WILBER SHOCKS- Anyone use them?

Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Posts
4,969
Reaction score
0
Location
Omaha NE.
Never heard of them, I don't like the inverted rear shock either though, doesn't look like a trustworthy setup at the fork IMHO.
 

bluesrt

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Posts
5,011
Reaction score
3
i saw some penske shocks last week, almost too purty to even put on the car
 

Sonoman

Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 10, 2011
Posts
424
Reaction score
0
Location
Sonoma Cownty
"Inverted" shocks are commonly done in motorcycle apps to reduce that little extra bit of unsprung weight... Wilber does a lot of motorcycle applications (Penske too).
 

thompsonracing

Viper Owner
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Posts
450
Reaction score
0
Location
Chalfont, PA
They look nice, no experience.

A few years ago, we swapped out our Penske's and flipped a set of Afcos upside down on our 10.5 car and it made a huge difference.
 

bluesrt

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Posts
5,011
Reaction score
3
ehhhh.. its a mental thing, i have had both on a motorcylcle and the best set of fronts on a bike were conventionals- bar none----stock.. inverts i have had are hit and miss. but in my opinion its what you like -- hi-jak---- inverts just look more that for the age- we will maybe see conventionals back one day as everything old is new again.
 

shooter_t1

Has Left the Room!
Joined
Dec 20, 2008
Posts
1,945
Reaction score
1
Location
Texas
Would be nice if these are good shocks for our cars. Be a nice change from the same old vendors overcharging for Viper stuff.
 
OP
OP
B

Black Moon

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Posts
1,730
Reaction score
0
Location
Knoxville, TN
Ive been exchanging emails with Herman Eshuis who is the American importer of this brand. What I'd like to hear is from real world (Viper) users and get their opinions. I know they have been doing motorcycle shocks for years and some speciality cars but that's not enough to sway me. Plus even with the price he quoted me ($2,799) there isn't enough difference to sway me from KW's or Motons. I wish there was a race team or Vendor that could add to the discussion. It would be nice to find a quality street set up that would fill the void between Aidans (which I hear are junk) for $1200 and KW's at $3900 and Motons at $4500 (plus springs).

Dang vendors, would be nice if you could get no help or advice and just Ebay purchases like this, I hate that too...
 
OP
OP
B

Black Moon

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Posts
1,730
Reaction score
0
Location
Knoxville, TN
I you can't blame the Vendors for this pricing at least on shocks. You can blame the manufacturer but if you look at the brands we're discussing they are expensive for all their applications (maybe a bit more for the Vipers). I guess it's the old law of supply and demand.

Would be nice if these are good shocks for our cars. Be a nice change from the same old vendors overcharging for Viper stuff.
 
Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Posts
4,969
Reaction score
0
Location
Omaha NE.
Yes and when you realize that most cheap shocks are filled with Taiwanese parts and that is why they don't last and don't work efficiently (ride good) you end up getting much more for your money buying the right product first and actually enjoying the benefits of it.


I you can't blame the Vendors for this pricing at least on shocks. You can blame the manufacturer but if you look at the brands we're discussing they are expensive for all their applications (maybe a bit more for the Vipers). I guess it's the old law of supply and demand.
 

bmw2nv2000

Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 28, 2008
Posts
1,445
Reaction score
0
Location
Adamsville, TN
Like I said in my thread about motons, "You get what you pay for" and I have learned that lesson the hard way too many times over the years. I cant believe you didnt jump at the motons when Tucker called on you but at any rate there are a set of Penskes that just came up for sale in the classifieds over at the alley. If you hurry you may land a set of the best shocks made.
 

CEJ

Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Posts
1,175
Reaction score
2
Location
Raleigh, NC
Black Moon: Have you looked into the ability of a rebuild service for the Wilber shocks? If nobody rebuilds them, don't buy them.
 
OP
OP
B

Black Moon

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Posts
1,730
Reaction score
0
Location
Knoxville, TN
Yes they are rebuildable. I'm not going to spend that kind of money on an unknown brand. I'm kicking myself for not buying the ones Tucker had that 'bmw2nv2000' bought. I didn't have the funds at the time. Oh well. You snooze, you lose. I just wish the stock shocks sucked so bad. Does anyone know if the Gen 4 shocks fit on a Gen 3? I was told they were made by a different company and better built.


