P500 p500 shock upgrades

[MiniRF]

Some of us like having discussion, even if its a discussion that has already been had.

This might have been discussed already, but what kinds of plants do you dig?

 

[Admin]

 

[The Green Goat]

I just need something that won't lift a tire off the ground when I drive over a twig, lol.

Man, if that's all you want, then don't overthink it. Throw on a set of Walkers or Elkas and save yourself the headache. You'd probably be surprised at the articulation you get with a set of those.

Driving with stock shocks is like driving a 2x12. Adding aftermarket shocks fixes that.

 

[futzin]

Its so close. 60" for me is really pushing it beyond what I want... 62 isn't much different but it really kills the concept. I'm fine with no power. I just need something that won't lift a tire off the ground when I drive over a twig, lol.

I totally get wanting to stay under a certain width.

I will say that a 53-55" P5 with either Elkas or WEs is pretty damn fun. 26 or 27" tires on 12" 4+3 offset wheels, maybe spacers. . .

But I believe the travel is limited by the A-arms, not the shocks.

 

[trigger]

Odd. From what I can tell, no one has said anything TO listen to? Lol. Mr hot shot trigger didn't even address my question, he just talked about why I shouldn't ask it.

From what I can tell you won't listen anyway and I did address your question without getting into the particulars but if you need to hear it... you're going to be limited by the right front axle. Raise your machine to full droop and spin the right front wheel, feel that hitch in the giddy up? That's the CV that's maxxed out already. Pretty sure Elka and WE's engineers R&D'd to get the maximum amount of safe travel out of their shocks already. Look at any P5 with spring spacers, lift or even the posted YT video with the Ebay shocks, the camber on the front wheels is jacked. It might be a way to get a little more out of it but it's a dumb one. Just bc you can doesn't mean you should. You can also shim the front differential but any amount of added travel will be minimum unless you start seriously modding and then your wanting to maintain 50" goes out the window.
You bought a machine with little suspension travel but it fills a niche. It has a shorter wheelbase than the other 50" machines you referenced but they won't fit into the places this machine does and aren't as reliable. There are several things you can do to give it a better ride without DIY reengineering. Like the rest of us you picked your poison. If the solutions given still don't fill the hole in your heart you probably should've bought a different machine.
Still want to discuss or just b!tch?

 

[GovtMule]

This might have been discussed already, but what kinds of plants do you dig?

 

[MiniRF]

View attachment 458776

That's better than

 

[GovtMule]

That's better than
View attachment 458777

Those are so pretty.

 

[Mopower58]

Both of our Dobermans dig plants and the yard!

 

[Todd627]

 

[Todd627]

From what I can tell you won't listen anyway and I did address your question without getting into the particulars but if you need to hear it... you're going to be limited by the right front axle. Raise your machine to full droop and spin the right front wheel, feel that hitch in the giddy up? That's the CV that's maxxed out already. Pretty sure Elka and WE's engineers R&D'd to get the maximum amount of safe travel out of their shocks already. Look at any P5 with spring spacers, lift or even the posted YT video with the Ebay shocks, the camber on the front wheels is jacked. It might be a way to get a little more out of it but it's a dumb one. Just bc you can doesn't mean you should. You can also shim the front differential but any amount of added travel will be minimum unless you start seriously modding and then your wanting to maintain 50" goes out the window.
You bought a machine with little suspension travel but it fills a niche. It has a shorter wheelbase than the other 50" machines you referenced but they won't fit into the places this machine does and aren't as reliable. There are several things you can do to give it a better ride without DIY reengineering. Like the rest of us you picked your poison. If the solutions given still don't fill the hole in your heart you probably should've bought a different machine.
Still want to discuss or just b!tch?

 

[GovtMule]

 

[Tubeman]

Money well spent added the walker evens front shocks to my 520 made a big difference going to order the rear shocks much smoother ride it's only money

 

[The Green Goat]

View attachment 458776

Ragweed ?

 

[GovtMule]

Ragweed ?

Possibly that too.

