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Stage 6 QA1 rear shocks-REVIEW

31K views 47 replies 17 participants last post by  MonaDeRio 
#1 ·
I recently added the Stage 6 QA1 18 way adjustable rear shocks to my WK with Bwoody drop springs. I must say I am VERY suprised! Im not gonna lie.....I was VERY hesitant to believe the claims of what the rear QA1 shocks would do for me. But I believe in Harry@Stage6 and what he says...so I pulled the trigger. $320 later.....a very high quality looking shock arrived at my door step. The housing is a satin chrome with large Stage 6 lettering. Very nicely done IMO. Each shock has a black adjustment knob on the bottom of the shock with a - and + sign. Very easy to read.


Suggested damping adjustments are as follows:

0-6 clicks for drag racing
2-8 clicks for nice ride and handling
8-12 clicks for a firm ride and improved handling
13+ clicks for more aggressive handling

For everyday driving I found a setting of 5 clicks to be the best for me. Very responsive and just a tad stiff in the rear. For aggressive handling...I found a setting of 9 clicks to be good on OK roads or 12 for super smooth roads. I have not tested these at a track...but I suspect 13+ would be good.
For family driving...the best setting is 2 for me and the lowest I have been. The ride is very supple in the rear for an extreme drop spring like my Bwoodys. IMO....its very close to the stock SRt8 Jeep rear setup in feel, ride and handling. My family has thanked me...many times.

The EASE of adjustability is an AWESOME feature of these Stage 6 QA1 rear shocks. Its a simple turn of the knob to the positive or negative...depending on what the owner wants and takes just seconds. I can actually put a towel down to rest my knee on and reach behind my rear wheel and adjust the shocks from there. It is SO easy and ver fast. I love the way the knob clicks to let you know what setting you are going to. Really....a blind guy could adjust these if needed.

Anyway...as you can see...I LOVE my Stage 6 QA1 18 way adjustable rear shocks and I will be the first in line to buy the new front struts when they become available!:thumbsup:

Thanks to Harrison and Stage 6 for bringing these shocks to reality!
 
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#41 ·
Little back ground on my setup-
complete SRT suspension with bwoody endlinks, bwoody/roadmagnet version 1 drop springs and qa1 rear shocks.

-----after doing some serious highway driving, spirited driving and just regular run of the mill driving...I feel I can give some better feedback on these shocks. For everyday, run of the mill driving....they are slightly better riding than the oem Bilsteins. But I do feel that once you hit a large bump or dip in the highway....they are about the same in regaining control. I really noticed no difference. Ive tried every setting on them during everyday driving. To be honest...changes from 1-18 are NOT a huge difference like you would think.
The best setting I can find for everyday, family driving is like 6-8. I still have bounciness and bottoming out on bumps and drop offs or where there is an slight incline where pavement meets concrete(ie. bridge surfaces) I bottomed out twice today going over a bridge....although the thud is a little less abtrusive.
Performance driving is great as always...literally no difference with the qa1's vs. bilsteins. It does seem to keep the rear planted a little more on aggressive take offs etc on the more aggressive settings...but the ride is horrible...not gonna lie. No way in hell I would drive around on the aggressive settings.
Personally I think the qa1's would be perfect on a less severe drop spring than the version 1 bwoodys that i have.....maybe the Version 2's or the eibachs. I really think there is really nothing to do with the harsh ride and severe drop of the version 1 bwoodys/roadmagnets. So in my humble opionion...if your looking for the magical rear shock thats gonna cure the harshness of the version 1 bwoody/raodmagnet springs.......the QA1's help slightly...but worth the absorbant $320 price tag? Not sure..........Ya gotta pay to play.


Like I said above...ALL of this is IN MY OPINION and MY experience.
 
#42 ·
i have brand new eibachs all around.
I have wk bilsteins in the front about 5 thousand miles/
QA1 in the rear. Currently set on 7.

about 1 thousand miles on this set up.

I have banged in the front twice. was rather severe DIPs.

I have not bottomed out in the rear TO DATE/
When i installed the stuff, in the rear, i didnt use the 2+ inch spacer eibach gave. Only a little short aluminum mount for the rubber bump stop.

I did NOT do any bumpstop trimming in front :( I missed that ) i thnk it says to cut them in half....could solve my banging.
 
#43 ·
What's the drop in the rear of the Eibach's? 1.4"? I'm thinking of switching to the newer version RM's with the 1.1" drop in the rear. The 1.7" BWoody/RM's could just be too much. There really isn't much room for spring compression with the 1.7's.
 
#46 ·
I have some Q&A's on the QA1's. I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to add to this one since it has so much good info.

1) Any long term issues with durability as a daily driver shock?
2) With a firmer setting in the rear, compared to the srt bilstein up front, make the vehicle unbalanced or more prone to oversteer?
3) What kind of bushings do these use? Is it rubber or polyurethane? If it is polyurethane, does it need lubrication?

Thanks
 
#48 · (Edited)
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