Newbie Suspension questions

[Homer88]

Tried sifting thru the forum for the info and still not clear on some points

1) Different weight/viscousity oil for the fork/shock.

Heavier weight to prevent bottoming and more damping.
But it seems to ppl go for 5w and lighter cos "heavier" oil breaks down. So meaning, I should choose 5w or lighter oil and valve the
fork/shock accordingly? (like jetting using a fixed premix ratio?)

How does a lighter/heavier oil affect the range of clickers adjustment?

2) Fork setup
Soft spring/heavy valving vs hard spring/light valving.
Which one should I go for???? What's the diff?
Shouldn't I get the correct weight springs and valve accordingly?

3) Springs
My rear shock is using a 280mm 4.8kg spring. Going to get a spring that is 275mm 5.2kg. Will the difference in length affect the rear shock? How abt 280mm 4.8kg vs a 270mm 4.8kg spring?
Though both are rated the same but wat does the difference in length do?

Hope to get enlighten.
Thanks.

 

[marcusgunby]

1 the weight of the oil only makes a small difference to anything-it mainly makes the clicker range smaller or wider-dont spend a long time thinking about this area-its a band aid for a problem with the valving on certain bikes.

2 the current trend is slighly liget springs and heavier valving but no hard and fast rules-spring rates vary a fair amount to the specs given so you dont really know if you have the springs you think unless they have been tested-get ones for your weight and valve it to feel right.

3 dont worry about the shock spring lengths-its the rate that matters more.