OEM Shocks!!! Is it me or are they bad?

[pete_plp]

Hey guys,

I have had my new LV machine for a few months now, and this past weekend was the first time I had a chance to take it for a real long test: 16 hours of riding on Hartfield McCoy trails. Before that, it was always short 3-5 hours ridding trips in parks around Indiana/Kentucky and the rest mainly road

On the second half of the second day, my suspension started feeling terrible (my wife also noticed it at the same time)… At first, I thought it was because we had been riding on rocky trails for so long that I was just tired, but it almost felt like bare metal with hardly any suspension at all… Ok I may be exaggerating but I was at the point where I was anticipating every bumps and there was no “smoothness” at all

After a while, I couldn’t take it anymore, I asked one of my friends to jump in with me and tell me what he thought (he is riding a canam.. I know its not a fair comparison… 😉) but we were not even 600 feet in that he was “I know what you mean,” things feel hard and he was wondering if something didn't go wrong with the LV suspension?

I don’t know if its just because I finaly “broke them in”? but man, this OEM suspension isn’t working for me for sure.
The only small comparison I have is with a canam maverick X3 turbo RR … which I cannot really compare to…So I need your expertise 😊 :

-Does anyone have seen issues with LV? I couldn’t find anything wrong and no warning light?

-I have read that several of you either changed their tender springs or even went for a full suspension remanufacturing; what would you recommend?

Thank you in advance

 

[IngoTheBarbarian]

You may know this already but the Fox Live Valve isn't to soften the ride. I don't think the Live Valve models ride any softer than the standard models with the adjusters set to soft.

The Live Valve kicks in to keep the car stable in higher-speed corners, jumps, etc. The big advantage is you don't have to hop out of the car when you go from normal driving to hard/aggressive driving.

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[Tedbell52]

The only to fix this is to have someone like Shock Therapy to re-valve and re-spring or do it yourself, yep it sucks but least you are not catching on fire in your Polaris or throwing your belts when you are running hard.


Christmas gift advice for your Polaris friends, (a pair of fire extinguishers)

 

[IDIOT]

The only to fix this is to have someone like Shock Therapy to re-valve and re-spring or do it yourself, yep it sucks but least you are not catching on fire in your Polaris or throwing your belts when you are running hard.


Christmas gift advice for your Polaris friends, (a pair of fire extinguishers)

I always carry a spare fire extinguisher when there is a polaris in the group.

 

[pete_plp]

You may know this already but the Fox Live Valve isn't to soften the ride. I don't think the Live Valve models ride any softer than the standard models with the adjusters set to soft.

The Live Valve kicks in to keep the car stable in higher-speed corners, jumps, etc. The big advantage is you don't have to hop out of the car when you go from normal driving to hard/aggressive driving.

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Ok thank you for the input- I agree on the advantages of LV! its just hard for me to say that the plus of LV offset the “not so great ride quality”… but I haven’t ride a none LV version. So glad to hear that its not specifc to LV 🙂

 

[pete_plp]

The only to fix this is to have someone like Shock Therapy to re-valve and re-spring or do it yourself, yep it sucks but least you are not catching on fire in your Polaris or throwing your belts when you are running hard.


Christmas gift advice for your Polaris friends, (a pair of fire extinguishers)

Thanks- I tried to look online and do you guys know other options than shock therapy (maybe more in the mid-central/east area)?

 

[SLOWPOKE693]

Give George at Double E Racing a call. He can get those LV shocks working the way you want them to.

Double E Racing - E2R | 4 Wheeler, UTV, & ATV Parts Shop

At Double E Racing, we build champions! Shop our wide range of high-performance shocks, parts, and more for off-road enthusiasts.

doubleeracing.com

 

[Hometeam]

Double E Racing is a great option....G-Force Suspension and Racing out of Johnson city Tennessee is another great option. Either one will do your machine right!! I personally have no desire to use Shock Therapy.....

 

[pete_plp]

Thank you guys! Much appreciated!

