Then they’re amazed when it does, and even more impressed with the ride quality improvement,” said Voelkel. They’re running 300 lb springs in the rear, and we switch them over to 180 lb springs, though many guys protest because they don’t think the spring will support the car’s weight. “We see it all the time, there are so many cars out there that are over sprung. The springs will support the vehicle’s weight and the shocks will dampen the outside forces acting upon your suspension.
Weight is perhaps the most critical factor in determining the proper shock and spring package. This allows for better control of the shock oil, better ride characteristics and better handling with the monotube. The larger piston size of the monotube measures 1.8 inches in diameter, three and a half times the size of the piston in the twin tube shock. Notice the difference in the piston sizes, a quarter has been placed next to each as a frame of reference. At the bottom you see a typical twin tube shock. There is a selection button at the top of the calculator for selecting the front or rear and at the end we will show you a few of the added options.Īt the top is a disassembled RideTech monotube coil over shock. You will need to use the calculator twice to determine the spring and shock package your car needs – once for the front and then again for the rear. Like any computer program the outcome is only as good as the data that you enter so you will need to be as specific as possible to get the most from this application. This online application uses calculations developed by both RideTech and their spring supplier Hyperco to determine the best spring and shock package available. We used RideTech’s Spring Rate Calculator to calculate the specific springs and shocks needed for our Ford. The end result was a car that handled poorly, and rode terrible in most normal driving situations – and became unmanageable during performance driving so a change was needed as these driving characteristics were seriously limiting the enjoyment of the build. This car, like so many out there, was outfitted with the standard one-size-fits-all shocks and springs that came with it’s suspension kits. We got together with Voelkel and the RideTech staff to walk through the helpful website navigation and outfit our project ’37 Ford with a better handling spring/shock package. The company now offers a vast array of custom tailored options and can deliver a spring and shock package to meet most customer’s demands. “We started out just sourcing shocks from the local auto part stores, but as our customer’s demands changed, so did our business,” says Brett Voelkel President of RideTech. Their years of experience in fine-tuning suspension systems can offer rod enthusiasts a great number of options in terms of how their car rides and handles allowing customers to literally dial in the exact combination that best suits their individual needs. However, in more recent years they’ve started offering coil over kits, control arms and many other suspension components to better suit their customer’s needs.
This Jasper, IN company started off as a manufacturer and supplier of air suspension systems. RideTech has been in the suspension system business since 1996. Using RideTech's Spring Rate Calculator we were able to determine the proper spring and shock package for our '37. It might be ok for a quick trip down the street, but long cruises or hours spent traveling to car shows can become a tiresome affair. A car that rides and handles poorly is not very much fun to drive. The result of all this is often a car that has neither the correct shocks or springs to give it the best ride and handling characteristics specific to its exact weight and setup, which can greatly affect your enjoyment of the finished product. As such, many suspension systems come with that one-size-fits-all approach or at the most, there are limited options when a customer is ordering. Custom tailoring parts for each application can be costly and from the perspective of a company that may build thousands of systems a year, it can also be prohibitive from a supply and demand standpoint as well. Suspension manufacturers do their best to engineer components for mass production. Although it looked good and had the right stance, our 1937 Ford Street Rod rode like a log wagon and handled just as poorly.