Can-Am X3 Fox Shocks IBP

The 5 Myths about UTV Shock Valving Fox, Walker-Evans

Today we will talk about shock re-valving on UTV Side x sides including all your major brands Polaris, Can-Am, Yamaha, Honda, and Kawasaki.

When the UTV’s first hit the market about 15 years ago it spurred a whole new sport that you could hop up and race, jump, go fast and then ride the dunes!

The more years went by each and every year the manufactures started coming out with faster, wider, more travel, and shocks that can be rebuilt, Fox and Walker Evans shock standard on many models.

Then the UTV’s started getting completely redesigned by the owner and groups that will even make them better, stronger, and faster so it spurred the aftermarket companies to come in full bore and make products for everything you could possibly upgrade.

Here is where the shocks come into play and how they make a major role in the suspension side of the UTV.

Myth #1

If I don’t re-valve my shocks they will never be as good as I want and will never handle nice.

Re-valving in a shock is a fine-tuning tool, re-valving will never overcome a poor spring & suspension set up from the factory or a poor choice on selection.

For more information on this particular subject here is an article I wrote on my blog UTV Shock & Spring Fine Tuning Day

Myth #2

Re-valving will let me fly over all the bumps and whoops with ease and speed!

Re-valving will not let your UTV fly and take all the bumps and whoops with ease until you have your suspension adjusted properly and install a dual-rate spring kit-this is where you make your UTV handle the whoops and bumps then re-valving the shock will fine-tune how fast or slow it responds to both of these conditions.

For more information on this subject read this blog post Do You Want a More Plush Ride In Your Side X Side.

Fox UTV Dual-Rate Shock and Spring

Can-Am Dual-Rate Spring and Shock installed on UTV

Fox Shock 2.0

Fox Shock Rebuilding

Myth #3

I need to re-valve my shocks because the factory is total junk.

Fox and Walker Evans are very large companies and have been in business for a long time, the valve stack they put in your shock is not junk and it works pretty well for the all-around UTV that they have no choice to put in valving that will include many types of riding.

For more information on springs and if they are junk from the start on your UTV How to make your UTV ride smooth!

Myth #4

When I purchase my UTV I will immediately need to re-valve my shocks to make it handle great.

The shocks are getting better all the time on the new UTV’s If you want immediate results that you can feel instantly purchase and install a dual-rate spring kit and get it set up correctly this is where you will get 90% of your improved ride then take and ride it for a summer and think about what would you need to change to make it even better and if you want to re-valve tell the shock company what you want it to do quit letting them tell you what you need.

For more info read this article Why do I need to rebuild my Side x side Fox or Walker Evans shocks?

Myth #5

I will get the best shock re-valving from a company that will know exactly what will make my side x side best for me.

If you want the best handling and riding side x side that you could possibly imagine, it will be a process for you to get involved in the process and my suggestion would be to make this happen in steps.

  • Make sure you have shocks that don’t leak and are not bent etc., if they need to be rebuilt do it.
  • Check and add Nitrogen to the proper specs for your particular shock brand and UTV
  • Set proper tires pressures and align your UTV
  • Set all ride heights to specs from your manufacture-poor ride heights will affect even the best money spent on shocks, springs, and re-valving.
  • Purchase and install a quality dual-rate spring kit and make sure it is set up for your starting points and make sure to seat all springs before final adjustments.
  • Go out and drive your UTV and adjust your ride heights and cross over rings again until you know you have the proper set up to gain the most out of the dual-rate kit
  • After all, this is set up for your riding style and the ride is getting really close to how you want it to feel and you take mental notes about where you could improve your handling of the UTV then talk to a shock re-valve shop and give them your input and you could make it become the elite handling side x side you see in the videos!
  • This could easily take a year or two and make this a process for learning what you should have in your side x side instead of someone else telling you this is what you need!

I believe you would be quite surprised at how much better your UTV will handle and feel just getting the suspension set up properly with ride heights, spring replacement, and alignment.

For a more in-depth look at suspension set up here is an article I wrote up on a Can-Am X3 Suspension Set Up on UTV Side X Side, Polaris, Can-Am and How It Compares to a Circle Track Race Car

Till we ride again!!