Reading another post I see that using Billtech Nitro shocks tends to make the truck squat under hard acceleration. Is this normal for other users also? I would think that this is very good for the traction issues I am having with my truck. Now that the weather is cooler, my 1st to 2nd WOT shifts leave my truck spinning its tires wildly for at least a second or two. I then have to lift off the throttle for a moment to regain traction.....not good while racing. I have Nitto 555R's and Jay Lincoln traction bars.. I had a turbo 280ZX and that thing squat every time I floored it and it never had any traction issues. Any comments as to whether or not the Nitro shocks may help with the spinnnig would be appreciated... Thanks.

 

My truck squats under acceleration which, as you stated, is perfect for off-the-line. Going into second gear, the tires bark but do not 'spin wildly'.

IMO it's how all the 'pieces' fit together. You wouldn't run Nitro shocks with Hotchkis leafs and a stock swaybar. Or HAL shocks with stock leafs and Hotckis swaybar. The combinations are endless. It's finding one that's right that is the hard part. Good luck.

I went with re-arched stock leafs, Nitro shocks, and the rear shackles. This baby hooks!

 

I ran my new Lightning for a week with the stock suspension and QA1's. The ride was much better than the stock shocks.
The only problem was without my other suspension on, I had to be careful about getting the rear airborne (or too unloaded) because it could have damaged the shock.

 

Does anyone like JDM specialize in suspension mods? In other words, Red02SVTL states things that should never go together under your truck. I have no idea of how even to start with my suspension mods to get my desired results.. Red02, can you give me suggestions please...thanks.

 

Talk to Ruslow over on the NLOC board... He is the suspension god as far as the gen1/gen2's are concerned.

Here's a link:

http://nloc.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=451

 

You can go with whatever setup you like best. I experimented with many different products until I found the one I liked and suited my needs. For example, I installed the Hotchkis package (bars, leafs, springs) and while the truck handled brilliantly, it was terrible for drag racing. The rear was too hard and wouldn't squat under acceleration, but hop. A friend's un-modded 01 L with stone-stock suspension was consistently .2-.3 better than I was at the 60' mark!

The Nitro's I'm currently running are much softer than the QA1's. IMO, the QA1's are excellent, but like Spike stated, if your running stock leafs and shackles in the rear you'll ruin those very nice and very expensive shocks.

Ride quality is subjective, but good luck with whatever you decide. I'll post more pics if someone can host them for me.

 

The only reason why I mentioned damaging my QA1's was because the extended length on mine wasn't long enough for the stock suspension travel. And there are roads in our area that will send you flying even at the posted speed limit.

There are a couple parts you can add that will fix that problem though and/or there is a different QA1 part number that will work with the stock suspension, vs a lowered one. Also, if you dial down the shock setting and have endlinks installed on the top mounts to allow the shock to rotate at that point, the rear won't be stiff (unless you have a stiff spring). In fact, endlinks should be used on any shock IMO on the upper mount. If you want to check this yourself, loosen the top nuts on the upper shock mounts. Then have someone load a bunch of weight in the rear end and watch how much the top mount will bind.