Steeda pro-actions (adjusting rebound)

[EFI]

Well you guys weren't kidding, just the half turn in the rear made it much stiffer. Not jarring by any means, but definitely stiffer. I can't say that it really helped much with the bounce, and it made the car feel a bit unbalanced.

On the way back I turned up the front a quarter of a turn to see if that would do anything, and I think that made the most difference. Still stiff, but more balanced and maybe even less bouncy.

I'm going to try dialing back the rear one quarter next time and then try the full soft setting as ST mentioned.

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[Bluemustang]

Well you guys weren't kidding, just the half turn in the rear made it much stiffer. Not jarring by any means, but definitely stiffer. I can't say that it really helped much with the bounce, and it made the car feel a bit unbalanced.

On the way back I turned up the front a quarter of a turn to see if that would do anything, and I think that made the most difference. Still stiff, but more balanced and maybe even less bouncy.

I'm going to try dialing back the rear one quarter next time and then try the full soft setting as ST mentioned.

Yeah. Like I said half turn adjustments are too much. Adjust in 1/4 increments maybe 1/16ths if you can manage. You may want the front just slightly stiffer the rear. I'd try 1 full turn in front and 3/4 turn in rear.

Also remember - you can adjust the handling balance of the car somewhat by adjusting the front or the rear.

 

[EFI]

So going softer, to half a turn on each, seems to have solved all of my issues. I haven't been on the highway yet where the bounciness was at its worst, but in town it was perfectly compliant.

@SteedaTech what does this say about the suspension combo? that there's a point where there is too much dampening for this spring?

Also, what should I be using for the track and is increasing the rebound going to benefit me with these springs? Or is that more for controlling more aggressive springs like the dual rate?

 

[Norm Peterson]

what does this say about the suspension combo? that there's a point where there is too much dampening for this spring?

This isn't a pass/fail kind of thing. On any car, every spring will have a point where ride quality is optimized, and a point (with greater damping) where road handling is optimized. There is a point where the suspension could jack itself down, particularly with too much rebound damping combined with not enough damping on the 'bump' side. The following is a general plot of ride and road handling vs relative amounts of damping, not specific to any particular car but good enough for illustrating concepts. Best performance wants something like 2 or 3 times as much damping as best ride (same springs).

Also, what should I be using for the track and is increasing the rebound going to benefit me with these springs? Or is that more for controlling more aggressive springs like the dual rate?

Both.

With adjustables you can find a decent setting for ride quality, but it won't be providing firm enough damping for when maximum grip is desired. This is something that can be felt from the driver's seat if you're driving the corners hard enough and are sensitive enough to differences in "feel" while you're driving like that. Stiffer springs need more damping than softer springs, particularly rebound damping.


Norm

 

[NightmareMoon]

At the track, running higher shock settings will have a benefit for most springs versus what feels good on the street. For my stock PP springs, I add (approximately) a full turn front and rear when hitting most smoother tracks. Closer to full-stiff, but not quite there. Other guys run straight up full-stiff. Some guys run stiff up front and pretty soft in the rear. YMMV as your springs and shocks are a little different, and it depends on how you like to dial in the handing for your personal preferences, but the principle should apply.

 

[Draklia]

Curious about the fact that everyone says the Steeda adjustables should be set around or less than one turn from full soft. Is there any reason these dont have more of an adjustment range that is complimentary to the dynamics of the S550? Are these same shocks/valves used for other vehicles that utilize the stiffer end of the adjustment range?

 

[Norm Peterson]

Call it an 'experience-based suggestion'. Otherwise your tuning procedure should start at full soft on both ends and iterate from there.


Norm

 

[RonStang6G]

I have had adjustable pro-action shocks & struts along with steeda billet rear shock mounts on my 16 GT for about 7500 miles. I too started at one full turn from full soft and didn't like the ride quality. I tried stiffer settings and still didn't like the ride quality so I started over at full soft. I have found that at full soft front an rear the ride was too bouncy. So I started adjusting in increments of 1/8 turn stiffer each time so that i got a feel for what the adjustments were actually doing to the ride quality and bounce. After probably 10 or more adjustment cycles I found that I liked 3/16 turn from full soft the best. I think once you get a feel for how the rebound adjustment affects the stiffness and bounce you will find what works best for you.

 

[West TX GT]

It will depend on your car and what has been done to it that will affect the setting you need. On my last car I had BMR handing springs and bearing everything. An 8th passed half way was the sweet spot. The bounciness is what happens when it isn't stiff enough for your spring rate. Don't be afraid to play around with them, just keep a record of adjustment and results. Me and my buddy had a pretty good time adjusting and then testing along the same route. You will see what you like best and it'll probably not be what others like. Many like full soft, but for me and that setup full soft felt like a pig and was way too bouncy. Launches worked best for me with a full soft front and pretty stiff rear. You might as well test some launches while you are already tinkering with things.

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