How to fix the pogo effect
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: FT Campbell, KY
How to fix the pogo effect Strano springs and Koni 4/4s. OE torque arm and bracket. I'm more than certain I set the shocks and struts to their maximum tension levels. In the Grand Prix world, no amount of shock or strut adjustment will fix the pogo effect, one must buy a rubber/poly spacer for use with the mounts...but I don't know if that's the case with the FBodies. For those unsure what the pogo effect is, think also a harsh yet not-quite-washboard bounce. Anyone have any suggestions or ideas about how to dial the suspension in? I'd appreciate it yall.
Are you asking about the settings on your Koni shocks for the F-body, or for your Grand Prix? The settings for an F-body are relatively loose to deliver a quality ride and performance. So you'll want to dial them back to around 1-2 in the rear and 4-6 in the front. Everyone's settings will be gauged differently because we have customers running settings we suggest and love them, while others are looking for more and change them around. Not very sure what the "pogo effect" is, but it sounds like the car feels overly bouncy on uneven surfaces.
- Kevin
- Kevin
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: FT Campbell, KY
The FBody. My GP GT is running the heaviest GTP springs available, GR2s, and the GMPP kit with NextLevel STBs.
With your recommended settings, is 1-2 like 1-2 turns from firm or 1-2 from soft?
The "pogo effect" is indeed like you described it, but not really a soft bounce. It's what you often find on really low ricers with those STIFF suspensions when they hit an inconsistency on the road. The bounce is bound and rebound, but they don't bounce more than .25" though they DO bounce a couple times beyond the bump.
With your recommended settings, is 1-2 like 1-2 turns from firm or 1-2 from soft?
The "pogo effect" is indeed like you described it, but not really a soft bounce. It's what you often find on really low ricers with those STIFF suspensions when they hit an inconsistency on the road. The bounce is bound and rebound, but they don't bounce more than .25" though they DO bounce a couple times beyond the bump.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,798
Likes: 16
From: St.Charles MO
The FBody. My GP GT is running the heaviest GTP springs available, GR2s, and the GMPP kit with NextLevel STBs.
With your recommended settings, is 1-2 like 1-2 turns from firm or 1-2 from soft?
The "pogo effect" is indeed like you described it, but not really a soft bounce. It's what you often find on really low ricers with those STIFF suspensions when they hit an inconsistency on the road. The bounce is bound and rebound, but they don't bounce more than .25" though they DO bounce a couple times beyond the bump.
With your recommended settings, is 1-2 like 1-2 turns from firm or 1-2 from soft?
The "pogo effect" is indeed like you described it, but not really a soft bounce. It's what you often find on really low ricers with those STIFF suspensions when they hit an inconsistency on the road. The bounce is bound and rebound, but they don't bounce more than .25" though they DO bounce a couple times beyond the bump.
Do 4 sweeps from full hard in the front, and go full soft (or a little higher) in the rear. Then go from there and adjust to your liking. Make sure your tires are at 30psi too.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: FT Campbell, KY
I want a really stiff suspension and thought that I wanted the shocks set that high. I like how level the car handles, but I do not like how hard they push the tires down, resulting in "pogo".
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Stiff doesn't always mean that it's handling better. My GTO has a relatively stiff suspension on KW Coilovers. But it's extremely compliant. The tire is always trying to remain in full contract with the road on even the most uneven of surfaces. The side effect is that I can feel the surface a lot more, but I really enjoy that. haha If it were adjusted improperly, the car would bounce around and could even be dangerous on certain pavement sections.
My settings were from full soft, I apologize. Some shocks are adjusted the opposite way - like my KWs.
- Kevin
My settings were from full soft, I apologize. Some shocks are adjusted the opposite way - like my KWs.
- Kevin
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Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: FT Campbell, KY
I took yalls advice and went from full-firm on the aft shocks and put it 1 turn softer and the pogo effect is gone. I think I might adjust back firm by 90* to try and stiffen it up back there, though. It seems a bit loose to me. Thanks for yalls help!
Adjusting your shocks has nothing to do with setting the "tension" - what you are adjusting with your Koni SAs is the rebound, which controls the sprung weight of the car. If you dial up too much rebound damping, you can cause packing - you'll go over a bump, compressing the shock. The rebound damping controls how fast the shock piston will return to its original position, so if you've dialed up too much rebound, the shock will be very slow to return to that position. If you hit another bump (or a series of them), you'll progressively keep packing the suspension down until you are riding on the bump stops, causing a harsh ride due to the car skipping over subsequent bumps. The pogo effect you describe points to too much rebound damping.
This is where an adjustable suspension bites people - they don't understand what they are adjusting, and the results are usually less than spectacular, if not disappointing.
This is where an adjustable suspension bites people - they don't understand what they are adjusting, and the results are usually less than spectacular, if not disappointing.
