Billy Kirk Glad I was able to help. It's not the whole "scientific" explanation , and there are more factors beyond what I get into I'm sure.... but it helps to get a good basic concept.. I made this video after debating on a blog about the topic , so I was a bit frustrated at the time. lol. Thanks for watching !

Your welcome, thanks for watching!

EXACTLY!

They’re both called pre-load

Slow ride motorcycle; preload throttle let out clutch apply rear brake- practice slow riding

Yes , exactly!

You are correct and just want to add, spring rates can also be changed per rider weight, this is the reason why Elka asks what the rider weight is. They may also change valving inside the shock per rider weight. Sag is a must for a shock to preform correctly.

Haha , you must have one of those nice new suspension ones , Sweet ! I am still bouncing around on old fashioned hard tail lawnmower. Glad this helped, thanks for watching !

This is true, but it will suck on rebound. He does have the Elka 4’s so he will be able to adjust the rebound rate with the bottom clicker. 👍

I get that. What I explain here is simply the ride height vrs spring tension, but I understand a progressive spring changes as compressed. What I am pointing out is the spring does not compress more , just because you add preload. It raises your ride height, which then effects your bump steer and toe. I am telling people NOT to crank preload to max in this video, or at least trying to help them understand why not to. Again , spring does not compress when you adjust ride height. it Simply adds or removes sag , regardless of spring rate.

Rob / BILL Pries Your welcome , glad I could help.

glad , and thanks for watching !

Ya , I would say that is pretty much the case. Unless you are racing, and then ride height may play a bigger role.

Not exactly. They don't get stiffer or softer. You simply lose range of motion or gain it. Yes the weight or load is what effects that ride height.

@@POHLHAMMER actually, the spring does get stiffer or softer, but not the central part (rod) that is always the same

@Doc Lex I don't think you followed what I am trying to explain. The spring doesn't compress more when you change setting. It doesn't magically become stiffer of softer. It simply moves the dampening rod in or out , which alters ride height and amount of sag in your suspension. The coil spring never changes stiffness. It ALWAYS remains the same spring. You would need to change the spring to do that. You could also adjust the dampening to effect stiffness duringriding. However, most std suspension does not offer a dampening adjustment. This will also not affect spring stiffness , and will only be felt during riding. There is also a rebound adjustment on some shocks , which will also affect the ride. I do not cover any of that in this video. I get it's not what most people think , but trust me, I have a point here that you will likely grasp after you think this all through a few times. Once it clicks , you will get what I am trying to say. You are not alone in your thinking , as most people get misinformed on this by a general lack of understanding of suspension by the public in general. Thanks for watching!

@@POHLHAMMER actually you dont follow what i am trying to say, and also i dont need to agree with you cause you are not some 'shocks' god, you dont have a monopoly on knowledge, i am twice as old as you and working as a car mechanic all my life, and i can tell that you explained it quite ok in the video, but still you refuse to see another point of view... if you compress a coil with those 5 steps, of course it becomes stiffer cause the more you compress it the more harder is to compress it more, that ring with 5 steps doesnt move both sides of the coil, it just moves one side so if you move one side of the coil and the other remains the same -you compress it -compressed coil is more stiff, if you dont understand that, than we dont have anything more to discuss... it's not magically more stiff like you say -of course it is the same coil with the same rate of rebound, but if your preload is cranked all the way, it is harder to compress more (i call that stiffer)

@Doc Lex Wrong. The rod moves. Only way to compress spring more would be by adding weight. You are thinking of the shock when not installed and not under load. Once installed, your concept of reality is mistaken. I respect your experience, and wisdom. However I am not wrong , nor need to be a God to be correct. I am no spring chicken myself , born in the late 70's. If you want to change spring rate , you change the coil. If you want to adjust ride height , you move preload settings. I am respectfully trying to help you understand what I am explaining in this video. Read other comments. Some guys have it click in their head , some don't. Old dogs CAN learn knew tricks ya know 😉 ✌️.

