[Udi]

CraigS -
I'm not sure if the sealing system allows for this, but would it be possible to remove the volume piston entirely and see how it runs when using the full stanchion volume? The top cap is still o-ring sealed so I'd imagine it'd work. Might be worth trying since it'd be completely reversible if it didn't work, and might give you the volume change you need to use full travel (and use a little more compression damping to control the stroke). In my experience if a fork is too progressive, people end up with a setup that is too soft for the first half of the travel to compensate for the difficulty in using full travel.

blindboxx -
Yes it's worth doing. You want to buy some Fox Green 10wt fluid, and remove the foam rings + clean them (with some fresh oil and paper towels) before re-soaking in fresh oil and reinstalling. Fox recommends 50ml per lower leg however some good service centers will use 60ml per lower leg which I'd suggest doing. The lowers of the 2005-2013 fork have a lot of volume at bottom out so if you aren't concerned about the extra weight, you can safely run even 70-80ml per leg - which helps extend service intervals and the life of the fork. This doesn't apply to the spring leg of the 2014 fork, as the volume is limited in that leg (so stick to Fox recommendation), but the damper leg still has a large volume.

 

[tuumbaq]

In terms of performance how is the air spring comparing to a tried and true coil...is the cost justified over the 2014 coil version? Weight is not a concern, however, unable to make use of the fork's full travel is (any update on that?).

To me the biggest improvement over the coil is the chassis.Yes the lighter weight does make a noticeable difference on the trail but what really surprised me right off the bat was how much more compliant the new fork is.It tracks better, it feels smoother and yes a lot lighter.Id say the extra cost over the Van is more than justify, its a superior fork and its easy to tell it is better overall.

Im very surprised to se how some of you guys are running very little compression.From my experience with FOX , their dampers always seems to perform better for me with a fair amount of comp.Seems to helps keeping the fork up in its travel and also achieving a good balanced setup.

Im at 150LBS, air pressure is a bit irrelevant since pretty much every pumps I have tried gave different reading but on my current pump I have about 60 psi more or less 50mm of sag...Ive tried running less sag and the thing was just too stiff for me with poor grip on small bumps.

Not sure where the rebound is, feels fine, quite a bit Id say, nice and controlled.
12 clicks out on LSC and 14 on HSC . . .However I have been experimenting with different air volume lately.I mostly been running it with no spacers on top but right now Im running a tad less HSC with one spacer above...Havent spent enough time on this setup to say I like it better or not but so far it seems to work well for me...

 

[CraigS]

I was considering removing the volume adjust completely but was afraid that the top cap
alone would not hold the air pressure. The top o-ring is pretty thin.

I did exactly that on my previous year Boxxer World Cup and it worked great.

 

[buckoW]

I was considering removing the volume adjust completely but was afraid that the top cap
alone would not hold the air pressure. The top o-ring is pretty thin.

I did exactly that on my previous year Boxxer World Cup and it worked great.

I wouldn't think you would need to do that. Try running 5 psi less air pressure and see how that feels.

For reference, I weigh 185lbs. 6'1" on a Large Scott Gambler.
I am running 80 psi. 12 clicks from closed on LSC, 1 click from closed on HSC and the air piston in the middle setting. I like that I can run less LSC than the previous fork thanks to the more progressive spring and ride higher with more traction.

Udi - Are you still in Whistler? I am coming soon.

 

[yd35]

For those running the fork for a while - Have you had any reliability issues? How often do you do service, ie changing the oil and also the seals? Just wondering if it's that much more difficult to maintain than the coil 40.

 

[blindboxx2334]

blindboxx -
Yes it's worth doing. You want to buy some Fox Green 10wt fluid, and remove the foam rings + clean them (with some fresh oil and paper towels) before re-soaking in fresh oil and reinstalling. Fox recommends 50ml per lower leg however some good service centers will use 60ml per lower leg which I'd suggest doing. The lowers of the 2005-2013 fork have a lot of volume at bottom out so if you aren't concerned about the extra weight, you can safely run even 70-80ml per leg - which helps extend service intervals and the life of the fork. This doesn't apply to the spring leg of the 2014 fork, as the volume is limited in that leg (so stick to Fox recommendation), but the damper leg still has a large volume.

faaaacckkkk, i figured i was going to have to do this.. i only have red fluid, i was told its the same as green, but with an anti foam additive in it.. can i get away with that? i only use red fluid in my 32 fork on my dj and it seems to work fine.

and ive got the 2013 version, so i can still run more than 50ml in the coil side, correct? if i read that right, it only applies to the new chassis coil 40. ill probably do 65-70mL on each side, just to be safe.

thx for the help

 

[tacubaya]

I'd stick to green, the forks I've serviced that had Silkolene (Fox red) as lubrication oil were a bit "sticky".