Black Moon: Have you looked into the ability of a rebuild service for the Wilber shocks? If nobody rebuilds them, don't buy them.
 

Sonoman

Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 10, 2011
Posts
424
Reaction score
0
Location
Sonoma Cownty
Does anyone know if the Gen 4 shocks fit on a Gen 3? I was told they were made by a different company and better built.

They do fit, and both are made by Dynamic Suspension/Multimatic. It is the same shock with slightly different spring rates and valving, according to the Viper tech I talked with. Dynamic makes some really trick stuff for racing (CART, IndyCar, etc.), but unfortunately the Viper shocks are fairly basic and non-adjustable. Can you believe the stock shocks are over $800 apiece with no spring? That puts the stockers at roughly the same price per set as the Wilbers.
 
OP
OP
B

Black Moon

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Posts
1,730
Reaction score
0
Location
Knoxville, TN
They used to be made by another company for Dynamic. Can't find my notes from a long conversion with the head of engineering at Penske who is a friend of a friend. Guy pretty much blew me away with his knowledge of not only his product but of the innerworkings of everyone else's as well. I was just wondering if the Gen 4's were any different and worth trying. He basically said yes but I would like to hear from some Gen 4 previous Gen 3 owners. I can get low mileage take offs pretty cheap. I don't know about what everyone else thinks but my biggest disappointment is the rear of the car and its poor ride and handling characteristics. With my bad back and agressive driving style I have to make a change if I'm going to keep the car but unfortunately my situation doesn't afford me the luxury of Motons, Penske's or even KW's in the near future.

For 90k for a new Viper you'd think some effort would be put into she suspension and lifespan of the coil overs. Shocks and window regulators are the only 2 issues that I think Dodge deserves a big 'F'.
 

TowDawg

Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Posts
2,105
Reaction score
0
Location
Chattanooga, TN
Hopefully with the new Motion shocks, some of the guys with Motons with upgrade and a bunch of Motons will hit the used market.
 
OP
OP
B

Black Moon

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Posts
1,730
Reaction score
0
Location
Knoxville, TN
I was told there isnt much difference. Of course some people just want the latest and greatest. I could see people trading up to Penske's. They're impressive.

There's a set of used KW's and a set of H&R's for sale. You've done your research. What do you think about K&W's or H&&R's. I don't think they make H&R's anymore so rebuilding would be an issue.
 

Canyon707

Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 21, 2007
Posts
1,405
Reaction score
0
Location
Napa California
Any new information? this post really didn't say a lot about the shock. I wonder if anyone currently has them on there Viper.
 

Paul Hawker

Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 1, 2000
Posts
4,660
Reaction score
0
Location
San Diego, Calif, USA
I went down a similiar path, and could share my experience.

I sold my 03 with stock shocks and purchased a used 09 with KW shocks. It was nice to be able to lower the 09, but I was never impressed with the KW's as being much of an improvement over the stocks. They always felt bound up, like they were hardly moving at all. They road pretty firm, and did not really use much travel to smooth out the bumps. They skated over rougher surfaces, and when I used them on road courses I got some pogo stick action that felt like they were going to put me into a wall. Personally I would only recommend them for people wanted to be able to lower their cars for looks.

I had a ride in HyperViper's Viper with Moton/cannister shocks. They were great. Good control, a much smoother and quieter ride and you could feel the suspension being able to work all along the stroke of the piston. This made me a believer in their technology. Price was almost $6,000 installed, but they got put on my list.

I also got a ride in a Penskey equipped car (think it was Dan Everts Racer) These were even better than the Motons, but cost even more. He had some pretty stiff coil springs, but the car still was well controlled and smooth riding. If you are a track rat, believe these are the best you can get. They are super high quality, well designed, rebuildable and multi adjustable.

I was talking with Mark Jorgensen at Woodhouse. They are very supportive of the racing community. They were working with some employees that had left Moton to start up their own company, Moton Control Specialists. They had great success with their racing shocks, and got lots of great feedback from their customers. As good as Motons, but with some quality and technology improvements.

