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Best 26" downhill fork if weight was no issue?

ebarker9

Monkey
Oct 2, 2007
884
278
Posting it here because it seems pretty closely related. Has anyone done an air conversion on a Fox 40? I'm starting with a 2016 performance series that's been updated with the RC2 damper. Question is about whether or not I need to replace the coil/air side stanchion. The Fox tech seemed to suggest it due to potential wear from the spring as well as the replacement stanchion having "dimples" for some reason.

(Yes, I know that the air spring is arguably a performance downgrade but at this point I'm tired enough of battling the spring rattle to give it a try).
 

carlos1

Chimp
Nov 14, 2011
55
59
Czech Republic
Posting it here because it seems pretty closely related. Has anyone done an air conversion on a Fox 40? I'm starting with a 2016 performance series that's been updated with the RC2 damper. Question is about whether or not I need to replace the coil/air side stanchion. The Fox tech seemed to suggest it due to potential wear from the spring as well as the replacement stanchion having "dimples" for some reason.

(Yes, I know that the air spring is arguably a performance downgrade but at this point I'm tired enough of battling the spring rattle to give it a try).
Hi, yes you must replace the stanchion, because the dimples in the new one pressurises the negative air spring, without the dimples it will work, but the fork will be too hard to compress.
 

ebarker9

Monkey
Oct 2, 2007
884
278
Hi, yes you must replace the stanchion, because the dimples in the new one pressurises the negative air spring, without the dimples it will work, but the fork will be too hard to compress.
Dangit. Thanks for the help. Dimpled stanchion is black ano and my other one is silver. Could be a very interesting stylistic choice.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,779
7,044
borcester rhymes
Posting it here because it seems pretty closely related. Has anyone done an air conversion on a Fox 40? I'm starting with a 2016 performance series that's been updated with the RC2 damper. Question is about whether or not I need to replace the coil/air side stanchion. The Fox tech seemed to suggest it due to potential wear from the spring as well as the replacement stanchion having "dimples" for some reason.

(Yes, I know that the air spring is arguably a performance downgrade but at this point I'm tired enough of battling the spring rattle to give it a try).
Have you tried wrapping your spring? I swapped wrappers from other springs onto my current spring and it quelled the noise
 

ebarker9

Monkey
Oct 2, 2007
884
278
Have you tried wrapping your spring? I swapped wrappers from other springs onto my current spring and it quelled the noise
I tried a longer piece of shrinkwrap as well as a plastic cap on the top of the spring to keep it centered. Might have been some improvement but it's never been truly quiet and usually over the course of a day of riding it gets worse. Definitely open to alternate suggestions. Setup on the vorsprung soring conversion looks pretty slick.
 

slimshady

¡Mira, una ardilla!
Posting it here because it seems pretty closely related. Has anyone done an air conversion on a Fox 40? I'm starting with a 2016 performance series that's been updated with the RC2 damper. Question is about whether or not I need to replace the coil/air side stanchion. The Fox tech seemed to suggest it due to potential wear from the spring as well as the replacement stanchion having "dimples" for some reason.

(Yes, I know that the air spring is arguably a performance downgrade but at this point I'm tired enough of battling the spring rattle to give it a try).
The original spring stanchion won't work simply because the spring would scratch the inner surface, preventing the seals from doing their work properly.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,589
2,021
Seattle
The original spring stanchion won't work simply because the spring would scratch the inner surface, preventing the seals from doing their work properly.
On the plus side, if there's a good gouge where the piston sits at topout, it might serve the function of the negative chamber equalization dimple okay.





:D
 

ebarker9

Monkey
Oct 2, 2007
884
278
On the plus side, if there's a good gouge where the piston sits at topout, it might serve the function of the negative chamber equalization dimple okay.

:D
Fingers crossed...

Alright, looks like I'll be ordering a stanchion.
 
Last edited:

englertracing

you owe me a sandwich
Mar 5, 2012
1,657
1,143
La Verne
Good bye small bump compliance hello "quiet" fork that's too hard then too soft then too hard....


The answer is 1.5" shrink tube for most of the length of the spring...
 

ebarker9

Monkey
Oct 2, 2007
884
278
Good bye small bump compliance hello "quiet" fork that's too hard then too soft then too hard....


The answer is 1.5" shrink tube for most of the length of the spring...
Yup, might suck. Willing to try it and will keep the coil setup in case I hate it. Will also try a longer heat shrink tube. Any suggested variety/heat shrink material?
 

carlos1

Chimp
Nov 14, 2011
55
59
Czech Republic
Dangit. Thanks for the help. Dimpled stanchion is black ano and my other one is silver. Could be a very interesting stylistic choice.
There is another thing I forgot, the newer stanchion have different inner diameter than the old ones, so the piston for the air spring will not fit
 

englertracing

you owe me a sandwich
Mar 5, 2012
1,657
1,143
La Verne
The trick for switching new forks back and forth is..
Swap stanchion sides,
Take an air fork, throw a coil in it, if you need to go back to air from some reason, switch the coil fubared stanchion to the damper side, use the damper side stanchion for the air piston.

Ps, if you did have a non butted tube without a dimple perhaps a mrp fulfill system could be employed for an adjustable negative spring