Suspension is one of these things I could ramble my ideas on, for hours and hours, and hours. I'll just type out a few of my ideas, on the way I think with this stuff, rather than type a novel. Just to be clear, softer springs are not always the answer, it's just how I have come to finding the best over-all performance.
There are pros and cons to both softer springs AND stiffer springs, but let me just focus on these Mavericks, and how I feel about it. I have tuned so many different chassis vehicles, and often what works on one rig, sucks on another. Again, dual rate and stiffer coils can get the job done sure, but when I weigh the options and drawbacks, I usually tend to run MUCH softer single rate springs, AS LONG as I am working with a non-bypass shock, and less than 16" of wheel travel.
- Non bypass shocks, in my eye's mandates a single rate coil, for efficient rebound speed at near full droop. Getting the tires into holes and back on the ground, is a key feature of using all the travel, when you need it most. Multi-rate coil setups are usually very slow at the tail end of travel, and if you tune to that end-travel spring rate, the rebound is too fast near full bump/bottom out, giving the pogo.
- For what it's worth, the last 3.5" of wheel travel IS dual rate on the Mav, and a very efficient dual rate at that, using the OEM shaft mounted BASF dead-recoil foam jounce bumper. In that way of thinking, I am tuning with dual rate, but only because I get the compression/bottoming control, without the strong recoil. Win-win....
- When using soft coils you can get the soft ride, while still adding a crapload of compression damping. This damping is effective at controlling the chassis, from even near full droop, lifting the chassis through rough terrain, and setting you in the even softer spring rate. If using stiffer springs for bottoming resistance, you only get that force at half travel and farther in, making you blow through the first part of the travel way too fast, as the damping is lighter to get the ride quality decent.
- Soft coils are the only way to get slow speed flex(rock crawling type stuff), all the while keeping the chassis active while going slow. Stiffer coils take speed and force to create movement. At slow speeds, the soft coils can deflect, and the damping has time to get out of the way.
- More damping equals a more stable chassis. No more side-to-side crazy rocking back and forth, as the motions are controlled. You will get more TRUE body roll at times, but it is slow, dead feeling, and more controlled. Usually the most aggravating part of body roll is the quick jerky motions screwing with traction and your nerves. If the chassis slowly gets into position when you whip a turn or stomp the brakes, the traction is on-point, and the nerves have time to catch up.
I'll type more soon gotta' go.
