penske 7500

[Richard.F]

I am wondering if anyone has tried the Penske 7500 double adjustable shocks on a NA Miata?

[darbyfam]

I utilized a set built by Guy Ankeny on my NB. They were fantastic!! You can contact Guy througn Ankeny Racing Enterprises.

[TStiles]

I utilized a set built by Guy Ankeny on my NB. They were fantastic!! You can contact Guy througn Ankeny Racing Enterprises.

Can you be a little more specific ?

I'm running the 1.8 SM suspension on my 95 , shocks were revalved by Bernie Stewart with his " ITA Shock Valving "

I think the car handles well , better than it did before the revalve. Car does not get upset on high speed sweeper bumps @ MSRH , stable under braking , transitions well but a little slow ( my background is SRF / FC / F440 , so I like it quick )

I'm trying to gain some insight into what makes the Penske 7500 ( or others ) better than my set up other than the fact that I can fine tune myself ( in or out ) when conditions change.

I keep hearing about guys spending big bucks on a shock package , my 1st reaction is " they must be nuts " , then I think " maybe they know something I don't "

Please school me as to why I should invest more into a shock package and what kind of gains I should expect :eclipsee_steering:

[SMac92]

I also come from an open wheel background. I crewed for my dad's Reynard 1986 Reynard SF200 and raced a FV. Tons of money is spent on shocks in open wheel cars and I would assume in IT cars as well. The more money they cost, the more adjust-ability they have. My dad's FC had Penske doulbe adjustable shocks on them. Because they're adjustable (as opposed to just re-valved) the user (Crew/Driver) can fine tune the setup more to the drivers liking, track, or track condition.
The main adjustable factors are bump and rebound. The more you tighten your adjustable knob for Bump (I believe it's on the top of the shock) the stiffer Bump will get. Meaning that when you hit a bump like a curb or something of that nature, the affected wheel will be more resistant to upward movement. If the Bump was loose, then the wheel would have more travel. The tighter the bump, the harder the ride. The more loose the bump is, the softer ride. Kind of like Porsche vs. Cadillac.
The second popular adjustable option is rebound. This is when the weight of the car is coming down on the shock (returning from a bump action, the front end when braking, the back end when you let off the brakes, the left side of the car when turning right, ect.) The stiffer (knob turned to right) this is, the shock will be more resistant to the cars weight(flatter around turns.)If it is softer (knob turned to left), the car will lean more around turns and during braking. This is useful especially in the rain, as making your shocks softer will allow more of the weight to transfer to your tires, thus giving you more grip.

I hope this helps, if you need anything else, or if I'm wrong, let me know.

Steven

[zchris]

You also have all the different kinds of pistons that Penske makes. I like the VDP/Linear up front as they blow off on berms and the car stays amazingly stable and linear rears. There a dizzying number of combinations between pistons/valve stacks/bleed valves ect.... You can easily get lost in all the choices. And the problem with using the Penske retailers is there in the business of selling you as much product as they can. So expect to be led down the wrong road on initial purchase. With always the promise of something better to try. BUY BUY BUY!!!!!
Chris Howard

[TStiles]

You also have all the different kinds of pistons that Penske makes. I like the VDP/Linear up front as they blow off on berms and the car stays amazingly stable and linear rears. There a dizzying number of combinations between pistons/valve stacks/bleed valves ect.... You can easily get lost in all the choices. And the problem with using the Penske retailers is there in the business of selling you as much product as they can. So expect to be led down the wrong road on initial purchase. With always the promise of something better to try. BUY BUY BUY!!!!!
Chris Howard

THIS is exactly what I want to avoid.

I'm not a Indy Car level engineer , I'm just your average club racer trying to improve my package on a reasonable budget.

DA shock adjustments don't scare me , had Koni DA's on my Swift FC and Penske DA's on several SRF's ... What does scare me is what Chris is talking about.

Maybe I need to adjust my thinking to something that the marketplace has developed for our cars like Prather valved Afco's or 949 valved AST's ???

Then the question becomes , " How much quicker can I go on those set ups vs the custom non adj SM Bilstein's " ?????

Thoughts ?

