Woooo! Astra shocks!

FreddieS · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:12 pm Post subject: Woooo! Astra shocks!

Ordered them yesterday, here today Smile

AWESOME!

MOT runs out the 12th of feb, then the SJ will come off the road to be SPOA'd with astra shocks, polybushes and a hi-steer setup (once I work out how to make it!

Sorry, quite excited! This is one more step towards having an awesome SJ Smile

Nigel Head · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:23 pm Post subject:

Sorry to wee on your fire.

I did SPOA with RUF, Hi-steer etc on my Sammy with Astra shocks.
Nice plush ride on the road, great over the bumpy stuff.

It fell over twice in different situations, common factor was deep ruts - no warning, it just went over.

I'd say the Astra shocks are actually too soft and don't restrain the truck when 'lurched' into a rut, the momentum just carried on and it tipped sideways.

Just something for you to consider.

Nigel.

David_LLAMA4x4 · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:30 pm Post subject:

xamtex · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:44 pm Post subject:

these shocks were sold as LSR shocks along with opening shackles some time ago.
i have used them....and find they are a bit on the soft side....procomps are too hard...
i did think of using astras twinned at 1 time...?

astras bounce.....procomps are like solid shocks...?

FreddieS · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:49 pm Post subject:

Well we shall see, mine wont be on samurai axles for that long so wont be so narrow for that long, plus when I rebuild it its gaining a full external roll-cage...

Mook · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:03 pm Post subject:

worrying to hear that about the astra shocks, just got a set for my motor, and I don't have the budget
For a roll cage! Is it possible that a combination of flat leaf springs and soft shocks causes this rolling
Business? He asks hopefully!

muddymesser · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:05 pm Post subject:

just try and keep away from side slopes

FreddieS · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:08 pm Post subject:

Nigel Head · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:15 pm Post subject:

I used a set of Astra shocks on my first SWB SPUA Sammy and they were fine (I wasn't quite as daring perhaps?)

On my LWB SPOA sammy the extra leverage exerted on the suspension coupled with the higher CoG (Centre of Gravity) was, in my opinion, more than the Astra shocks were up to.

I wish I'd used the Procomps (or similar) on my SPOA.

That said, I wish I had never gone SPOA either !!!

Nigel.

Mook · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:22 pm Post subject:

[quote="FreddieS"]

*matt · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:07 pm Post subject:

defiantly don't inboard the rear ones at the top, when i mounted my old ones as close to upright as i could get them on my old spoa sj it made an amazing difference to the stability.
was it you that was asking about body lifts before? don't do it spoa it's totally unnecessary and makes it loads more likely to go over.
also i'd recommend making the spring perches as low on the axle as possible because spoa it high enough without extra lift from tall pads.

i've just about done on my new build spoa with astra shocks and the damping seems ok compared to my old one which was far too tall

FW410 · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:43 pm Post subject:

Some people say procomps are too hard, but I have es3000's on my 410 and I find them to be spot on. That said, I probably have less inter-leaf friction than most, as my springs have nylon pads on the ends which i also grease, so I get a comfy (by sj standards) ride.

FreddieS · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:06 pm Post subject:

So your saying have the rear shocks verticle if possible?

And spoa I still need to make my spoa mouts, so what your saying is make it so its literally just enough for the bolt on the springs to rest into the perch and thats it?

*matt · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:29 pm Post subject:

yeah, like the left one

obviously i haven't drawn the lower perch which you keep

durdzz-suzuki-redtop · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:42 pm Post subject:

[quote="Mook"]

*matt · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:46 pm Post subject:

i agree procomp 3000s are spot on especially spoa, astras are defiantly a compromise

i'd be interested to know what dave at llama4x4s rough country shocks are like on spoa sj, i intend to find out asap

durdzz-suzuki-redtop · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:50 pm Post subject:

*matt · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:52 pm Post subject:

sounds like something ladies would enjoy Laughing

durdzz-suzuki-redtop · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:58 pm Post subject:

haha i didnt realise what that sounded like

oshimon · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 6:32 am Post subject:

There are dampener's out there other than Pro-Comp you know, and some of them are even designed to work with 4x4's of certain weights, lift heights and articulation needs.....................
.............in what ever sizes you need.

Not worth scrimping on in my experience if you want the full off road improvement of the mods, and especially for a modified zook used on the road.

Simon 'if its worth doing its worth doing properly' Owen.

David_LLAMA4x4 · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 10:34 am Post subject:

To say 'ProComp are too hard' is a bit of a sweeping generalisation - a bit like saying 'I don't like fruit' - what did you try? Apples or bananas or peaches?

Part of the problems I have seen with 'hard' Procomp have been of either the owners own making or caused by the retailer selling what he had on the shelf rather than what the customer needed...

There are ( at least ) 3 types of ProComp that can enter this application - the 1000 and 3000 are normal hydro, the 9000 is gas over oil ( not just gas as most believe ).
This applies to most after market shocks ( my own Rough Country included ). The gas tend to be a bit stiffer but the biggest difference is in the valving...
A damper of the front of a Chevy Blazer with a 6.2l V8 diesel will fit straight onto the back of an SJ and ( I know ) has been sold for that application in the past by some retailers. There is no wau in a million years a little SJ is ever going to move the oil through the valves in that properly as it simply doesn't weigh enough!!

A shock valved for the application ( or a very similar one ) will work properly whether it is gas and oil or just oil....

It has taken me a while to get the valving rates right in the Rough Country shocks I sell for ( a +2-3" ) SJ and I can assure you if you put them on a shock dyno and see the test curves compared to that of an Astra shock there is too much difference between them for them to be properly interchangeable

David

FreddieS · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 10:42 am Post subject:

Well im going to die then!

I was going off of peoples reccomendations off of here, at the end of the day not a single "astra shock fitting" thread on here has "theyre crap" posted all over them, so I went with what was posted and now im stuck with "crap" shocks.

But im going to add this to my argument.

Crap shocks or not, what would you rather have, crap astra shocks that have some damping rate or shocks that have no damping at all because the oil has long exited the dampers.

Nigel Head · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 10:58 am Post subject:

I have actually posted many times that I don't believe Astra shocks are best suited to SPOA (different story on SPUA).

Nigel.

Mook · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:26 am Post subject:

I must admit that I got the idea to use the astra shocks from the differs to, if this
Thread dissing the astra shocks had appeared b4 I think I may have thought twice
and then probably still got em anyway cos I would quite like a soft ride and I will just
Reign in the lunacy a bit, I mostly only do lanes and after seeing my friends zoom
Perform nicely doing the kind of driving we do, decision made. So I guess you could say
Shock requirements are as varied as peoples requirements for there particular
Style and pace of driving. As my nan used to say.....take it steady!

carnut · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:08 pm Post subject:

Hi Dave,,,what do you read???
To say 'ProComp are too hard' is a bit of a sweeping generalisation - a bit like saying 'I don't like fruit' - what did you try? Apples or bananas or peaches?

I came over to see you couple months ago! you finnished that wooden jeep yet!! And i still need to get my flexys sorted.

ps,, i also run pro comps, rears are mounted inboard for more flex, But you dont buy a sj for comfort,,
andy.

David_LLAMA4x4 · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:33 pm Post subject:

*matt · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 1:43 pm Post subject:

i got the idea to get lsr or astra shocks on here too. back then the suspension of choice was lsrs, smj leaf springs and d flex shackles. smjs like most lift springs are pretty stiff so i think the soft damping was greatly unnoticed and articulation was still achieved by the d flex opening up. i has standard shackles spoa so wasn't impressed at all with the articulation from the smj leafs and when i put standard leafs back on the softness of the shocks became evident. my sj was a bit tall then though which didn't help to say the least

Sabbatical · Guest

xamtex · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 3:34 pm Post subject:

xamtex · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 3:50 pm Post subject:

im not saying dont use astra shocks.....or procomps.....just be aware that you may not find them perfect for your application...every truck build is different...they may work well on your truck.
there is no 1 size fits all shock...i think the astras were ok on the front...maybe twinned on the rear?or the gas version would have been better on my sj.