Is this for me? I actually ordered 3 sizes for testing.
The other ones are lighter yet.
@Inwo yes. I am looking for front shocks. don’t want weak ones.
I was able to find these Gabriel HiJackers 49614 and ordered 2 sets (brand new for 130 with tax/shipping) to do the front and back on my newly purchased Think 2 passenger. Were there any modifications you needed to make in order for these shocks to work (front and rear)?
I will also be changing the ball joints and adding in my D&D motor soon with a reprogram of the D2 controller and I should be ready to rock!
That’s a great deal. They bolt right on. You will love the D&D motor with the controller programmed.
I was amazed myself and said this is a no brainer.
For anyone looking I found them at www.autoanything.com
Thanks for the info!
I highly recommend an onboard pump. No matter how sealed they are, air shocks always leak very slightly. I’m able to pump them up however I want, on the fly.
I went with this one and am super happy.
Amazon.com: AIR LIFT 25804 Air Shock Controller Kit : Automotive
That’s weird, they are air shocks not coil over suspension. Do they actually work alone? Soft ride?
They are Air Shocks. I have them on my 4 seater with an onboard pump. The ride is very smooth and corners very well.
So the 49614’s are nowhere to be found, just got an email back saying they refunded my money. I ended up getting the 49173’s at around $100 per pair with virtually the same specs.
Now I might have to wait to add the onboard pump…… who am I kidding!
Pretty much any air shock will work with the same or close specs to the Gabriel 49614
Did you get the shocks installed? If so, any words of wisdom? I just ordered a set of the Gabriel 49173.
Shocks are installed, overall it was quite easy. I did however also replace the upper and lower control arm bushings (able to find for cheap at parts store Vs. NEV) and upper/lower ball joints. I believe to get the fronts I had to drop the lower control arm with a ball joint press in order to remove the shocks. Rears were easy, just remember to support the trail arm when disconnecting the shock bolts.
Awesome! Dropped my LCA already to get the old out. How do you like the ride quality? Any drawbacks from the old coilovers?
That is the million dollar question…I have yet to drop it from the jack stands, as I’ve been slowing working on various other things (air compressor/LED lighting/Paint/Bushings/Motor swap/etc…)…hoping to take her out for a spin tomorrow evening to get an idea of the ride quality.
I can answer with my opinion. I’m running Gabriel air shocks and could not be happier. The ride is much smoother and it handles turns better. Add to that the savings over the coil over purchase and it’s a plus. the only negative drawback is, with any air shock, you have to pump them up from time to time. So for me an on board pump is a must.
@Mrbig what pressure do you usually run? Are you running lithium or heaver gel/leadacid batteries?
Tire pressure or pressure in shock?
If you mean shocks, I run enough to get the height and ride I’m looking for. I’m guessing close to 200psi, but not sure. The gauge is not so accurate, but accurate enough.
If you mean tire pressure, I run 12 to 15 pounds per tire, because I’m running on car tires and not golf cart tires. Golf cart tires require the tire’s spec pressure.
I have GEL batteries and a4 seater.
Installed the new Gabriels this evening. Better ride than the originals BUT there are issues. The car leans pretty heavy to the outside on sweeping turns and does not re-center itself. I was hoping I wouldn’t have the lean problem since I am running stock ride height. I saw another member installed a sway bar but I’m not sure I want to rely entirely on a sway bar to keep the car vertical. Gonna have to sleep on this one.
The lean is probably coming from how you hooked it up. Normally, the kit has a single crossover tube and single fill T’d into it. When the car goes into a corner the car has an action of rolling over to the outboard shock and compresses it. This higher air pressure travels through the hose over to the other shock and forces it to expand even further. Exactly opposite from what you want.
Get rid of the T and fill each spring individually or use a valve inline so you can fill both to the same pressure shut off the valve and this will isolate the springs from each other.
IIRC this works better, but still not the best. Low air pressures allow for a comfortable ride but also the low spring rate due to air compression still allows for a bit of a roll. This is why Grant advanced to the sway bar project.
You can find all this fun in the archives. Use the Search tool in the upper right of this forum page and use various key words until you find what you are looking for. You can also fine many other air shock experiences.
Note- the motorcycle spring/shock assemblies with remote reservoirs are not really “air springs”.
Disclaimer: The archives contain projects that are sometimes not for everyone. Depending on your skill set and what is in your toolbox use your best judgement and hide the children.
This is a link to Grant’s first front sway bar mod
https://community.electricforum.com/t/sway-bar/
Here is Grant’s Swaybar project on the rear of a 2016 Gem
https://community.electricforum.com/t/rear-sway-bar-2016
And the desire for true slot car handling Grant added a front Sway bar on his 2016.
https://community.electricforum.com/t/front-sway-bar-2016
But his summary on his project says it best-
“The car feels slower! It turns so flat and feels safe and just normal as you would expect in a Normal road going car you feel like you’re going slower LOL! Big difference super happy with the ride! I would not change anything.”
I have no lean when making corners. And my 4 seater sits perfectly level.
However, I am hooked up to an on board pump. Maybe there’s not air pressure to compensate for the passenger weight. I purchased the pump for 2 reasons. 1, air shocks always lose minimal air pressure, and 2, I wanted to adjust the pressure while driving, to compensate for passenger and cargo weight and drive comfort and feel. This is probably why I don’t have the sway and unevenness.