Everything is getting lighter. Ski-Doo set the bar high with the intro of the XP chassis.
While Ski-Doo went nuts with efforts to chop weight, it left all variants of its new XP with coil spring shocks. Ski-Doo could use air shocks on the XP and lose close to another 10 cheeseburgers, instantly.
On the other hand, if you’re one of the other three OEMs attempting to pare pounds from anyplace possible, air shocks make good sense. Polaris is one sled-builder offering these shocks on several IQ models.
Plus Plush
If Arvin’s Air 2.0s were just about weight, we could hang up our word processors and run a bigger photo here.
The real goodness within these highly sophisticated shocks is rooted in the way they work. Arvin’s dual chamber air spring is unique among air dampers right now and the concept is sound.
Essentially, the Air 2.0 dual chamber principle allows for a lower “spring” rate using lower nitrogen pressure in the shock’s primary chamber for initial movement and exponentially more nitrogen pressure in the secondary chamber for deeper cycling of the suspension through bigger bumps.
This dual rate air spring concept is not new but, in this case, is advanced significantly with the use of nitrogen gas instead of good old breathable air.
These Arvins run virtually fade free and can be adjusted with the use of a special nitrogen regulator from Arvin. Fitments for current late model sleds include custom calibration that will meet the expectations of 80 percent of riders, out of the box.
Eye Candy
On top of all this good stuff comes another startling reality. From a visual perspective these shiny, beer can sized shocks literally drip cool.
The huge, polished shaft looks more like the hydraulics on a Cat D-9 than a snowmobile shock. We can almost guarantee you’ll be interrogated about your Air 2.0s by attractive women, much younger than you, when you pull into Larry’s Burger Pit. Yes, they’re worth every cent.
If you’re a performance savvy rider looking for more suspension control, compliance and adjustability or you value the concept of light weight, these are your shocks.
Check out RydeFXair2.com
