Settings between different stroke lengths

[Jake From State Farm]

Have a quest for any of those suspension experts out there.
Do your settings translate to different stroke lengths or does the volume effect them massively?
I have my downhill bike custom tuned and my (200m) Float X2 settings are LSC/HSC - 13/12 LSR/HSR - 9/13
Do those settings translate on a (160m) Float X2?
If so, where and how much would I need to add and subtract based off of the extra volume? Of course these settings will be, for the most part, personal preference and that there will be different leverage curves between the bikes. I would just like to know the difference to achieve the same settings on a shorter or longer travel stroke.
Thanks!

 

[steve_sordy]

I am not an expert! But I have some thoughts.

What are the settings recommended by Fox for both Float X2 shocks? Compare with your settings for the 200mm and use the adjusted settings for your 160mm shock. Ride the bike and adjust to get the ride you want.

Alternatively, set your 160mm shock to the same settings as the 200mm shock, ride the bike and adjust to get the ride you want.

Alternatively, set the 160mm shock to the Fox recommendations, ride the bike and adjust to get the ride you want.

 

[Mikerb]

I think in general on both shocks and forks, a longer stroke gives the potential for a more plush upper stroke........i.e less LSC and faster rebound. I say potential because with a shock so much depends on the kinematics of the rear triangle of any particular bike............less critical with a fork.

 

[Jake From State Farm]

I think in general on both shocks and forks, a longer stroke gives the potential for a more plush upper stroke........i.e less LSC and faster rebound. I say potential because with a shock so much depends on the kinematics of the rear triangle of any particular bike............less critical with a fork.

No doubt it is more plush and forgiving but the adjustments set the speed of the compressions and rebounding. The question is if the amount of force needed to set the level at which the low speed compression and high speed compression/rebound circuits are the same. It doesn't really show us this on a curve (or isn't labeled I should say). It would be interesting to see similar bikes with the same kinematics with the same shock and settings on a curve.
Example would be. You want the HSC circuit to open with X amount of force (how quickly it must pass through the low speed circuit, which is dictated by how easily it will) and how quickly it will travel through the highspeed circuit before it bottoms out, if it does. Same goes for rebound but well stick with compression. The weird issue arrives, at least to me, where the pressures in the chamber can be the same regardless of travel. IE:85psi in both Fox40 and Fox36.. If that is the case does the curve change because of the amount of time it needs to pass through those circuits..

 

[Plummet]

No is the short answer.
Also its mostly about leverage ratio rather than travel. IE Shock stroke length to travel. Then the suspension kinematics. Two bikes with the same travel, same shock stroke but different kinematics can have radically different settings.

 

[steve_sordy]

So the quickest way is to just have a go, ride the bike and adjust to get the ride you want.

 

[Jake From State Farm]

So the quickest way is to just have a go, ride the bike and adjust to get the ride you want.

Well yeah, like I said up top. A lot of it comes down to personal preference and kinematics. That I fully understand, I know how to set up my bike. I was more interested in the engineering and science behind it. The more you understand the more informed decisions you can make. =)