Which suspension fluid to use

Berni
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Berni
I have been searching about suspension oils and there are opinions all over the place (just like every kind of oil...)

I would like to hear (if possible from real suspension professionals like slipdog) if there is some suspension fluids (both for forks and shocks), that really stands out from the competition, separating them in two groups: performance, and degradation.

There is an other question. I have read from people or tuners using different oils in the exterior chamber and inner cartridge of forks, as using ATF or motor oil in the putter chamber just for pure lubrication (as in MTB forks).
I ride a GasGas where the kyb forks comes from technical touch (they do not come directly from Japan in the euro brands where kyb is OEM), and when I replaced the oil, certainly the outer oil was much thicker than the inner cartridge oil.

Let's see what you have to say.
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Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 4/2/2020 1:20pm
4/2/2020 1:20pm
I watched a youtube rebuild recently from Slavens and he said Silkolene is among the best, giving more consistent performance over a longer period of use than anything else he'd tried.
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mwssquad827
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mwssquad827 4/2/2020 4:21pm
4/2/2020 4:21pm
Maxima has always done me good
BikePilot
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BikePilot 4/3/2020 12:27pm
4/3/2020 12:27pm
Several years ago I tested several different fluids in my KYB forks and found that the KYB 01 fluid provided a slightly better feeling suspension action. That said the main thing is to always use the same fluid. Even for "5 weight" each brand is actually a little different and will throw your settings off.
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Berni
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Berni 4/4/2020 2:20am
4/4/2020 2:20am
BikePilot wrote:
Several years ago I tested several different fluids in my KYB forks and found that the KYB 01 fluid provided a slightly better feeling suspension action...
Several years ago I tested several different fluids in my KYB forks and found that the KYB 01 fluid provided a slightly better feeling suspension action. That said the main thing is to always use the same fluid. Even for "5 weight" each brand is actually a little different and will throw your settings off.
Great. Which fluids did you compared the kyb oil to?

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sgrimmxdad 4/5/2020 4:15am
4/5/2020 4:15am
We use KYB in everything, unless customer requests something in particular. RaceTech makes an excellent oil, it is a tad pricey but supposed to last about twice as long if I understand correctly. We have used it on a couple of builds for my son and he loves it and it does hold up longer than any other oil we have seen.

If a heavier oil is required we will use Maxima, with good results as well...
Berni
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Berni 4/5/2020 4:23am
4/5/2020 4:23am
Thanks. Do you know if racetech oil nowdays is made by Motorex? (it was supposed to be some years ago). I cannot get racetech oil in Spain.

So if get it right, your son prefers action of racetech to kyb right?
sgrimmxdad 4/5/2020 4:38am
4/5/2020 4:38am Edited Date/Time 4/5/2020 4:38am
To be completely honest we didn't we didn't do back to back comparisons, but he did like it in the builds we used it in. It did seem to last longer before the feel started to go away, I'd say we went well over 30 hours on a set and I normally do not go past 20.

Far as who makes or made it I am not sure, we sent a tech to the RaceTech school and he was telling me all the benefits they claim it provides, I thought it is purely propitiatory. If it works half as good as they claim I am sold!
BikePilot
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BikePilot 4/6/2020 5:54am
4/6/2020 5:54am Edited Date/Time 4/6/2020 5:57am
BikePilot wrote:
Several years ago I tested several different fluids in my KYB forks and found that the KYB 01 fluid provided a slightly better feeling suspension action...
Several years ago I tested several different fluids in my KYB forks and found that the KYB 01 fluid provided a slightly better feeling suspension action. That said the main thing is to always use the same fluid. Even for "5 weight" each brand is actually a little different and will throw your settings off.
Berni wrote:
Great. Which fluids did you compared the kyb oil to?
Bel ray, Maxima, and Honda/Showa. I have not used it back to back with race tech fluid which I understand is quite good.
UGOTBIT
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UGOTBIT 4/6/2020 6:02am
4/6/2020 6:02am
Have seen people claim the Race Tach oil and Spectro are very similar
WEAL
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WEAL 4/6/2020 7:40am
4/6/2020 7:40am
You can compare the oils by centistoke
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rjg
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rjg 4/6/2020 7:57am
4/6/2020 7:57am
All of these oils mentioned work better in some situations compared to others. For example - belray fork oil is disappointing in sliperyness vs ATF6 or 0w20 for fork outer chamber lube. You can feel it by hand via stroking the fork tubes with out springs.
kb228
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kb228 4/6/2020 8:28am
4/6/2020 8:28am
WEAL wrote:
You can compare the oils by centistoke
Lot more to fluids than viscosity.
Berni
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Berni 4/6/2020 9:45am
4/6/2020 9:45am Edited Date/Time 4/6/2020 9:45am
Great, that is what I was specting... real world compairson between brands.

The reason I has is that I have experienced harsh forks in the past because the choosen oil was not slippery enough (even if the centistokes were right).