Mark said they were just releasing a street version of their super shocks. They removed the remote reservoirs,(not as useful on street use) took out some of the adjust abilities, and tuned the shocks more for a great street ride than ultimate racetrack performance. The price was a bit over $3,000 which sounded like a great deal for me.

Trusting Mark, I had him send a MCS set to Todd at A&C for installation. Todd found a buyer for my old KW Variant 2 shocks, so the upgrade turned out to be pretty reasonable.

These shocks have transformed my 09. It has the slightly lowered ride hight I like, but with a much softer and smoother riding experience. The shocks use much more of the available travel. Harsh impacts are well absorbed, and the smaller stutter shocks no longer make the car skate around bumpy corners. It has the well planted feel that you get in higher performance German cars like Audi, Mercedes and BMW.

The car now rides much quieter and that annoying clicking sound I got from the KWs is gone. The car just launches off full throttle corners, and no more jittering from rough roads. The car tracks better, and launches much smoothly. Fantastic improvement. Teresa can now put on her lipstick while driving, while before it was a comedy to watch. Even changing radio stations is easier as your finger no longer darts around trying to hit the buttons.

Believe for most Viper owners, wanting to improve their suspensions, this is a choice to check out. Mark has lots of experience with all these shocks, and should be contacted to discuss your options.

As far as the Aldans, they have gotten a terrible reputation. I believe that Vipair is selling a rebranded version of them, but have not gotten lots of praise about them either. Lots of companies make shocks that can be adapted to fit on Vipers, but few have developed a reputation that makes me feel comfortable installing them on such a high performance capable car.
Cannot help you at all on the Wilber shocks. Never heard of them before in Viper usage.
 

Canyon707

Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 21, 2007
Posts
1,405
Reaction score
0
Location
Napa California
Paul thanks for the information. I need to do something here in the near future regarding shocks. What I have been doing is bracket racing here in Sonoma. The issues I have is not transfering the weight properly to the rear tires and releasing the front to rise= some bad wheel hop. I have been looking around and Penske is the one I looked at mostly for this application but there pricey. I want to be able to adjust them for the strip and readjust for the road since I do both types of driving. I can't afford to brake any more half shafts so I do need to address this. Any thoughts on this? thanks for your input.
 

ulllose

Viper Owner
Joined
Aug 16, 2005
Posts
1,139
Reaction score
0
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
I have the kw2 and before that just the stock shocks with eibachs. Big improvement from the but I can say I still don't love the ride. The
Car is very low, so I'm guessing that is part of the reason the ride is not that improved. I talked with kW and found that I lowered the car about an inch lower than what they recommend. Problem I have there is still plenty of threads I can twist down still to make the car lower so I felt I didn't bottom out the adjuster. For the money I spent I wanted to lower the car to the height I desired and get a much better ride, and I feel I didn't get that. Also I need to say I have a 19/20 forgeline setup on Pirelli's (tiny sidewall) so that could also be contributing to the not so good ride. I have delt with this bouncing feeling I get when rolling down a perfectly smooth freeway.....had the same problem with the stock shocks and eibachs, and can't get rid of it, no matter what setting I put the kw's on. Other people have experienced this annoying bouncing feel also
 

Paul Hawker

Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 1, 2000
Posts
4,660
Reaction score
0
Location
San Diego, Calif, USA
The secret to getting the Viper suspension dialed in is to allow your suspension to function over it's full range of travel. The rear, especially, has very little travel available, and if you want your Viper to ride well and handle well, you need to be able to use every bit of that tiny travel.

Moton, Penske and Motion Control are able to do this, and have very happy customers. You need to determine, by consultation with your supplier, what needs to be done to satisify your needs.

All are great quality, and much of the difference is the design of the interior workings, and the number and amount of adjustments.

Canyon707, you might want to contact Dan Cragin at SPT. (310)597-6295 Dan has extensive experience, especially in seting up Penske suspensions for Drag Strips. A short conversation with him would give you great guidance. In addition he will be able to help you set up other components of your Viper to cut many 10ths off your times. Dan is the go to guy for many SoCal drag strip guys. Tell him your modifications and he can advise you on proper shift points, launch RPMs, tire pressures, and tons of the little details that all add up to a satisfying 1/4 mile run.
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
153,609
Posts
1,684,960
Members
18,179
Latest member
Luigi93
Top