Funny thing is that those forks had been serviced before by the authorized Fox service center here in Mexico... haha even their "trained technicians" can't follow simple instructions.

 

[blindboxx2334]

hmm, i think ive read that somewheres before.. dont remember where though.

well, more sh!t to buy for the bike. oh joy!

edit:
thx!

 

[FirstAscent]

Hey guys, just picked up my 40 Float from my lbs yesterday. Looking for some starting points in setup. It's a new build so don't have anything to compare it with.
I'm 150 lbs, on a trek Session 9.9

Tuumbaq- I saw you were about 150 too, are you still using your settings you posted above?

Thanks guys!

 

[Lelandjt]

^Full linear on the volume, 1/2 LSC, 1/3 HSC, air and rebound to taste. That's a good starting point before your first run.

 

[Kntr]

I run full linear also with 3 clicks of LSC and 5 HSC. I run the rebound pretty slow at 5-7 clicks depending on where Im riding.

 

[FirstAscent]

thanks for the tips on the starting point, I'll start there and I'll switch it to full linear, need to get a socket for the top cap.

Kntr- you running 3 and 5 clicks out from closed?

 

[Kntr]

oops 5-7 clicks from slowest. Ive read the pros run the same settings.

 

[Lelandjt]

You can use a large adjustable wrench on the top caps, just do it carefully. Yes, a socket is nicer but almost no one has ones that big so I almost always use a crescent wrench and see everyone else do the same.

 

[cowman]

You can use a large adjustable wrench on the top caps, just do it carefully. Yes, a socket is nicer but almost no one has ones that big so I almost always use a crescent wrench and see everyone else do the same.

One of these does the job pretty cleanly:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/14/71/995/45061/ITEM/Cruz-Tools-Combo-Axle-Wrench.aspx

 

[blindboxx2334]

wrench is dope. would love to have one..

i managed to find the socket at my local autozone for like 8 bux or something like that. grid it down flat to help out the shallow top caps, i also put a layer or two of electrical tape to keep from boogering up the cap.. although it still makes marks..

 

[Lelandjt]

I got my 40 yesterday and was a little disappointed by the weight. It's only 80g lighter than my 2012 888 Evo Ti with an air cart (maybe I should be surprised by how light the 888 is). However, I rode it today and found I could make it much more controlled feeling without being harsher on bumps. The 888 moved too much regardless of what I did with the compression clicker. I contemplated draining and refilling the oil before riding to be sure the right amount is in it after reading stories of barely filled forks but since mine is considerably over stated weight (6.12 vs 5.98 pounds) I'm guessing it's topped off.

 

[FirstAscent]

I actually had a 32mm socket in my toolbox, not sure from what but it came in handy! Good to see it's fairly easy to adjust the compression ratio, I changed it to full linear. Taking it out for the first ride tonight. Unfortunately taking it easy as I'm coming off of sprained ankle.

Lelandjt- sounds like you're enjoying the fork. Always nice when an "upgrade" is actually an upgrade haha

 

[Tomasz]

Happy to hear that you like the 40Float. I'm definitely considering one (amongst others...) for next year.

Please let us know how it holds up maint wise - one of the reasons I've avoided Fox products thus far...

 

[Lelandjt]

^I've had good luck with my 36 180 since I started using the SKF seals so I decided the 40 was worth a shot maintenance wise.
While setting up the stantion height just now I noticed some interesting stuff about the negative spring and travel:
If you inflate the fork above 90psi (100 is max) the fork fully tops out against a hard stop. At this point it has 210mm travel to the hard bottom-out that can be found if you let all the air out so I left 211mm of leg between the seal and crown. When dropped down to the 68psi I've been riding with the negative spring makes the fork suck down 10mm, leaving it with 200mm of positive travel. If you pull on it you can feel this 10mm of negative travel. My 888 Air had about 3mm of this same negative travel. The amount that the negative spring pulls the fork down makes me think that anyone running less air than me (I'm 170lb) might wanna try the softer negative spring.

