Where can I find Long Travel Race Shocks?

Hatch

Hatch

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Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
109
Age
44
Location
Central M.N.
Lookin to do a summer mod project of converting the front of my viper with the northern Lite trailing arms. I will Need the Extra Long travel Shocks. Wondering where the most reasonable place to buy them are? Anybody got a slightly used pair in good shape? Thanks.
 

You will need wider radius rods to make this work too. been there tried that. Maxdlx
 
What do you mean, "been there tryed that", What setup did you have and whats the problems? Need some details before I go and buy the northern lite trailing arms, and radius rods, and shocks. If the viper sno-x sleds were setup this way why would it work turning a stock viper into a sno-x setup? If you buy all the component, it should work. Longer shocks, Northern lite arms, Unequal radius rods. Right?
 
I had the ohlins shocks off of the viper race sled, and to make them work with my CB trailing arms I had to add the long heim ends off of a rx1. This and the extra length of the shocks got me way more travel. the problem comes here. I started bending Rad rods every ride. I made some calls to a few guys who had worked on the race sleds, and was told to watch the bump steer I now had. When the skis where at total drop out the bump steer was a little over 6 inches. meaning the ski tips were pointed in about 6 inches. When the front end comes down the skis are still pointing towards each other, and something must give. I put stock steel rad rods on, and with in about 10 miles, the trailing arms started to bend. If I would have went to a 44 or 46 inch front stance it would have worked. $600 for shocks, about $150 in bent and broken rad rods, and $3400 to trade it off on a warrior. Expensive leason learned, and just trying to help you not make the same mistake. Thing being is when you widen the front to accomidate the extra travel, your belly pan will sit at almost the same height as stock. I wish I would have kept the stock ohlins on that sled. Maxdlx
 
Sounds to me like you didn't have the right trailing arms to start with, maybe if you used the northern lite arms it would have worked? Obviously the Sno-x vipers didn't have this problem or they wouldn't have lasted very long on the race track. This has to work if you use all the correct components. You also said you used the stock steel radius rods, and i believe you have to use unequal length rods. Maybe all these things caused your setup not to work properly. Im no expert on this setup, but have been told on what you need to get this setup to work. I just would like to know the proper setup to get this to work. Someone has to have done this and got it to work.? Do you still have the Ohlin race shocks?
 
I switched to the steel rods when I kept bending CB perf rods. It has nothing to do with the right trailing arms. I talked with the guy who was in the race trailer when these shocks were raced. he is the one who said it was the bump steer from to short of rad rods. Maxdlx
 
So your saying this setup plain and simple will not work? How did they get the race sleds to work? Do you still have the shocks?
 
it will work, reread what Maxdlx said.

hope you already have those northern lites ordered. i ordered a set in september and have yet to see them!
 
Thumper, are you going to get the longer shocks or what setup are you going to be going with? Yes, I see that it would have worked if he went with the 44" stance, but didn't the race viper have like a 41" stance?
 
I have a new set of the original shocks used on that set up, remember those original race shocks don't have forks on the top so you have to put brackets on the sled
 
Hatch said:
Im no expert on this setup, but have been told on what you need to get this setup to work. I just would like to know the proper setup to get this to work. QUOTE]

you have been told the setup to make it work then why do you need to know how to make it work? its not just a matter of sticking longer rods or this manufacturers trailing arm, or what parts go where. its all in the geometry. you need to understand the geometry of the suspension travel in order to get the suspension to operate properly throughout the full travel of the suspension. theres different positions for mounting the radius rods, different cambers, different rod length combinations, just a lot of things that have to be takin into consideration to make it work. sure it looks easy, just get longer shocks and longer rods and throw them on. but that combo will not give you a higher sitting sled (longer travel before bottoming the belly pan). if you go with longer shocks, longer rods will widen the stance and lower the sled back down. you need to talk to someone at northern lites about this and they can help you with some of the geometry. its a bit more in depth analyitically; more than just throwing parts at it to get it to work.
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Guys, Thanks for the info. Thats why Im asking the questions, cause I need more info on this. I was given a list of parts from Jamie that I would need to make this work, but I did not get any details. Im not saying its as simple as slapping parts on. I will give Northern Lites a call and see what they say on this setup. Any other info or pics would be great. Thanks.
 
sxviper32 said:
Hatch said:
Im no expert on this setup, but have been told on what you need to get this setup to work. I just would like to know the proper setup to get this to work. QUOTE]

you have been told the setup to make it work then why do you need to know how to make it work? its not just a matter of sticking longer rods or this manufacturers trailing arm, or what parts go where. its all in the geometry. you need to understand the geometry of the suspension travel in order to get the suspension to operate properly throughout the full travel of the suspension. theres different positions for mounting the radius rods, different cambers, different rod length combinations, just a lot of things that have to be takin into consideration to make it work. sure it looks easy, just get longer shocks and longer rods and throw them on. but that combo will not give you a higher sitting sled (longer travel before bottoming the belly pan). if you go with longer shocks, longer rods will widen the stance and lower the sled back down. you need to talk to someone at northern lites about this and they can help you with some of the geometry. its a bit more in depth analyitically; more than just throwing parts at it to get it to work.
Click to expand...

Is it your viper on the profile picture ? ;)! How did you do it, and what kind of shocks ? Walker Evans ? It looks like a real killer.

I am planning to make a really hardcore viper this winter, and i am collecting as much information as i can before i am starting. Sorry, if my english is bad.

thanks :!:
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