 

[idiggplants]

From what I can tell you won't listen anyway and I did address your question without getting into the particulars but if you need to hear it... you're going to be limited by the right front axle. Raise your machine to full droop and spin the right front wheel, feel that hitch in the giddy up? That's the CV that's maxxed out already. Pretty sure Elka and WE's engineers R&D'd to get the maximum amount of safe travel out of their shocks already. Look at any P5 with spring spacers, lift or even the posted YT video with the Ebay shocks, the camber on the front wheels is jacked. It might be a way to get a little more out of it but it's a dumb one. Just bc you can doesn't mean you should. You can also shim the front differential but any amount of added travel will be minimum unless you start seriously modding and then your wanting to maintain 50" goes out the window.
You bought a machine with little suspension travel but it fills a niche. It has a shorter wheelbase than the other 50" machines you referenced but they won't fit into the places this machine does and aren't as reliable. There are several things you can do to give it a better ride without DIY reengineering. Like the rest of us you picked your poison. If the solutions given still don't fill the hole in your heart you probably should've bought a different machine.
Still want to discuss or just b!tch?

See, now why was that so hard? An actual discussion instead of just being rudely dismissive. You can't tell if I "won't listen" when you previously had said nothing but rude dismissive stuff. Simply saying "the cv joints can't handle more angle than the oem angles would have answered my question better than the way you originally did.

What I don't understand is that lots of folks on the groups are using 1.5" lifts with no issues. Are they lying?

The cheap ass banshee shocks seem to give more up travel than oem. With only 0.5" additional down travel. Whats your reasoning for avoiding that type of increased travel, if I don't have clearance issues with my tire setup?

The elka and we engineers really seem to take oem shock travel and just added better valving and spring rates. I'm yet to see them mass produce anything other than oem travel specs. And that goes for any machine, not just the p500. On machines that people almost always lift... Like the RZR 50" and 60" models, the story is the same. They only produce oem shock lengths and then people add lift kits to them. And lifts definitely are fine on those machines. Nearly half the machines on the enthusiast groups/forums have them lifted... So you could apply the same "they engineered it and they know what they are doing" logic to that situation, and clearly that wouldn't make sense... I've never understood why their wasn't a bigger market for longer than oem shocks. It seems like an untapped market for both elka and WE.

 

[pappyo]

Many good people and information on Honda pioneer Forum

TUDES are Free <> or <> ( Dime a Dozen --- If use C.C. )

 

[idiggplants]

This might have been discussed already, but what kinds of plants do you dig?

All sorts. I started as a landscape architect/horticulture degree before going into civil engineering. I'm just pretty much a fan of the outdoors and forest and environment. Forest ecology will always be my true passion that I could never make an actual living off of. Instead I hunt and fish and ATV and hike and volunteer.

As for the mary jane... Meh. Not really a fan, but I'm not against it. Kind of bummed I missed the legal stage of things when I was younger because I probably would have enjoyed the horticulture side of it.

pretty sure those poppi's are not the ones used to produce opioids, but they are pretty at least. Annuals(and herbaceous plants in general) are probably the types of plants I'm least into. Woody plants, shrubs, trees and such are more my thing.

 

[futzin]

What I don't understand is that lots of folks on the groups are using 1.5" lifts with no issues. Are they lying?

No one here has a lift on their P5, to my knowledge. Also very few dedicated mudders, portal people, etc if any.
Very little overlap between forum members here and the FB stuff, pretty sure.

 

[idiggplants]

No one here has a lift on their P5, to my knowledge. Also very few dedicated mudders, portal people, etc if any.
Very little overlap between forum members here and the FB stuff, pretty sure.

If that's the case, then I can see why increased droop would not be an option. The fb groups definitely have a lot of people with lifts, but I'd consider the fb groups in general not good sources of... Well... Anything. Is there similar concern with increased upward travel, outside of tires rubbing?

 

[JenElio]

What I don't understand is that lots of folks on the groups are using 1.5" lifts with no issues. Are they lying?

So, I'm no expert on the P5s by any means but.....adding a "lift" and suspension travel are 2 different things. From what I've read from you posting here, seems you're associating one with the other. A lift will give you added clearance, whether under belly or wheel well, it's just a clearance issue. You're wanting to add suspension/wheel travel but unless you modify either the a-arms/mounts/axles AND shocks...... So like hot shot trigger mentioned, your stock set up will always be limited to your current design, mainly because of the CV.

I think you should find someone near you/local with a P5 and upgraded shocks and ask to take a ride. Like everyone that's upgraded shocks has mentioned, you'd be surprised at the overall difference.