How To Adjust Your Shocks Like a Pro and Go Faster | PART 1 - Single-Way Adjustable Dampers!

In this first part of a new series we're doing on tuning the suspension on your car, we'll show you how to set up basic single-way adjustable shocks!
Check out our written version of this video if you want more detail: motoiq.com/how...
Also check out our Ultimate Guide to Suspension and Handling Series:
Part 1 - Wheels & Tires: motoiq.com/the...
Part 2 - Controlling Body Motion: motoiq.com/the...
Part 3 - Balance the Chassis: motoiq.com/the...
Part 4 - Reduce Weight Transfer: motoiq.com/the...
Part 5 - The Unforgiveable Sin - Overlowering Your Car: motoiq.com/the...
Part 6 - Adding Negative Camber: motoiq.com/the...
Part 7 - Tuning Your Toe: motoiq.com/the...
Part 8 - Understanding Your Caster, Kingpin Inclination & Scrub: motoiq.com/the...
LINKS:
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[@Teela93]

Don't apologize for your delivery. I guess some guys think it's dry, but sage wisdom is rarely flamboyant. Love this content and it is absolutely presented well. Most of KZbin is shouting and flashing lights, but this makes me feel like when I was an apprentice machinist. A great depth of knowledge is being handed down in a caring way that helps me grow without the decades of frustration and pain that come with learning the hard way.

[@mrj0hnster]

This guy is way more interesting that youtubers out their talking about the color and finish of their coilovers. I agree with you Alex, its hard to find solid documentation or videos on this stuff.

[@KesterJohnson]

i second this

[@toca_ms]

+1 Delivery was on point. It’s like Jeff is talking to a younger buddy. It feels just right. Also the tempo helps to comprehend !

[@TommyOhmalley]

I third this

[@davidscooterman]

👏👏👏

[@d3inx251]

19:30 rebound 19:48 low speed damping 20:28 mid speed damping 21:40 high speed damping 26:39 single adjustable shocks settings 26:56 more front rebound 27:56 to much front rebound 29:37 to little front rebound 31:31 more rear rebound 34:37 to much rear rebound 36:30 to little rear rebound

[@TravisFabel]

Thank you. So basically the video starts at 19:30... Because leading up to this I'm about 13 minutes in and he's repeated to not lower your car too much and to get an alignment after swapping major suspension components... Lol

[@Kurzawaa]

@@TravisFabel something tells me u dont get an alignment after lowering your car

[@mcnuggetapple]

@@TravisFabel it’s all great information that a lot of people who shouldn’t be in the car scene should learn

[@allyoucan69]

doing gods work 🙏🏼

[@Aleon7291]

Thank you 😊😎👍

[@TheIcybus]

Mike your delivery is direct, easy to understand, and has ALWAYS been to the point! No high pitched KZbin intros, no rapid fire cuts and music, just simple easy education 💯

[@gabem8119]

I hate those intros that are like 10 seconds long, I don’t care about that sh%t! Make it short and get to the vid!

[@Kruse1]

and best of all, none of that insect music the youtube kids put on car videos.

[@RobDahm]

Awesome video Mike!!

[@motoiq]

Thank you!

[@adco97]

I feel like Mike just gave us the inner secrets of suspension. Everything he tells us feels like gold.

[@glensubtorq]

Such valuable information, thank you. The biggest issue I have found when tuning anything is cognitive bias. It's good to have someone else do the adjustments so you don't really know what they did and just drive it to feel the difference. If you are expecting something then you can trick yourself into believing there is a difference. I chased my tail with that issue a lot until I learnt how to "not expect".

[@motoiq]

my feeling is that when you are learning, you do the adjustments yourself and get a feel for things. The best suspension engineers are the guys who learned setting up their own cars. These guys are better than formula SAE data nerd types. If you understand the feel and know how to reduce data, thats the best of both worlds.

