How bad are the stock shocks?

[M8Chris]

I'm going to pick up a 17' holdover and turbo it again. My question is how bad is the stock suspension? I've had the walker evan adjustable shocks since my 12' pros. Are the non adjustable ones pretty bad compared to those? Thinking of getting some exits or just telling my dealer to swap me out of the 17 and pick up an 18' they have with te walker Evans needle. Either way doing exits or getting the 18 is about another $2k. Or would I be fine with the stock set up??

 

[icr]

Walker Evans aren't bad shocks, but their quality control is poor. You could get a good set or you could need a rebuild every 200 miles. Depends on riding style, weight, luck of the draw on tolerances.

I'd ride it as is, see what YOU think. Revalve is cheap and does make a big difference for most. You can throw in some aftermarket springs and be around $500.

I used to spend 2k on shocks and thought I got a lot for my money. Anymore I just upgrade the rear skid shock to a raptor or exit, whichever I can get a deal on, and revalve the fronts. Ignore the center shock till it starts leaking. Costs about $600 and its 90% as good as a $2k set up.

 

[XFIRE800]

They are BAD. I was going to try to stick with them and i just could not do it. If you have any trail ride at all, make sure you bring a gun with you.

 

[ullose272]

Carls revalve made them 1000% better

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[mountainhorse]

Have them serviced and INSIST that the rebuilder use a high quality FULL-synthetic shock oil (like Amsoil Shock-Therapy fluid) will give you amazing results in terms of durability and consistency over the season.

Progressive rate springs like Raptor and Z-Broz offer will give you a better ride in addition to a good re-valve.

Though...

Aftermarket shocks are a great upgrade.... and something that the factory just cant afford to put on a sled and keep the cost down on the sled... is a great way to improve your overall experience.

If you DO get adjustable aftermarket shocks... make sure that you have the patience to read the full owners-manual... and to understand the shock... in addition to taking the time on your rides to dial them in (don't do this with riding buddies that cant hang with you while you 'learn' about your shocks.

Some aftermarket shocks have more features than others... some have a basic adjustment that gives great flexibility like the Fox QS3's or the Raptor shocks.... or even the non adjustable shocks that are sprung and valved custom... just for your sled... you will enjoy the benefits .... for sure.

And...
Fortunately, the stock shocks always seem to have fair re-sale value on Ebay/Swap to help offset the cost.


My 2¢ FWIW




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[Wheel House Motorsports]

The stock shocks are decent for a few hundred miles, then its basically just a pogo stick... no dampning. I haven't taken mine apart to check the oil but i guarantee its basically just milky water.

If you stick close to the ground and are not big into late season shenanigans then OEM shocks with a little TLC can be made into a pretty solid setup with some better springs and oil. The only downside here is you lose the investment in the shocks when you sell them with the sled.

I knew I would be rocking axys chassis sleds for another year or two at least so I bit the bullet and got elka stage 5's. Wallet was sore but my body has been loving them. The perks of a full aftermarket set is the benfit of being able to put them on, ride then put the sled back to stock, then if you stick with the same sled next year you can just have them rebuilt for the same price as stockers and you basically have sweet new aftermarket shocks again.

If I weren't going to do a full set, I would do a rear track shock first, that is huge in keeping the sled from slamming down sending some fun jolts up your spine (and hard bottoms = bent rails often). Then going to front shocks and front track absolutely last.

 

[aksledjunkie]

General consensus is that front track shock is the last to be replaced. Jake the owner of Raptor shock thinks it's one of thee most important shocks out of the setup. Never did get to hear his reason why as we were under a time crunch but maybe someone will call him and ask!!??????? Hmm??


This is coming from Jonathan his worker bee.

 

[Indy_500]

If you haven't had a quality set of shocks before, I'm sure it won't be that big of a deal and it won't ride much different than how you're used to a sled riding. With that being said, I never had high end shocks before, and just 5 years ago I was riding an 05 XC SP 500. But, I could not take it anymore dealing with the rough ride bombing down the trail on my 16 with standard monotubes (I owned a 15 with clickers), and bottoming out on any big hits. I knew there had to be better. So I upgraded to Raptors. Are the shocks bad arse? YES, best riding shocks I've ever had. Are they worth 2 grand? That's a personal opinion and depends how much change you have to throw around...

 

[Yaeger34]

I thought stocks were fine at first, personally I think they all suck on the trail and have no intentions of setting up my shocks up for trails anyways. That being said I never thought just in normal everyday powder riding and side hilling it would make that big of a difference. Threw raptors on and fell in love immediately. Then I pulled them off (to put on new sled) and rode that sled stock, man I couldn't sidehill the same, ride quality sucked. Threw them on my axys and love that sled. Tried to ride my buddies stock axys and just hated his sled, the whole group tried both our sleds and everyone was blown away by how much better the raptors were. I don't know that they are worth $2200 but I usually try and snag a used set and get a rebuild for $1400 our less.

 

[TRS]

General consensus is that front track shock is the last to be replaced. Jake the owner of Raptor shock thinks it's one of thee most important shocks out of the setup. Never did get to hear his reason why as we were under a time crunch but maybe someone will call him and ask!!??????? Hmm??


This is coming from Jonathan his worker bee.

I agree totally. Tweeking the FTS in small increments has huge effects on handling.

