Is the negative spring in a chamber that requires a special tool to open? Anyone know why Fox won't let you do it?
2014 Fox 40 Float FIT Tuning Thread
- Thread starter ianjenn
- Start date
...what a killa. Would never send the forks back to the US due to the riding time I'd lose. Looks like I will have to get Mojo to talk nice to Fox and get the spring shipped here.
Cheers
So what's up with your fork? I was pretty convinced I needed one too, but after riding it for a while I don't feel that way anymore. I'm a lightweight so I have about 1/4 inch of "negative" travel when the fork is unweighted but that doesn't bother me and the guy at Fox reminded me that just about every fork has that, just some more than others. Upon playing with forks on my other bikes, he was right.
...no matter what I throw at it when I'm running 40psi (5psi lower than minimum recommendations) I only get half the available travel. If I've paid for 8" then I should get most of it right?
Hmm that's rather odd because with only 40 PSI, getting full travel should be pretty easy. If you are not getting full travel with 40PSI and the stock negative spring, then something else might be going on. Did you change the volume adjustment to the top (most linear) setting? Lift your front wheel off the ground and pull the lowers away from your handlebar, how much "travel" do you get doing that? You need to subtract that from what you see from the O-ring after a hard landing or whatever maximum travel you are getting from a DH run. I weight 135LBS and am running 57 PSI with the stock negative spring and can get full travel. With the small amount of "negative" travel I get at a static reading, I get about 7 3/4" of travel instead of 8 but that's not really a problem.
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Not getting full travel has nothing to do with the negative spring. To see the effects of the negative spring vs air pressure pump it up to the max 100psi and measure from the seals to the crowns. Now drop the pressure to what you use and measure the exposed stantion. When I got my 40 and played with settings and measurements I think I remember it having 210mm total travel but around 200mm at 60psi.
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...cheers for all the comments guys. My forks are currently at Mojo in the UK to be checked over. I'll report back. They still say that in the UK at least they have no access to any different negative springs but will be contacting Fox for an update.
I believe earlier batches came without foam rings because there was a concern that they would effect the blow off valves. Fox eventually realized this was not an issue, so now the foam rings are back.
Thanks!
Going to install my new 40 this weekend. What are most people running for compression ratio?
I'm 200lbs fully geared and going to Whistler next Wednesday.
I'm 200lbs fully geared and going to Whistler next Wednesday.
I run approximately the same compression settings as I did on my 2013 and 2011 fox 40 coils.
I run approximately 6 clicks of high speed compression (from fully open, ie: turn all the way to the - side, then +6 clicks) and 2-4 clicks + of LSC.
I run 60psi
170-175 with out gear. TR500.
Moto mike seems to run the same air as I am, but he's only 135lbs, if he is who I think he is, I understand he's a LOT faster than I am and probably hits bumps going a lot faster than me
Hope this helps.
I've ridden the 40 Float all season this year at Snowshoe, WV (some rough rocky, rooty trails; some machine built smoothies - a nice mix). I've finalized my Float 40 tune now, and am in a totally different tuning philosophy than most of you who have posted. I'm curious what you all think of these settings - maybe I'm doing it all wrong - but it feels so right.. 
When I got the fork, the volume spacers were set at a 3/6 split, where 3 spacers were behind the bulkhead and 6 were in front of the bulkhead. Most of you appear to be running it at a 0/9 split to get a full linear setting. I run mine at a 5/4 split to make it more progressive. My theory there is that I want more compliance for break bumps so I want a lower pressure in the air chamber. To keep the mid and end stoke from blowing through, I need a more progressive curve for the fork. It seems to play out exactly as I hoped.
Rider weight: 210 w/o gear
Air chamber setting: 5/4 split
Fork psi: 59
Sag: 28%
HSC: 1 from full open (almost no dampening)
LSC: 8 clicks from open
Rebound: 3 clicks from open
These settings work great for a wide mix of trails that we have at SS (and at Whistler, for that matter). I use an appropriate amount of travel for the particular trail I'm riding (75% for the rocky/rooty/slower trails, 95% for the fast/jumpy trails, and 100% for big drops/jump-to-flats).
I thought I'd post my settings to voice a different tuning philosophy.
J. C.
When I got the fork, the volume spacers were set at a 3/6 split, where 3 spacers were behind the bulkhead and 6 were in front of the bulkhead. Most of you appear to be running it at a 0/9 split to get a full linear setting. I run mine at a 5/4 split to make it more progressive. My theory there is that I want more compliance for break bumps so I want a lower pressure in the air chamber. To keep the mid and end stoke from blowing through, I need a more progressive curve for the fork. It seems to play out exactly as I hoped.
Rider weight: 210 w/o gear
Air chamber setting: 5/4 split
Fork psi: 59
Sag: 28%
HSC: 1 from full open (almost no dampening)
LSC: 8 clicks from open
Rebound: 3 clicks from open
These settings work great for a wide mix of trails that we have at SS (and at Whistler, for that matter). I use an appropriate amount of travel for the particular trail I'm riding (75% for the rocky/rooty/slower trails, 95% for the fast/jumpy trails, and 100% for big drops/jump-to-flats).
I thought I'd post my settings to voice a different tuning philosophy.
J. C.
After getting mine re-built @ Suspensionwerx with latest up-grades (18 new parts I was told) I'm setting it up completely different than before, old settings:
LS +2
HS +5
RBD +8
PSI 62.5
new settings:
LS +6
HS +6
RBD +7
PSI 70
On a carbon Devinci Wilson with CCDB, weigh 165 w/o gear, riding North Shore steep & tech and Whistler park for the most part
LS +2
HS +5
RBD +8
PSI 62.5
new settings:
LS +6
HS +6
RBD +7
PSI 70
On a carbon Devinci Wilson with CCDB, weigh 165 w/o gear, riding North Shore steep & tech and Whistler park for the most part
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Any idea what exactly, or can you ask? I was told they'd switch it over to the new 36 system eventually (air negative = more flexible in catering to varying positive pressures, but more stiction), wonder if that's what happened.
I'm about your size and I found the fork felt better with the firm (orange) negative spring over the stock one at around 70psi. Managed to get it feeling substantially better than the stock ones with some messing around, and I think it slides a bit better than the Idylle Rare and 2015 Boxxer Air probably thanks to the coil negative and less sliding seals. The DVO feels comparable to the 40 if not better thanks to the OTT adjustment.
However I think they're all still noticeably worse than a plain old coil spring, and I just grabbed the parts to convert mine. Going to use the damper-side stanchion as the spring leg so I can go back to air if I so desire, but for ~150g I have a feeling I won't be going back.
Not sure about the parts that were replaced, just told there were a number of updates available and Fox provides them free of charge. My understanding is the 40 will be getting rid of all the mechanical parts in the air chamber like the 36 for 2016 model (and dropping some more weight as well) but that wasn't what was done.