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May. 24 2022 Maintenance By East Bay Motorsports
Your ATV shock absorbers are under immense pressure, constantly taking the heat while you go crashing around in the wilderness. All that hard work will cause the shocks to inevitably wear down over time, and they will eventually need to be rebuilt or replaced. But how can you tell when the time has come? This guide from East Bay Motorsports will help you evaluate your ATV shock absorbers, and determine whether a replacement is needed.
Feel free to contact us if you need any further assistance! East Bay Motorsports is your destination for ATV repair in Hayward, CA. We welcome customers from all over the Bay Area.
When you inspect the overall condition of your ATV, remember to include your shock absorbers. Watch out for these important visual clues that could indicate a problem with your shocks:
Your shock absorbers don’t just provide you with a smooth ride – they also support every component of your ATV. Replacing bad shocks right away will prevent them from wreaking havoc on the overall condition of your vehicle.
Visual inspections are important, but you will not necessarily be able to tell when your shocks have gone bad just by looking at them.
Because shocks deteriorate gradually, it can be hard to notice when they begin to affect performance. You will need to pay close attention when riding your quad to detect any changes. If you have another ATV with fresh shocks at your disposal, you can do a comparison test.
You can tell your ATV has bad shocks when you experience excessive turbulence on rough terrain. If you feel jolted with every minor impact, you will need to replace the shocks. Slow braking is another indication. Try riding your ATV on level ground, and hit the brakes. If you feel the vehicle tip forward right before coming to a stop, your front shocks are probably to blame. Faulty rear shocks will cause the chassis to fall backward when you accelerate in reverse. If your ATV has bad shocks on one side, the chassis will roll toward one side when you go around turns. Shaky handlebars can also result from bad shocks, but in this case, you should also check the wheel alignment and tire pressure to rule out other problems.
If and when your shocks need replacement, you can find all the parts and services you need right here at East Bay Motorsports. Our dealership is located in Hayward, CA.
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Shocks aren’t as noticeable as a tire being flat, or the starter motor not working yet it’s very important to have your ATV shocks in good condition.
Because of that, it’s important to be able to identify when your ATV shocks are bad. Here’s a summary of the warning signs that indicate they are bad and should be looked at.
When you notice the nose dive when braking, the body tilting sideways in one or both directions as you turn, the ride feels more harsh and bumpy than normal, the rear sags when you accelerate, you have less traction than normal are all signs your ATV shocks are bad.
Shocks, and the springs they connect to, get worse slowly over time. Because of this fact, you can be unaware of an issue with your shocks because it developed so slowly. With that said if you take note of each of these signs then notice next time you ride your ATV for any of these symptoms you will be able to identify if there’s an issue.
It’s possible that your ATV will only have one sign that the shocks or springs are bad but it can show multiple.
The symptoms are:
Before explaining what to look for, for each of these symptoms, it’s important to first understand that the shocks are attached to the top of the springs. The springs of ATVs are the big metal coil you can typically see. The springs can be adjusted so they are tighter or looser.
The springs can be loose or tight and simply need to be adjusted. In the owner’s manual of ATVs, it lists the exact specifications for the tightness and height of the springs. To understand this better here’s a really good video that shows the anatomy of ATV shocks and springs so you know how to see if the springs simply need adjusting.
Note: It goes into a bit of jargon and seems a bit complicated but simply put there’s a large screw that you wind up or down to adjust the spring height.
The weight of the ATV moves forward when you brake due to the tires being positioned at the bottom of an ATV. There will be a minor amount of nose-diving if you brake hard at high speeds but if it seems to have gotten worse. And/or it’s more noticeable, then it indicates that the front shocks or springs are bad.
As you corner the body of your ATV it will dip to the far side. For example, if you turn right the body will lean to the left. And if you’re turning left it will lean to the right. This is due to the weight of the ATV not being kept up with the shocks or springs. Instead of holding the body rigid the shocks or springs give too much.
This one can be difficult to detect because it occurs gradually over time. However, the shocks/springs can be broken or have come loose suddenly.
In this case, it will be much more noticeable.
Accelerating on shocks that aren’t performing correctly or the springs have come loose causes the rear of the ATV to dip low, and the front to come up slightly. This causes a loss of traction in the front wheels which is undesirable. And leads steering is not as responsive.
It’s pretty easy to notice this one especially when it occurs when you accelerate slowly. It can help to watch videos of people riding your ATV model to see what amount of rear sag is normal.
If you encounter speed bumps, or a similar type of road condition in off-roading, a sign the shocks or springs need replacing or adjusting is if the rear bottoms out. The rear wheels come much closer to the wheel hub than looks or feels normal.
As an ATV or other vehicle with 4 wheels corners the shocks/springs on the far side will keep the body perfectly flat.
This is another way to tell if the ATV is experiencing body tilt but is easier to identify if you’re riding your ATV.
If the shocks are not performing correctly as you corner the ATV will dip to the side and put additional pressure on the far side wheels. Making it more difficult to turn. You will need to turn sharper than you needed to when you first got it.
The reason is the force of the weight of the ATV is concentrated more on the outside tires. Rather than being spread evenly between all four tires.
In the owner’s manual of popular ATVs like the Polaris Sportsman, it’s recommended to inspect the shocks every time before you ride. Any signs of leakages around the shocks indicate an issue.
Also, it’s best practice to clear away any twigs, leaves, or anything else stuck in the shocks. They also recommend to thoroughly inspecting and adjusting them every 50 hours of riding, after 6 months, or after 500 miles or 800 km, whichever comes first.