 

[Jaynelson]

The FTS (and its adjustment) is crucial to the handling and attitude of the sled....but it's holding up the least weight and you will likely not feel as much performance improvement by upgrading it vs the other shocks. That said....having it adjusted properly (and to your liking) is one of the most noticeable things you can do to the sled.

Guessing that's the advice discrepancy you are noticing.

 

[icr]

The FTS (and its adjustment) is crucial to the handling and attitude of the sled....but it's holding up the least weight and you will likely not feel as much performance improvement by upgrading it vs the other shocks. That said....having it adjusted properly (and to your liking) is one of the most noticeable things you can do to the sled.

Guessing that's the advice discrepancy you are noticing.

Exactly this. A reservoir on a shock with a 1" stroke is over kill. Adjustment on the fts will affect the performance of the sled more than any other shock.

 

[boondocker97]

Exactly this. A reservoir on a shock with a 1" stroke is over kill. Adjustment on the fts will affect the performance of the sled more than any other shock.

The short stroke on these shocks is one of the reasons they are so crucial. The shorter the stroke on a shock in general the more spot on the valving/spring combination needs to be because it has so little distance to do it's job. The harder you push your sled in rough terrain, the more you'll notice the shortcomings of a stock FTS. I'm a big guy and like to push my sled pretty hard getting to the good stuff so my track shocks get a workout. The FTS probably takes the most beating and is the first one I'd want a reservoir on. The small oil volume is getting overused most in my case. I'd say the primary reason you see RTS with reservoirs is because people want a compression adjuster on that one the most. It's the second most important one to have a reservoir IMO.

Order of importance in upgrading shocks on my sled are RTS, FTS, and then the front pair. Order of importance for upgrading springs is front pair (for being on one ski), RTS, FTS. Now think about that!

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

The short stroke on these shocks is one of the reasons they are so crucial. The shorter the stroke on a shock in general the more spot on the valving/spring combination needs to be because it has so little distance to do it's job. The harder you push your sled in rough terrain, the more you'll notice the shortcomings of a stock FTS. I'm a big guy and like to push my sled pretty hard getting to the good stuff so my track shocks get a workout. The FTS probably takes the most beating and is the first one I'd want a reservoir on. The small oil volume is getting overused most in my case. I'd say the primary reason you see RTS with reservoirs is because people want a compression adjuster on that one the most. It's the second most important one to have a reservoir IMO.

Order of importance in upgrading shocks on my sled are RTS, FTS, and then the front pair. Order of importance for upgrading springs is front pair (for being on one ski), RTS, FTS. Now think about that!

How much do you weigh?

I'm 6'2" 220# so the rts spring is my first investment (for wheelie control in the steep)
But the shocks are in the same order of importance.

 

[NWaxys]

Add raptor triple rate springs 280$ all 4 or just buy raptors and never worry again. ?

 

[boondocker97]

How much do you weigh?

I'm 6'2" 220# so the rts spring is my first investment (for wheelie control in the steep)
But the shocks are in the same order of importance.

6'2" 260#. It really bothers me when the front springs are too soft and the corner of the sled compresses too much before rolling up on its edge. I know some people like to soften the front preload so the sled "rolls over" easier, but for me that only benefits the initial part of pulling the sled over. When it gets to the point that the other ski is coming off the ground it takes more effort then because the center of gravity of the sled is closer to the snow. When it's higher up the sled tips easier. Just a slight countersteer will start the tip for you when you're riding. Higher in the stroke up front holds the sled out of the snow on one ski and gives the shock more stroke to absorb rough terrain or a hard spot in the snow. Just my preferences. I run higher rear spring rate too, but I'm usually running floats on my cats so it's easy to adjust either end.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

6'2" 260#. It really bothers me when the front springs are too soft and the corner of the sled compresses too much before rolling up on its edge. I know some people like to soften the front preload so the sled "rolls over" easier, but for me that only benefits the initial part of pulling the sled over. When it gets to the point that the other ski is coming off the ground it takes more effort then because the center of gravity of the sled is closer to the snow. When it's higher up the sled tips easier. Just a slight countersteer will start the tip for you when you're riding. Higher in the stroke up front holds the sled out of the snow on one ski and gives the shock more stroke to absorb rough terrain or a hard spot in the snow. Just my preferences. I run higher rear spring rate too, but I'm usually running floats on my cats so it's easy to adjust either end.

I'm running hcr ti springs on the front for the same reason.

 

[Timbre]

The clicker shocks on my LE, combined with Carls re-valve and the Raptor triple rate springs, works incredibly well. I will be sticking with that again this season.

 

[Indy_500]

The clicker shocks on my LE, combined with Carls re-valve and the Raptor triple rate springs, works incredibly well. I will be sticking with that again this season.

Although a VERY nice setup, keep in mind the clickers are +400 (i realize for 17 the LE came standard with them), the revalve is ~$600, and the springs are ~$300. That's $1300... I got my raptors brand new shipped to my door for $1500.

 

[icr]

Although a VERY nice setup, keep in mind the clickers are +400 (i realize for 17 the LE came standard with them), the revalve is ~$600, and the springs are ~$300. That's $1300... I got my raptors brand new shipped to my door for $1500.

Where are you paying $150 per shock for revalving?