BTW Chris : Love the Diff :023:

[tyler raatz]

I have JRZ's on one of my ITA Miata's and revalved Bilsteins on the other, there is no comparison between the two. The JRZ's do everything sooooo much better.
I have a new set of 949/AST's on the shelf waiting to go on the EP/STL car. I can give a full comparison report on those after the Road Atlanta national.

[TStiles]

I have JRZ's on one of my ITA Miata's and revalved Bilsteins on the other, there is no comparison between the two. The JRZ's do everything sooooo much better.
I have a new set of 949/AST's on the shelf waiting to go on the EP/STL car. I can give a full comparison report on those after the Road Atlanta national.

Thanks Tyler , Looking forward to your report. I've heard a lot of great reports on the 949/AST set up , but none of those reports are from experienced racers.

I had forgotten about the JRZ's

[darbyfam]

I went from Koni yellows, revalved to race to the Penskes. I found the Penskes much more "refined". They do everything more smoothly. They are especially noticeable on any rough surfaces. They keep the car much more composed in those situations.

Will you jump in and think OMG? I don't think so. It's more like you learn to appreciate what the car does with them over time.

[mossaidis]

^ regular Koni yellows or race yellows?

[darbyfam]

Koni yellows re-valved and shortened to race specs.

[jwasilko]

I'd also suggest Ohlins. Mine are single-adjustable that were re-valved at AMF Motorsports in NH.

[rsportvolvo]

Colin Harmer runs or ran an ITA Miata withe Penske 7500 Double Adjustables. He visits this forum, but I don't recall his username. Search Colin Harmer and he should show up.

Ohlins uses more castings for parts where Penske is all machined. Castings are used to cut cost, however, Ohlins is more expensive. Go figure. You can get either damper to work very well with the right setup and know how. Personally I'll, buy USA with better pieces --> Penske.

[JohnW8]

Penskes also have outstanding service and support all over the country due to the use of Penske shocks in all forms of circle track racing.

I have the 949/AST on my AutoX car. They've been back for service twice in just over a year. I have one that's ready to go back again. Just sayin. AST's are nice shocks but I wish I had gotten Penskes.

[TStiles]

Nobody has mentioned AFCO ... Any reports ?

[Matt93SE]

Trey, IIRC Louie has/had Afco shocks on one of his Miatas. Coulda been the Prod car or the GTL- one had Tein or something, the other had Afco if memory is correct. You might ask him.. Even though he sells all of that stuff as well as Penske, I've found him to be pretty honest about what works and what doesn't.

[TStiles]

Trey, IIRC Louie has/had Afco shocks on one of his Miatas. Coulda been the Prod car or the GTL- one had Tein or something, the other had Afco if memory is correct. You might ask him.. Even though he sells all of that stuff as well as Penske, I've found him to be pretty honest about what works and what doesn't.

We've discussed a little , but I'm trying to get as broad an experience as possible before having a serious discussion with Louie. I tend to gather a lot of facts before pulling the trigger and don't want to waste a lot of Louie's time with what it's until I'm ready to pull the trigger.

I'm going back and forth in regard to :
- do nothing to my car until it gets competitive down here
- develop the 95 to be competitive on a larger stage
- sell the 95 and build a new 99 or 06+

I think the 06+ is probably the way to go , but I hate the extra weight , and really hate the thought of spending the bucks. Donor cars are not that much more than a good 99 and already have a much better chassis , brakes , gearbox , ect.

Besides , If I spent too much time discussing with Louie , I might just end up building an RX8 to play with you STU guys ( well , everybody but Joe )

[Matt93SE]

Good points.. I like discussing with him and value his opinion, but I feel like a leach always asking him stuff.

So why not put a 13B in your Miata? you could then run in STU and it would be cheaper than a new car. :P

[TStiles]

So why not put a 13B in your Miata? you could then run in STU and it would be cheaper than a new car. :P

Yes , That's an interesting build , but not sure it will end up being cheaper than selling my current and building new.

I'm looking forward to seeing that car run

[StephenB]

I know of a caged RX8 that is seem welded for $2500. (no drivetrain)
Perfect start for STU or STL.

Stephen

[TStiles]

I know of a caged RX8 that is seem welded for $2500. (no drivetrain)
Perfect start for STU or STL.

Stephen

Interesting , PM me with details

[Matt93SE]

No. please don't. I'm sure it's already sold.

*Jedi mind trick* Trey doesn't want that car....