So in my attempts to make the Zoomboni faster I think my shocks are holding me back. These were super budget special motorcycle coilovers bought on EBay 15 years ago. On a smooth course it feels ridiculous but on anything bumpy I just can't get it to plant and it's super skittish. That screams "dampers" to me.
So is there any hope for these? What coilover of similar design would be a significant improvement? The length from hole to hole is 12".
My spring compressor is too big it remove the spring and compressing it with a bunch of vice grips seems sketchy.
Throw some education on me please.
(this is a rear unit, the front springs are yellow and otherwise identical)
Vehicle weight is 2000 lbs with driver and 48/52 distribution.
Have you tried adjusting them/do you have any idea where they're set or what the adjusters do?
That looks like a hefty spring for a 2000 lb vehicle, but it can be hard to tell.
Im with the adjustment plan. Get it as soft as it will go and see if it's any better. If it's wallowing, increase the damping until it isn't. That'll put you in the ballpark.
If it won't wallow, you've got too much shock :)
That looks very similar to the shocks on the Abomination. IIRC they are the rear shock off a late 90s to early 2000s Yamaha R1.
This is not an identical shock but IIRC the adjustment locations are the same.
From there I'd do like Keith suggested.
Abomination shock for reference.
In reply to KyAllroad :
Another vote for the settings. Do you think your rebound is too slow and the shock is "packing"? Or is your high speed compression too high? I'd open up your compressions all the way, and rebound 1-2 turns in from full open. Drive it and repeat. Too much body roll? Add low speed comp, bumps bottoming out, add high speed comp. There's a compression to rebound ratio, but I don't know what it is w.o looking it up.
Edit: figure out what the current settings are first. Eg number of clicks/turns from full closed. Write it down, so you can always return to a setting that kindve worked. You can also put a zip tie on the shaft, if you're not sure how much stroke you're using
Reservoir could've leaked all the charge as well, is it a Schrader or needle fill? If it's a Schrader and you don't have a no/low loss chuck, don't test it
Edit 2: tires and air pressure...
