Suspension tuning is thought to be some magical art that only a suspension guru can do. Well, that's partly true and partly not.
Yes, it takes years of knowledge and experience to know when to do what and more importantly, how to do it. All good suspension tuners got this knowledge largely by doing lots of stuff wrong and learning how not to do things. But something that is commonly overlooked is the simplicity of setting up current UTVs for different terrain. The basics of how to do this doesn't take a guru or years of knowledge-just common sense.
For example, everyone knows when you go to the sand you let air out of your tires to get more flotation. Well not everyone knows that doing this in loose rock or Moab, Utah-type terrain will also help. Tire pressure is a commonly overlooked item when it comes to how your vehicle rides.
Your tire is a cushion and if you are constantly putting the maximum amount of air in that tire you're probably going to sacrifice ride quality because of it. Now if you're blasting down trails and riding more aggressively you need this pressure to help the tire bite and not come off the bead. But for most trail riders, a lower air pressure will give you better traction and a smoother ride.
The next major underestimated setting is spring pre-load. It seems like these days everyone in a UTV is trying to make these things higher than a jeep or rock crawler. How do you do this? Well, most people just add a bunch of pre-load to the spring or, better yet, buy a lift kit that really doesn't lift the car at all. It just changes the shock angle so the leverage is lower at the wheel, making the car hold itself higher. Both of these instances have application but if you're looking for a smooth ride, lots of pre-load will not give you this.
If your suspension is always drooped out or at full extension it has no ability to drop into bumps. We call this sag or your ride height setting.
For instance if your UTV has a maximum ground clearance of 13 inches at full extension, then you don't want the thing sitting at 12 inches when you're in the car. There is no magical setting for this but for trail applications I like to use 20 percent as a good starting point. So at 13 inches minus 20 percent you will get 10.4 inches. Personally I would shoot for 10 inches because I think softer is better. Having some droop will also help with traction on rough uphill climbs and big walls and ledges.
Remember, you check all of this with riders in the car or with the extra weight you normally carry. Try to get the front and the rear at the same height. You want the UTV level in most cases.
Your stock shocks, no matter what model you have, will have some sort of preload adjuster. Common on a lot of production shocks is a cam system that leaves a lot to be desired. I'm sure a lot of knuckles have been damaged by this amazing design.
Regardless of how crappy this system is, it should allow you to make the needed adjustment. In the aftermarket shock world, a threaded preload adjuster is common and allows much more precise and larger range of adjustment. If you can't hit the number you are shooting for and the UTV is bottoming, chances are you need a stiffer spring. If you never bottom and it's always harsh, your spring might be too stiff.
Also helpful on some production shocks, and very common in aftermarket shocks, is external compression adjusters. In some cases rebound adjusters are available, too. I prefer the knob adjuster versions because you don't need tools and it allows quick adjustment when on the trail. These adjusters can be very useful to obtain that silky smooth ride we all want and expect with aftermarket shocks. Just remember the spring settings are going to do way more than any fancy adjuster, so start there and fine tune with the adjuster.
Finally, your sway bar is something that can be used to tune the UTV for different terrain. When in the rocks of Moab or Rocky Mountain trails, chances are you want that thing out. Remember that when you remove this you will not be able to blast down twisty trails like you do when the sway bar is in. The sway bar links the right side to the left side and helps the UTV not to sway or roll in a corner. It provides stability when cornering but it also limits independent wheel travel. In Moab or other rock crawling terrain where you are going slow so it does not pose a serious risk to remove the sway bar. You might not even notice that the sway bar is out when you're in those conditions. However, if you're blasting down a trail and head into a corner you'll notice the vehicle seems tippy.
It's important to remember you will have to reset your pre-load to compensate for removal of your sway bar. Your sway bar being removed shouldn't affect your ride height much, but when removed everything will feel softer and more tippy. The advantage you will gain in articulation will far outweigh the tippy feeling when crawling. If you can't seem to lay off the throttle and have a serious need for speed, just leave the sway bar in.
The biggest thing to remember is settings will change from time to time. And one terrain might require something you don't normally do. Ask local riders for good tips. Keep in mind all these easy-to-do tips and you will find that a better tuned suspension is much more fun and a lot safer for yourself and your family.
(Zollinger, along with his brothers, own Zbroz Racing. For more information, contact Zbroz Racing www.zbrozracing.com or 435-753-7774.)