I am planning on rebuliding my suspension now that we are lockedown... and I have some remaining Motorex fork oil (anyone have something to say about Motorex?), but I don´t care discarding it and buying something better.

For the shock I actually have Kyb K2C shock oil at home, so I'll use it...

Any advice (real life experience) about using different oil in the outers?
rjg
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rjg 4/6/2020 10:09am
4/6/2020 10:09am Edited Date/Time 4/6/2020 10:11am
Ya Kyb, atf6, 0w20 are the best I have used in outer chambers, kyb gets dirty fast

There are great recommendations for race tech and DaveJ special sauce. But I haven't used them
Tuna
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Tuna 4/6/2020 1:22pm
4/6/2020 1:22pm
rjg wrote:
Ya Kyb, atf6, 0w20 are the best I have used in outer chambers, kyb gets dirty fast There are great recommendations for race tech and DaveJ...
Ya Kyb, atf6, 0w20 are the best I have used in outer chambers, kyb gets dirty fast

There are great recommendations for race tech and DaveJ special sauce. But I haven't used them
I use the special sauce and think it works great. Lasts forever, smooth things out, plusher feel. I ran just his fluid before I installed his kits and found it have a much better feel than the KYB fluid. Stinks pretty bad though🤮
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YZed250
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YZed250 4/7/2020 8:08am
4/7/2020 8:08am
rjg wrote:
Ya Kyb, atf6, 0w20 are the best I have used in outer chambers, kyb gets dirty fast There are great recommendations for race tech and DaveJ...
Ya Kyb, atf6, 0w20 are the best I have used in outer chambers, kyb gets dirty fast

There are great recommendations for race tech and DaveJ special sauce. But I haven't used them
Tuna wrote:
I use the special sauce and think it works great. Lasts forever, smooth things out, plusher feel. I ran just his fluid before I installed his...
I use the special sauce and think it works great. Lasts forever, smooth things out, plusher feel. I ran just his fluid before I installed his kits and found it have a much better feel than the KYB fluid. Stinks pretty bad though🤮
Stinky special sauce from DaveJ. WTH! Laughing
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PC
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PC 4/7/2020 12:42pm
4/7/2020 12:42pm
I switched to Dex VI and am very pleased. It's probably comparable to a 7wt fork oil, but nothing a few clicks can't compensate for. It's cheap, readily available and doesn't break down quickly from my experience.
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Berni
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Berni 4/8/2020 12:25am
4/8/2020 12:25am
Any suggestion for rear shock, other than the kayaba k2c I already have? I mean something that you have compared and felt it worked better...
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Tuna
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Tuna 4/8/2020 6:14am
4/8/2020 6:14am
Berni wrote:
Any suggestion for rear shock, other than the kayaba k2c I already have? I mean something that you have compared and felt it worked better...
The special sauce😂
Berni
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Berni 4/9/2020 12:18am
4/9/2020 12:18am
Berni wrote:
Any suggestion for rear shock, other than the kayaba k2c I already have? I mean something that you have compared and felt it worked better...
Tuna wrote:
The special sauce😂
Cannot get the special sauce in spain 😅
Tuna
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Tuna 4/9/2020 4:51am
4/9/2020 4:51am
Berni wrote:
Any suggestion for rear shock, other than the kayaba k2c I already have? I mean something that you have compared and felt it worked better...
Tuna wrote:
The special sauce😂
Berni wrote:
Cannot get the special sauce in spain 😅
Have you asked if he would ship? I live in Canada and he shipped? Where are you in Spain? I love riding in the south outside of Malaga. Amazing terrain.
Berni
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Berni 4/9/2020 6:58am
4/9/2020 6:58am
Dude I am from Marbella, 50km far from malaga. Have you been here?
Tuna
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Tuna 4/9/2020 10:29am
4/9/2020 10:29am
Berni wrote:
Dude I am from Marbella, 50km far from malaga. Have you been here?
Yeah I ride in Pizarra outside Cartama. Supposed to be there April 23rd. Was gonna help bring the race rentals down to Lagares. I stay at Jarvis’s pad up the mountain. My favorite place in the world.
Berni
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Berni 4/9/2020 5:33pm
4/9/2020 5:33pm
This area probably is as close to the enduro paradise as it can be... (And paradise in general) I do not contain about where I live, except I have not the sauce for my suspensions ready available in my close raceshop 😂
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RPP Dan
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RPP Dan 4/10/2020 12:19pm
4/10/2020 12:19pm
You're going to get a slew of haters and lovers on this one, as will any oil recommendation thread. With that being said, my recommendation is stick with the big players as they typically have more standardized testings, inspections, and consistency. Whatever you use, try to stick to something that is a synthetic fluid and your suspension will be a little happier, a little longer. My list is below;

1. Maxima SYN
2. KYB OEM
3. Belray
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