CATERHAM

Caterham Suspension Testing

Caterham Suspension Testing & Service is vitally important. With proper care and maintenance, your shocks should prove exceptionally durable. Service intervals are difficult to predict as environmental conditions can vary wildly. Shock absorbers subjected to road dirt and grime and those near the exhaust will require more regular servicing than those protected from the elements. We suggest that you visually inspect the shocks regularly and observe the following recommendations:

Keep the shock absorbers clean and dry. The shaft bearing is fitted with a wiper seal but it is effective only in preventing foreign materials from being drawn into the shock absorber. It will not prevent dirt from accumulating around the shaft. If this is allowed to happen the risk of damage to the shaft is increased.
Keeping the shocks clean and dry makes it easier to identify leaks.

Try to keep the shock absorbers cool. Make every effort to keep the temperature equal across axle pairs. If one shock runs hotter than the other, be this because it is closer to the exhaust or for any other reason—direct air onto the shock absorber to cool it down.

Periodically inspect the spherical joints for play. The ball should be tight in the housing.• Do not allow the shaft to rust. The shaft is hard chrome plated and will resist corrosion well but it is advisable to lubricate it regularly with WD40 or similar penetrating oil—particularly underneath the bump rubber and around the eyelet base where moisture can collect.

Do not attempt to adjust the height of the spring platform without first removing loose dirt from the body. Dyno testing your shock absorbers is the only acceptable means to determine if they are performing as expected. Shocks should always be tested in pairs—where this applies— to be sure they match. Over a period of time the oil inside the shock absorber will degrade. As the bore of the shock absorber wears, microscopically small particles of aluminium become suspended in the oil. If the intervals between servicing are too great, this can cause accelerated wear. Only by opening the shock absorber can the condition of the oil and the internal components be assessed. If the oil has blackened or smells bad, it should be changed.

All Meteor Motorsport shock absorbers are serviced with Fuchs 2.5 weight shock oil.
With regular servicing, there should be no reason not to expect an exceptional service life.

All service work is undertaken by our sister brand all at the same premises – see www.RaceShocks.uk