green2crew - You tested and decided the stock springs worked best (as good) on the front.
Why did you decide to use the highlifter springs on back instead of stock?
That's correct, front springs I ended up using were the ones that came stock on the commander shocks. According to the stock pioneer spring rates and those used on the fox shocks I should've been able to go heavier but I couldn't. I tried 250LB springs and they were at full extension with the machines weight resting on them. I think part of it was going to a large, gas filled shock which helped taking some of that weight off the springs. With those springs and the preload up 1 click ~450LBs in the front seat didn't bottom it and I tried. I can't explain the entire reason why it works that way.
The stock pioneer rear springs were 260LB, stock ones on a commander are 200LB. I wanted to stay as close to stock as possible without going lower as I had my stock preload turned up all the way. I found that the highlifter springs were 260-310 progressive which fits what I was looking for perfectly. I'm sure you could go a little lighter in the back for a better ride if you wanted to such as 225LB if you don't move a ton of weight regularly or you could even try the 200LB commander ones and see how they do. The shocks I got had no springs on them so I couldn't try the stock commander ones. I do have leftover 250LB ones but don't see a reason to put them on as they are only 10LB difference which shouldn't be noticeable. The highlifter springs are the heaviest you can get for that size shock. Also, they are yellow and matched the front springs I also ended up using as those are yellow too, that's enough of a reason right there isn't it?
I measured the resting compression of the stock shock and spring combinations and seem to have matched them nearly perfectly, with my commander ones. I can't explain the anomaly going on with the spring rates in the front. I will tell you both what factory and fox say they are using is extremely heavy, heavier than what a commander uses stock for springs in the rear and that's odd as our machine weighs similarly. And when I tried 250LB springs they didn't compress at all with the weight of the machine on them. It took me sitting on the bumper for it to go down less than an inch. Think about the weight that the machine is rated for over the rear axle and think how little weight sits on the front axle in comparison, it makes sense they wouldn't need to be anywhere near as heavy as the rear springs.
I hope I answered this thoroughly.
