Basic Terminology

Shock Stroke
The shock stroke is the amount of travel that the shock piston has.  How far the shaft moves from full compression to full extension.

Compression Valving
The compression valving is how much force it takes to compress the shock.  The higher the number, the harder the shock is to compress.

Rebound Valving
The rebound valving is how much force it takes to extend the shock.  The higher the number, the harder the shock is to extend.

Tie Down Shock
Refers to a shock that pushes in easy and pulls out hard.

Easy Up or Riser Shock
Refers to a shock that pushes in hard and comes up easy.

Straight Up Shock
Refers to a shock that has equal valving.

Shock Set Up Basics 

Most new sprint cars require...

• 8” stroke shocks on the rear.
• 6 or 7” stroke shocks on the front.

(QA1 large body shocks are longer and therefore a 6” shock works better than a 7” in most cases.)

Click here for Sample Shock Set-Ups

Sprint cars require the left rear tire to be tied down most of the time.  Generally a 8” 4-7 tie down is a good starting point at most tracks.  As the speeds and wing down force increases, the rear must be tied down more.  Also, small tight tracks require a soft compression extreme tie down to allow the car to set down and stay down throughout the corner.  Rough race tracks will require a stiff compression right rear straight up shock while smooth high speed tracks require a right rear tie down to allow the car to have traction on both rear tires through the corner.

The front shocks will vary more than the rears...

• For average tracks straight 4 or 5 valve front shocks will be used.
• For tighter tracks a 4-6 tie down left front will allow the car to hold the corner better.
• For slick tracks riser front shocks are used to allow the car to transfer weight quicker as rear traction decreases.