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Time for me to service my DVO Onyx sc damper and lower, and do a basic air can service for my SuperDeluxeAlanche.
What suspension oil is has good lube properties, easily available, and not stratospheric price?
Also thinking of going slightly lighter weights so they feel good in PNW winters where we're usually riding in 30's and 40's. DVO just says 7.5 weight in lowers, 2.5 in damper. Maybe that's light enough that good oil will feel fine in winter? Fox gold 20 always felt a bit sludgy in cold, but that's pretty heavy oil so the 7.5wt might play nicer in cold?
I heard on a PodCast, maybe the Darrin Murphy/Push one about some brand of oil that has great lubricity. Can't recall, and a quick scan through that podcast.
I'm probably overthinking this...
What suspension oil is has good lube properties, easily available, and not stratospheric price?
Also thinking of going slightly lighter weights so they feel good in PNW winters where we're usually riding in 30's and 40's. DVO just says 7.5 weight in lowers, 2.5 in damper. Maybe that's light enough that good oil will feel fine in winter? Fox gold 20 always felt a bit sludgy in cold, but that's pretty heavy oil so the 7.5wt might play nicer in cold?
I heard on a PodCast, maybe the Darrin Murphy/Push one about some brand of oil that has great lubricity. Can't recall, and a quick scan through that podcast.
I'm probably overthinking this...
One thing to note, according to the suspension nerds in moto, 2.5 and 5wt are going to act very similar in a fork. They may be different on paper, but on that side of things, a lot of people can't even tell the difference.
What I'd do if I were you is just use something a bit lighter when you do a rebuild. As far as Darren and his special fork oil, don't forget he's got a business
That was a lot of typing to just say "run what you brung"
As for lowers, that is where something lighter than the usual 20wt will have an impact, so a 10wt or maybe lighter is good. To save money you could use WPL or Motorex 5wt for everything.
In short - 2.5 for the dampers and 10 for the lowers, or 5wt all round
We do seal compatibility testing with the fluids and can only guarantee the stock fluid won't swell or shrink the seals. Different suspension fluids from the same company (Maxima for example) might cause seal swell issues... don't know we haven't tested everything out there.
Poor performance in super hot temps is probably in your head (heat stroke haha)... and maybe slightly higher air pressure in the shocks. Dampers pretty much perform the same from 50f-150f (within a few lbf).
I think we all know just doing maintenance on your lowers is what really matters, but hey, why not nerd out a bit when it's dumping rain outside!
https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/MTB-Suspension-Q-amp-A-Session-Darren…
I finally found that podcast with Darren at Push, turns out it's Part 2. At the very end he says they did testing and found the Motorex with 3D tested nicely. Good enough for me.
Weirdly DVO doesn't spec what brand to use, just say "not Maxima". Them being a bit more specific would make life easier, but I had fun going down this rabbit hole.
I do find Fox 20wt does feel thick when it's freezing out, seems to struggle to get up into the bushings. But could just be in my head since like Brandon says, forks generally feel like poo in the cold no matter what. DVO recommended 7.5wt going into lower - nice and light either way.
Not only might most riders not notice the difference, but the differences may be incorrect based on the label. Take that for what it's worth.
I'm mostly of the opinion that changes in air spring (and IFP) temps increase or decrease the spring force more than damping changes. Below around 10*c the lower lube can make a big difference though.
As for seals, getting hot makes them larger (more squeeze) but also softer while cold temps makes them harder but smaller. I'm not sure which change is larger but its also tricky to separate that change from any change in the lubricants used on them.
I did a Temp test on the dyno recently with a Fox Boost valve shock, and curiously enough the overall damping actually increased as temperatures got higher due to the increased pressure acting on the boost valve!
I got a new temperature sensor for my Data logger this week so I'll be getting proper data on the subject in the future too
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