Lancia Fulvia S1 coupe Shocks Spica vs De Carbon

[adan figueroa]

Hello I have a question has anyone have used Spica brand Lancia shocks and can tell me if are the same in performance as De Carbon, since Lancia also sold them as Original Lancia Parts.

[racing]

There is a principal different is the function of the shock´s

DeCarbon are monotube shock´s with gas pressure and without a botten valve.
Gas and oil is seperated by a piston.

The old spica design was a monotube shock´s without gas pressure and a bottem valve.
They build it upside down so it is necessary to make a separtion between the oil and the air
inside to aviod oilfoam. ( build up like a steering damper )

If you have decide you should use modern monotube shock´s. The old spica design is ( as i know ) not
on the market so you can get only old shocks with a lot of disatvantages. ( Old oil, old seal´s worth piston rod´s etc.)

Regards Andreas

[adan figueroa]

Thank you for the very usefull information, my choice is De Carbon newly made. -D

[Ed Levin]

SPICA shocks were made under license from Allinquant and, as Andreas says, involves a different design principle. But the SPICA shocks that Adan is looking at are a later evolution than the one Andreas describes. A DeCarbon patent monotube shock has a second, floating piston that separates the oil chamber from a nitrogen-filled gas chamber. This Allinquant patent was a monotube with "gas pressure" in the form of an inflatable rubber air bladder at the top, above the oil; the rubber membrane performing the same role as the floating piston in an De Carbon. Sort of. Simply no comparison in sophistication or function.

[racing]

The Allinquant version is the same that spica use. Only different is the Gaspressure.

regards Andreas

[Ed Levin]

Here's the patent drawing for the Allinquant monotube with rubber air bladder:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/2914089.pdf