Staggered Rear shock advantages

[Gud T.B. Blown]

I know that when staggered rear shocks were installed back in the '60's their main purpose was to reduce axle hop on acceleration. However I've been reading literature on F Series trucks and the say that the staggered rear shock arrangement was done for better ride quality. So does it stand to reason that staggered rear shocks not only reduce axle hop but also increase ride quality as well?
I ask because my '73 has the standard shock arrangement with a completely redone suspension f/r with IAS shocks and the car still seems to ride like a 1 ton dually. Back in the day I had a '71 with staggered rear shocks and I was running air shocks and I don't remember the ride being nearly as rough as the present car.

 

[ForceFed70]

Well, it depends.

Mostly on the way the shocks have been staggered. In the location that helps with wheelhop (shocks are staggared so that 1 is pointing forward, the other backward), yes it helps to controll wheelhop. However, if they are staggered left/right (sideways) it helps to control sideways axle movement.

Personally, I think there are better ways to do this if you are going to go through all of the effort.

 

[bnickel]

i could staggered shocks providing a slight increase in ride quality because the bed is so light and this would in effect cancel any resonant harmonic vibration caused by both shocks being in the same plane and amplifying said resonance. there is enough weight in the back of a mustang that that particular problem shouldn't be as much of an issue. to phrase it a little differently with both shocks being in the same plane they act as a solid piece (assuming the bed is unloaded) and don't do much to dampen any road irregularities, by changin the plane of the shocks they work independently of each other and better cancel the above resonance. at least that's how i'm interpreting that piece of info about the trucks, but like i said there is enough weight in the back of the stang that it shouldn't experience that same type of issue and the staggerred shocks should only help prevent wheelhop on acceleration, in effect they are performing the same function on the truck (unloaded bed) as the truck doesn't have enough weight in the bed to prevent wheel hop going over bumps, that's where you get bed shake from, a truck with a load in the bed doesn't suffer from this problem as much. that's the reason they say it's for ride quality on the truck, but if you've ever ridden in a truck that doesn't have staggerred shocks and has a good load in the bed the ride is actually a lot more comfortable. staggering the shocks on a mustang just for ride quality isn't going to do very much, sure it might help but there are easier, cheaper and better ways to accomplish the same thing

 

[Gud T.B. Blown]

i could staggered shocks providing a slight increase in ride quality because the bed is so light and this would in effect cancel any resonant harmonic vibration caused by both shocks being in the same plane and amplifying said resonance. there is enough weight in the back of a mustang that that particular problem shouldn't be as much of an issue. to phrase it a little differently with both shocks being in the same plane they act as a solid piece (assuming the bed is unloaded) and don't do much to dampen any road irregularities, by changin the plane of the shocks they work independently of each other and better cancel the above resonance. at least that's how i'm interpreting that piece of info about the trucks, but like i said there is enough weight in the back of the stang that it shouldn't experience that same type of issue and the staggerred shocks should only help prevent wheelhop on acceleration, in effect they are performing the same function on the truck (unloaded bed) as the truck doesn't have enough weight in the bed to prevent wheel hop going over bumps, that's where you get bed shake from, a truck with a load in the bed doesn't suffer from this problem as much. that's the reason they say it's for ride quality on the truck, but if you've ever ridden in a truck that doesn't have staggerred shocks and has a good load in the bed the ride is actually a lot more comfortable. staggering the shocks on a mustang just for ride quality isn't going to do very much, sure it might help but there are easier, cheaper and better ways to accomplish the same thing

I am looking for better ride quality and I've got the parts to convert to staggered shocks, that's why I was asking. If there are easier and cheaper alternatives I'm all ears. Like I posted, I've replaced the rear leafs with stock height (don't remember the lbs) replacements, IAS shocks and new bushings. The rear tire is a 275/60/15 but eventually I will go to a 45 or 50 series.

 

[ForceFed70]

If you've already got the parts, we arn't going to be able to suggest a cheaper alternative.

But if starting from scratch: For wheelhop I'd look into a set of traction bars. For lateral axle movement I'd consider a panhard bar.

Granted, those solutions would probably cost more than going to a staggared shock setup, but the results would be 10x better for less than 2x the price.

You could also look into a rear anti-sway bar if you are looking for a sportier ride. I was amazed at how much of a difference it made in my '70.

 

[bnickel]

sorry, i missed your question. i agree with what BF70 said and would also add that one of the heidts 4 link kits or something similar would probably cost less than a staggerred shock setup, but then i always seem to think in terms of 69/70 too and forget that you have a big body car so i'm not sure that would apply in your case. there are also other way to go too though by using different shocks, springs etc. as well as the panhard or watts, traction bars, sway bars and other traction aids. you could also add a torque arm kit as well too.