[@bradhaines3142]

​@@motoiq one of many reasons engineers should be required to be a mechanic first. hands on is always the best way to learn

[@audaxrallymedia]

@@bradhaines3142 and also be able to ride with pilote (if it possible in two seater)

[@benbarrycars7628]

This guy could give me advice on ANYTHING and I’d listen for 42 minutes

[@ianfairbanks1318]

This should be a mandatory watch prior to joining a FB group

[@TheDcarlucci]

I have ADHD and was able to watch the entire video and learned so much. I think that whatever you teach I would learn. Thank you for your time. I have been playing around with my BC coilovers with a 370z nismo. I had a lot of rear sag and was rubbing really bad. The back sags and about 1.75 inches with regular acceleration and felt unstable at high speeds. Added 4mm of preload and the car feels better, not 100 but I'll keep playing around with it. The last part gave me confidence to keep adjusting and tweaking things until it's what I want. Thanks again

[@macromage]

i got ADD and was laser focused, as im running way too low and need to reset my whole setup, i got BC golds and recently put a new sway bar in my 1997 sf forester, super thick one that means my car corners great but i rub as i lowered it but didnt set the bump stops properly so i rub on the fenders

[@omg_stoppit]

The timing of this couldn't be better. This was perfect. Thank you, Jeff.

[@chinchin3274]

Jeff!?

[@automntl]

Lmao word like wtf

[@JamesElterman]

Fantastic video Mike. Should be mandatory viewing for coilover buyers! I will certainly be recommending it to many people.

[@groundcontrol6876]

This was excellent. I always found that starting out at full soft (and most often staying closer to it) on the shocks was the way to go both in terms of ride quality and actual performance. Almost everybody around would think they need to have the car excessively low and insanely high springrates with the shocks set all the way to "hardest" to get the best performance, and all it would lead to is they had trouble with even regular everyday driving at regular speeds cuz they can't even get over speedbumps without going over em with their cars near parallel to them. They also had trouble hopping on to ramps to the freeway without screwing up the flow of traffic and at the end of the day, when they wanted to go racing, their rides would drive absolutely horribly and it was so obvious that they were doing it wrong that I had no idea how everybody didn't just wake up and notice these common sense issues.

[@dainese01]

All car enthusiasts and tuners should watch this video and know their suspension better. Thanks for this video

[@randall-lbc]

this was an amazing video. Gotta say -- the highlight for me was the description of corners that cause your butt pucker, to... normal!

[@VertigoGTI]

Love these videos and your delivery is on point. I prefer these WAY over content that is obnoxiously loud or overdone; they usually feel disingenuous and often leave out important info. Content like this is content I’m happy to subscribe to. The only thing I wish was different was that I was closer to your shop 😂

[@stevemcrichards8768]

I love this suspension set up talk and I wouldn't mind at all if this became a series that got in depth and technical. With Mike's knowledge and presentation it would be excellent.

[@Angel-rg9dh]

You are an automotive gem brother!

[@yousefh3146]

MORE. OF. THIS. Thank you for taking the time out to bless us with this info.

[@himynameis6433]

Im glad you made this series as I'm used to people just bottoming out their coilovers and calling it a day

[@bradleehill9662]

I have watched this so many times and my car is feeling way better 2 weekends in a row now still dialing it in

[@MrVicsal03]

I feel like I have a phd in this now … thank you for your knowledge

[@vin605]

Wasn't choppy at all, you speak timely and clear. Thanks for the info

[@closedcasketcustoms]

Through sim racing and eventually road course racing I got more and more into damper tuning. What I recommend to everyone who can is 1: drive an 80s Cadillac (or some kind of old boat) in a parking lot and do some low speed quick maneuvers and 2: go karting. And this is super basic, but pay attention to how the front and rear behave of each way. With slow compression and rebound, if it feels like a kart skipping away or sliding, you're too firm and the tires are working too hard. If you're experiencing lazy response in quick maneuvers, you're too soft and the tires are doing too little. Point is, it's good to experience more variety of vehicles to better help your understanding of how your own car is behaving. Again... This is a super basic way to better your knowledge of your own vehicle's behavior. Thank you for your awesome videos! Your expertise is amazing and I always learn something new.

[@SeanOBryanZZ]

My favorite thing to listen to is you talking about shock and suspension geometry.

[@TheINDIAN]

Don't ever apologize Mike ... We need more from you same delivery.... If you can use a RC car with adjustable suspension we can see the effects more and you can quickly display what happens.

[@AreadLeano]

Clearing up some of that butt puckering is definitely key. Thanks for another banger upload!

