"I am going to take some preload out of the rears to see if they will smooth up."
Actually changing preload will not soften or firm up the ride because preload does not change the spring rate. Preload just changes the ride height.
Now for something that is totally counterintuitive - Adding preload "can" soften the ride by moving the average position of the shock. When the ride height is low, the shock is near the end of its stroke, and the shock compression valving gets very stiff at the end of the stroke to prevent bottoming. It feels like you are constantly riding over square edged 2x4's. When you increase the preload you raise the ride height and now the shock is riding in more in the middle of its stroke, where the valving is softer and the ride is much softer.
This has been discussed over and over on the Maverick X3 forum. They come from the factory riding low and VERY stiff. Standard procedure is to add 2.5 inches of ride height and the ride softens a bunch.
And the previous comment on the crossover rings is spot on.
Check YouTube for adjusting Fox Shocks