Spax Shocks

[1970EuropaGuy]

Does anyone have info on these Spax shocks that are on my S2? Are they original? They seem to be working fine. I'm assuming that tightening the spring increases stiffness, what does the small screw at the bottom do?

[JR73]

They aren't original.

Moving the spring platform (threaded section) adjusts the ride height. - Winding it to compress the spring raises the ride height and vice versa... You can have the corner weights set if you really want?!

The screw at the bottom is the adjuster for the damping rate, it may be marked as to which way increases/decreases. - Generally anticlockwise softens the damper and clockwise will stiffen it. (*edited to point out that it gives you this info on the red label!!*) you usually have 10 to 14 'clicks' of adjustment, what i mean by this is that when you turn the screw it should not rotate smoothly, it should click into the next position as you rotate it (how else do you set either side the same?!). Usually best to back each one right off to the softest setting by feeling for the last click then rotate it the opposite way and count the number of proper clicks you can feel until you can no longer turn it... good starting point is in the middle of the range, drive it down the road and see what it feels like? - If its too hard then soften it by at least 3 clicks (to make a noticeable difference at first) and then refine it by single clicks until you are happy with the ride etc....

Hopefully this link works;
https://www.spaxperformance.com/classic-products/gas-adjustable-dampers/

Loads of time can be spent playing about with all of that, have fun!

Jon

[BobW]

The S2 came with non-adjustable shock but you'd be hard-pressed to find one that way today. I have orange Konis on the front and the Spax on the rear. Both front and rear are set one click from full soft.

[BDA]

Spax updated their design and one of the changes was to increase the number of clicks of adjustment. You should send your picture to info@spaxperformance.com and ask them for more particulars. You should do this before you money with changing the adjustment. There may be some warnings about over or under adjustment.

JR73 is quite right in everything he said but most people would use the adjustable spring perches to change the ride height rather than corner weight.

In general, you would increase the stiffness of the shock for stiffer springs. Here's an article that describes how and why this should be done: https://nasaspeed.news/tech/suspension/damper-tuning/. My springs are twice as stiff as the stock springs and the lowest shock setting was very comfortable when driving around town but it required a lot of attention driving at elevated speeds and on twisty roads. If you're interested in experimenting with your shocks, first make sure your alignment is correct.

[1970EuropaGuy]

Thanks guys. Lots of good information.

Do adjustable shocks like these go bad or is the spring doing most of the work?

[BDA]

I think there are "rubber" seals inside but they last a long time. I wouldn't worry about yours.

edit: I assume there are rubber-like seals but I'm not positive.

[JR73]

The adjusters can seize - make sure they move freely and feel for the click.

Like any other shock they fail in similar ways over time but with the adjusters you can do a simple check of winding the damping adjuster to hard and give it a bit of a bounce to see if the suspension has gone stiffer - you should notice a difference between full soft and full hard, if there is no noticeable difference then it's worth investigating further...

I've had some Spax adjustables on one of the cars for 20 years now and I do clean around the adjuster screw fairly regularly but otherwise they are still fully functional.

If you have them off then before reassembling them it may be worth cleaning the threads on the adjustable platforms and giving them a coating of copper slip or some other anti seize compound - along with preventing them from corroding it lubes them to ease adjusting them on the car (which can be awkward on the front!)

[1970EuropaGuy]

I've cleaned everything well and the adjusters work smoothly. Painting time.

Thanks for all the info.