boge pro gas shocks on the v8..

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

well, as promised, here is a brief report on my experiences on the boge
pro gas so far... in short: extremely happy with them..

it is difficult for me to make a direct comparison with the less sporty turbo
gas because i would be comparing a new pro gas with worn turbo gas shocks if
i were to rely on recent memory.. in the days when the original shocks were
new, my car had different tires and a completely different front
suspension... ugh! 

anyway, my greatest satisfaction with them come in 2 areas:  high speed
ride quality and overall improvement in handling feel.

i've never been completely satisfied with the damping in the v8.. while it is
better than many japanese cars, i have always had the feeling that it could
be tied down better.. gentle dips and crests taken at high speed were never
quite brilliantly disposed of, due in part i suspect, to the car's weight. 
anyway, all that's history now and the car will now hustle slightly uneven
back roads with the agility and eagerness of a sports car.  at highway speeds
bumps of all sorts are now nicely absorbed.  i wouldn't say that it is
perfect.. bilsteins still feel better in general but the pro gas has helped
the car a great deal with high speed gliding. 

as for handling, tight low speed bends are now handled a lot better with far
less diagonal pitching.. there is a 15mph left hander on my way to work and
for the longest time this has been where the v8 falls flat.. with the new
shocks, the car corners very flatly if somewhat lifelessly. 

high speed highway ramps are also similarly behaved.. noticeably reduced
front end roll but also less communication from the suspension and less
excitement. 

fortunately, steering feel has actually improved.. (this may also be due to
the new suspension settings) so the adhesion limits can now be clearly and
easily felt. 

as a result, high speed banked turns can be taken with the car close to its
adhesion limits with almost no fuss and no fear.. the steering is wonderfully
talkative about what the front wheels are doing, but there are far fewer
messages from the suspension than before.  in the past, the car could be felt
to "dig in" to the curve and cling on like a leech.  confidence inspiring,
though somewhat less tidy than a textbook case. 

now, it just turns and one has to use visual cues to tell that one is
actually going around at a pretty high speed.  i'm tempted to say that there
is more understeer now, but it may also be entirely possible that i am
actually pushing the car harder with its new found composure. 

the car is now running with just a tad less than 1 degree of front negative
camber.. factory specifies +/- 0.5.. i have not noticed any difference with
the new setup, unfortunately.. front toe is set to 0.7 degrees. 

so while there is a question mark as to whether ultimate grip has suffered, i
have gotten a lot of satisfaction from the way high speed uneveness is
handled and how the handling feel has also improved.. the main difference it
makes to everyday driving is that one could point and squirt the car a lot
better.. e.g. trying to make it past a green turn signal before it turns
red.. with the worn dampers one took a more leisurely pace because it was
imposed upon you.. with the car now nicely tied down, one could drive it in a
speedier fashion with no loss in comfort. 

low speed ride is now thumpier than before, and some of it is also due to my
pressurising the fronts at 45psi..  i have to say that they match quite well,
the tires, the pressure and the springing and damping rates.  btw, i 
recently rotated my tires and found that the inner edge of the front
tires were more worn than the center or outside... so i guess 45psi front
is *not* too high for this car.

little wonder that a pair of new shocks can breathe so much new life into a
car that is starting to feel old.  i recommend the boge pro gas for v8
owners, but i can't say the same for the lighter cars, because i have no idea
how they would interact with them.. 

going to bed now.. sorry if there are any spelling/grammar/punctuation 
errors.. to sleepy to proofread..


eliot