I'm glad you updated this thread. I wouldn't have known it existed if you hadn't! Just the other day I was musing that maybe I should build a shock dyno.

But what I really want to do is a little different than what you've done. I want to build a dyno that acts against the complete suspension of the car so I can better understand how much damping is best. And maybe also figuring out a good way to pick spring rates?

I'm debating the utility of testing. I'm not sure how useful it will be? I thought instead of measuring forces, to instead use high speed video to analyze the behavior of the entire suspension system.

I'm sure that tires and foams, and to a certain extent the wheels themselves, play a significant role in the suspension, but I don't know how they contribute to the suspension performance.

My first thought was to attach a chassis to a frame and place a platform under a wheel that moves up and down to simulate bumps. The test can be without tires, to see how fast the suspension can move while keeping in contact with the platform. And the test can be done with tires and foams, to see if the foams significantly change the results. And finally, if the platform has rollers of some variety, the variable of the wheel's rotation at various speeds could be added.

Another variable is how much energy is absorbed by the suspension and how much is transferred to the chassis. That would be possible to test, but again, I'm not sure how much could be learned from doing this.

I get excited thinking about how cool it would be, but then I think about the time, effort, and cost, and then I wonder if it would change anything or really help.