[DMdh]

I´ve been fiddling with my manitou dorado, but to get the midstroke support I´d like I have trouble reaching full travel and some harshness.
I was in the procces of opening the damper to add some shimzz, but then I emailed manitou and they told me that its better to reduce the volume (adding oil) in the air spring to achieve a more supportive midstroke. So now Im confused and have some question for the smart people in this forum:

-I thought that reducing the volume makes the spring more progressive, but for the same sag and p.s.i. It wouldnt be harder to use full travel?
- Is noticeable the added progresion/support in the whole stroke or only in the last inch or 2?

-Should I just add moar of them ?

thanks in advance.

 

[mtg]

I would try the oil volume first. It's generally more effective, imo, to work on the spring vs damper for this sort of thing. The spring supports your weight, whereas the damper only reduces the speed of travel. In general, you want to get the spring curve optimized first, then the damper, in simple terms, is basically "icing on the cake" to keep the spring from pogo-ing, and make finer adjustments.
On your questions:
1. Yes, it will be harder to use full travel for the same pressure, but that's basically what you're after
2. Yes, reducing air volume changes the whole curve, but as you elude, it makes the biggest difference at bottom out, and the least difference at top out. But, it still works mid-stroke.

What are your current settings, and how much do you weigh?

 

[DMdh]

I would try the oil volume first. It's generally more effective, imo, to work on the spring vs damper for this sort of thing. The spring supports your weight, whereas the damper only reduces the speed of travel. In general, you want to get the spring curve optimized first, then the damper, in simple terms, is basically "icing on the cake" to keep the spring from pogo-ing, and make finer adjustments.
On your questions:
1. Yes, it will be harder to use full travel for the same pressure, but that's basically what you're after
2. Yes, reducing air volume changes the whole curve, but as you elude, it makes the biggest difference at bottom out, and the least difference at top out. But, it still works mid-stroke.

What are your current settings, and how much do you weigh?

my settings, for 71kg aprox are:
sag:19-20%
psi:70
hsc: 2 from closed
lsc/tpc: 5 from closed

Running the adjusters that closed (specially the lsc) already gives me problems using full travel unless I case something big, and adding more psi is not a viable option because runing less sag will be too harsh.
So, do you think I will get the results Im after reducing air volume in the spring and opening the adjusters a little? Or will I have the same problem that I originally had?

In short: Do I tune the spring to get more progression or do I tune the damper?

 

[mtg]

I run 15% sag on my Dorado, measured in centered, attack position. I'm a little heavier than you (77kg), and run less TPC+, and a little bit less HSC. With your settings, maybe try less sag before oil volume.

And, yes, I would tune the spring for more progression before the damper.