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Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 02:37 pm
by Jaspersilus
Hi Chaps,
could anyone tell me the real difference between oil and gas shock absorbers ( dampers ), apart from price?

and any improvements to the ride quality on my GLT!

Cheers Jason

Re: Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 07:15 pm
by tim-andre
ive heard gas is more comfortable
the dampers settle more quickly and they wont freeze when its cold, so much better in winter times
what my boss learned me anyways :lol:

Re: Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 08:49 pm
by Jaspersilus
Hi Tim Andre,
comfort is important, but I dont think our winter conditions would freeze the oil very often, and the oil dampers are MUCH cheaper than the gas dampers!

Cheers Jason

Re: Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 10:39 pm
by tim-andre
it happens here :lol:
from what ive heard, they are worth the extra money, thought about buying some myself, but i think ill buy some adjustables from dai
gas dampers is what i sell the most of for older cars, but if they dont actually care and want the cheapest, they go for the oil ones

Re: Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 10:55 pm
by Jaspersilus
Hi Tim Andre
maybe you could start a thread on cost of cars, Norway vs UK, I think a lot of people on the forum would be SHOCKED at how much cars cost there, my brother paid £15000 for an Audi A6 Quattro that over here would have been a £3500 car!

Just an idea, feel free to ignore! ha ha

Cheers Jason

Re: Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 11:28 pm
by tim-andre
jepp i know, its like the new ford mustang, costs what? 30 000-50 000 £? about 4-500 000 in norwegian kr, and to buy one of them here you gotto pay 1 200 000 kr
old 240's goes from 1-1200£ to 2-3000£ for a stock one
dampers for my car at my work costs roughly 2-300£ each btw :wink:

Re: Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 10:34 pm
by Attack2001
Gas shocks also have oil in them, just to confuse the matter :lol:

I believe the gas in the dampers is there to aid consistency. Just like grooved disks allow the gases to escape thus decreasing the chances of brake fade. When oil dampers are working hard the oil tends to throth and the dampers start to fade. The gas in the shock reduces the chances of the oil throthing so they work consistently for longer :)

Re: Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 04:53 pm
by Evoman
Is the oil not there just for lubrication?

Re: Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 05:44 pm
by Chris_C
Nope, the oil goes through small valves, thats what causes the damping effect.

What happens is the oil can't all go through the small hole instantly, so whilst very little force is needed to move a damper slowly, a huge force is needed to move it quickly. Hence damping the high frequency vibrations.

This is where my rant re Landy dampers normally fits in, but I'm having a chilled week this week :D

Re: Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 05:57 pm
by Evoman
Chris_C wrote:Nope, the oil goes through small valves, thats what causes the damping effect.

What happens is the oil can't all go through the small hole instantly, so whilst very little force is needed to move a damper slowly, a huge force is needed to move it quickly. Hence damping the high frequency vibrations.

This is where my rant re Landy dampers normally fits in, but I'm having a chilled week this week :D
I know how a oil damper works, i was asking if gas shocks had oil for lubrication

Re: Gas or Oil Shocks?

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 06:05 pm
by Attack2001
Evoman wrote:
Chris_C wrote:Nope, the oil goes through small valves, thats what causes the damping effect.

What happens is the oil can't all go through the small hole instantly, so whilst very little force is needed to move a damper slowly, a huge force is needed to move it quickly. Hence damping the high frequency vibrations.

This is where my rant re Landy dampers normally fits in, but I'm having a chilled week this week :D
I know how a oil damper works, i was asking if gas shocks had oil for lubrication
Nope, oil in a gas damper works the same as an ordinary oil damper :)

RE: Landy dampers, there a cheap alternative to writing your car off :lol: