Hello all,
Who has experience with coilover covers/boots? I have only been running my Viking coilovers in the rear of my car for about 2k miles and have noticed alot of particulate build up on top of the shocks. One of the shocks is squeaking and there are visible scores in the shaft. The shock ends are bearing mount so I doubt the cause is side loading the shock. After lubricating, the shock will quiet down for a day or two before squeaking again.
This leads me to believe if I can effectively shield the area from debris and put a heavier lubricant on the shafts I may have longer intervals of quiet operation. Even if it doesn't solve the squeak, it will likely be good for the longevity of the shafts.
So, anyone have experience? What is your favorite dust boot option?
Edit: Here is an old picture to make this post worth it.
Thanks
I'm a big fan, from my experience they do a great job of keeping filth away from the shaft on street and track cars. It was most apparent when I had my AE92 in a shop that was at the end of a filthy gravel road that was pelting crap all over the coilovers, when I lifted the boot it was squeaky clean under there. I would recommend running boots that go over the shaft and inside the spring PLUS spring bags that go over the spring if possible, but the inner boots are most important.
If there's visible scoring on the rod, it's time for a rebuild.
Boots can't hurt, although the seals on OEM shocks are designed and built to exclude stuff from the inner workings.
That, since the underside of a car is inherently filthy and dirty, dirt and debris go everywhere, has nothing to do with
facing up or down.
Visible micro-scratches in the polished steel rods are cosmetic, not functional.
With only 2K miles, there is hardly any reason to replace them unless actual measurable wear has ocurred.
FWIW, running shocks with the rods pointing down (attched to the moving suspension) decreases the unsprung weight,
a distinct performance advantage. But less important on a street car, so you will see them fitted both ways.
I have covers from Inertia Labs on my Miata. They are just some nylon/synthetic material with elastic at the ends and Velcro to keep them closed. Has worked very well to keep fairly expensive race shocks clean, important in the Southwest where all track runoff is dirt and rocks. Easy to remove to inspect shocks as needed. I was a bit worried about shock cooling since its also extremely hot, but have noticed no ill effects. Just got them rebuilt after 4-5 years of HPDE -> TT -> w2w and there was no remarkable damage, so they seem to be working well.
Link: https://tarmac88.com/products/inertia-lab-shock-covers
Not sure if these fit your application but I'm sure you coul d reach out to Inertia Labs about other sizes.
Any recommendations for inner boots? The springs are very close to the body on this car so I think the outer covers will get pinched and rip quickly.
Whatever fits well can work, you can trim to fit if needed, they're all pretty similar, just search for "shock boot." Make sure they're long enough that they sit on the shock body with a little pressure at full extension, no need to affix them to the shock body in my experience. Black ones look plain but offer better UV resistance.
To close the loop I went with skyjacker boots. The openings on each end are a bit large but I'm going to see how it goes with zip ties before going crazy with mounting. Each shock shaft got a bit of wheel bearing grease to hopefully stop them from squeaking.