The owner’s manual doesn’t list any specific checks to do, in my opinion, you should have them checked over by a mechanic as part of the service.
Another part of an ATV that will eventually experience issues is the clutch. In another article, I explained how to know when an ATV clutch is bad and when it needs to be serviced or replaced.
When riding your ATV you can feel like the shocks are a bit bouncy and you would be more comfortable if the shocks didn’t have so much give in them. Here’s how to adjust the ATV shocks so they’re stiffer.
Adjust the height of the spring so that it’s shorter to stiffen ATV shocks. This is done by adjusting what is called the preload. Every ATV has a stock spring height virtually always listed in the owner’s manual. From the stock spring height make the spring shorter by adjusting it to your liking.
One issue when the spring is shorter is you can get more rebound. This is because the spring is under more tension. When you go over bumps it will bounce back more which can be a bit uncomfortable.
It’s also not possible to adjust the spring height on some ATVs.
In the owner’s manual see if they provide any guidelines about how much you can adjust the spring height from the stock height. And if in doubt contact your ATV manufacturer to enquire about whether it’s OK to do on your specific make and model.
The suspension on an ATV can be a bit stiff. Softening the suspension makes it more comfortable. So here’s how to make the suspension on an ATV softer.
The height of the spring can be increased. This will cause the spring to be under less tension and make the suspension softer. The owner’s manual will list the recommended spring height. Start with that and increase it a small amount at a time until it’s to your liking.
It’s important to only adjust it as much as it needs, as the springs are designed to provide proper suspension within a height range. If you’re unsure or would rather have a professional do it, then contact the nearest dealer for your ATV. Or, your nearest motorcycle/ATV mechanic to have them adjust it for you.
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Shock absorbers and strut assemblies can be called fundamental elements of an automobile suspension. Not only comfort, but also handling, the behavior of the car during turns and sharp turns directly depend on their performance. Defective shock absorbers can cause you to have an accident while making some kind of maneuver. But the driver remembers the suspension when the vehicle begins to behave completely unpredictably. Leaking oil is the most telling sign that something is wrong with the shock absorbers.
But how do you know when it's time to change your shock absorbers if they don't leak oil? If the shock absorbers are leaking, they can be written off. But the trick is that the rack stops working correctly long before hydraulic fluid appears outside.
The car becomes worse in management, and sometimes much worse, and wear begins to threaten other suspension elements. If things go by themselves, even the tires suffer, and the risk of an accident is skyrocketing.
In short, worn shock absorbers at best promise you expensive car suspension repairs, and the worst case is not even worth talking about. If the shock absorbers are leaking, this is the finish line, it is important to identify their malfunction much earlier, and the signs here will be as follows.
Small road roughness begin to affect the management, trying to knock the steering wheel out of the driver's hands. And all because the oil seal in the shock absorber has worn out and began to let oil bypass the bypass valve. The rod began to move freely. All irregularities are transmitted not only to the steering wheel, but also to the spines of everyone who rides in the car.
Many SUVs, as well as trucks, do this already from the assembly line, but for a simple passenger car this is clearly not normal. She is not so heavy and tall to make such movements.
This is already a clear sign that the shock absorbers should be replaced yesterday. Further ignoring the situation will lead to big problems.
Suspension elements are no longer able to ensure sufficient pressing of the wheels to the asphalt. You have to press the brake pedal earlier and push deeper, but the trunk of the car in front is still approaching too fast.
Tires sometimes wear differently due to different tire pressures.
If you pump tires to normal with high accuracy, you will have to go for diagnostics. Shock absorbers are the best thing that can happen.
If the geometric parameters of the body are “gone”, this indicates that the car has been in a serious accident - it turned over, for example. Sometimes uneven tire wear is caused by a violation of the geometry of the vehicle.
And finally, we’ll tell you how long shock absorbers last on a car. It all depends on your driving style. For thrifty motorists, this part works up to 100,000 km. In extreme driving mode, hydraulic fluid leakage can occur as early as 30,000 km. You can brake on a grand scale on a speed bump or in large pits, and the shock absorber will order you to live a long time at 10,000 km.
The average life of shock absorbers is 50-70 thousand km. Good condition provides not only comfort on the trip, but also safety. Remember this, diagnose and change shock absorbers in time!
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Author : Alexander Sapronov
Driving with worn or defective shock absorbers can lead to accidents.
The increase in vertical oscillations leads to various negative consequences - from a decrease in comfort in the cabin to a loss of control when driving at high speed. Let us consider in more detail - why shock absorbers are needed, what will happen if they are not changed in a timely manner, and when, in general, they need to be replaced.
Contents:
Shock absorbers in the car are designed to dampen the vertical vibrations of the body when driving on uneven roads. However, it should be understood that vertical oscillations occur not only when driving over pits, bumps and other irregularities. When the car accelerates, most of the load moves to the rear axle of the car and, accordingly, the grip of the front wheels with the road is noticeably reduced.
The situation is different during hard braking. In these cases, vertical vibrations of the body also occur.
If there were no shock absorbers in the car's suspension device, then each oscillation would die out on its own, and this would lead to the fact that the car's wheels would constantly jump. The lack of adhesion of the wheels to the road at high speed leads to emergency situations, since the car at such moments is uncontrollable.
Tests carried out have shown that on vehicles with defective or worn shock absorbers:
Each manufacturer of shock absorbers sets its own service life, which should be guided by. You can also understand the need to replace parts by the following visual signs:
You can determine the malfunctions yourself or by contacting a car service, where the masters will accurately determine whether parts need to be changed or problems have arisen in other systems and components.