[@jakeblankenship-du9lx]

I just installed my first set of coilovers on my car for a daily/autocross build and this video was insanely informative. I did not slam my ride, did not touch preload, and have just been tweaking the stiffness settings. I’m at 11/16 clicks front and 8/16 clicks rear and realize based on your symptoms I am 100% overdamped. The bounciness has been driving me crazy. Going to turn them down a good 4-5 clicks and see what a difference it makes. Thank you for making this video!

[@motoiq]

experiment and see!

[@Z28PAPI]

Keep us updated

[@AVATAR___ROCKY]

👑 YOU’RE A LEGEND MR.KOJIMA! Thanks for taking the time going in depth in coil-overs! 👑

[@SirThisWayPlz]

The most comprehensive suspension lesson on YT

[@meegel]

I wasn’t even searching for this but I love learning and relearning about car tech. There’s always something to learn so I really appreciate this long form video. Especially from someone so knowledgeable. Thank you!

[@eryczakpl2337]

I could listen to this guy all day

[@dub537h5]

This guy is one of my favorite "presenters". To the point, great attitude, and an incredible amount of knowledge, what more could you want on these topics?!

[@mehdiansarey4233]

for me as a theoretical one, you summarized vehicle dynamics in a very applied way. thanks a lot

[@johncarmichael4698]

Honestly one of the best tutorials , have a 94 Cobra , trying to balance what I call being one with the car , like a muscle memory no think simply do,,,,,,,,,, I’m learning so much from you I truly appreciate your delivery and your expertise. I’m 64 so thanks to you the one with this car will become my reality. Truly thank you 😎

[@practicaldriver]

How is he sharing this much knowledge for free. Wow!!!!!!

[@Spoiledgas]

This was a good refresher, not too long ago I got tasked with setting up preload and tuning the suspension on a restored type 2 e type roadster. They were complaining about a loose and bouncy feel”. The coilovers were just put on and not adjusted at all.

[@philspaghet]

As someone who is about to get coilovers for the first time, this video is a godsend!

[@garage79r]

Most of my suspension knowledge is from MK even backfrom the SCC days. I even had an old racecar Sentra in the shop that apparently he had a hand in building(or at least consulting its suspension at least). So freaking cool

[@IIAnointedII]

This video is absolutely INCREDIBLE

[@JorgeGarcia-cl7of]

For credits : I run V3 KW on my Model 3 and everything he said made sense .. cool hearing some else explain it … I used to run my rebound very high and easing off of it made it bobble less .. 10/10 .. need cover the compression aspect too , he’d have greater input

[@videomaniac108]

Mike, I so much appreciate this, as well as your other interesting and informative videos and articles. Being a retired physicist and a gearhead, I really love the detailed explanations on the topics you so articulately explain. Keep up the good work!

[@wandernstan]

Finally. Indepth instructions. Mutch appreciated.

[@panikkos86]

Hearing this explanation, describing all the symptoms of the adjustments, suddenly a lot of things started to make sense! I was fooled too, reading in the forums that more is better, ended up with a shitty ride. To anyone that got their fist coilovers set like me, you should definitely watch this. Amazing piece of information, thank you!

[@Levibetz]

This is so helpful, I was able to identify certain behaviors my car exhibits that I can try to solve with these tips. I think I do need a bit less rear sway bar but it sounds like some rear rebound may help stabilize the behavior as is. Right now the car basically must be driven with maintenance throttle or it wants to spin on corner entry.

[@timpea777]

This video is an invaluable knowledge resource for all tomorrow’s hoons, boy racers, and tinkerers. Thanks!

[@paolosolcruz]

Please don't apologize, this is a perfect delivery of wise and detailed suspension knowledge! Couldn't ask for anything better. This is an excellent baseline to start getting deeper into each intricate aspects of tuning suspension settings!

[@1337Hans]

Amazing video! In the same vein, could you guys make a video on accurately choosing spring rates for your car? Lots of confusing info out there on that subject, stuff like relationship between wheel rates front and back etc

[@bboyairrick]

Don't stop making these Mike. theyre awesome.

[@rocketsurgeon11]

Years ago I met Lee Grimes who at the time worked for Koni. I asked him how to adjust my single adjustable dampers and he told me to go to a parking lot, drive over some speed bumps at a slow-ish speed and adjust the dampers until the car bounced once, then settled...then don't touch them. I followed his advice and the car rode and handled very well, was very balanced and not jarring on the street at all. I even had other people drive the car on track and was told "don't touch it". That made me feel good.

