Shock Absorbers

Pro Shocks is all about racing.  They’ve been in business for over 25 years and they consider themselves the number one manufacturer of racing shocks in the world.  To back up that lofty claim they point to the large number of high performance parts distributors for whom they make private label shock absorbers.  The company was born in the heart of racing country — Lawrenceville, Georgia — back in 1983.  Today they make high performance shocks for lowered trucks, street rods, pro street cars, and kit cars.

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Their reputation is further justified by the professional and amateur racers who’ve used their products.  At their website, Proshocks.com, you’ll find impressive listings of the many races and championships won by drivers riding vehicles equipped with Pro Shocks.  You can also see the large number of racing venues all over the country where these highly regarded shocks “strut their stuff.”  So what makes them so special?

Gas Technology
The average driver may think that it is the shock absorber that controls a vehicle’s ride and handling performance.  In fact, it is the spring component of a vehicle’s suspension system that is responsible for ride quality and handling.  The shock absorber makes use of hydraulic pressure to counter the movement of the spring to control its action.  As a spring moves in response to road conditions or handling considerations like turning,  the shock resists this movement by passing hydraulic fluid through a variety of valves and openings within the shock.  Pro shocks use gas cell technology which never require any fluid adjustment from the owner.  In any shock there is an air pocket which allows the shaft inside the shock to move back and forth through the hydraulic fluid.  Gas cell shocks fill this air pocket with gas to eliminate the viscosity loss — think of oil frothing up — that would result if the chamber was filled with only the hydraulic oil and air.

There are two types of gas shocks — high pressure and low pressure.  High pressure gas shocks have a mono tube design so the outer wall of the shock is the outer wall through which the piston shaft must travel and any dent in the outside wall of the shock impacts shock performance.  Most pro shocks use a twin tube design with a second cylinder inside the shock.  The piston shaft travels through this inner cylinder, which has a gas cell  in the reservoir which attracts and melds with the air to prevent potential aeration and subsequent decline in shock performance.  This system is ideal for the performance requirements of racing vehicles and the track record of Pro Shocks in the racing world should be proof enough for any skeptic.