Fox Racing Shocks Review...

[spyder stryder]

fox shocks review

As for the shocks if each brand has the same valving on compression & rebound there would be no difference in
how they control the roll or the sway of the spyder. This is controled by the anti roll bar & the spring rate.The
shock will control how fast the weight rolls from side to side as in roll over & rebound back. In stock form the
spring & shock package is on the soft side for high speed handeling an it gives the spyder a floating around feel.
As the spyder sits in stock form lets say the lower & upper arms are level with each other & the ground.This will
give what is refered to as ground level roll cener height. If the spyder has a center of gravity height of lets say 40"
above ground with a 0" roll center then you will have a 40" moment arm which will cause it to roll a lot very easy.
If you raise the spyders ride height up the inner piviot points will raise heigher than the outer piviot points & this
will lower the roll center. Lets say it drops 2" below the ground level with the same center of gravity height you will
now have a moment arm of 42" & this will cause the spyder to try & roll more ( longer lever to pull weight over).
If the spyder was lowered so the inner piviot points drop below the outer point the roll center will raise up. Now
lets say it is 3" above the ground with the center of gravity at 40" then you will have a moment arm of 37" &
less leverage to pull the weight over thus less roll. Keep in mind the anti sway bar & springs control how much it rolls
& The shocks control how fast the roll happens & how it rebounds. No matter if two shock companys or ten companys
are building the shocks if they use the same valving you will have the same results or so close 99.9% of the guys can't
tell the difference.I bet this will open a very large can of worms & probley even hurt some feelings. A complete tuned
suspension will out work a half azz on any day.Just be careful about going to far as you will get some bad results.

spyder stryder

 

[spyderdmb1621]

FOX SHOCKS

I AGREE with Reggie- I liked what he did with the fox shocks on the RT so much, i did the same, I put the Fox Shocks on my RT-S and its a huge difference...strongly recomend.:banghead:

As for the shocks if each brand has the same valving on compression & rebound there would be no difference in
how they control the roll or the sway of the spyder. This is controled by the anti roll bar & the spring rate.The
shock will control how fast the weight rolls from side to side as in roll over & rebound back. In stock form the
spring & shock package is on the soft side for high speed handeling an it gives the spyder a floating around feel.
As the spyder sits in stock form lets say the lower & upper arms are level with each other & the ground.This will
give what is refered to as ground level roll cener height. If the spyder has a center of gravity height of lets say 40"
above ground with a 0" roll center then you will have a 40" moment arm which will cause it to roll a lot very easy.
If you raise the spyders ride height up the inner piviot points will raise heigher than the outer piviot points & this
will lower the roll center. Lets say it drops 2" below the ground level with the same center of gravity height you will
now have a moment arm of 42" & this will cause the spyder to try & roll more ( longer lever to pull weight over).
If the spyder was lowered so the inner piviot points drop below the outer point the roll center will raise up. Now
lets say it is 3" above the ground with the center of gravity at 40" then you will have a moment arm of 37" &
less leverage to pull the weight over thus less roll. Keep in mind the anti sway bar & springs control how much it rolls
& The shocks control how fast the roll happens & how it rebounds. No matter if two shock companys or ten companys
are building the shocks if they use the same valving you will have the same results or so close 99.9% of the guys can't
tell the difference.I bet this will open a very large can of worms & probley even hurt some feelings. A complete tuned
suspension will out work a half azz on any day.Just be careful about going to far as you will get some bad results.

spyder stryder

 

[spyder stryder]

fox shock review

I know most of you guys understand that if you could lower the seat on the spyder that this
would lower the total center of gravity which will help a lot. Lets say drop the seat height 10"
if possible & you could control the roll a lot better. Would be nice but not happening.
Just look at it this way a 250# rider goes through several turns & you moniter the roll of the
spyder then use a 150# rider this rider will cause less roll at the same speed. The suspension
has to be tuned for the weight that will be transfered on roll. heigher center of gravity stiffer
suspinsion, lower center of gravity softer suspinsion. Just for the heck of it do you spyder riders
know the different results between these three shock valvings? #1 5 compression 5 rebound
#2 3 compression 5 rebound #3 5 compression 3 rebound.

spyder stryder

 

[spyder stryder]

fox schoks

Ok, didn't mean to kill the thread or scare everyone off.
As i have said before any shock that is valved correctly
will do a good job. Not knocking any product or anyone
on here. As for myself i wouldn't raise the spyder up any
heigher than the factory height setting. If anything possibly
lower it just a bit. Heck what do i know about suspension.

Just be careful about the stiffeniss you can over do it &
cause yourself a problem.

spyder stryder

 

[pro10is]

Ok, didn't mean to kill the thread or scare everyone off...

You haven't scared us off. You know your stuff and although they're a bit of a tough read, your posts have been some of the best on the subject.

Here is my take on some of the issues raised in this thread:

Height:
I can't possibly see how raising the height is good, the physics say otherwise. Roadsters benefit from as low a center of mass as possible. If you raise the height you increase load/weight transfer and reduce total available traction. If you raise the height to increase the spring stiffness then you must offset the loss before you see any gains.

