Shocks for jumping

[mountainhorse]

All the shocks mentioned above, IMO are excellent.

If you bottom a shock out from jumping and increase the spring rate ... you will have "some" more bottom resistance... but more harshness in other situations.
...
but the bottoming comes from shaft speed too high, which will require more compression stiffness... or a "smart valve" like the DSC ect....

Discussing this topic with both Ryan and Nate Zollinger... controlling high shaft speeds from hard landings with a clicker with a needle/oriface can lead to issues as you approach a closed needle situation. Best to have VALVING set up for hucking and not get into the close to closed clicker position.

One of the reasons that Raptor, Elka and ZBroz have had such good luck with agressive riders is that the shocks are truly tailored for that 1% of the truly "huck capable" riders out there.

Matt... when you had your Floats, were they truly "tailored" for you or... "off the shelf" shocks??
I know that Nate and the boys have been taking good care of you and Phatty with getting just what you need for valving "dialed in"

In this situation, I've seen EVOL-X's blow a hydraulic seal because they had the air spring set too soft... or fail to maintain the air-chamber pressure.


Maybe Jake or Lars can chime in here to explain more.

 

[phatty]

M series where was I saw the most blown Floats. I had one set rebuilt twice one year. I had success with the fox zero pros and titanium springs, but my zbroz are hands down better. Especially on the polaris. The WE on the pro's are junk IMO. I feel like they are done after 2 rides even for the easiest of riders.

i have yet to see the evols rupture, but I only know a few people with them.

I agree with MH that improper maintenance can be a cause of blown shox (be it valves, chambers, whatever). Further more, I agree that I am harder on shox than 99% of people out there. Matt is harder on shox than I am and thats hard to do! But myself and most others have no desire to "maintain" a shox through out the season. It should hold up for one year, then be maintained during the summer.

 

[FCR112]

But myself and most others have no desire to "maintain" a shox through out the season. It should hold up for one year, then be maintained during the summer.

That's a fact!

Mine have been going into a factory authorized dealer every 1500 miles max.
btw-I never do anything during the season except wipe down the shock body with an oily rag, check pressures, and overall appearance.

I have seen Matt's madness, so if you are in the same ballpark I would have to agree the op has some guys with huge hucking experience on tap.

What adjustments do you guys make on your coil overs when switching from boondocking to huge drops?

 

[phatty]

That's a fact!

Mine have been going into a factory authorized dealer every 1500 miles max.
btw-I never do anything during the season except wipe down the shock body with an oily rag, check pressures, and overall appearance.

I have seen Matt's madness, so if you are in the same ballpark I would have to agree the op has some guys with huge hucking experience on tap.

What adjustments do you guys make on your coil overs when switching from boondocking to huge drops?

we both run the timbersled mtn tamer II skid. fully uncoupled for huge drops.

 

[colorado_matt]

Mountainhorse is correct about mine having a hydraulic issue. I refer to it as 'blown' due to the fact that once it happened, the shock performance was terrible. It was like a pogo stick. That happened twice with float x shocks before we went to a standard float that was custom built. I had a similar issue with a standard float in a holz suspension that was supposed to be setup for aggressive riding...... never was happy with that setup until VOHK reworked the shocks.

FCR- I make adjustments on my shocks for big drops according to the snow conditions and my expectations for the landing. On my front shocks, I just about always slow down the compression. On the rear shock I also slow the compression and sometimes stiffen the adjustment in the spring. I have a few different springs in my trailer and on a couple of occasions I have switched out to a stiffer spring in anticipation of a big drop or harsh landing that day. Also as Phatty mentioned, for any big jump or drop with the Mtn. Tamer, I set the coupling adjustment on the rear arm all the way out.

 

[Jigga99]

sick build are the raptor springs longer than the stocks? looks like the thread nut is higher than the stock spring setting

 

[Sickbuild]

...

Yes the fronts are longer, in that pic i have it on the lift with just the collar starting to preload the spring. I think per instructions from raptor the fronts should be compressed a 1/4inch from original length for a starting place. Are these a jumping setup? Probably not, but the average guy riding getting to the mountain will be better off. They are pretty good priced also so we'll see.
The start of the spring is much softer then the bottom is i think jake said about 30% stiffer on these "standard" tripple rates. They have the firm springs for chubby people or for skinny people with 60lbs+ of gear.

They"ll for sure be better jumping springs than my other sled, when i jump this one i feel it! However I have never blown a seal or rebuilt the shock after some 26 yrs. ( thats yamaha quality)

 

[Oregonsledder]

Yes the fronts are longer, in that pic i have it on the lift with just the collar starting to preload the spring. I think per instructions from raptor the fronts should be compressed a 1/4inch from original length for a starting place. Are these a jumping setup? Probably not, but the average guy riding getting to the mountain will be better off. They are pretty good priced also so we'll see.
The start of the spring is much softer then the bottom is i think jake said about 30% stiffer on these "standard" tripple rates. They have the firm springs for chubby people or for skinny people with 60lbs of gear.
They"ll for sure be better jumping springs than my other sled, when i jump this one i feel it!

I installed a set on my 12 800 PRO yesterday. Can't wait to get them on the snow!

 

[Sickbuild]

Pic of rear

Rear raptors

 

[tdblakes]

I sent all 4 shocks off my Assault to Raptor to be rebuilt and revalved for me over the summer. I also ordered the spring kit. I'm excited to try it out this winter and see the difference. All 4 shocks redone & all 4 springs for about $500. Very reasonable to me.

Jake at Raptor told me the only difference between the standard and firm kit is the rear track spring, which is 1" longer on the firm vs. standard kit. The other springs remain the same for both kits. Just an FYI...

 

[AndrettiDog]

So many racers and mtn riders who jump more and bigger than I ever will use FOX float Evol R's and X's...c'mon

And many are sponsored by Fox!

I have had both Evol R's and Exit X1's (not directly comparable). I'm not sponsored and I have to pay like the next guy. The X1's are simply superior to the Evol R's IMO. Also, for the guys that want to huck, look at the spring thickness on the Exit's as well as the shaft diameter. Compare those to the stock WE's to get a feel for how beefy they are. That's why I won't re-valve WE's. Not because I drop it like Phatty and Matt but because for the money, I want something durable and smooth like butta!

 

[FCR112]

And I am pretty sure the 2 big huckers on here are sponsored by Zbroz...
No way to get around that on these boards.

But hey just because someone's sponsored by a company doesn't mean they don't love the product, right? I'm not sponsored by anyone, but honestly that's cuz I'm not good enough

No disrespect meant to anyone in any way here... but I actually value a guy like yourselves opinion over Matt and Phatty's because I think our riding styles are probably much more similar. We are likely both riding on stock rear skids also... Apples to apples and all that.

I think these threads are great. I love hearing what both the pros and the more normal folks are digging.

 

[gman086]

And many are sponsored by Fox!

I have had both Evol R's and Exit X1's (not directly comparable). I'm not sponsored and I have to pay like the next guy. The X1's are simply superior to the Evol R's IMO. Also, for the guys that want to huck, look at the spring thickness on the Exit's as well as the shaft diameter. Compare those to the stock WE's to get a feel for how beefy they are. That's why I won't re-valve WE's. Not because I drop it like Phatty and Matt but because for the money, I want something durable and smooth like butta!

As I recall (correct me if I'm wrong), your Evol R's were first gen; they don't even play into the equation anymore compared to the latest versions.

Have FUN!

G MAN