First drive: Reflex in smooth debut

IT'S not every day that the world's largest shock absorber manufacturer replaces its biggest seller.

But such is Monroe's confidence in the new "Reflex" technology it has developed to fit standard to its replacement for the top-selling GT Gas shocks, that the company took the unusual step of inviting motoring journalists to sample it at an unprecedented national launch.

Monroe is Australia's only shock absorber manufacturer and is the supplier of about 97 per cent of the shock aftermarket here. Since 1986 it has sold 11 million GT Gas shocks.

For those not in the technical know, the shock absorber - or damper - is a key part of modern car suspension design. While the spring absorbs bumps, shock absorbers absorb the re-bound movement of the spring. Without dampers, the vehicle would bounce along the road and create havoc for the handling and ride balance.

The result of 20,000 man hours of development by its Belgian research and development centre, Monroe's new Reflex technology works by adding a second teflon-coated disc, which limits oil flow at high speed, to both the rebound and compression (bump) strokes of the proven nitrogen-pressurised GT Gas shock absorber.

Monroe says this twin-disc technology negates the traditional shock absorber's compromise between ride comfort and handling response.

Similar in concept to the complex, multi-shim valve stacks found in highly-tuned race cars and bikes, the twin-disc Reflex technology aims to maintain ride comfort at low shock absorber piston speeds, while maintaining suspension control at high piston speeds.

The technology has been on sale in Europe and the US for some time, but has only now been adapted to Australian conditions by Monroe's local operation at Clovelly Park in South Australia.

Expected to be sold through aftermarket outlets at around a three per cent premium over the GT Gas shock it replaces, "GT Gas with Exclusive Reflex Technology" comes with a three-year, 60,000km warranty.

Monroe says the GT Gas Reflex shock, which is specifically tuned to suit individual models, should also be cheaper than the original equipment replacement cost quoted by more dealerships.

Given around half of its Australian business is in replacement shocks, the importance of GT Gas Reflex as Monroe's primary aftermarket product cannot be understated.

DRIVE IMPRESSIONS:

MONROE'S launch involved back-to-back testing over a number of exercises at Eastern Creek Raceway in Sydney using both a standard VX Commodore Executive and a Monroe GT Gas Reflex shock-equipped example of the same car. Both were identical in all other respects.

Following the initial surprise that shock absorbers alone can make such a difference to ride, handling and general chassis composure, first impressions were that the Reflex-equipped car felt like it had shorter, firmer springs.

Revealing an uncanny ability to iron out bodyroll, the Monroe car stayed flat while the standard car wallowed through the same slalom course, requiring more work at the wheel for the same result.

A hot lap session backed this up, with the Reflex car feeling more neutral and less resistant to changes of direction, with less steering input required to maintain the same line.

In a collision avoidance test drivers were asked to travel at speeds that rose progressively to 80km/h, before braking and swerving to avoid an offset row of cones just 15 metres away.

While the standard Commodore nose-dived markedly, required more steering lock, rolled over more in both directions, continued to bounce on its suspension after stopping and noticeably depleted its braking ability throughout the day, the Reflex Commodore completed the exercise with ease every time.

Not only did it feel tighter, with more grip and control - especially during hard braking - but the Reflex car ended the day as fresh as it started.

Of course, aside from reducing wear in other areas such as brakes, tyres, bushes and the like, the Reflex shock's ability to improve the overall vehicle dynamics of an entry level Commodore - by separating the (increased) low-speed damping function from the (reduced) high-speed damping function - was not totally unexpected.

But what was surprising was that the increased suspension control came without detrimental effect to ride comfort. A chance to drive both cars over some of the Eastern Creek infield's irregular concrete joins showed quality had improved.

While it is not surprising Monroe has improved its core aftermarket product after 17 years on the market, it is quite remarkable just how much it has been improved.