Tokico drag shocks FTL! Need help PLEASE! *pics*

hotmustang331

Active Member
Apr 29, 2004
2,967
3
48
Bastrop,TX
First off I want to say, IF YOU HAVE A DD DO NOT GET TOCIKO ADJUSTABLE DRAG STRUTS! Basically my drivers side strut just snapped in half!!!!!!!!!! :mad: Im not a happy camper right now. :notnice: (EDIT: was so mad I called them shocks haha...I believe they are actually called struts)
Going to Jack in the box durring my break....hit the breaks and go to turn in and CLUNK POP CLUNK!!! I was like WHAT!?!?! So I got my food and slowly drove back to work with the car pulling to one side and feeeling VERY weird. I get to work and look and :eek: my freegin tire is leaning so far in (top of the tire leaning in under the fendor about 5-6 inches ) that about 2-3 inches of tread wasnt even touching the ground. :nonono:

Took a HUGE risk and drove the 50 miles home and jacked the car up to find this.

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I looked at it at work and couldnt see much....and then popped my hood. My CC plate is fine (I thought it ripped it out) and my main nut is still screwed onto the top of the shock and everything looks fine. So eventually im able to see under the now tight fendor gap and see that my freegin shock SNAPPED IN TWO! The SS rod part...I couldnt believe it. And ofcourse I see my spring all twisted and mangled looking....then ofcourse I realized that NOTHING is holding this thing togethor, save for the weight of the car placing it in a bind and basically keeping the spring up against the cc plate. I wasnt sure if it could pop out or not...because I still cant see whats broke and whats not. So I just took it slow and prayed my spring wouldnt pop out and send my tire into the wheel well :) .

ANYWAYS, I want the baddest of the bad shock for this thing to replace them...I was getting tired of the drag springs anyways, they suck for DDing IMO..too much movement over bumps. I want something STIFF and designed for the abuse of the road course. Im not going through this again with crappy products that cant stand up to my driving (NOT a corner carver by any means).

BOTH shocks had actually went bad earlier this week and lost their dampening effect....drivers side was leaking fluid. So this wasnt just a random quality control thing only. These shocks just dont last...and then they will break on you. BTW I have coil over suspension if your wondering. A regular setup probably wouldnt cause your spring to do that or put you in much danger.

So again please help...I would like to order these tonight. And I hope this helps anyone else out...to not use these on your DD, and if you are, get rid of them and go with something else if you have a coilover setup. Otherise just wait a little while and they will go bad :rolleyes:
Oh and it looks like I get to take the busa into work tomorrow :nice: :D . TONS (30,000 I think) of bikes in austin anyways, so ill feel right at home :flag: .
 
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First off I want to say, IF YOU HAVE A DD DO NOT GET TOCIKO ADJUSTABLE DRAG SHOCKS! Basically my shock just snapped in half!!!!!!!!!! :mad: Im not a happy camper right now. :notnice: (EDIT: was so mad I called them shocks haha...I believe they are actually called struts)
Going to Jack in the box durring my break....hit the breaks and go to turn in and CLUNK POP CLUNK!!! I was like WHAT!?!?! So I got my food and slowly drove back to work with the car pulling to one side and feeeling VERY weird. I get to work and look and :eek: my freegin tire is leaning so far in (top of the tire leaning in under the fendor about 5-6 inches ) that about 2-3 inches of tread wasnt even touching the ground. :nonono:

Took a HUGE risk and drove the 50 miles home and jacked the car up to find this.

Picture046.jpg


Picture045.jpg


Picture044.jpg


Picture047.jpg


I looked at it at work and couldnt see much....and then popped my hood. My CC plate is fine (I thought it ripped it out) and my main nut is still screwed onto the top of the shock and everything looks fine. So eventually im able to see under the now tight fendor gap and see that my freegin shock SNAPPED IN TWO! The SS rod part...I couldnt believe it. And ofcourse I see my spring all twisted and mangled looking....then ofcourse I realized that NOTHING is holding this thing togethor, save for the weight of the car placing it in a bind and basically keeping the spring up against the cc plate. I wasnt sure if it could pop out or not...because I still cant see whats broke and whats not. So I just took it slow and prayed my spring wouldnt pop out and send my tire into the wheel well :) .

ANYWAYS, I want the baddest of the bad shock for this thing to replace them...I was getting tired of the drag springs anyways, they suck for DDing IMO..too much movement over bumps. I want something STIFF and designed for the abuse of the road course. Im not going through this again with crappy products that cant stand up to my driving (NOT a corner carver by any means).

BOTH shocks had actually went bad earlier this week and lost their dampening effect....drivers side was leaking fluid. So this wasnt just a random quality control thing only. These shocks just dont last...and then they will break on you. BTW I have coil over suspension if your wondering. A regular setup probably wouldnt cause your spring to do that or put you in much danger.

So again please help...I would like to order these tonight. And I hope this helps anyone else out...to not use these on your DD, and if you are, get rid of them and go with something else if you have a coilover setup. Otherise just wait a little while and they will go bad :rolleyes:
Oh and it looks like I get to take the busa into work tomorrow :nice: :D . TONS (30,000 I think) of bikes in austin anyways, so ill feel right at home :flag: .


Too much power with your twin tits , that's why it snap:rlaugh:

Sorry about your struts, but call them . I am sure they will cover under warrenty
 
Sorry to here man. Drag Struts on DD = :nono: . I was actually told that could happen with any drag strut spring combo on a daily driver from a speed shop 2 weeks ago when I was looking at buying my suspension parts. That's why I went with the Tokico D-specs. There is major friction/heat on drag suspension components because of their easy of movement. They are way more prone to failure. If you are trailering a drag car for even an hour and you touch any of the suspension components if the car has not been tied down by the frame they are actually smokin hot, just from bouncing up and down on a trailer. I'm going racing with my D-specs installed for the first time tomorrow. We'll see how much luck I have with these Tokico's. Just got them on Wednesday night and so far really, really like them.
 
Thanks guys....looks like everyone has a different opion though lol. Im really leaning towards the heavy duty bilstein struts for teh front. Im also probably goings to need a new spring up front....so I may just but some 350# springs for the front too, and stiffen this bad boy WAY WAY WAY up. I wonder if that would be too much though :shrug:
 
350lb coilovers will be WAY too stiff...

and im running Strang 10-way's right now and with them on 1 they are supposedly a 90/10 drag strut and i can believe it but when ive got them up on 6 the car actually handles very well... ive got the rear shocks set on 4 for everything and it does great.

contact maximum motorsports or strange and tell them what you have and your plans and they will probably be able to give you a REAL answer, not an opinion like I and a few others have given so far...


btw im running an Eibach Prokit with like a 600lb front spring lol
 
Thanks. Probably would be a good idea to give them a call.
Im actually thinking about going coilovers in the rear too, just so everything is even. It may be dangerous to upgrade the front and not the rear.

Anyone against bilsteins?
 
I have adjustable Tokico Illuminas....just to ask, what did you have them dialed to? (i'm guessing the drag struts are different than the illuminas?)

I have mine on the highest setting...w/ MM CC plates, Steeda sportsprings, & sc's (as far as suspension goes). Didn't thing these things would break like that.....making sure I don't have to look out for that I guess.
 
I have adjustable Tokico Illuminas....just to ask, what did you have them dialed to? (i'm guessing the drag struts are different than the illuminas?)

I have mine on the highest setting...w/ MM CC plates, Steeda sportsprings, & sc's (as far as suspension goes). Didn't thing these things would break like that.....making sure I don't have to look out for that I guess.


Illuminas are for street cars. you dont have to worry about that on yours.
 
Mine are "illuminas" but say "drag struts" or something to that effect on them. Mine are 5 way adjustable. I ran a few months @ 1 and it was VERY loose. Dailed it up to 3 for a few weeks and then for the past 8 or so months iv had it on 5.
 
imho, bilsteins are the way to go... i have bilsteins with 350 lbs in the front and i believe 225 in the back... u cant compare coilover spring rates with regular spring rates though because the effective wheel rate will be higher with a lower spring rate on coilvers...
my setup rides pretty nicely, but its still pretty damn stiff. i am going for auto x and road course though.. u can also be too stiff in terms of handling...
 
Not trying to hijack! (sorry)

Mine are "illuminas" but say "drag struts" or something to that effect on them. Mine are 5 way adjustable. I ran a few months @ 1 and it was VERY loose. Dailed it up to 3 for a few weeks and then for the past 8 or so months iv had it on 5.

Yea mine have been at 5 when i put them on (went to a road course when i got them) and just kept them at 5....i've gotten so used to it i think it'd been too loose if i dialed them down at all.
 
Weird, my Tokico Illuminas are doing great and the car is at 64k miles. Have been on here for atleast 30k miles or so. The fronts are on 3 and i play with the back settings occasionally to see what happens.
Cut 1.9 60' time with H&R SuperSports, 18's and street tire without ever adjusting the back ( i think they were on about 3 or so). I like them alot and have yet to see what happens with the back set all the way to 1 and on a Drag Radial