[@motoiq]

Lee knows his stuff.

[@gratefultedd969]

I love this guy. Strait to the point. So modest. I dig into engine building. But any advice from this goat is well received!.

[@philips3825]

sitting here all happy i knew about the ziptie trick thanks for the awesome series Mike. what a treat for newer folks to get a fast track into high performance tuning.

[@jackroman8821]

This is one of best video I've seen on explaining how to dial in rebound adjustments!

[@pauldownsyuen8493]

Hey Mike your examples and insights into the symptoms of a poor setup are so helpful - more than anything I've seen on the subject. Most videos that try to cover the topic focus too much on the theoretical - not what it translates to. Thanks for helping me identify and better understand the logic in suspension tuning!

[@elevatedperformance]

That evo giving me nostalgia, so aggressive that front end

[@skrmnghrd4520]

Uncle Mike is a legendary teacher. 🤙🖤

[@indyrock8148]

One of our cars is 06 legacy SPEC B. Replacement standard Bilstein struts $2000 here 😂. Even kyb is $600 on sale + shipping. That doesn’t fix the stock soft springs. New king springs $400. Coilovers. HSD monos $1450 to name one. Looks like its getting coil overs.

[@TheDailyDownshift]

As someone who will be dialing in a brand new set of Fortune 510's this season, the timing for this video could not be more convenient!

[@QQQDDD93]

thank you so much for taking the time to explain all these.!!! Please do more suspension vid if possible!

[@MaxDiachenko]

You are amazing Mike. Thanks for such valuable information

[@bongocars9518]

Excellent video! As for the ride height that is an absolute fact that people make their cars too low for performance purposes. I did a suspension tuning course and they gave a good lesson on coil over setup. When you first get your coil overs you should first remove all restrictions (spring and bump stops) so it’s just the shock. Then put it in the car and put your wheel back on. Jack up your suspension so you’re getting full compression and rotate the wheel to see if you’re rubbing or hitting anything. If you’re rubbing then increase the height until it doesn’t hit anymore under full compression. This will give you a worse case scenario and make sure your ride height is at a good starting point.

[@dhyskRand]

Problem with suspension is everything effects everything. For instance: I bought a used car with 8K miles on it. A week or so passed and I was going through a sweeping corner at about 125 mph and the rear started to undulate up and down. A bit unnerving. Buy what you said one would think there is not enough rear rebound. The actual issue is the dealer and the previous owner failed to remove the shipping blocks from the front springs.

[@nyleen]

If you're a complete beginner messing with your clickers it's best to do adjustments in large increments. So 5 or 10. Chances are you're not a race car driver and won't feel a single clicks difference when you go for a test drive. Once you recognise how the car feels under different settings you can start doing smaller adjustments.

[@motoiq]

It depends how many clicks the shocks have. If they are like ebay wonders with 30-40 clicks yeah. Some shocks 5-10 clicks is the whole or most of the adjustment range. Shocks like Sachs motorsports come to mind. It's easily half or more of the adjustment range of many shocks.

[@nyleen]

@@motoiq That's true. In my group of friends most of us use HSD, BC or Tein so there's a fair few clicks. The few friends I've taught about this have benefitted from noticing the difference in large increments and have since gone onto dialing in their setup. It's how I was taught also.

[@nyleen]

@@motoiq Overall a good video though and I appreciate it.

[@motoiq]

maybe I should say 25-40 percent of the range instead of number of clicks.

[@Jamie24v]

Thank you Mike! You're detailed explanation helped me setup my ST XA's for my M240i. You are so humble and make learning easy!

[@bradleehill9662]

I have been waiting for a video like this since I bought my feal 441 suspension 3 years ago thanks for the info you are a god

[@dannoyes4493]

More, please - this was great... In fact its probably the only video that accurately addresses the "how to" as well as the "why." As I watch this, I've jumping into suspension rebuilds of an old Porsche, Z32, and VW... Definitely took notes. Thanks. Well Done.

[@booost420]

I could listen to you for hours man the knowledge you spill is priceless❤

[@eurekasfray]

Looking into the background, all I see are classic cars. What a sight!

