Brian,
Most shocks designed and built for performance and for certain racing shocks do not only contain one chamber.
he advised me that there was NO WAY that the bleed over from the compression and rebound could be seperated in one canister as the double adjustable shock is designed....although the claims are made that it can be done by the manufactures, he advises that unless there is a independant canister there is no way both compression and rebound can be accuratley (seperated) attained from one cylinder
The one round shock absorber does contain many separate chambers with several different load sensing valves. Depending on the brand and on which shock they are all made different but I do not know of any that only have one chamber in the way he is talking about one canister.
You probably live in a house. That house is only one building. Inside that building are several rooom unrelated to each other. To separate those chambers/rooms you have doors. Shock absorbers have internal valves and not just one but several. Some of these valves are pressure sensitive and some are speed sensitive in relation to pressure changes.
Do not think of a shock absorber as a simple hydraulic cylinder with a piston and ram. Do not think of a shock absorber as a tire pump . iT is a designed complex piece of engineering with comp0lex valed controlled chambers each for different reasons and functions.
Years ago Carrera tried to get into the Drag Racing market and made several different shocks for drag racing. They abandoned the idea a few years later becuase their shocks were inferrior to the needs of drag cars as compared to the other front runers in the market like Koni and Monroe. Monroe made a great aluminum coil over for drag racing fore a few years but dropped out becuase it was not profitable for the amount sold. Armstrong which is big in formula racing tried the drag shock market and just did not make the grade. Their drag shocks were like their Formula 1 shocks of the day just with longer travel.
What you chassis man is telling you is defying all that serious drag racers have found to work and be sucessful for years.
..i went to the BIG BOYS (NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS) race last week and looked under several of the BIG name cars such as Greg Anderson etc...low and behold i saw double adjustable shocks but with a independant canister with remote wiring (NONE of the Double adjustable stuff being sold as we know it)....i do not know what brand they use cause i could not get close enough..( i assume they have them custom built or something to that degree) but i will list a few brand name manufactures that build these shocks..they are the TRUE double adjustable shocks and they are very HIGH PRICE...
If you got near enough to Greg Anderson's shocks to see them, consider yourself to be fortunate. As I stated earlier in the beginning of the first part of this racing season that team was using shocks of the latest F1 technology with remote controllers were connected to onboard computers and the cost of only one set exceded $100,000, for just one car. Maybe that is what you saw. Maybe you saw a Penske Co2 Chamber attached to the Pro Stock Co@ microprocessor controlled shocks.
I think I have said enough.
.
I try to help. If My info is no help, pass it up and don;t waste your time reading them. I assure you it takes me much much more time to write them, than it takes anyone to read them. I can not type and I do the best I can.
A do agree that even the lowliest double adjustable does cost more money. MY OPINION. It is the best money for suspension parts you will spend.
I also agree that if you are going to buy a good double adjustable and are lazy and never chnage any shock tuning, to save your money and just buy a cheaper shock.
Ed