Glossary
Shock Velocity Histogram Explained: Reading Damper Data
A shock velocity histogram plots the percentage of lap time each damper spends in each band of shaft velocity, from fast rebound on the left to fast compression on the right. Well-damped cars produce a roughly symmetrical bell curve centred near zero; a skewed or lopsided histogram points to an imbalance between bump and rebound or between the low- and high-speed circuits.
| Shape | Interpretation | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tall, narrow peak at zero | Over-damped at low speed, tyre not working | Soften low-speed bump and rebound |
| Wide, flat distribution | Under-damped, body moving too freely | Add low-speed damping |
| More time in rebound than bump | Suspension packing down over bumps | Reduce rebound or add bump |
| More time in bump than rebound | Car jacking up, losing ride height control | Reduce bump or add rebound |
| Long high-speed tails one side | High-speed circuit mismatch | Adjust high-speed stack on that side |
Building the histogram
Differentiate the damper position channel to get velocity, then bin the samples (typically 5 or 10 mm/s bands) and express each bin as a percentage of total samples. Compare left and right on the same axle and front against rear. Setup Genius's shock velocity analyser builds the histogram from exported position data and stores the result against the setup.
Using it with lap time
A histogram tells you whether the damper is doing a sensible job, not whether the car is fast. Pair it with sector times and driver feedback: a nicely symmetrical histogram on a car that is slow in transitions usually means the low-speed settings need to move together, not that the shape is wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Can I build a histogram without damper pots?
Approximations from accelerometers exist but are rough. Linear potentiometers on each damper are the reliable way and are inexpensive compared with the dampers themselves.
What speed separates low and high speed?
There is no fixed number; 25–50 mm/s is the usual boundary and depends on the damper's internal design. Check with the damper manufacturer.
Should front and rear histograms match?
They should both be symmetrical, but the rear often shows wider tails because the rear axle hits bumps at speed after the front has already pitched the car.
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