Thanks for the info. I might just do that! When I bought the shocks, I bought them for rampin' so they are a little stiff. That contributes to the harsh ride. They almost never bottom out tho.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys. I think i'm going to save up and get the TCS 0 preloads with the reservoirs.

 

If you are not going to race, which you said that you werent, and unless you ride REALLY agressive you do not want zero preload shocks. They are made to be ridden hard and mostly for the pro and A level racers. When I was looking for shocks and dint know what features to look for I talked to Mark Baldwin(Baldwin Motorsports)and he said that even though I race I do not need zero-preload shocks.

Based on what you said I would suggest TCS standard triple rate fronts with rezzies. These will handle better all around(woods, track, hills...) with no emphasis on one specific area.

Chris...87 trx 250r...too many mods to list

 

Basically a zero preload shock has a lower ride height for better handling ( about 3.5" on a 400ex) and the main spring at ride height has very little tension on it so what happens is when you jump the shock actually elongates to max travel while you are in the air and when you land the extra travel absorbs the inital shock of the landing. Another great benefit of zero preload shocks is that when you are riding on a very whooped out track the shocks will drop into the whoops keeping your tires on the ground getting traction and not trying to kick you off the quad whereas with a conventional shock the main springs have preload on them so when you sit on the quad there isn't much downward travel left because the shock is close to max extension. Essentially, what happens is when you are riding on the whooped up track the preload on the springs causes the the a-arms and the swingarm not to be able to move through alot of the shocks travel because of the preload on the main spring; therefore, transfering the shock (from the whoops that should be absorbed by your shocks) to your frame and then to you. It's makes your quad like a pogo stick through the whoops and if it dosen't and the conventional shocks ride fine in the whoops they will bottom out on big jumps because they are so soft. I had a set of triple rate works with rezzies and they work very well for recreational riding and beginning racers, but when you start getting faster and going bigger on jumps you are going to need something more adjustable and more race oriented than the conventional all around shock. I hope this helped. If you are looking for good zps shocks and don't have the money or the time to wait for PEP's Legacy ATV builds zps shocks they use Works bodies and TCS pistons and guts, but are valved slightly different. These are called Rhino shocks and the last time I talked to them thier turnaround time was only like 5-7 days in house and the fronts are $100 cheaper than TCS's.

 

Ohh great, I didn't know that TCS made a standard shock too. Now i have one more thing to think about. The thing that interests me about the 0 preloads, is the fact that they lower the Quad. That is an added bonus. How much travel do the standard TCS shocks have? I've also heard that TCS is going to start selling their shocks without the reservoirs. I was thinking of getting a set of 0 preload triple rates. What do you guys think? Or should i just get the standard TCS's with or without reservoirs? Thanks for all your help guys!!

 

I think i can help here cause i have ridden both. Two of my friends have 400EXs. One has TCS, and the other works trs with no rezzys. The 400 with works, jumps well, and handles well too. They fade quite quickly, but ride soft. The 400 with the TCS, rides soft, handles big hits with ease, and doesn't fade at all thats noticable. I would go for the Dual rate TCS SCS shocks w/ comp. adjustability.

 

Exactly...