Penske Racing Shocks recently began designing and producing custom dampers for use on some of today's highest performing sports cars. Using the same technology and materials proven on the race track, new designs for the road are now available for such vehicles as the C-5 Corvette and the Dodge Viper.
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| Corvette
Available
as:
Rebound Adjustable |
Viper
Available
as:
|
From Formula Vee to Indy Car, the 8100 Series double adjustable dampers are now an industry standard. The light weight and hand built quality of these dampers puts them at the top of their class. The 8100 Series dampers are available in lengths from 10.00" through 24.00" in 1/2" increments making them available for most forms of auto racing.
The category, double adjustable, comes from the fact that the compression and rebound damping is adjusted externally instead of removing the damper from the car. The compression adjuster is located on the remote reservoir. The rebound adjuster is located in the eyelet at the base of the shaft. The main valving, located inside the damper, may also be altered in a matter of minutes, by removing the damper from the car.
The damper is completely owner serviceable and revalvable. Each and every part of the damper is available for replacement at a reasonable cost.
8100 Series Compression Adjuster
From
Formula Vee to Indy Car, the 8100 Series adjuster offers a wide range of
compression adjustment for the serious racer. The method in which the PENSKE
8100 adjusts compression forces is simple. When the damper is put into
a compression condition, the fluid being displaced by the shaft entering
the body must pass through the compression adjuster drum and the selected
orifice located in the remote reservoir. As the knob is rotated, a drum
inside the compression adjuster is rotated, aligning the chosen orifice
within the direct flow of oil into the remote reservoir. The adjustment
knob is numbered, from one to six. By clicking to the number one position,
the adjuster is set at full soft (utilizing the largest hole in the compression
adjuster drum). The number six position on the knob denotes a full hard
setting (oil flow is greatly restricted). This method of adjusting compression
damping is ideal for most forms of racing, especially those having higher
shaft speeds and displacements. The redesigned orifices make every adjustment
have a noticeable "feel" and have increased the range of adjustment. At
higher shaft velocities, oil passes through the orifice in the compression
adjuster drum and gets a point of "packing-up". Instead of packing-up and
increasing the damping force, a valve in the compression adjuster housing
allows for the oil to bleed off, making for more linear force curves.
Race teams demand the newest damper technology to be integrated into their overall chassis design and it is for this reason that Penske Racing Shocks unveiled a completely new damper concept in 1998, the 8760 Series.
The 8760 offers a more extensive range of "tunability" and hardware options in order to fulfill each race teams' specifications as well as the personal preferences of race engineers and drivers. With a variety of upgrades in its' overall damping range, tunability, and serviceability, it features an advanced modular design which will allow greater leeway in chassis packaging. This is accomplished with a new body that allows the radial positioning of either a piggyback or remote reservoir at any included 360 degree location.
8760 Series Compression Adjuster
The
8760 Series compression adjuster is the ultimate tuning tool for the professional
race team. The 8760 Series adjuster offers separate adjusters for both
high and low speed shaft movements. The high speed adjuster controls larger
track inconsistencies that may disrupt the car, while the low speed adjuster
controls slow shaft movements such as body roll, corner entry and exit.
When the damper is being compressed, the fluid is being displaced into the adjuster and passes through a piston in the adjuster. When adjusting the high speed, the secondary valve shims are being preloaded, giving you different compression forces. The low speed adjustment meters the fluid and bypasses the piston in the adjuster, providing an adjustable combination of bleed and shim controlled damping.
In effect, the combination
of a low speed and high speed adjustments will offer the ultimate tuning
combination.