Anybody out there used QA1 adjustable shocks?

Like these:

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/p/1205,366_QA1-Adjustable-Shock.html

They are single adjustable for rebound, the compression damping has to be changed by revalving. The price is pretty darn good, though.

Good, bad indifferent?

I was always told they were a great drag shock, but not for handling. I have no direct experience with them.

Yeah, I was always told the same thing. Then, IIRC, Carrerra bought QA1 (or maybe it was the other way around?) and i was wondering if any Carrerra DNA found its way into QA1 shocks.

They have a double adjustable as well, it's just not in Speedway's catalog. QA1 says they can be revalved for just about any application and they are a damn sight less expensive than KONIs or etc.

QA1 bught Carrera. From what I have seen, they are a suitable replacement/upgrade to older Carrera's. They can be built with any valving you desire (from MANY different shock "tuners") and from what I've seen they hold up great. They work great in road racing, but they're most popular with the circle track folk.

I've been working with AFCO a lot - a direct QA1 competitor, I believe - and I'm a big fan of their stuff. Never tried QA1.

Several of the Locost guys have chosen the QA1's for their cars -- Keith being a notable exception. You might search at locostusa.com and read opinions. I don't recall anything abnormally negative about them off the top of my head.

Im not sure if it was correct, but I remember reading somewhere that the way the adjustment worked was not really on the same level as other better quality shocks. Im sure they arent too bad though.

At the time I built my Locost, it was still possible to get GAZ shocks easily so that's what I did :) If I was building now, I'd definitely investigate QA1 as well as AFCO. I think QA1 is better represented at the Locost end of the market.

Travis_K wrote: Im not sure if it was correct, but I remember reading somewhere that the way the adjustment worked was not really on the same level as other better quality shocks. Im sure they arent too bad though.

You may be correct although I believe The QA brand acquired Carrera shocks. The latter were well respected in their day.

m

Like I said, I don't know about the adjustable shocks, but their 60 series monotubes are VERY good.

Keith, I don't want to hijack too much here, but which afco shocks did you use for the miata suspension? I'm interested in case my motorcycle shocks don't work out to my liking on the Mg suspension. The afco site only shows circle track, "high performance" and drag racing.

Thanks, and sorry for the jack.

Brust

I saw that a bunch of guys on locostusa were using QA1's.

I looked at the Afco site, they look like good stuff but I was not having much luck finding anything which could be readily adapted to a production based suspension and still be reasonably affordable. For that reason, I'm interested in what Afcos the locost guys are using as well.

We will likely be using them on my son's 1983 Supra since shock options are limited (most likely coil over conversion to get some decent spring rates also)

Our Miata shocks are the T2 line. We specified the upper mount, lower mount, shaft length, body length, adjuster location, spring length, spring rate, check ball material and valving. You won't find them in the catalog although you will find almost all of the individual components :) I believe road racing is considered to be "high performance". Not a great choice on the part of the marketing department, but it doesn't make the products any less viable. Their print catalogs are a lot more useful than the website.

AFCO is far more approachable than any other shock manufacturer I've dealt with. Really helpful guys. Instead of looking in the catalog for an off-the-shelf solution, call them up and ask for suggestions.

Zombie thread back from the dead. I need shocks for my Midlana soon, and am looking at the QA1s. I can't find anything cheaper. I'm debating single or double adjustable. Some posts above indicate that only rebound is adjustable, but the proma stars that I am looking at state that both compression and rebound is adjusted with the knob. http://www.qa1.net/qa1_motorsports/drag-and-street/shocks-and-struts/custom-mount-shocks/proma-star.html

Is the double adjustment feature worth it for an extra $80/shock? This car will be used for street driving and some HPDE and auto-x. Any other, more budget friendly options?

Well, when Dad and I were helping his friend run a Formula Ford, he picked up quite a bit of time per lap going to double adjustable shocks.

The biggest thing to learn is when to make a change to the shocks and what that change should be and sometimes the additional adjustment can be confusing at times.

That said, they can help quite a bit because you've got control of both compression and rebound so you can better control the rate of weight transfer front to rear and side to side.

Maybe get racelands? QA1 shocks seem about as good as their springs, IE you might as well save money and buy the cheapest option direct from china.

RE double adjustable, if its only $80/shock you'd be berkeleying stupid not to get it. $300/shock is normally a reasonable gap between a single and a double.

In reply to Leafy:

That bad huh? It looks like racelands are made for specific applications, I don't see a generic "bushing on both ends" type of shock offered by them.

Other options are GAZ single adjustable at about the same price as the QA1s (steel body, not aluminum), or strange engineering, again about the same price as the QA1s for single adjustable, an extra $100/shock for double.

What he means is that they aren't the very best shocks money can buy.

If you don't have the budget for AFCOs or Penskes or whatever, i'd give it a shot. Can't be worse than no shocks.

Unfortunately I don't have unlimited funds. Like most GRMers I'm trying to get the best bang for my buck. Afcos run about $50 more per shock. I am looking at about $850 on the low end for single adjustable QA1s or GAZs, or $1320 on the high end for double adjustable Afcos. That's a fairly significant difference in a $5000 car. The question is, is the extra $470 worth it? My usual strategy of buying the higher quality parts used at the low quality price isn't working for shocks.

If we're talking $850 for single QA1s vs. $1320 for double AFCOs, i'd probably choose AFCOs in that case.

If both those prices were single adjustable, the choice would probably be different.

That's just gut feeling, mind you. I have no hands on experience with QA1's shocks, and my only AFCO experience was riding shotgun in the Targa Miata.

You can get single adjustable AFCOs - they've got a big range and a crappy website. Come up with your desired dimensions and call the guys.

just as an fyi - Jegs sells their own branded double adjustables for just over $200ea, made in USA:

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS-Performance-Products/JEGS-Double-Adjustable-Coil-Over-Shocks/2483367/10002/-1

also Viking produces doubles for slightly cheaper and also made in USA: http://www.hotrodhardware.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=5143/category_id=1094/mode=prod/prd5143.htm

I have zero experience/knowledge of their quality.

Thanks! Those look worth a look. Initially research shows people seem to like the Vikings.

Shocks. Take your budget, double it, and you, your back, your kidneys, and your lap times can thank me later.