Wishbone said:
I think maybe Chevy designed it that way for a reason. At over 6,000 lbs. most of the weight is up front. Sure doesn't hurt having the extra two. Btw there are only 2 on the rear so you only need a total of 6, not 8.
Wishbone said:
So basically the guys that "snicker" are saying the Chevy enginers didn't have a fu(king clue what they were doing.
Disclaimer: this is not a personal attack, so don't take it as one
Yes, it is safe to say that chevy designed it that way for a reason. Everything chevy designs is for a reason. That does not mean that the way chevy did it is the best way at all. Also, what chevy intended and designed the truck for isn't neccessarily what we are building our trucks for, and that is why a lot of members here have made drastic changes to their trucks.
Yes, most of the weight is up front, so you get a single shock that is valved appropriately.
Yes, it can hurt having the extra two depending on what you are using the truck for; i.e., crawling
When you go with two shocks, you need to pay attention to the valving. The trucks that most benefit from this setup are desert trucks, or other trucks where the shock is cycling very rapidly. This cycling causes heat to build up and creates fading. When you use two shocks and reduce the valving, you are essentially dividing the same amount of work between two shocks--so each shock does less work, doesn't create as much heat, doesn't fade, and performs properly. Incidentally, they use resevoir shocks to combat heat and fading as well. Shock technology has changed a bit over the years.
Few people are driving in such situations where they would benefit from the dual shock setup. The higher cost and stiffer ride is may not always be desireable, not to mention the limits in rock crawling. Many people don't get the valving right, so the ride ends up being much, much stiffer, and that definitely hurts travel. In situations where you are looking for maximum articulation or travel, dual shocks really can hinder performance. For what its worth, when I did my suspension, Stephen at ORD strongly advised against going with duals. The general consensus is that dual shocks should be avoided, but there are unique situations where they help. Don't take my word for it, do a search.
Again, not a personal attack or anything, but my "snicker" was because sentence 1, 2, 3, and 4 all had some serious flaws. I would have rather left it with the previous remark, but I figured you wanted to know why I made my previous post. I probably have a few errors in my thinking as well--no biggie, we are all on the same team
