TOKICO

TECH NOTES FROM TOKICO

TOKICO Tech Tips

Q. How long has TOKICO been making shock absorbers?

 A. TOKICO has been in the business of manufacturing shock absorbers and brake hydraulics for over 50 years. We have manufactured standard hydraulic as well as both monotube and twin-tube low-pressure gas shock absorbers. If fact, TOKICO was the original developer of twin-tube low-pressure gas shock technology.

Q. Does TOKICO offer a warranty?
A. TOKICO offers a limited lifetime warranty for all of our suspension products purchased for street use. Products used or designed for competition are not covered under warranty.

Q. What is the difference between original equipment TOKICO's and and the ones you sell?
A. Specifications for original equipment shocks are determined by the vehicle manufacturer. The specs for TOKICO's Premium Performance and Adjustable Illumina are chosen by our own engineers. Although TOKICO does provide original shocks to a number of vehicle manufacturers, our aftermarket product has different valving as well as deifferent internal design features.

Q. Are TOKICO shocks and struts heavy duty?
A. The term heavy duty has often been misused and can be misleading. In many cases the difference between a heavy duty part and the standard part is limited to a few simple physical variations and the price. The actual performance may not differ at all. In other cases there is actually a stiffer valving in the heavy duty part. TOKICO 's sophisticated piston design and valving curves have a wide enough performance range so that there is no advantage in building multiple valving units such as heavy duty and comfort.

Q. Are TOKICO shocks self-adjusting?
A. All shock absorbers are velocity sensitive or self-adjusting . They all react to variations in the velocity or speed of the suspension. Designs differ in how well they react to the wide variety of inputs from the suspension and still provide good control and ride quality.

Q. How much will TOKICO improve my vehicle?
A. The amount and types of change will vary depending upon the vehicle, the condition of your existing shocks and the condition of other suspension parts. For example, if you are looking for a pillowy soft ride for a vehicle that already rides very soft, no performance shock will give you what you want. However if you want to improve steering response, handling, braking and maintain a good ride, TOKICO premium perforfmance shocks make an excellent choice.

Q. How soon should I replace my shocks?
A. The page "How can I tell if my shocks need replacement?" gives guidelines on how to evaluate your shock absorbers. TOKICO shock absorbers will even out-perform the shock absorbers on brand new vehicles. The worse your car or truck is performing, the more you will notice the change TOKICO shocks will make.

Q. How is TOKICO different from other shock brands?
A. There are a number of ways in which TOKICO differs from other shocks. It depends upon the shock you are using for comparison. Piston and valving design, valving curves, quality and function are all areas that differ from other shocks. TOKICOs will not "feel like other shocks". A general overview of these differences is available by clicking on "How Do Shock Brands Differ?" To date we have not found another shock which combines ride, adhesion and handling as well as TOKICO.

Q. Which is better high-pressure monotube shocks or twin-tube low-pressure shocks?
A. The difference in pressure is a function of design and it is no measure of shock function per-se. Monotube units must run high pressure or they will not work properly. Generally speaking well designed twin-tube low-pressure shocks will give a better quality ride for a given level of control than a comparable monotube shock. However a low quality twin-tube unit should never be chosen over a quality monotube shock.

Q. How many shock absorber manufacturers are there?
A. There are only a few primary shock absorber manufacturers in the world. There are many private brand or re-packagers in the market. Many of these private brand products use outdated technology and are rather inexpensive to manufacture. In some cases the private brand company may ask for special valving but often they simply use the same valving that the primary manufacturer uses in its inexpensive commodity shock absorber. While TOKICO has manufactured some special products for people like Toyota Racing Development (TRD), we do no private brand manufacturing for the US aftermarket. The design and valving for both the Premium Performance and Illumina products are unique to our North American program and are not shared by any other TOKICO products.

Q. What is the difference between your Premium performance non-adjustable shocks and your adjustable Illumina units?
A. In terms of quality there is no difference. The adjustment system in the Illumina allows the owner to change the handling balance or ride quality to suit his/her purposes. The Illumina is excellent for auto cross, drag or other types of racing. It can also be used to compensate for handling imbalances common to certain cars.

Q. What is the best setting for the Illumina?
A. The ideal setting depends upon the vehicle, the purpose and the driver's tastes. It will tend to be different on rear wheel drive cars than on front wheel drive cars. Settings will also be different for drag racing than for road performance. Playing with the adjustments to find the best combination can be part of the fun.

Q. Why are there different part numbers for the same end on some cars and not on others?
A. Coilover shocks or strut units often have special brackets for left or right side usage which requires a different part number for each side.

Q. Does TOKICO offer springs?
A. TOKICO offers a range of lowering springs for performance cars. The section "Improving your car with TOKICO" has more information on both springs and spring/shock suspension kits. Please see applicattion guide for spring listings.

Q. Can I use sport lowering springs with my original shocks?
A. Very few original shocks have the damping necessary to properly control sport lowering springs. Even if they work reasonably well when first installed, the higher rate springs will cause the factory shocks to wear much faster.

Q. Will other springs work with TOKICO shocks?
A. TOKICO shock absorbers have quite a wide range of performance. They are designed to work with original springs or with a wide range of performance lowering springs. However if the spring is not designed properly no shock will work correctly. TOKICO shocks will tend to give the best performance and ride quality when used with original or TOKICO springs.

Q. How low can I go?
A. The amount a vehicle can be safely lowered varies by make and model. Cars can generally be lowered by 1 or 2 inches. Some trucks can be lowered by as much as 6 inches. Excessive lowering can and does cause a number of problems. Suspension was designed to allow the tires to move independently from the chassis. If too much travel is removed due to excess lowering, or springs that are too stiff, problems can range from a harsh ride to actual damage to vehicle components.

Some of the problems include:

1. Harsh ride with poor adhesion
2. Excess wear on CV or U-joints
3. Poor alignment
4. Shock failure
5. Stress cracks in the chassis or suspension
6. Excess noise and rattles in the chassis
7. A dangerous lack of control on rough roads

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