 

[Plumber32]

Thank you guys! Much appreciated!

Pay attention to air pressure in the tires. I've started out in the morning at 10-12 psi, then in the afternoon it will be rough ect and find out it's at 16 psi. If your on stock tires ditch them for 30-32" helps a lot.

 

[SLOWPOKE693]

Pay attention to air pressure in the tires. I've started out in the morning at 10-12 psi, then in the afternoon it will be rough ect and find out it's at 16 psi. If your on stock tires ditch them for 30-32" helps a lot.

If you use nitrogen in the tires that pressure increase is alot less severe.

 

[IDIOT]

I have Shock Therapy springs on my R and its made a Huge difference, no valving upgrade just the springs.

 

[IngoTheBarbarian]

I have Shock Therapy springs on my R and its made a Huge difference, no valving upgrade just the springs.

I would like to lighten up the pounding on chatter but I also don't wanna lose any stability. Does your car roll more with the Shock Therapy springs? I have a Live Valve so I wonder if springs are all that it would need.

Is there any alternative to Shock Therapy's springs that are as highly regarded?

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[Huntndogs]

I am looking into springs only and considering Weller Racing as an alternative to Shock Therapy. This page was an interesting read, not Talon related but.. How to make your UTV ride smooth! - UTV ATV Repair

 

[PaulF]

Springs only are a WASTE OF MONEY. I have a $600 set of ST springs sitting in my shed collecting dust to prove it.

I'll let them go cheap if anyone else want to waste $300 trying

 

[Plumber32]

I did buy the bandit tender springs. 220? Just for a little low speed improvement. Hitting curbs around my house it feels soft enough.

 

[PaulF]

Let me give some perspective. The springs helped A LITTLE on my R but not anywhere near worth $600.

$600 ST springs maybe 20% improvement.
$1500 Weller Spring and Re-valve 100% improvement. It made an entirely new machine out of my R. It is now a pleasure to drive all day and it doesn't beat me to death. It does sway a bit more (especially with the sway bar disconnected) but you just get used to it and adjust your driving.

I wound never waste any money on just springs. Save the $ and apply it to a total rebuild.

And stay away from ST unless you are a desert racer. Unless they have changed, their setup is too rough for the average rider. If you are planning to re-work your shocks, you should consider Weller Racing out west and Double E and G-Force back east and forget Shock Therapy in my opinion.

 

[IngoTheBarbarian]

Let me give some perspective. The springs helped A LITTLE on my R but not anywhere near worth $600.

$600 ST springs maybe 20% improvement.
$1500 Weller Spring and Re-valve 100% improvement. It made an entirely new machine out of my R. It is now a pleasure to drive all day and it doesn't beat me to death. It does sway a bit more (especially with the sway bar disconnected) but you just get used to it and adjust your driving.

I wound never waste any money on just springs. Save the $ and apply it to a total rebuild.

And stay away from ST unless you are a desert racer. Unless they have changed, their setup is too rough for the average rider. If you are planning to re-work your shocks, you should consider Weller Racing out west and Double E and G-Force back east and forget Shock Therapy in my opinion.

Do you think the Live Valve models need springs and rebuild, as well?

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[SLOWPOKE693]

Do you think the Live Valve models need springs and rebuild, as well?

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The live valve option doesn't make it an infinitely adjustable shock for all terrains, it just has the ability to stiffen and soften the compression settings in a narrow scope based on sensor input, but it's not a replacement for proper valving. Its more of an enhancement to proper valving than anything.

 

[IngoTheBarbarian]

The live valve option doesn't make it an infinitely adjustable shock for all terrains, it just has the ability to stiffen and soften the compression settings in a narrow scope based on sensor input, but it's not a replacement for proper valving. Its more of an enhancement to proper valving than anything.

Ah... Makes sense. I'm not unhappy with my stock suspension so far. Just a tad rough on the lower speed bumps. It took some hard drops at Glamis and never felt unstable. I don't wanna lose that feeling and introduce a bunch of roll on hard corners and drops.

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