Attn: Spyder & Ryker owners, my $5 front suspension hack. fantastic on uneven roads!
First a little history on my ride. I bought a 2015 Spyder RS SM5 this spring. It had 9500 miles on it. It had original Kenda tires and Fox shocks in front. As you may have guessed already, the steering tracking was terrible. Step 1: replace all tires...Kumho Ecsta 225/50R15 in rear, Farroad FRD16 165/65R15 in front (55 is original size ratio, so I gained 1/2 inch in ground clearance). These tires seem to have a soft sidewall...like the Kenda's, FYI. So, after playing with tire pressures, I settled on 28 PSIG for easier cornering (i.e. less push/pull input by me!). The lower pressures [that most users set to] didn't seem to mitigate front end jump on uneven or poorly maintained roads. It could just be the tires, IDK. Step 2: added a BajaRon anti-sway bar and endlinks. More improvement, but still not feeling safe on narrow Texas backroads with high-speed oncoming traffic. Step 3: Adjusted Fox shocks to maximum preload. Still better, but not good enough for my riding comfort. I'm thinking now that I may have to upgrade to aftermarket front shocks, but just not ready to make the investment at this time. This is where my "hack" idea comes in. With the preload maxed, the shock "dampening" was a better match. What I needed was about 2 inches of sag to get the shocks in a better position for up or down wheel travel. I needed some weight in front to increase the sag and test my theory. My test weights were limestone rocks...which grow out of the ground on my land every year. I just set up a cushion in the frunk and started adding the rocks until I got about 1-1/2" sag. I took it out for test rides until I was happy with the response. It came out to about 50 lbs. The result was amazing! I didn't really lose any undercarriage clearance. It's still 5-1/4", right where I started before maxing preload and adding taller tires. At this time... I removed the rocks, set up a cardboard form and trash bag in the frunk, and mixed a 60lb bag of ready mix concrete. I poured it right in there! final weight is 65 lbs. I added a couple handles to be able to remove it when required. After 24 hrs, I removed the weight... as the concrete releases moisture as it cures. Takes about 2 weeks for all the moisture to go away. Now I have a perfectly formed weight with a bottom layer of cardboard for cushioning. There you go...my $5 hack. If you're like me and can't afford aftermarket shocks, I encourage others to try adding weights in their frunks and report your results, too. See pics below of my concrete form. I hope this helps some ryders!
I wouldn't want to carry 65 lbs in my FRUNK. Go over some rapid potholes, you might have problems. The Frunk is bolted onto main frame members, not part of the bigger main frame. Off hand can't remember what the recommended max weight is but 65 is TOO much (seems like 20-25 lbs). It will give the back wheel even less weight for traction, as it can easily be spun from time to time now.
As you write in comments, 28 PSI, that will give you harsher ride. Your running a car tire in front, they are stronger ply as compared to Kendas, the Psi can be lower like 18PSI.
Maybe you can enlighten me of the need to max out the shocks on upper tension limit and put that much weight in Frunk? Riding in rain, back tire traction?
I wouldn't want to carry 65 lbs in my FRUNK. Go over some rapid potholes, you might have problems. The Frunk is bolted onto main frame members, not part of the bigger main frame. Off hand can't remember what the recommended max weight is but 65 is TOO much (seems like 20-25 lbs). It will give the back wheel even less weight for traction, as it can easily be spun from time to time now.
As you write in comments, 28 PSI, that will give you harsher ride. Your running a car tire in front, they are stronger ply as compared to Kendas, the Psi can be lower like 18PSI.
Maybe you can enlighten me of the need to max out the shocks on upper tension limit and put that much weight in Frunk? Riding in rain, back tire traction?
X's 10 ..... you said adding 65 lbs DIDN'T change your ground clearance .... sorry but I find this hard to believe. ..... and to all the newbie's out there some of the things posted by new Spyder / Ryker owners isn't always a good idea ...... JMHO .... Mike
I am glad all of this works for you. But I would be cautious about recommending these changes to others. I am skeptical that these 'positive' results are going to be universal.
The Farroad FRD16 is quite inexpensive. But reviews I've read give it only fair marks in dry traction, and they say wet traction is not very good. You don't have to break the bank to get a very good tire. But sometimes you do get what you pay for.
The added weight may help this tire. But you might want to be careful in the rain until you establish exactly how they do for you. Especially at 28 psi.
Running front shock preload up to max and then weighing down the front end would normally be considered counter-productive. You're introducing a very harsh ride with the pre-load, then mitigating it with extra weight. Added weight will always tend to smooth out the ride. I have a Ford F-250. Empty it rides, well, like a truck. Put 1,000 pounds in the bed and it really rides nice. But there are big downsides to carrying that much weight around all the time just to get a nicer ride. And the bed of my truck is designed to take the weight. The frunk of your Spyder is not.
Again, not telling you what to do. Just that there are a fair amount of new riders who come here for advise. I know you are excited about these changes and your intension is to help. But after awhile, you may change your mind on at least some of these recommendations.
Ron, thanks for the feedback [without the arrogance and sarcasm of others]. You are right and I apologize for not approaching this in a way that all spyder level riders could take away something positive from my thread. TMI for most readers. My intention is to provide an addition possible improvement solution for some ryders to a major highway safety issue with some spyders/rykers. In simplistic form, this is a post saying only that: for my specific vehicle and my specific suspension setup, and my specific riding conditions, I added weights to my frunk and I [only] obtained a much better steering tracking result on badly maintained roads. Your results could vary. I don't encourage anyone to try something that they don't feel safe doing or is outside the manufacturer's recommendations. What this is not is recommendations on tire selection or tire pressures. That topic is definitely dependent on too many variables to give any advice about.
Attn: Spyder & Ryker owners, my $5 front suspension hack. fantastic on uneven roads!
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Originally Posted by Woodaddict
X's 10 ..... you said adding 65 lbs DIDN'T change your ground clearance .... sorry but I find this hard to believe. ..... and to all the newbie's out there some of the things posted by new Spyder / Ryker owners isn't always a good idea ...... JMHO .... Mike 
