non-adjustable… rebound adjustable… electronic adjustable… and now TRIPLE adjustable… what does all this mean? Here is a short explanation of all these terms and how they might relate to your car:

Twin tube – This design has been around for at least 60 years and is still popular today for inexpensive shocks. The advantages are low cost, wide range of fitments, and adequate performance on many civilian cars

Monotube – The Monotube design is the current choice for nearly all OEM and performance shock manufacturers. Its main advantage is that a larger piston and a more efficient oil flow path leads to cooler operating temps and more consistent performance in extreme environments.

Within the RideTech monotube design there are several choices of adjustability.

Non-adjustable – This is the simplest version of the monotube. There are no external adjustments on this unit…all the valving calibration is done at the factory according to the vehicle and driving style of its intended use. The RideTech NA monotube is valved to optimize ride quality while offering a stable platform for confident handling performance. Applications: Street Rods, Cruisers, classic trucks, and SUV’s

Single Adjustable – This shock has a single adjustment to change the rebound [extension] properties. By adjusting the rebound setting, you can optimize the ride quality even more as well as dial in more performance oriented handling characteristics. Applications: musclecars, sport trucks, drag racing, casual track day use or for any hotrodder that needs or wants the next level of ride quality and handling performance from their vehicle.

Triple adjustable – The newest addition to the RideTech line is the TRIPLE adjustable shock. Going beyond the typical double adjustable units that have been popular, the TA shock has a single rebound adjustment and a DUAL stage [high speed and low speed] compression adjustment. It uses a remote reservoir that is connected with a 30″ braided line for easy installation in a variety of installation applications. The high speed adjustment allows tuning for impact harshness…potholes, speedbumps, offroad use and other harsh road irregularities that might induce a high speed excursion of the piston rod. The low speed adjustment allows tuning of ride quality, as well as the general cornering characteristics of typical road course and racetrack use. Applications: The RideTech TA is currently the ultimate choice for autocrossing, track days, drag racing, and other extreme environment use.

Electronic adjustable – The RideTech Select Series has 2 settings… soft for best ride quality, and firm for ultimate handling and/or towing performance…that are selectable electronically from inside the vehicle. Applications: vehicles that might see dual purpose use on the street and the track, vehicles that may routinely see a wide range of load change such as a pickup or other such towing applications. The convenience of the Select Series is also popular with hotrodders who do not wish to crawl under their car to affect shock changes.

Frequently Asked Shock Questions

• 1. Why is a monotube shock better than a twin tube shock?
  a. The monotube design incorporates a larger diameter piston. A larger piston is more effective at controlling the oscillations of your suspension. The monotube design also incorporates a less complex fluid flowpath. This allows the shock to run at a lower oil temperature, again doing a better job at suspension control.
• 2. Does this mean that a twin tube shock is junk?
  a. Absolutely not. There are some very good twin tube shocks on the market. In general, they do an adequate job a controlling your suspension in an environment that is anywhere less than extreme.
• 3. Why do you use bearings in your mounts instead of bushings? I’ve heard that bearings make a lot of noise…
  a. RideTech has spent a considerable amount of time finding a precision bearing that will stay tight and smooth in order to avoid the noise and harshness normally associated with a bearing mount. Cheap offshore bearings have all the sins you have heard about. Quality precision bearings offer a long life of smooth quiet operation.
  b. A poly bushing will squeak, deteriorate, and generally fail in a loaded application such as a Shockwave or a coilover, especially on a heavy car.
  c. A precision bearing adapts nicely to wide range of misalignment that may be present on OEM shock mounts. They will eliminate any side loading issues and extend the life and the performance of the shock.
• 4. What is the advantage of your delrin swivel ball stud top mounts?
  a. Over time we have discovered that a simple stem bushing mount that is found on nearly all other shocks tends to induce a significant side load through the piston rod. This leads to seal wear, extra friction, and sometimes even breakage. These issues are magnified on a “loaded” shock, such as a coilover or a ShockWave, where the entire weight of the vehicle is supported through the stud mount. RideTech developed the delrin swivel ball mount to eliminate this side loading. It has proven to be quiet, durable, reliable, and has eliminated any sideload problems.
• 5. Why are your shocks more expensive than some other brands?
  a. Many shocks on the market today were designed over 40 years ago. Many are built offshore. Many shock manufacturers do not offer the level of customer service and tech support that is necessary to properly resolve your suspension issues. RideTech shocks are a proven performance monotube design. We offer dedicated support in the areas of application selection, tuning and performance advice based on years of our personal driving and racing experience. We are in regular communication with customers, race teams, and manufacturing entities to make sure we stay on top of new performance developments.
• 6. Why are your shocks less expensive than some of the other brands?
  a. Two reasons… volume and market knowledge. Because RideTech addresses several markets…musclecars, streetrods, classic trucks, military applications, ATV’s, etc… many of which share at least some common components. This allows us to manufacture many of these components in volumes sufficient to realize a significant cost savings. In addition, we understand that MOST customers do not need every bell and whistle that an expensive single purpose racing shock might have to offer. Therefore we offer several different levels of performance shocks, each incorporating the features and benefits that are most appropriate for the intended application…without the frills that you would never be using. Bottom line, if you need an expensive, extreme performance shock…we’ve got that. If you don’t…we’ve got that too.
• 8. Are these shocks revalvable / rebuildable?
  a. Yes. We can revalve/rebuild them for you or we can sell you the rebuild kit so you can rebuild them yourself.
• 9. How often should I rebuild my shocks?
  a. If you have a street car, or even a car that sees casual track time, you should be well over 100,000 miles from any of our monotube shocks.
  b. If you have a true race car, rebuilding your shocks should be part of your annual maintenance checklist.