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Öhlins snowmobile shock absorbers also have a patented
ice scraper on the piston shaft preventing ice from damaging
the seals and moisture from entering the shock absorber.
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Improving
your suspension does more for overall performance than increasing
your engine's horsepower. You will feel the difference in the
first corner!
With a real world-class suspension you
get better traction and handling. You ride with precision, thus
more safely and as a plus… in comfort.
Just ask any of our many snowmobile
champions who won their titles on Öhlins shock absorbers.
We guarantee they will agree. Good traction and handling are
more important than extra horsepower that can only be used when
you are aimed "straight ahead"!
All our tests have shown that fitting
Öhlins shock absorbers will improve handling but for the
ultimate results you have to change "all around".
The reason for this is quite simple. For the ultimate in suspension
improvements, the front and rear end of your snowmobile must
match!
Start from the
rear
The suspension on your snowmobile can be divided in to three
parts: Front, centre and the rear suspension. If you do not
want to change all shock absorbers at the same time, you shall
start from the rear! First change the rear shock, than the centre
and, for the ultimate result, the ski shocks at the front.
When changing suspension components
it is essential that you do not alter your snowmobile's suspension
geometry. This applies particularly to your snowmobile's loaded
ride height (ride height with rider on the snowmobile) front
and rear. The ride height affects the weight distribution and
the weight distribution affects both the steering and the traction.
A high rear suspension will give heavy
steering and bad traction. A high centre suspension will give
the opposite result. And a high front will make the steering
very sensitive, see also "Your own set up".
It is wise to
check
All Öhlins shock absorbers are set up for normal cross-country
riding with your snowmobile, as supplied by the manufacturer,
ridden by a rider of average weight carrying light luggage or
a passenger.
Even if your snowmobile has no extra
equipment it is wise to check the ride height after you have
fitted your new shock absorbers.
To optimize your suspension it is essential that you have the
correct ride height and that springs that suits your weight
are used.
Also remember that all of our test riders
always test on brand-new snowmobiles. If your snowmobile is
a couple of years old, it is wise to check that the shocks you
do not change are still up to their original standard.
Winning concept
All Öhlins shock absorbers are based on Öhlins successful
application of the "de Carbon" concept. The de Carbon
concept means that the damping oil is placed under pressure
by gas and separated from the gas by a floating piston.
This concept has many advantages. It
prevents the chance of cavitation, which happens when the oil
can not move fast enough and becomes hard as a rock (compare
with an unsuccessful dive into water). It offers better cooling,
especially if the shock absorber has an external reservoir (the
external reservoir is in fact an extension of the shock absorber
and more oil, larger cooling areas improve performance and durability).
Gives more consistent damping, regardless of the shock absorber's
working temperature. And it makes the shock absorber last longer.
But there is one exception. Öhlins
Type 36E is an emulsion type of shock absorbers (oil and gas
mixed in the shock absorber), see "Two concepts three types".
Not guesswork
All Öhlins snowmobile shock absorbers also have a new patented
ice scraper on the piston shaft preventing ice from damaging
the seals and moisture from entering the shock absorber.
Öhlins manufactures more than 100
different shock absorber models, each model tailor-made for
one specific snowmobile. Total length, travel, spring force
and damping forces are carefully calibrated during testing riding
cross-country and at race speeds on snow-cross tracks.
The settings are consequently the results
of extensive testing with your snowmobile and not guesswork!
All Öhlins shock absorbers have,
with a few exceptions, one or several adjusters. The minimum
is adjustable spring and the maximum number of adjusters you
will find on the top-of-the-line model, Öhlins 46PRC. The
46PRC feature a double-acting rebound/compression damping adjuster
in the piston shaft and an independent compression damping adjuster
in the external reservoir.
Your own set-up
You can fine-tune the shock absorbers with the adjusters. You
optimize them for your weight, your riding style and the riding
conditions.
You compensate for extra load or a passenger
with the spring adjuster. This means that you keep the balance
that your snowmobile was designed with.
Except for the suspension, spring preload
also affects steering and traction. If the shock absorbers bottom
when you are riding with a heavy load in rough conditions, the
trick is to increase the spring preload only on the rear shock
absorber which will result in no bottoming and a good steering
response
If your snowmobile has a limiter strap
or a similar adjuster you can easily set it up for different
kinds of snow conditions.
A short limiter strap will increase
ski pressure resulting in better steering response on hard snow.
If you shorten the limiter strap a lot,
you have to decrease spring preload on the centre shock. Otherwise
spring preload will increase and the ride will be less comfortable.
A long limiter strap will decrease ski
pressure and increase traction for better handling in deep snow
and on ice. And, you might loose steering response completely
if the strap is too long!
If your snowmobile is lacking an adjuster
you can achieve the above results by decreasing or increasing
spring preload on the centre shock.
Less spring preload will increase ski
pressure, more preload will decrease the pressure.
We advice you to do the adjustments
in small steps until you find the optimum setting. If you keep
notes, it is easy to alter settings for different conditions.
The double-acting rebound/compression
damping adjuster in the piston shaft modifies the damping at
a ratio of approximately 90% rebound, 10% compression. 10% effect
on compression may seem like very little but feels like a lot.
Remember that the spring absorbs most of the load transferred
during a compression stroke. And you need the 90% on rebound
to stop the spring from extending too fast during the rebound
stroke!
With the adjuster wheel on top of the
external reservoir you add compression damping, without changing
rebound damping.
Too much compression damping will give
you a harsh ride as your snowmobile "jumps" along
the trail. With too much rebound damping it will have difficulties
with several bumps in a row. The suspension will not extend
fast enough between bumps, your snowmobile will ride lower and
lower and eventually the suspension will bottom.
Learning how to use the adjusters will
take time but you will quickly appreciate them once you know
the tricks. Even top riders sometimes need a specialist!
Your own internal set-up is also possible.
The Öhlins shock absorber is not a "disposable"
shock absorber but one you can take apart, reshim, readjust
and overhaul.
Precision is
the difference
All Öhlins suspension products are designed to win races.
The ones you can buy are exactly the same as the ones we sell
to top teams and riders. The set-up might be different and by
all means there are prototypes around. Progress can not be stopped!
The Öhlins concept is not a secret,
it is precision. Precision gives superior control of the damping
oil and is the key to our success.
Precision also results in quality, a
quality you can both see and feel.
For the ultimate in performance, Öhlins
is the ultimate choice. |
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continue to When
you are riding 
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Intro 
Intro 
Snowmobiles
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