P500 Walker Evan’s vs Ella s3?

[Mrmachinist]

Ok I spent the thanksgiving weekend at Wolf Pen Gap in Arkansas. It’s the first timey p5 has been used on trails. I was very impressed with it. We actually had 2 500s, a 520, and a 1000 with us. They all did great.

One thing I noticed is how crappy the ride is vs the 1000. I want to change that before our next trip in June. Looking at walker evans and elkas. Any benefits to going with the Elka stage 3 vs the WE? It’s about $500 more for the elka.

I have been searching but people seem to be happy with both of them but I have not seen anyone that had experience with both.

Also on the to buy list is 26” tires and power steering.




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[MI-Trailblazer]

I have not had experience with both Walker Evans and Elka, but I have run Elka's for many years on my quad. However, the decision on which brand to buy is simply this:

1) how many adjustments do you want to be able to make to your shocks
2) what color/packaging do you like better

Other than those 2 things, both shocks will well out-perform the stock ones. Heck, even the Elka Stage 1 shocks will be better than the stock shocks.

The only other thing I can think of is based on posts here- some people or area that you live - is having different delivery times for when you order the shocks from either company. Walker Evans is in California and Elka is in Quebec. So the US made vs. Canadian made decision too.

Otherwise, you cannot go wrong with either one. Believe me, the first time I purchased after-market suspension for a quad, I told myself: "what the hell have I been doing riding stock all these years!". I have not purchased new suspension for my P5 yet, but it is in the future.

 

[906UP]

I put Elka S1s on my P5, make a dramatic difference, much smoother ride. Don't have any experience w WE shocks.

 

[wvupsc]

I recently installed Elka Stage 3's on my P520. Huge improvement over stock. Took a long time to get them.

 

[Idahotruckman]

Ok I spent the thanksgiving weekend at Wolf Pen Gap in Arkansas. It’s the first timey p5 has been used on trails. I was very impressed with it. We actually had 2 500s, a 520, and a 1000 with us. They all did great.

One thing I noticed is how crappy the ride is vs the 1000. I want to change that before our next trip in June. Looking at walker evans and elkas. Any benefits to going with the Elka stage 3 vs the WE? It’s about $500 more for the elka.

I have been searching but people seem to be happy with both of them but I have not seen anyone that had experience with both.

Also on the to buy list is 26” tires and power steering.

View attachment 306756


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I went with Walker Evans. When I installed them I took the P500 on a washboard gravel roads up to the trails. Amazing difference. If you go with WE your wait time may very greatly depending if they are planning on producing that model shock in the near future. The fronts took 1 week to arrive. I ordered the rear a couple weeks after that and they took 6 weeks to arrive.
I experienced very good customer service from the folks at Walker Evans.
Like others, I don't believe it matters where you buy them. Just buy them!
I have 26" Bighorns 2.0 and they work good as an all around trail tire. If you want a tire for a different riding application, you will have to ask others.
My power steering recently arrived from SuperATV. Haven't found time to install it yet. Another outstanding company!
Let us know what you decide. Good luck and have fun.

 

[crewcabrob]

Hi guys,

Any advice on the Elka's as far as finding them in stock? Any version from stage 1-5?

Do they seriously build to order each set of shocks? I've read before that they are built for the type of riding you do and how much weight you plan on carrying around. For me, that changes almost every ride. A lot of times I will be by myself with no load. But I have had my bed full of rock and had my wife with me along with a dog or two. It seems hard to build a shock with custom spring rate and valving for the two extremes.

 

[Smitty335]

Hi guys,

Any advice on the Elka's as far as finding them in stock? Any version from stage 1-5?

Do they seriously build to order each set of shocks? I've read before that they are built for the type of riding you do and how much weight you plan on carrying around. For me, that changes almost every ride. A lot of times I will be by myself with no load. But I have had my bed full of rock and had my wife with me along with a dog or two. It seems hard to build a shock with custom spring rate and valving for the two extremes.

I had mine set up for trail riding weight, big cooler, two people and some gear. If your hauling heavy loads, you won't be going fast or very far anyway.

 

[906UP]

Hi guys,

Any advice on the Elka's as far as finding them in stock? Any version from stage 1-5?

Do they seriously build to order each set of shocks? .....

Yes, they are built to order, unlikely to find any "in stock" anywhere

 

[Mrmachinist]

[mention]crewcabrob [/mention]

There is a seller on eBay claiming to have them in stock. 1-2 week lead time to set them up to your specs. Claims to be a US distributor.


I am still unsure of what I’m going to do it’s either finish building my Range Rover trail rig on the P5.


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[trigger]

Consider some WE's. You can get heavier springs put on if that's what you need but I'm running pretty heavy and went with the standard springs. Set your preload and then just adjust the shocks for the type of ride you want. Dialed mine in about 3 yrs ago and haven't had to mess with them since. The only sag I ever notice is when the plow is on and it's not terrible.

 

[Keebler]

Consider some WE's. You can get heavier springs put on if that's what you need but I'm running pretty heavy and went with the standard springs. Set your preload and then just adjust the shocks for the type of ride you want. Dialed mine in about 3 yrs ago and haven't had to mess with them since. The only sag I ever notice is when the plow is on and it's not terrible.

What is the preload setting for the P500 and did you set the preload empty or loaded? From my motorcycle days I set preload with rider on seat. On my bike I would jack the wheel off the ground and measure the distance from swing arm to fender then fully compress the suspension and measure again. Next I would sit on the bike and measure again. I then adjusted the preload so that I had about 1/3 of the travel used under load, is that about how P500 preload is set?

 

[trigger]

What is the preload setting for the P500 and did you set the preload empty or loaded? From my motorcycle days I set preload with rider on seat. On my bike I would jack the wheel off the ground and measure the distance from swing arm to fender then fully compress the suspension and measure again. Next I would sit on the bike and measure again. I then adjusted the preload so that I had about 1/3 of the travel used under load, is that about how P500 preload is set?

I took stock ride height measurements before install. Then set preload to give me the same height. After riding them for a bit the springs settled and I had to adjust them again. Eventually they find a happy place. Some guys claim they gained an inch or so in clearance but I question it. Unless they maxed them out and that's ill advised.