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How to Troubleshoot Suspension Behavior

By including both features of compression and rebound damping response, a driver is able to precisely tune their shocks on the go in order to adapt to specific vehicle weight loadouts, or terrain features.

Adjustable Suspension
Adjustable Suspension

For shocks that feature both compression and rebound damping adjustment (Old Man Emu BP51, or Bilstein 8100), here are some behaviors that can be adapted according to preference.

Compression Damping

Symptom Remedy
Bottoms out easily on large bumps Increase compression damping
Suspension feels harsh and does not soak up small bumps Decrease compression damping
Shock Absorber rarely bottoms out, even off big drop offs Decrease compression damping
Shock Absorber is not using all of its available travel Decrease compression damping

Rebound Damping

Symptom Remedy
Vehicle bounces and carries on repeatedly after larger bumps Increase rebound damping
Suspension tops out too hard Increase rebound damping
Wheels lose traction on gravel corners with corrugated surfaces (washboard) Decrease rebound damping
Suspension feels harsh Decrease rebound damping
Packing in repetitive bumps Decrease rebound damping
Loss of traction when braking or accelerating on corrugations (washboard) Decrease rebound damping


If your shocks do not feature adjustment capabilities, some shocks are able to be rebuilt and serviced with these specifics in mind.

Adjustable Suspension
Adjustable Suspension
Old Man Emu Shocks

Old Man Emu - BP-51

Off-Road, Tow/Haul

$$$$

The rebound and compression adjustment is already class-leading features for OE fitted shocks. Add in the internal bypass ports of these shocks and coilovers, and you can see why these are some of our new favorite shocks. The BP51 achieves the ultimate in both comfort and offroad control through the massive amount of ride control tuning.

Pros

  • Compression adjustment to handle varying vehicle loads or tough terrain
  • Rebound adjustment to pair against compression for comfort control
  • Internal Bypass addresses comfort in every-day driving conditions

Cons

  • Compression/Rebound Adjustment is slightly tougher to change than competitors
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Fox Factory 2.5 Series Reservoir with DSC

FOX - 2.5 Factory Series

Off-Road, Tow/Haul

$$$$

Stepping up to the Fox 2.5 Factory Race series shocks brings significant improvements in both comfort and ride control. The increased size of the 2.5” shock offers increased shock oil, lower operating pressures, and allows high speed driving on aggressive terrain while maintaining great control of the vehicle through race-level tuning.

Pros

  • Huge improvement to road comfort and off-road handling in one package
  • Adjustable & Reservoir options
  • Serviceable, Rebuildable, Custom Tuning Available
  • Excellent handling in high speed environments

Cons

  • Requires servicing between 30-50k miles for optimum performance
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