Metalcloak 6 pack shock

I just stumbled on this today, didn't see a thread for it here but thought I would post it.

Metalcloak makes jeep products I'm merely posting it here for the design aspects.

I have no experience with this product just thought it looked like an interesting concept. Might be garbage or could be the next big thing.

have at it

http://www.metalcloak.com/MetalCloak-Long-Travel-Shock-s/229.htm

 

Interesting....

 

I guess there are a few guys running these on their jeeps have not read a single negative comment as of yet. It just looks, gimicky to me but they are new so it will be interesting to see if this design catches on. They mention they are not a replacement for a coilover so I wonder if that means they are not as good as a coilover or simply that you still need to run springs with them so people didn't run out thinking they could just pull their springs and run these.

 

It looks like their on to something. although there's more parts to fail, its also evening up the load between 4 mini shocks.

I like this GIF

 

Should I be concerned you like that gif?

Seriously I am intrigued by the concept and as I said it seems like the folks who have them have been saying it works great. They have been out in limited use for over as year I believe maybe longer so that usually long enough for people to chime in with "these are junk" but it hasnt happened yet. So thats positive

 

the real advantage to these is that for the same sized shock body and same collapsed length, you get twice the travel as a standard shock design. My boss is a jeep guy and has been reading about these for about 6 months. slowly growing in popularity, but those who have them enjoy them.

 

The price at $400 each is steep. 2.5 Icon rear w/resis run a little more but are proven already . They don't seem to state if they equal the oil capacity of a 2.0 or 2.5 shock either.

 

Well I'm not sure if "proven already" is a good argument. If you build a better mouse trap then that will come out in the wash. Everything started unproven and went from there. So far, in the small group who have taken the plunge, these are proven so you have to decide at what point they are proven proven I guess.

 

I like the design myself but the durability is what may be the issue. the amount of oil and heat dissipation area may affect the life of the shocks. With that, the ability to find a shop to tune and service the shocks may be harder since they are not well known yet.
The reason I related them to an icon shock is because of their price point. also, having 4 shafts might be beneficial for rock crawling, but may do more harm for higher speed wheeling since its more friction at faster cycles.

 

I could be misspeaking but I am going to assume that given the vehicle they were designed for and the videos I have seen this is primarily designed for a predominantly rock crawling application. I don't think metalcloak has any interest in a high speed desert application. Totally could be wrong though.

 

yup, thats where the misunderstanding is. its a rock crawling type of shock.

 

I guess I was wrong I was watching another video and one of the selling points of their suspension system was its multi-purpose use. They mention rock crawling and on road handling of course but specifically state the pre-running abilities as well and showed a jeep doing some more high speed stuff.

Will be interesting to to see if this design starts catching on. I'm going to see if I can find any comments from manufacturers like king and fox to see if they have anything to say about the pros/cons of this design.

 

I'd be curious to see these in a higher speed run as well. More friction because of 4 cylinders vs 1 or less friction because each piston is moving 1/2 the distance and the greater surface area of the shock to dissipate heat. I could see that argument going either way.

That being said, rebuilding those things has got to be a PITA!

 

Good question, here is the answer the engineer gave

http://www.dezertrangers.com/vb/truck-talk/144122-2.htm

read through the thread I'm sure many of the same questions people would ask here were addressed over there.

I think it has merit but probably is application specific, meaning long travel high speed guys are not going to be running these, however for rock crawlers or the dual purpose rigs out there these might be the ticket. Maybe?

 

I think the eventual market is going to be for the "stock appearance" vehicles. a racer or high level wheeler has no problem using shock towers 2 feet above the hood if needed, but someone who doesn't want to cut holes in their hood/fenders/bed can use these to get extra travel with a relatively stock look compared to the alternative.

 

True... unless they can really prove that the parts experience a lot less wear. That would mean less chance of blowing the shock, lower shock temps and an overall stronger shock for a racer. All without having to add a full bed cage for shock towers which could equal less weight.

 

If they can show results to back up information like that (and be price competitive), i have no doubt that logical, numbers-oriented, wheelers will make the switch. i think they will have a rough time with the rest of the crowd however, since so many people are brand loyal to fox, king, etc, and may refuse to switch purely because of the image/reputation associated with the big names.

 

I don't think the shocks in their current state were ever designed for a racing application. In the thread and on the website they make mention of things to come. Here is a chart from the site so looks pretty clear they are not making any claims of this being a racing shock.



There has been a lot of buzz lately around the forums of folks wanting to fit bigger shocks for more articulation and travel and trying to figure out how to do that without cutting into the bed. The only option thus far was to fab up shock towers inside the wheel wells. Something like this might be another alternative. Not sure that there is room for it though as far as the overall diameter?

 

Looks pretty cool, hopeful they make a Tacoma kit and some TW member will test and review.