Limiting Straps on a UTV

[floatn turd]

Howdy,
So I have a CanAm X3.
I got the Suspension done and the package came with limiting straps.

I like the new ride over the whoops but I felt it get out of shape a few times because now I'm catching air.
The wheels lift off the ground more because of the straps.
I know they "save your shocks" but it feels like I loose travel and have a higher chance of getting sideways while going down Sand HWY or some another road like that.

My wheels never left the ground with the stock set up.
Do I really need the straps or is it more of a personal preference thing and I can do without.
But maybe my shocks wear out a little sooner?

What say ye....
Thank you

 

[monkeyswrench]

Need straps I believe, but sounds like there may be more tuning needed. Does it feel over sprung in the front?

Or...are you just driving faster and harder with the new toys, and that's what's causing the new issues

 

[counterpart7]

You don’t “need” straps on a UTV(possibly depending on wheel size/weight) in my opinion. Most UTV shocks have internal droop stops of some sort.

Pull the straps and see if you actually feel the difference you believe is being caused by them. Slow enough rebound damping can cause a similar seat of the pants feeling. Or there’s a chance you’re going faster now with the re-worked shocks?

Edit: Also looks like your rear ride height is pretty tall(pretty common for Ned’s setups). I would drop the rear ride height some personally. Maybe all the way around. I am not personally a fan of the tall ride heights that ST, MTS and a few other guys insist on.

 

[riverroyal]

Sounds like straps need to be adjusted to be longer. They should stop the shock slam outward by a very small measurement
You may need to jack car up. Push down on each tire to get true full stop. The adjust straps 1/2" less
You shouldn't fell them

 

[outboard_256]

Limit straps should be set to the max stroke of the shock. It will not cause the issues you are describing unless they are just installed wrong. I would guess you need to dial in your suspension, I would start with setting ride height, then playing with rebound settings.

 

[702sandman]

We have Raced utv’s since 2015 and with over 13,000 desert race miles we have never ran limit straps. just letting you know our personal experience, alot of people run them but our shock guys say it’s no big deal. It could prevent a shock pull apart in reality but we have our shocks serviced after every race and they have never said we had one about to pull apart. Hope this helps

 

[Backlash]

I would run the limit straps as it's inexpensive insurance against damage. Just my .02.

 

[fishing fool]

Limit straps are to protect the axles not the shock.........

 

[ltbaney1]

@fishing fool is correct. we always run limit straps, but they come tight at full shock droop. i also agree it looks like your ride height is pretty tall, the straps almost look tight in those pictures. my guess is your straps are too short or misadjusted. I always set them to be on the same angle as the shock, and use adjusters like these for fine tuning.

Adjustable Limit Strap Clevis

Limit strap failure is caused by 2 elements: abrasion and mis-alignment. An adjustable clevis gives the ability to adjust your limit strap to the desired length, as well as allow the strap to articulate and pull straight. Allows you to install 1, 2 or 3 limiting straps per clevis. HOW ADJUSTABLE...

www.prpseats.com

 

[jesco]

We have Raced utv’s since 2015 and with over 13,000 desert race miles we have never ran limit straps. just letting you know our personal experience, alot of people run them but our shock guys say it’s no big deal. It could prevent a shock pull apart in reality but we have our shocks serviced after every race and they have never said we had one about to pull apart. Hope this helps

THIS!!! the 13,000 miles he is talking about is running HARD through stuff most people would be going 1/2 the speed him and his daughter are doing... ask me how I know.. hahaha. I dont run them on my CanAm and have been told by SDG and AllTech they aren't needed.

Just for ref on your ride height... SDG always set my car up with the bottom of the car, the skid plate, to be at center of hub +/- 1/4" with the front about 1/2" higher than the rear. A quick way to check it, take your tire size, divide that in half, that should be close to bottom of skid plate. You have to drive the car around a little and cycle the shocks, roll to a stop, dont mash the brakes or the front will compress and the rear will come up. A lot of places will set your car high for some reason and you're not using the shock to the fullest. When a car is set up right, it makes a HUGE difference.

 

[Bajastu]

Limit straps are to protect the axles not the shock.........

Front ends benefit from limit straps too just like rearends. My class 5 had them on the front to limit full extension on the shocks. My 1400 F100 has them on the front to limit full shock extension. A UTV is light with low unsprung weight but in all other race cars, limit straps are there to protect the suspension, axles, drive shaft, steering, and shocks. Even though my F100 has 3.0 coil overs and 4.4 bypasses, the limit straps still play a vital role in not letting the shocks fully extend with all the unsprung weight of the rearend housing, brakes, shocks, diff, wheels, and the four link. The drive shaft has a greater tolerance than the 18" shocks, hents the need for limit straps.

You may get lucky on not running them on a UTV, but at some point, the shocks just can't take the constant abuse.

I see a ride height issue. Along with the ride height issue, the shocks will need to be tuned to get the tires grounded and not constantly be extended to the max. Even if you remove the limit strap, you will have the same issue.

 

[Racey]

UTVs unsprung weight is pretty low, and their geometry has been engineered from the get go to use the shock as the limiter. I have never seen a shock pulled apart on a UTV where a limit strap would have prevented it. Not saying it can't happen, but it's exceedingly rare

 

[rrrr]

UTVs unsprung weight is pretty low, and their geometry has been engineered from the get go to use the shock as the limiter. I have never seen a shock pulled apart on a UTV where a limit strap would have prevented it. Not saying it can't happen, but it's exceedingly rare

I don't know anything about UTVs, but I'm a bit surprised by your statement. Looking at the size of common wheel and tire combinations, I would have guessed the unsprung weight is significant.

Do you have any typical tire/wheel weight numbers handy, or unsprung weight to total weight ratios for four seat cars with bigger HP engines?

 

[floatn turd]

Thank you all for the input.

To answer some questions:
Yes, I did go faster in the whoops this last Glamis Trip since I got them done.
And
Yes, the CanAm sits a lot taller since the shocks were done.

I think I will call up MTS and see if it's a tuning / limiting strap length issue and take it back into them for adjustment before I ditch the straps.
And
I noticed that the rear driver side spring is rubbing on the shock body as well.

 

[wallnutz]

That just looks like some sand or other debris got embedded in the slider and scratched the shock body.
As for limiting straps, if the shocks and suspension are set up correctly you don't really need them. But they could prevent axle and cv problems in the very long run.