Suspension dampers (aka shocks) are well-established products, so in this day and age, surely anything you get off the shelf from a high-end brand should be ready to roll, right? Wrong.
Andre Nader of DNA Autosport & Modal Suspension explains some of the variances that generic off-the-shelf products, no matter the price, must operate within compared to dialling in custom bespoke suspension for your car, tyre choice and driving style.
He runs through some key points around ride/suspension frequency and its relationship to spring rates, as well as what a driver might be looking for in order to know that his damper setup is sub-optimal, which includes hopping or skipping on the surface of the race track and instability under braking.
Why remote reservoirs are used, how a 'safe' car balance isn't necessarily fast and how trying to cover up the poor suspension with extreme alignment/setup changes is a slippery slope is also explained.
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TIME STAMPS:
0:00 - Dampers: Omitted Performance?
0:25 - Andre Nader - DNA Autosport
0:38 - Why A Bespoke Damper?
1:10 - Race Suspension
1:34 - Window Of Performance
2:30 - Chasing Tyre Performance
3:20 - Issues To Look For
4:20 - Spring Rate Selection
5:16 - Ride Frequency
6:01 - Tyre Temperature Data
7:05 - Alignment Vs Springs & Dampening
8:18 - Car Balance Vs Spring Rate
9:26 - Ride Frequency Calculation
10:05 - Modal Damper Construction
11:01 - McPherson Strut Vs Multilink
11:43 - Compression And Rebound
13:21 - Why? - External Reservoirs
14:40 - Lap Time Gains: Off The Shelf Vs Custom
15:32 - Where To Spend Your Money?
16:22 - Modal Suspension
16:44 - BUILD.TUNE.DRIVE
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