[MikeD]

Alright, everyone knows I think TPC+ is the best damping ever...how does plain TPC compare?? I'm considering a new trail/freeride yadda yadda fork for a hardtail. and the Nixons look appealing...especially the low-end one, because I don't want a remote cable for travel adjusting, I like low prices, and I hate SPV valving. The relative light weight and thru axle are appealing. But it's plain TPC damping, not TPC+...would this suck as bad as having ssv instead of hscv on a 'zocchi?

The new Fox 36 looks awesome, too, but I don't think I can bring myself around to be a 1st year guinea pig on such a pricey item (whereas the Manitou, at $450 or so, is more worth a gamble to me).

Then there's the Zocchi all mountain SL, all mountain 1, or Z1 option as well... (I have a convertible front hub, so either axle system's cool by me...)

MD

 

[Curb Hucker]

if i recall manitou is now calling their ssv type damping fluid flow.

I was riding a 1st year Vanilla RLC bad memories

 

[MikeD]

Yeah, but they still make a distinction between TPC and TPC+...fluid flow is yet another notch down.

 

[Zark]

I think TPC is a less refined TPC+, but they are fairly similar. I think the + is more a new way to market pretty much the same tech. SSV and HSCV are totally different, so its probably a bad analogy.

The Nixon is probably a safe bet, TPC has had time to work out the bugs The Fox is first year fork that always has that 'guinea pig' factor. But there are a lot of great choices out there. The Pike looks really appealing and I haven't said that about a RS product in a long time!

 

[FlipSide]

If I remember correctly, they had animations on the Manitou website a few years ago showing the differences. The TPC+ has 2 moving parts in the cartridge while the TPC only has one. TPC still has a shimmed damper, but less refined.

If any of this is wrong, I'm sorry...that's what I remember from it!

 

[Cave Dweller]

I seem to remember something about tpc+ having a floating piston and tpc not having it, but it was long ago and i can't remember. Sorry i can't be more help

 

[vitox]

tpc+ is a bit more complex

tpcsport/ffd has 2 pistons. one on top that acts like a compression damper when the displaced oil from the rebound piston thats sits at the bottom enters the stanchion.
the valves on these are simple orifices in a round piston head with a check valve that is prone to breaking when pushed hard.

tpc has the same arrangement but with shim stacks and adjustable valves (bleed).

tpc+ has a different compression damper, there is one piston with two valves attached to it, the uppermost is fully active all the time and is pretty much the same idea as the compression piston on the plain tpc, then theres another one who is mounted on the same shaft but slides up and down along the piston, when it bottoms out then the oil is forced through the valve and this is when the second stage of compression damping kicks in.

its a really good system but i remember the xvert carbons had major issues with sucking in air and building internal pressure that eventually made the seals burst, maybe theyve fixed that.

 

[vitox]

haha just realized i hadnt answered mikeD`s question at all with all that crap i posted above

mike, the regular tpc, if its still the same as when they originally came out with it, is a very good damping system, the + has a position sensitive compression damping that counteracts bottoming on big fast hits and give some form of "progression" to the fork.
normally the upgrade from tpc to tpc+ has been a matter of unscrewing one compression assembly (just a crescent is needed) and perhaps resetting oil levels, so unless im totally missing out on current manitou parts, you should be able to get the tpc+ comp damper from the spendier nixon and retrofit the cheap nixon with it if you wanted to do so.

bottom line is that tpc is pretty good, and not at all harsh like ffd

 

[Jm_]

TPC isn't that great. Fairly inactive, has a real "dead" feel to it, not very "plush".

TPC+ works great, floating piston gives a much more active feel, especially at speed, sucks up bumps very well, it simply works very nice.

On a scale of 1-10 I'd rate TPC at 5-6.

TPC+ would get at least 8.5