[Coloradocrawler]

Along with many others here on the forum I am trying to find the best shock set up without breaking the bank.
1) I had a RZR 2 in bracket lift and removed it because of the harsh ride.
2) I want to gain a little clearance but I know on my trail model it won't be much.
3) I have seen others use RZR shocks as an upgrade and get a little lift from them.

I am looking into buying a set of FOX shocks off a Wildcat trail, they are almost new and the deal is pretty good.
The measurements are: Front 2.1 inches, Rear 1.6 inches longer than stock on my Z6. The RZR shock difference is Front 1.0 inches & Rear 1.1 inches.
It makes sense to me that I would gain a little lift approx. 1.5 inches ( after the settling).
I am wanting any feedback positive or negative.
NOTE: With the RZR bracket lift I had no binding just a harsh ride.
Thanks in advance...

[NMKawierider]

The only thing I can add is that my friend with a RzR 800 replaced his shocks with a set of Fox and not only gained a little ground clearance, but his ride quality increased so much...I want a set of Fox too. Night and day difference... on a 50" machine... amazing.

[glenlivet]

Me three. 

[ctdls]

My homework on the amount of lift suggests 1.5" is the zero trade off number. So if your measurements & thought process worked out it maybe purdy sweet!

As a suggestion, I'm a Elka fan  I would give them a call & explain what you are looking to do regarding the right height. They may enlighten you with something you have not thought of.......maybe coil bind or something else.  Their base shock package is very reasonable $ wise, I installed a set on my 800 UZ....you don't have to drive to feel the difference.

[Cosmosdan]

If the arms will swing down far enough  and not bind the cv shaft inwards than I would say go for it. Even the stock rzr shocks helped me. Maybe my axles were too long to start and that's why I had so many problems.

[Coloradocrawler]

Cosmodan,

I had seen your write up on the RZR shocks and this gave me the idea to try this. I did install the RZR lift a while back and had no problems with the CV shafts. But the ride was horrible. So I took them off.
My thought was if the new shocks I plan to install were less than 2 inches longer than factory I would get a little lift. This would also give me the adjustability for ride control that the bracket lift did not give me.
Plus Fox podium shocks are quite an upgrade compared to the stock ones.

[Cosmosdan]

The fox shocks are nice. I also like you can rebuild them and there are plenty available. I would just remove one of the rears and measure the mounts at the length you are planning on. I would hate to see you be disappointed after all that effort and find out that they bind the axle or it makes the axle rub the lower arm.

[vman]

I think you are on the right trail, being less than 2" longer will give you some lift and probably not bind the axels, you will also b able to reduce the preload with the added length if you need to, if you are a bit nervous about purchasing them just post the sellers info here and one of us will foolishly rush out and buy them saving you some money and worries  , very anxious to hear how they work out for you.

[Coloradocrawler]

Vman,

Now that is some funny S***.....

I should have them next week. It will be a couple weeks before I mount them I will be gone hunting.
I will post details on the process when I get back.

One day I will be done will all the mods and just focus on riding..................NOT, who am I kidding

[vman]

Sometimes you just need to back away for a while and enjoy the toy. Good luck with the hunting and the shocks.

[NMKawierider]

Sometimes you just need to back away for a while and enjoy the toy. Good luck with the hunting and the shocks.

I'm thinking that myself...lol.

[Coloradocrawler]

Got started on the installation of the shocks yesterday.

The swap was pretty straightforward, just a bit of trial and error with setting up the preload of the shocks.

The rear works great without binding the CV shafts.

The fronts however are going to be a little work for correct adjustments. The front shocks were a little over 2 inches longer then factory and with the increased travel I have a lot more droop than expected. Over 5 inches more than stock.

To keep the CV's from binding in the front ( over those accidental launches) I am needing to install some limiting straps.

The wildcat springs a much softer than the Z6 factory, so I anticipate the ride to be much improved.

Initial testing shows great weight transfer from front to rear under hard throttle. I hope to get some more tuning done tomorrow and get the limiting straps on the way.

Overall I have gained about  2 1/4 inches of lift with the shocks and the 28 in tires. So far so good with no major issues to report as of yet.

[vman]

Great to hear, I almost sent you a PM yesterday to see if you had purchased the shocks and started working on them yet, can't you crank up the preload to offset the droop or does the ride become too firm again, how much ground clearance did you end up with. I can't wait to see pictures and get a full report once you have it all set up the way you want. I have the fully adjustable factory shocks on the front, rebound, compression, and threaded preload which works fine with the 2"lift bracket that I welded to the lower arms but I keep thinking about buying a set of Fox shocks 2" longer than the factory shocks for the rear. How was the hunting?

[Cosmosdan]

Strange that the fronts bind. I have extra room on mine after I went with the longer shocks. I even tried making a 2" extending lift bracket with the stock shocks. Looks like there are some differences between each machine.

[Coloradocrawler]

Well I done a little bit of testing and have settled with this setup.
The front shocks are adjusted and came up with a total of 12 1/4 inches clearance. The front droop is about 5 inches more than stock. For now I will keep a eye on it to see if I need limiting straps in the future.

The rear has a bunch of preload but the ride is still pretty comfortable. Total lift in the rear is 11 1/8 inches, and no noted binding.

Unfortunately the Fox shocks only have a preload adjustment but a night and day a better shock than stock.

I will do some riding soon and let you all know how things are going.

Here are some pictures.