MAST4R
New member
So what springs did you use to do that? Bilstein/Eibach does 550 (which vendors call 600) and 650.
I have never bottomed out on 650 springs with the 6112. I don't have front bumper though.
Spring rate: King 550lb vs Elka 700lb
- Thread starter nimby
- Start date
So what springs did you use to do that? Bilstein/Eibach does 550 (which vendors call 600) and 650.
I have never bottomed out on 650 springs with the 6112. I don't have front bumper though.
King 700lb (I believe 14in). Eibach makes them also, but when I bought them, Kings had a discount that made them cheaper than eibach. Eibach makes most, if not all springs for US....so I been told.
KING 14" COIL SPRING PAIRS FOR 2.5" COILOVERS
Last edited:
nimby
New member
Just under 5800lbs unloaded....no one in it, no RTT, dogs, gear. Its probably at least 500-700lbs heavier than stock before adding the above for trips.
nimby
New member
Gotcha, thanks.
MAST4R
New member
Yup, that's real difference. Thanks for clarifying.
honda250xtitan
New member
you should swap rear springs for trips if youre adding that much weight. It's a bit of extra work but it pays off. We did a trip and one other vehicle was a 4runner, he did not swap rear springs, it held him up on the faster sections, he was riding the bump stops.
MAST4R
New member
Yikes. Yes, it is not hard at all to change springs in the rear.
MAST4R
New member
To come back to this, my front is precisely that: oversprung. In result it goes over everything and does not bottom out, but because it is oversprung the suspension absorbs less than it should.
It does the job at a fraction of the cost of a high-end front suspension, but a 600lb spring would probably be better (the standard is not 600 as sometimes advertised by vendors, but 550 or less).
MAST4R
New member
WAIT A MINUTE:
I ended up noticing that all over the Elka site their so-called 2.5 shock is said to have a 56 mm BODY. A 2.5 shock is supposed to have a 60 mm PISTON.
Bilstein and King have 60mm pistons
Fox has 58 mm piston
Elka is 56 mm body the SAME as Dobinsons MRA which is never advertised as 2.5. The Dobs has a 50 mm piston, OME BP 51 has, cough, 51 mm piston and so the Elka maybe 50-52 mm piston definitely not 58-60.
I also don't see anything special in their description: smaller shocks on heavier springs. No surprise. Until you notice the price. Now, that's something.
I get it that they are made of aluminum but the Elka shocks just on numbers alone have no place in one line with King, Fox, Bilstein.
I ended up noticing that all over the Elka site their so-called 2.5 shock is said to have a 56 mm BODY. A 2.5 shock is supposed to have a 60 mm PISTON.
Bilstein and King have 60mm pistons
Fox has 58 mm piston
Elka is 56 mm body the SAME as Dobinsons MRA which is never advertised as 2.5. The Dobs has a 50 mm piston, OME BP 51 has, cough, 51 mm piston and so the Elka maybe 50-52 mm piston definitely not 58-60.
I also don't see anything special in their description: smaller shocks on heavier springs. No surprise. Until you notice the price. Now, that's something.
I get it that they are made of aluminum but the Elka shocks just on numbers alone have no place in one line with King, Fox, Bilstein.
BackOff
New member
I just crawled under my t4r and measured my Elka 2.5's.
The actual shock body is 63mm and the shafts are 19mm.
Seems like with added weight and spirted offroad driving was the way to go with 700lbs front coils...at least for me, got sick of landing on the bumpstop.
MAST4R
New member
Good to have first hand info. Then they need to change their website info because 56 is definitely not the same as 63!
BackOff
New member
Yea, some of their info is off a bit.
Noticed they also say 66mm body on the website.
When i bought they said something like 24 click adjusts... its actually 12.
Guess they added the 2, low and high speed together...lol.
BackOff
New member
...swapping rear coils every time you haul heavy seems a bit much...to me.
Either some air bags in the coils or that adjustable rear coil Eibach makes would be a better way.
Eibach Load Leveling System (aka height adjustable rear)
:juggle:
Either some air bags in the coils or that adjustable rear coil Eibach makes would be a better way.
Eibach Load Leveling System (aka height adjustable rear)
:juggle:
honda250xtitan
New member
no thanks on air bags. the adjustable coil is cool but it doesnt account for the weight. it changes ride weight. So i'd still be blowing thru the shock travel. For a week long trip it was worth the hassle. Obviously YMMV
MAST4R
New member
Yeah, Baja ain't just another trip.
The sportsman class quads winner of the 2021 Baja 500, just now, has Elka. The second one has something else but I am not familiar with ATVs so I don't know what it is.
EDIT: awful SCORE feed, very low sound, missed the ultra close finish between Luke and Andy McMillin showing ads again and again.
The sportsman class quads winner of the 2021 Baja 500, just now, has Elka. The second one has something else but I am not familiar with ATVs so I don't know what it is.
EDIT: awful SCORE feed, very low sound, missed the ultra close finish between Luke and Andy McMillin showing ads again and again.
Last edited:
BackOff
New member
Right probably beyond the airbags if your running hydro bumps.
I ran a set of extended Airlift 1000 with the valve stems removed, for a couple years, really didnt seem to effect the suspension travel.
Offroad trailer might be an option?
Instead of swapping rear coils... i get that its not that big a deal to diy it, not something most folks would probably do.
Thread derail...sorry.:fencing:
Park the trailer then go rally or crawl or whatever you do.
...but then your dragging the trailer all over.
I hate towing stuff anymore myself.
Guess whatever works for someone...
Kind of like with suspension ride quality, seems alot is just personal preference.
I ran a set of extended Airlift 1000 with the valve stems removed, for a couple years, really didnt seem to effect the suspension travel.
Offroad trailer might be an option?
Instead of swapping rear coils... i get that its not that big a deal to diy it, not something most folks would probably do.
Thread derail...sorry.:fencing:
Park the trailer then go rally or crawl or whatever you do.
...but then your dragging the trailer all over.
I hate towing stuff anymore myself.
Guess whatever works for someone...
Kind of like with suspension ride quality, seems alot is just personal preference.
BlueRidge77
New member
Somewhat off topic… What is your source for the 550lb spring rate for the 6112s? As I’m letting my newly installed lift (Dobinsons) settle, I’m continuing to try and learn even more about spring rates. I intentionally bought the Dobs 586lb springs (302) because I have no additional weight up front and I did not want too heavy of a spring rate. These are presented as close to stock rating. But, when comparing the assembled Dobs coilover length to the removed factory strut, it wasn’t long enough. Before I installed, I was a little concerned… I ended up netting 3.5” lift! Which was correct based on my stock pre-lift height and where I set the perch. So in theory, it should have been approx 1.75” longer than the factory shock, but it wasn’t close. Maybe a little over 1”. Possibly 1.25”. I didn’t actually measure. I’m wondering if some of the lift is due in part to a stiffer spring. I like your perspective of being under-sprung but over-valved…
MAST4R
New member
What I can suggest is to call Bilstein and see if you get lucky.
Speaking of rates, why do I assume that the "80-140 lbs additional front weight" spring is actually 650?
Looks like roughly 50lb heavier than the standard so it could well be 600...
Someone needs to use as spring rater. Also, the Bilstein secrecy is highly annoying because it makes absolutely no sense. Everyone can open a shock and see the valving (they would not tell me exactly how a 6112 is valved) and everyone can measure their spring. Well, certainly any of their competitors who actually disclose both valving and springs rates so we don't have to guess.
Last edited:
