Fortune Auto Dreadnaught Pro Gen5 - anyone tried it on the track with feedbacks?

[Racecomp Engineering]

This thread kinda sucks.

I'll make a few points, and I'll start with the disclaimer that I've never used Fortune Autos. But my points aren't really about them.

1. There's always some asshole that's ridiculously fast on anything. They'll fly by you with 3 blown shocks, mismatched spring rates, and a fat kid in the passenger seat. They haven't even checked their tire pressures in months.

There's also always someone with a sponsored car with $35k in engine mods, hoosiers, fuel cell, caged, flared...and 900 dollar coilovers. And they're fast. Of course they're fast.

That's life, and as a suspension vendor it would be better if it really did just come down to having the best suspension set-up (though I'm glad it doesn't).

Feedback like laptimes and records are important. But they aren't the only things.

2. It's great to see a push these days from consumers who want to see data and vendors willing to provide data. Very few people were asking for shock dynos 10 years ago and very few vendors even knew what they looked like.

But you can check off a long list of suspension buzzwords in most threads these days without anyone actually saying anything meaningful. These shocks are digressive. Okay terrific. There's a lot to look at in that statement and beyond. It's not the same kind of statement as "These shocks are green" or "I'm wearing pants." It doesn't mean that they're good (or bad for that matter). Sometimes we're shown a shock dyno, and many people oooh and ahhh without really asking what it's showing. Is the shock dyno any good? Who cares! Pumped up marketing overstates the importance of certain things while ignoring others. And it sounds technical so it looks good and it makes people happy.

Data is important. To me, data is king. But simply getting data and not interpreting it or interpreting incorrectly...what's the point?

3. Everyone wants to be Lewis Hamilton, Vettel, Makinen, Tsuchiya, Loeb, Pobst (and for the ladies Sabine, Mouton, Moss, etc). It's not going to happen by just buying the right shocks.

Realistic goal setting and a PLAN is important with a real budget. For one person, that plan is setting the absolute fastest laptime in their class this weekend. For another, it's becoming a better driver and focusing on learning. They shouldn't necessarily be driving the same car. Quality shocks are always important to me...one of the most important things. But it doesn't mean we should all go buy the same shocks.





I try to stay out of threads like these. There are a few good things brought up but it's really not that educational. It just turns into people choosing sides based on who's argument sounds more sincere.

Not everyone is a damper nerd and that's OKAY. I've been at this for a decade and I'm still learning all of the time. I try to educate where I can...hopefully it helps people see through things and take a crack at interpreting information/data.

I've made a few comments on FA on here in another thread, including some actual discussion on the shock dyno they posted for their singles. There's one thing that I'm always surprised no one comments on.



- Andy....is a grumpy sonofabitch today.

[fooddude]

RCE:
Do you have any experience using FAs or opinions? Would you recommend them for the budget minded (<$1500-2000 budget)? I am interested in the 500/510s..as well as the B8+tarmac/specr, B14 and Mono Sport on my decision list for the future.

Sorry for my off topic questions/stuff/opinions OP.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by fooddude

RCE:
Do you have any experience using FAs or opinions? Would you recommend them for the budget minded (<$1500-2000 budget)? I am interested in the 500/510s..as well as the B8+tarmac/specr, B14 and Mono Sport on my decision list for the future.

Sorry for my off topic questions/stuff/opinions OP.

I'll PM you when I get home and after I have a beer.

Don't want to pull this thread off topic.

- Andy

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

I'll PM you when I get home and after I have a beer.

Don't want to pull this thread off topic.

- Andy

Epic off topic. What's your favorite beer? LOL

[fooddude]

Wasn't it a burrito last time iirc? lol ...or was that someone else?

[EAGLE5]

rehabjeff, if I were you, I'd be asking to test drive company cars or end-user cars at the track. Have you driven the BRZ suspension in anger? I'd also be wary of lowering the car, unless you no longer want to drive Palomares Road.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by CSG David

For the record, stock suspension and stock alignment setup yields times faster than most modified FRS/BRZs in the community.