 

[tabletop84]

The 888 moved too much regardless of what I did with the compression clicker.

The stock hsc-shimstack is too soft (yes hsc-shimstack influences lsc). You have to add shimz to make it perfect (around an additional 20mm diameter shim ist the way to go)

 

[motomike]

Does anybody know where I can buy a softer negative spring for the 40 float?

 

[bullit398]

Does anybody know where I can buy a softer negative spring for the 40 float?

Fox will sell them them to you direct. Just call them.

 

[FirstAscent]

Motomike-
How much do you weigh? If you get one post up what you think of it. I haven't seen any input from anyone that has actually done this. I'm about 150-155 lbs

 

[motomike]

I weigh 135, maybe 140 with gear on.

 

[Lelandjt]

I'm 165lbs. From my experimenting with pressures and measuring the stantion if I were any lighter I'd get a softer negative spring.

 

[Sugar_brad]

Hey Mike let me know if you still need a softer negative spring.I am ordering a 40 float and a negative spring early next week when we are 100% reopened.

 

[motomike]

Thanks Brad. I ordered it last friday direct from Fox, and they asked for my weight so I'm crossing my fingers it comes with the lighter spring already. If not I'll let you know.

 

[Sugar_brad]

Sweet let me know if they set you up with a light negative spring from the factory, you and I are exactly the same weight.you could get away with a stiff setup the way you ride lol.

 

[yd35]

For all those who've tinkered with the air spring compression ratio on the 40, did you have problems removing the assembly? The assembly is completely unscrewed from the stanchion but I can't get it out by hand. Fox's instructions mention that "some upward force may be needed" but I just wanna make sure I don't break anything by manhandling the unit. Do I just need to stop being a pansy and tug on the thing more, or is there a trick to it? Thanks.

 

[motomike]

For all those who've tinkered with the air spring compression ratio on the 40, did you have problems removing the assembly? The assembly is completely unscrewed from the stanchion but I can't get it out by hand. Fox's instructions mention that "some upward force may be needed" but I just wanna make sure I don't break anything by manhandling the unit. Do I just need to stop being a pansy and tug on the thing more, or is there a trick to it? Thanks.

Pull harder. Mine wasn't easy to get out either.

 

[yd35]

Pull harder. Mine wasn't easy to get out either.

Cool, thanks for that. I guess it just means the unit is well-sealed, which is a good thing.

 

[motomike]

Sweet let me know if they set you up with a light negative spring from the factory, you and I are exactly the same weight.you could get away with a stiff setup the way you ride lol.

Yeah I'm happy with the stock negative spring and ~58-60 PSI; with the air chamber in the most linear setting. It felt really good along with the air shock on the back as well.

 

[Dean Southcombe]

I have exactly the same issue as the OP but the main FOX service centre in the UK tells me FOX never made the different negative springs available. Has anyone managed to get these as parts after the initial fork purchase?

Cheers

 

[motomike]

I have exactly the same issue as the OP but the main FOX service centre in the UK tells me FOX never made the different negative springs available. Has anyone managed to get these as parts after the initial fork purchase?
Cheers

They told me they did, but you have to send your fork to them to have it done.

 

[Dean Southcombe]

They told me they did, but you have to send your fork to them to have it done.

...was this in the US or UK?

Cheers

 

[Dean Southcombe]

...anyone got any part numbers for the different negative springs? I may need to import.

Cheers

 

[Dogboy]

...was this in the US or UK?

Cheers

US. I imagine you'd go through Mojo.

 

[Dean Southcombe]

US. I imagine you'd go through Mojo.

...yeh this is where I started, they can't get them so I will need to import from the US I guess

 

[motomike]

...yeh this is where I started, they can't get them so I will need to import from the US I guess

They won't sell the springs to you, you have to send your fork directly to Fox to have it changed unfortunately.