Glad your liking it , Thanks for watching !!

Yuuup.. It really is that simple. Some guys just can't grasp it.

Turn up the preload. It doesn't make them stiffer , it just gives you less sag due to your weight. Elka shocks will do wonders. Just make sure you contact them and give them your weight , luggage, and riding style. They will give you a custom setup when they build them.

What size tires ?

Exactly, no matter how you look at it you are compressing the spring you’re adding stiffness .

The shock is not stiffer. The angle of the a-arms and the resulting tire scrub cuase the bad ride.

I would like one ,, but man r they expensive ! Think I am going to try and make something myself someday...

William Conlon Very good question... I am not sure.. Might vary depending on riding style I would guess.. ?

William Conlon I would say yes as well. Snowmobile's are about 2". I would start there

Wrong. Thanks for watching!

@@POHLHAMMER I'm not disagreeing that it changes sag, but my ass and whole body disagrees with you in the stiffness, so does the user manual and makers of aftermarket shocks.

@@POHLHAMMER Your own video says he's right. This is exactly what you're saying at the 6:00 minute mark. Watch what you said again. If you crank up the preload too high, you'll end up running out of travel when the wheel drops into a hole and you'll end up with a stiffer ride.

The increased angle of the a-arms and resulting tire scrub cause the stiffness.

@@jimmace6148 That's not what you said in the video. Now there's really no reason to think you know what you're talking about.

Well ,, heres the deal..As I am still learning myself ... What the Highspeed/lowspeed compression does , is slow the rate the shock compresses , so if you have more weight , when you hit bumps , it wont compress as fast , or as far.. but the spring stays the same stiffness..You would add Preload ( the ring you spin) to help compensate for trailer load .. I hope that makes sense.. I personally have not towed with the new shocks yet.. Thanks for watching !

Jay Z Your welcome , Thanks for watching!

chaparral285 Major upgrade , and improved ride. Money well spent !

Thank you for your reply! Just saw your other video about your upgrades. Awesome

No they do not move , and I have no contact issues at all. I LOVE the Elka's ! Thanks for watching !

Thanks!

ELKA'S

Don't ride it.. lol J/K Not really , scratches add character anyways. Do you have a painted quad , or just plastic ?

Matt Moore This is a shock video. Burn the grizzly. No more scratvhes

Adding a little preload , which raises ride height not make it stiffer , would be recommended if additional weight is added.

Elka Stage 3 front , stage 4 rear.

You know ,, I was kinda anti alum skids... And I still think Heavy duty plastic may be the way to go... But I went to the mountains , and I had seen on Grizzlycentral that other guys have messed up the bottoms of their quads rock climbing , and I did not want it to happen to mine.. I will say the Yamaha alum Skids fit perfect , and have rubber between the Alum and the steel .. So I am liking them more than I thought I would.. I really dont require them here in WI , with no rock climbing , but they do look cool .. lol Thanks for watching !!

Are the much heavier than the plastic ??

Yes , they are heavier than the stock plastic skids ,, by quite alot.. But being that the weight is down low , it does not effect performance that much.

Vincent Dickhaut No , by all means play with the adjustments.. Hopefully you get a bit of a better idea of what happens when you do ,after watching. For heavier loads , you may need to raise your ride height to center your shocks back out , as you add more weight you increase sag , and eventually you may have too much.

ok so if turn the adjustment higher... that's best for heavier loads? thanks

No

yuuup

James Oliver they are awesome !!

Whats so funny Dixie ?

SWEET !! nice choice ! There really is not much you can do about it... I know its annoying at first , but as it gets "seasoned" it will bother you less.. Makes it look tougher IMO.. Thanks for watching!

Explain how it is wrong on one level ? please enlighten..

This is very correct, josh g is sadly wrong..

Thanks ,Sorry it went over your head. Its not easy to follow.

🤯🤯

Yes. 💯 Thanks for watching!