When driven by [name of local hotshoe]. Shocking. Just shocking. Not that this fact will dissuade legions of drivers from divesting themselves of millions of dollars for parts that are sure to make them faster. Or something like that.

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Realistic goal setting and a PLAN is important with a real budget.

There's a thought. I wonder...what would a plan married to a budget look like. Isn't it better to just spend money? Knowing so little, how could I possibly create such a plan; to whom would I turn to help me with that plan. And then, plan execution & evaluation - ai-yah - too complicated, I just want to go fast & have fun!!! Not necessarily in that order.

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by dradernh

When driven by [name of local hotshoe]. Shocking. Just shocking. Not that this fact will dissuade legions of drivers from divesting themselves of millions of dollars for parts that are sure to make them faster. Or something like that.

There is always a higher level. Learning on a stock car is fairly important. There are a few modifications we suggest that help maintain the performance of the car while you continue to practice towards that limit.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by CSG David

There is always a higher level. Learning on a stock car is fairly important. There are a few modifications we suggest that help maintain the performance of the car while you continue to practice towards that limit.

We're on the same page.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

- Andy....is a grumpy sonofabitch today.

I like grumpy Andy.

[Shankenstein]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

There's one thing that I'm always surprised no one comments on.

As Shankenstein, I'm obliged to take a few stabs at it!

• In compression, that's absurd amount of adjustment, but the high speed part is kind of "all or nothing."

• In compression, it goes from digressive to progressive to digressive. My guess? There's almost no flow directly through the piston. When the soft shim stack opens, the knob controls how much flow is jetted and how much is diverted to a bleed circuit with a stiffer, larger shim stack at the end.

• Graphs magically have no hysteresis or displacement bias.

• In rebound, there not alot of high speed adjustment.

• The placement of the points (on the x-axis) isn't very consistent.

• There are 2 more graphs on the compression side than the rebound side, which can be pretty relevant.

• The white lines have kinks in them that are steeper than either of the surrounding adjustments.

• Where is the negative velocity? (sarcasm)

There's probably alot of ignorance in my post... but I'm mainly curious what the detail is that you are seeing (since I'm still learning how to read shock dynos).

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by fooddude

Wasn't it a burrito last time iirc? lol ...or was that someone else?

That was definitely me lol.

I played my soccer, had my burrito, had my beer, and now I'm ready turn my brain on.

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

I like grumpy Andy.

- Andy

[solidONE]

Hey... I've commented and questioned @Jenson May about the wierd looking 'ultra digressive' curves in other threads before.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Shankenstein

As Shankenstein, I'm obliged to take a few stabs at it!

• In compression, that's absurd amount of adjustment, but the high speed part is kind of "all or nothing."

• In compression, it goes from digressive to progressive to digressive. My guess? There's almost no flow directly through the piston. When the soft shim stack opens, the knob controls how much flow is jetted and how much is diverted to a bleed circuit with a stiffer, larger shim stack at the end.

• Graphs magically have no hysteresis or displacement bias.

• In rebound, there not alot of high speed adjustment.

• The placement of the points (on the x-axis) isn't very consistent.

• There are 2 more graphs on the compression side than the rebound side, which can be pretty relevant.

• The white lines have kinks in them that are steeper than either of the surrounding adjustments.

• Where is the negative velocity? (sarcasm)

There's probably alot of ignorance in my post... but I'm mainly curious what the detail is that you are seeing (since I'm still learning how to read shock dynos).

Nice.

On the compression side, it's only digressive at the firmer settings and it's not all that useful. At those firmer settings it's really really stiff in the mid to high speed range. Meanwhile it's not a huge difference in the low speed range from stiff to soft. And at full stiff it's not bad but it's not a ton of force...and then your stuck with a ton of mid and high speed damping.

Don't worry about the lack of hysteresis...that depends on the kind of test and for a plot you'll see in this situation this is what you'll get.

- Andy