Spring Stiffness:
Stiffer springs are advantageous -if- you are willing to trade some ride comfort for reduced roll, reduced lateral load transfer, and better total available traction. However stiffen them too much and not only will you get a jarring ride but the springs will no longer be able to properly absorb bumps and thus track the road. Traction will be reduced and handling will be compromised. In the case of the Spyder, the weight of the driver and passenger is significant and the spring rate should be matched best as possible to account for the total weight.

Use of the Fox Shocks on a RT:
The RT is significantly heavier than the RS. Use of the Fox shocks which have been calibrated only for the RS is not recommended. Elka offers shocks calibrated specifically for the RT.

Fox Adjustable Shock Kit #219400403 vs Elka Stage 1+R vs OEM:
Both brands use stiffer than OEM springs. Stiffer springs may help reduce roll, sway, load/weight transfer, and increase total available traction, -but- at the cost of some ride comfort. Elka offers a customized spring rate based upon the specified weight of the driver/passenger.

Both brands have finer spring preload adjustability than OEM.

Both brands have superior hydraulic dampening over OEM. They employ harder valving to improve handling, again at the cost of some ride comfort. Elka has adjustable rebound dampening for finer tuning of the shock to your riding style. Fox #219400403 does not have this feature. Fox shocks are gas charged to minimize aeration of the hydraulic fluid to ensure performance and to provide slightly softer valving to attempt to maintain comfort while improving handling.

Elka offers personalized support, is a Spyderlovers sponsor, and a regular contributor to forum discussions. Elka offers a range of shock options, both front and rear, for all Spyder models.

Fox #219400403 shocks are sold and endorsed by BRP for use on RS 2011-2012 models only and will not adversely affect the factory Vehicle Stability System. Use on earlier RS/GS models and on all RT models is not endorsed by BRP.

Owner reports on Elka shocks in this and other Spyder forums are plentiful and have been favorable overall. The data is empirical only, no scientifically fact based information has been offered.

To date there have been only a few owner reports on Fox shocks in this and other Spyder forums. They've also been favorable overall. The data is empirical, no scientifically fact based information has been offered.

There have not been any reports to date of a failure of either brand on a Spyder application. However long term reliability is unknown. Both brands are rebuildable.

The Elka Stage 1+R list for $695 (front). The Fox #219400403 lists for $449.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

RACING IMPROVES THE BREED

Open mouth insert foot or maybe feet,....To the best of my knowledge there is no organized Spyder racing going on .....and since I don't believe dyno testing suspension capabilities is even possible....What we have to rely on is the opinions of riders who have limited if any, real knowledge of suspension dynamics, what does what to get what ever etc etc , MYSELF included .......so until we can come up with a REAL way of testing suspensions we are at the mercy of un-educated opinions.....I have none concerning suspensions......the end......Mike...:thumbup:

 

[pitbull]

Set them side by side and compare. I will be at spyderfest, I've done both, rode both, played with both. Experience is never at the mercy of theory. Don't take my word for it, find out the truth at spyderfest.

 

[johnwinslow]

well i will not say this outloud, if capitals are shouting then is italics whispering? i ordered the fox shocks from our new vendor they were giving a discount code for us spyder lovers. totaled out at $405.00 included shipping, reason for fox, no change in ride hight, price, and cosmetics. the reason i needed new shocks, i do not know, but i love spending money on my spyder. is there such a thing as spyder intervention? and to get it from your peers
would be foolish as we all have the same addiction, we could call it triple SSS spyder spending syndrom, i need one more thing though, better gas milage.

 

[Sarge707]

I don,t think you are going to see a Independant test of the various shocks available to the Spyder Can Am anytime soon,
Sooo I will remain Happy with the choice I made? What was the name on the Shock Anyway!!!:dontknow:

 

[wyliec]

Sooo I will remain Happy with the choice I made? What was the name on the Shock Anyway!!!:dontknow:View attachment 43407

:thumbup:It's all subjective anyway. I have the best setup; whatever that is.

 

[Trooper]

.....and since I don't believe dyno testing suspension capabilities is even possible....

It is indeed.

All of our shocks are dyno tested before they are shipped out to ensure quality control. First at 5 inch/sec and then at 15 inch/ second. It helps us determine the effeciency of the valving according to the desired hydraulic paramemters set by the engineering department for a desired damping curve.

Once they are approved by the technician, the shocks are then stamped with a serial number that tells us who tested it, what valving is in it, what vehicle ( year/model/make) it is made for, what spring rate is on the shock, who purchased it, and when it was purchased. This helps us do any troubleshooting with the customer if anything needs to be done to the shock years down the road.

 

[pitbull]

It's awesome to have pro on the site that really care, thanks john for all your support and knowledge, you have forgoten more about supension then most of us know, your a huge asset to this site

It is indeed.

All of our shocks are dyno tested before they are shipped out to ensure quality control. First at 5 inch/sec and then at 15 inch/ second. It helps us determine the effeciency of the valving according to the desired hydraulic paramemters set by the engineering department for a desired damping curve.

Once they are approved by the technician, the shocks are then stamped with a serial number that tells us who tested it, what valving is in it, what vehicle ( year/model/make) it is made for, what spring rate is on the shock, who purchased it, and when it was purchased. This helps us do any troubleshooting with the customer if anything needs to be done to the shock years down the road.