Bilstein, a global entity and manufacturer of suspension components and systems for, well…nearly everything, has begun its foray into the drag racing market. They recently launched a brand new product line for the straight-line sport that it plans to blossom into a wide-ranging segment of their business over the coming months and years.
Here in Orlando, Bilstein has on prominent display, along with a host of other products, the first of their drag racing shock models, intended for street and strip duty on nine and ten second street-style cars.
The new shock utilizes Bilstein’s traditional monotube gas pressure construction, in which the gas pressure is pre-loaded to increase control at the launch and improve consistency going down the race track. The shock also removes front suspension “lag” off the starting line, while the self-adjusting deflective disc valving design adjusts instantly to the shaft speed of the shock, also providing greater stability down track. The shock mounts in the stock location for an easy, direct-fit installation.
Bilstein’s current offering includes those for 1967-76 Chevrolet Camaros and Firebirds, along with 1987-93 and 1994-04 Ford Mustangs. According to Bilstein’s Rex Merritt, the company plans to roll out drag racing shocks for additional vehicle makes and models (including virtually every GM performance car and all Ford Mustang models up to 2008), and also has tentative plans to roll out some hardcore drag racing shocks for heads-up style race cars in the future.
The Bilstein drag racing shock has already proven its mettle on the track in R&D testing, as one of their test bed vehicles picked up an impressive three tenths of a second in quarter mile elapsed time, nearly all of which was gained mid-track rather than in short time, proving just how valuable the stability and consistency of the shock going down the racing surface is.
Said Merritt, who has tested this shock on his own street/strip car with similar results, “We took a look at the drag racing market and saw how vast it really is, and we wanted to get involved with a new product line for this segment. We’ve always done monotube shocks here at Bilstein, and so it was natural that we would carry the technology and knowledge over to our drag racing design.”
For more information on Bilstein and their wide range of suspension components, log on to bilsteinus.com.