Tecna or Xida?

Your shocks are radiators (no, really)

To know the difference between Xida and Tecna, we must first understand exactly what a shock absorber is doing. As the name implies, it absorbs shock or more precisely, converts that energy to heat. We can think of the shocks as both converters and radiators. They convert the kinetic energy of the wheel movement to heat then dissipate that heat to the air flowing over the shock body. The heat is generated by both the piston moving against the bore and the oil being forced through the tiny control orifices in the piston, shaft and needle seat.

All of the movement of the wheel is converted to heat.

All of that heat is shed off the body of the shock and to a lesser degree, the shaft.

Steel has much higher thermal inertia than aluminum, meaning it takes longer to absorb and shed heat but also will store more heat energy. Steel is a much better wear surface and is roughly 250% denser than aluminum. To put it simply, steel shocks last much longer, but weigh more and don’t shed heat as well as aluminum shocks. For a street shock, steel is the best choice by far. For a race shock, aluminum is the way to go.

Xida are pro motorsports grade shocks, thus aluminum. Tecna were designed for street use, thus they are steel bodied. If we increased the damping range to be as stiff as Xidas will go, the heat generated would reduce the life of the Tecna significantly and hurt performance. Xidas have internal nitrogen pressure that is 50% higher than Tecna. Xida have exotic double digressive pistons. Tecna on the other hand have relatively simple and durable linear pistons. Digressive pistons become important with very high damping force, which Tecna don’t require.

Tecna are maintenance free and have a 10 year limited warranty. Xida have a 2 year warranty and will typically require rebuilds every 2-5 years depending on use.

NA/NB Xida are optimized for 4.25-5″ pinch weld height. Tecna are optimized for 4.75-5.75″.

So which one?

In short, if the primary purpose of your build is going as fast as possible, and sliding all four tires, you want Xidas. If its primary purpose is a street car with the best possible ride quality with a noticeable improvement in handling, choose Tecna. We understand that some folks really want Xidas but don’t want to spend that much will opt for Tecna Sport. They’ll still have great ride quality and handle better than any other shock in that price range, They just won’t be as capable as Xidas in competition style driving. Whichever you choose, we made sure both would exceed expectations whether on the street or at the track.