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*Updated* How can I make my YXZ's suspension feel like an X3?

30K views 40 replies 18 participants last post by  RobBeck 
#1 · (Edited)
UPDATE: So I took it out last Sunday and adjusted the settings. Turns out all 4 shocks were cranked all the way to the stiffest setting. I softened them up a bit and it made a massive difference in every aspect. It still doesn't feel like an X3 of course but it is so much better and I feel like I can wait a little before having to upgrade the suspension. I am still probably going to do long travel eventually, I just don't feel like I have to ASAP now haha


So I have a 2021 YXZ SS SE and I recently took a trip out of state to see my brother and we rented an X3 XRS Turbo RR for the weekend and I loved the way it handled. I don't want an X3 because I am a die hard Yamaha fan and won't get anything with a rubber band transmission but damn that suspension was amazing. I get that the X3 makes double the power, I will be throwing a turbo on the YXZ to help with that. My question is, what suspension set up can I get for the YXZ that will be comparable to the X3? Do I need to do a long travel kit or can I get by doing a less expensive route?
 
#2 ·
Long travel will help a lot, but the Can-am has a longer wheelbase and a trailing arm rear suspension so the Yamaha will never be as good. I have a YXZ and would not buy a Can-am because of the belt and fun factor of shifting the YXZ. I would like the trailing arm suspension and longer wheelbase of the Can-am though. There is someone making a trailing arm kit and wheelbase extinction kit. I forget who it was, maybe some will post up with more INFO.
 
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#3 ·
Check out Avid UTV they are coming out with some really cool yxz stuff lately and he has mild to wild setups. The wild setup is pretty big money however if you were gonna be in your car long term you would never look back again. Or you would look back every time you go out looking for the can ams that are slower than you😂
 
#7 ·
For a lower cost alternative check out the Fireball LT. Fireball adds 7" to the width and 3.5" to the wheelbase. Just installed one on my 2016 and it has transformed the car. It is so much more stable and plush. The stock suspension was really beating me up. Also installed 30" tires when I installed the LT. The guys at Fireball were very helpful as I called them several times during the install. The Fireball kit was a bit over $3000 and it included axles.
 
#11 ·
And here I always thought the YXZ suspension looked much fancier and likely worked much better, surely it has its advantages somewhere, over the trailing arm setups? The newer RZR's and X3's are much different, lots of ground clearance, serious amounts of suspension travel, bigger car, bigger tires, bigger etc. Are we sure we should give it all to the trailing arm suspension?

I don't have much time on my new wheel/tires/springs but so far those changes alone have radically transformed the machine, I'd start there.
 
#12 ·
I am far from a suspension expert. To be honest, I have never even heard of trailing arm suspension until very recently and I heard that it is superior. Of course the internet is a place of many opinions. One thing I do know is that the suspension on a stock X3 is much better than a stock YXZ, not that the YXZ has bad suspension overall. I haven't even adjusted mine yet because I have no idea what I would even be doing. That X3 felt like a Cadillac on trails and whoops man. My YXZ beats me up on trails and I have only tackled smaller whoops so far but I imagine the bigger ones won't feel as plush at higher speeds like in the X3.
 
#16 ·
On my heavy (with accessories) '19 YXZ (X2 shock setup), the car was just dragging everything, very unstable and bicycling everywhere. Way too soft for my riding. Firming it up and cranking the suspension settings to nearly full hard basically everywhere helped quite a bit, but the travel was still not there even with cranking preload substantially. Without travel there is not much movement for the suspension, and that is never a good thing with any rough terrain and hard riding.

I've read the older cars were stiff/etc.; not the case with mine but the springs just didnt have any backbone either (car weight surely wasn't helping). Anyway adding those Weller HD springs gave it back the feel of having some suspension travel (ride height is back where I want it), and a spring that actually has enough backbone to actually do some work. I still need to work on my shock settings but right off I think it is not too far off with mostly stiff settings. Also doesn't look as much like a lowered sports car next to everyone else's 4x4's lol.
 
#17 ·
I have been from stock tweaks, to full stock X2 respring/revalve, to Weller LT respring/revalve to finally 3.0 IBP in the rear. IMO you can get a decent ride out of stock shocks with springs and valving, even the LT was nice but nothing made a major change in the suspension of the car (jumping, large long whoop sections, major G outs) like 3.0 IBP in the rear. So if you want to go direct to X3 like ride dont waist money in between, go straight LT and replace the rears with the 3.0 IBP, they work on more than just the Cognito LT kit, I know I have seen someone from Texas on youtube I think with some nice yxz's and fireball LT with the 3.0s.
 
#22 ·
I would say the best is going with the long travel kit. I have stock suspension on ‘16 model and after eibach dual rate springs that helped was not nearly enough. I ended up sending my shocks to Weller Racing and had them revalve shocks with heavy KOH springs and that made the ride better than ever and no more washboard or choppy conditions to feel.
 
#28 ·
If you want to get ride of the bucking and improve the ride without spending a fortune hang as much weight off the rear end as you can. Install the spare tire rack with a spare then have your shocks re valved with heavy springs. As stated before the geometry is not good for big whoops which is why they buck so bad. The only way to cure it is to lengthen the rear trailing arms, basically move the center line of the rear tire farther back from the seat. Honda talons suffer the same issue. We can trick that by moving the weight back which moves the center of gravity back. We ride these bad boys for the thrills of grabbing gears and making tears….
 
#30 ·
I have installed a rear cargo box and filled it with a bunch of recovery and safety gear. Should weigh it down a bit. I am going to do a spare tire carrier too, I just need to find a stock wheel/tire or order a new complete set. I was going to buy a wheel from the local Yamaha dealer and they wanted something like $650 for just one wheel
 
#29 ·
I have X2 shocks on my '19 SE and initially cranking all the dampeners to firmer settings helped a ton with the rear bucking, but I think most of the help was from adjusting the rear rebound adjustment full high. The rears are the last wheels to leave the ground so if the rear suspension rebounds to quickly as leaving a jump face it bucks you bad. Keeping that rebounding process a very slow one is ideal on the one off jump, but not so great on a hot whoop section where you need the suspension to quickly rebound for the next whoop. However it is difficult to really get anything done on rugged terrain with the OE springs.

On that note with OE springs they already have significant preload (and need more to get more ground clearance), and that rear preload also makes the suspension rebound quick. The best bet and what is needed most is the heavy spring to get you the desired ground clearance (especially in the rear with little preload), and that with some dialing in on the rebound helps this machine fly much flatter.
 
#31 ·
That’s crazy expensive for one tire. RM atv has some great prices on tires I know some wheels look very similar for a fraction of the price. Once you get the set up you want it’s really important to get the weight of the vehicle with you in it to calculate the spring rate. Be mindful most budget spring kits don’t sell a true duel rate spring. It has to have a cross over ring to be a true duel rate. I know they like to s**t on yxz but shock therapy sells a nice set up plus a lifetime warranty on the springs. Weller has good stuff and so does Z bros. But I’ll be having mine done by shock therapy when it’s time.
 
#36 ·
This set up will make it feel better then a can am
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