[@S30Build]

Can you do a video on how to set up coilovers to optimize the dampers' effective zone, without the need for helper springs, and adjusting the bumpstop to suit the tire and wheel clearance at the desired ride height?

[@motoiq]

No because its oversimplified and not the right way to do things

[@Thinkforyourselvz]

Just spent the weekend fitting coil overs to my Ute, so this is very helpful as I’m yet to fine tune them. Thanks Mate!

[@x730a]

New to the channel but this is fantastic! So much good info from someone who actually knows what he's talking about. You can tell he genuinely loves cars too. Definitely a new favorite.

[@motoiq]

Welcome aboard!

[@boostnboba7658]

Your day has been blessed by the master

[@clayniemeier1133]

First of all, I love your videos!! I bought a 2006 Honda CR-V with auto trans with the thought of auto cross. It has VSA. I looked everywhere for suspension upgrades. I ended up buying Gecko race coil overs. My problem is I can't find stiffer sway bars. It handles good on soft settings, and I love burning into corners with it. The coil overs lowered it 3 inches, but I need stiffer sway bars to really corner. I don't want to flip it over. Are these the coil overs you say have fake adjustments? 🤔 I want to build a sleeper with your info on K24's and blow some Mustangs off the road. My new motor is being hot tanked as we speak. Keep it up. I love your intelligence on the subjects you present.

[@motoiq]

You can buy parts from Speedway Engineering and with some minor fabrication make your own super adjustable bars with tons of different rates.

[@clayniemeier1133]

Now I want to build a high horse 2006 CRV K24. Help Me , maybe 300hp E85?

[@coldvaper]

Mike is a treasure. Also I am in my 40s and I still don't know if Im turning the knob right....

[@craigcoghlan546]

Bloody fantastic ,about time somebody has put it in layman's terms that we can all understand thank you very much.

[@streetsweeper2942]

The comment you made after 00:58 made me stop the video to give a thumbs up! I can't wait to watch the rest of this video.

[@mikedorner5853]

This is definitely the best shock tuning video that I've personally seen on youtube, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I'm excited for more content like this 👍

[@jayferasaurus]

I found you through HPA's podcast and I was thinking their interview was way too short. This is exactly what I was wanting.

[@CoyoteKid60]

Fantastic amount of information Mike.Yeah! It's complex. But, what the hell, if you're a guy (or gal) who wants to learn, you better damn well be willing to put in the effort. Thanks for the great insights and understanding Mike!

[@Devilpeakmotorsports]

Excellent information, thank you, Mike! I thought it was interesting that you suggest starting at full soft. I've always been of the mindset to start in the middle, test, adjust one way several increments, test, then go the other way from the center several increments and test. Starting at one extreme seems foreign but the more I think about it, I can see the merit of starting and working in one basic direction.

[@motoiq]

It's because the most grip can be found with the least damping force needed to control the suspension.

[@Devilpeakmotorsports]

@@motoiq that makes sense. And as far as delivery goes, I don't need a song and dance to learn something when the information is so good.

[@turkishexpress]

Awesome that you guys share this stuff. I wish this kind of knowledge was around when I was in my 20s :)

[@mixxedboyybuilds8273]

So a friend of mine has a 96 mustang GT. I installed some single adjustable maxpeedingrods coilovers for him. Of course he bought them in order to get his car super low & close up that fender gap, but he also wanted to improve the ride quality, mainly by getting rid of some body roll as the car has quite a few drivetrain modifications & was on the wrong set of springs to begin with (eibach convertible lowering springs(( had the rear way taller than the front, & we believe higher than stock)). Anyways, I adjusted them almost all the way down for him & we ended up leaving the rear about ¼" taller than the front because he has some exhaust clearance issues for the moment. Ok, so the coilovers did their job as far as what he was looking for, the car is low & stays "go kart flat" around turns & even while sideways, going around a turn or out of a parking lot... BUT they introduced some new problems, when hitting bumps the car feels like the suspension is welded solid especially in the rear, despite it having more clearance. I believe this may be a spring rate problem, as we have adjusted them all the way soft with some change, but nowhere near enough. My question is, is it a spring rate problem or could the issue befixed with a preload adjustment?

