Originally Posted by
JOE SI
What exactly do the shock pistons do? Do they slow down damping by stiffening Or softening, due to more or less holes? Or does it just slow it down since more or less oil is passing through?
What I'm trying to say is, would a shock with 4 hole piston and 350 oil be softer than a 3 hole with 350?
Assuming the holes are the same size yes the 4 hole would have less damping and be "softer". The smaller the hole the faster the shock will "pack up" because if the piston is moving fast and the hole is small the fluid will not be able to get through the hole at a sufficient rate.
The area of all the holes combined will give you how much fluid will be able to pass through the holes in the piston (negating the speed the piston is traveling). So lets say you have one piston that has 6 holes and another piston that has three holes. The area of all the holes combined is the same. They will both have the same damping when the piston moves slow. But when the piston is moving fast the 6 hole will give you more damping than the 3 hole since the holes are smaller.