Thought I would post an update on my, seemingly endless, shock tuning experiences.
Finished second in my latest Whiplash race in Snowflake, AZ. The course was mostly wide open throttle desert racing. But this course has some nasty 2 foot tall berms that cut straight across the course in the highest speed sections!
And with a rig that likes to buck, and buck bad, you gotta keep you eyes peeled.
My latest settings are (not sure it has changed from my last update):
Front:
Compression: 70
Rebound: 30
Oil Volume: 300 ccs
Nitrogen pressure: 175 psi
Rear:
Compression: 70
Rebound: 85
Oil Volume: 330 ccs
Nitrogen Pressure: 210 psi
The front end is definately where it needs to be. I don't bottom the front end and it dances well over whoops. The rear still bucks, although not as bad. Since I have lightened up the compression (to 70), I notice that the backend wants to bottom easier than before (with higher valving). I smacked the rear, bottom skid several times throughout the race. Didn't hurt the rig, just jarred my kidneys. I find if I put more valving in, then it doesn't react as quickly and the backend feels "slippery" in the whoops and bumps. Too light, and it bottoms out. If I go higher on nitrogen charge pressure, it bucks worse. So..............I think I am about where I am going to be with this rig and Fox airshocks.
One thing to report is that at the end of my last race, I had a front shock blowout on me. As I pulled into the pits (after taking the checkered flag), it basically pissed all over the ground and went flat! The race was REALLY muddy. And out here, the muddy water is really abrassive with granite and such in the mix. So it just tore up my seals. New seal kits on the way.
Other than that, I think I have it about as good as it will get with this setup. Nice and plush riding, handles the whoops REALLY well with good control, and doesn't buck as bad as it did out of the box. But can still get the ass over the front if I'm not careful.