[@motoiq]

I think its a crappy coilover problem. $300 coilovers are just junk. Making them as low as posible makes them even worse.

[@TheTigerPGM]

If you were in France, I would be in your garage by the end of the afternoon to tweak my BC coilovers! 👍😁

[@K24_ej1]

I learned more in this 40 minute video than several hours of other videos combined. Thank you for this!

[@motoiq]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fraguzz]

Best explanation of what the different stuff do.. exactly what I was looking for.

[@jaffriproductionstudio8645]

Just watched your video. I really missed playing around with coilover during my JDM days. Now my DD is a Cayenne 958 V8. Planning to go coilovers since the air suspension has never quite fit my style of driving. Gonna take all your advice with a leap of faith that all goes well with coilovers setup for a big heavy SUV.

[@fernandososa5547]

Would love to hear more on how all this works or the preferred dial-in for FWD v RWD track driving. Great Video Mike and clearly the knowledge is deep here!

[@motoiq]

Shock setting techniques are the same for FWD and RWD.

[@VirtualMayhem]

@@motoiq Even when launching? The symptoms you describe seem very rwd oriented for launching.

[@therealdiegoalunan]

What a legend! I learned a lot even in just the 1st 5 mins .. will keep an eye on future vids! ✌🏾

[@raldyjimenez3319]

Love all the wisdom...makes me feel if the car drive decent stock like my 440i then leave it alone :) dont mess with it

[@audikid89]

I was looking for a video like the six months ago. Thank you so much. This is gonna make my car so much better for the season.

[@PedroHeyMan]

Your channel is amazing! Thank you

[@Dice_weiss]

Been having the rear feel swayey if fishtailing while hitting bumps on the highway. Scares the hell out of me. This started happening after I unbound some of my rear suspension arms so I think I need to stiffen the rear/ add more rebound. Going to try 3 clicks to stiffen on my BC racing coilovers and see how it feels. Fingers crossed! Great video and a good baseline for something that’s always been a myster

[@Solidsnake0208]

Man I wish KZbin existed and I had this video the first time I fitted aftermarket suspension to one of my cars

[@NAmania]

What a privilege! Thanks for sharing this vast amound of knowledge in such an accessible way!

[@bruceaquina1799]

This series has been absolutely fantastic! Very informative, authentic enthusiasm with the presentation and genuinely I catch myself smiling and feeling better after watching. Excited for more and is clearing up a lot of my mistakes. When I started working on my 89 240 14 years ago I noticed your work in motoIQ and honestly privileged that you are sharing. Video production ain’t easy. Excited for more! Liked, subscribed, shared with a friend helping with the build. Cheers!

[@bladeszx2]

Great video. I really appreciate the guidence you provided. You've made the enigma of what happens when you adjust dampening a LOT more clear. Thank you.

[@brett31979]

Excellent presentation. As one with street-only experience so far this is a great primer and the website with 20+ articles looks at first glance like a powerful resource to start from. Here I have had RideTech HQs for several years and only dialed them to a loose sense of corner comfort. Now I have a better understanding of the dynamics and can further refine the setting, though soon I may be opting for Viking Berserker three-way for the new car coming off the rack. Perhaps by then I will know better what to do with the valving. Thanks, Mike!

[@nomaralonso1880]

God I love you guys for maing this information more accessable. Thank you. Everyone involved inproducing these videos, thank you so much.

[@850t5m]

For the most part this is all 100% spot on My 2cents. -High speed and low speed damping is arbitrary. Depending on your bleed and preload in the valve stack you'll get different dampening curves. The adjustments in ots coilovers change area under the curve which has large impacts over the whole range. Also there is no good reason for the 2:1 - 3:1 rebound : bump ratio. You can run much more compression than you think and ultimately rebound:bump ratio is a tuning tool for aero balancing. So it is important to discuss having aero or not much like the initial comment about most people go too low.

[@motoiq]

This is about basic one way adjustable coilovers, we will be talking about the more advanced stuff later.

[@MexikanPanda]

This was a great video, I wish this info was available back when I first got into the scene

[@__MAT__]

Absolutely excellent content, as always. Thanks for your time.

[@Corsavette02]

This is solid information I love the, "if some is good, more is better, and If I have more than anyone else Im the best" lol thats good made me laugh