Fox coilovers vs. King coilovers Vs. Elka

I dont know if a coilover will slow the fading but a resevoir would. Since there is more oil it takes longer to heat up and fade. Also running a good sythetic oil will slow the shock fade.

Heat is the problem.
A shock is changing Kinetic energy, motion, into Heat energy. That heat, is then transfered to the surrounding air.
Shocks with more surface area, can dissipate the heat quicker. Larger diameter or remote reservoirs and springs, helps dissipate that heat too.
They both have their Pro's and Con's.

Pro:
Air shocks are very light and easy to rebuild. Spring rate changes are quick (Ni gas) and can be variable to a 1/2 psi.
Con:
With an air shock, it gets hotter quicker because of the gas compression. Much like an air compressor will.
When the shock bottoms, the pressure spike could be over a 800 psi (? Get out those dusty engineering books, lets figure this out) This also causes the fast rebound we see. Heat changes the oil viscosity.
A Nitrogen gas refill set up is needed, for rebuild and adjustments. (Cheap set-up, posted soon)

Pro:
Coil-over shocks have less fade and more consistent spring rates. A coil spring generates heat too, but it's not in contact with the oil, so there's less chance of fading. Less heat build up = less oil viscosity changes.
Con:
As Mick said, there is a weight penalty. A spring compressor tool is need for rebuilding. Changing spring rates, costs more, due to buying new springs each time.

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If money wasnt an issue the elkas are best just because they actually tested the shocks on the Revolts and will build the shock based on your Driving ( Desert, Sand, Recreational, Short course) but at twice the price of Kings or Fox's. So you can do trial and error on the King/Fox springs or buy the Elkas that have already been tested.

As you can see by what is on my car, I think that King's are the way to go. They make great shocks. I think that Kings and Foxes are both grat shocks. The reason I run them is that the Kings are a little cheaper and King is a family owned business that has great customer service.

When I came back from Glen Helen and the last race, we changed out the shock package and went back to the air shocks. Taking of the coil overs and bypasses saved over 100 pounds. When we went out for a test drive, it was like I was driving a pogo stick. The first jump that I hit a almost went end over end. The coils and bypasses soke up everything that even inexperienced drivers like myself can throw at them. That suspension has saved me many times. Coils are the way to go.

The reason Elkas should not even be discussed in this conversation is that they are UTV shocks that are overpriced. I would much rather buy a shock that is made to endure massive loads and run it at 50% of it's capability rather than buy one that is pressed to it's limits from the start. There is a reason that they only run them on Quads an UTV's. When we see a set of Elkas on a class 10 or better, then we can compare them to King and Fox. And on top of that they are crazy dollars. Why would you pay more money for a lesser shock? (The entire last statement is nothing more than a personal rant and opinion. I am sure that in certain low weight applications the Elkas work just fine).


Anyway, I like Kings.

Thanks, Rick Dude

Thanks Rick,
I think your right, we don't see Elka in the bigger class's of off-road race cars. I agree, the price is out of line too.
How was it setting up the King coil over's? Did King help you out with that?

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We sent pictures and dimensions of our suspension and they figured out the rest. I also know that if someone gives them a stock car for a couple of days they will build the proper package and make it as easy as ordering a "Revolt" set up and they will send you the right stuff.

I added a few pics of my set up.

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So your using Fox 2.0 and King in the front and all King, in the rear? I think the last time I talked to you, you were telling me, you thought the King/air shocks had better damping than the Fox. Is this still your opinion?

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now that we are talking about weight....
how much would a 2.0 coilover shock weight with the coils?
with out exaggerating.......

Those were old pics. I switched to King air shocks in the front too. They seem to work way better than the Foxes. I did not have the room for coils in the front but, the bypasses give me all of the control that I need. The air shocks in the front are only used to support the weight of the car the bypasses do the rest.

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That makes sense. Thanks

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