Rehab1

Good to hear from you buddy! I’m glad your enjoying your V11. I truly thought my wheel mod days were over but this was fun. Yes please stay away from accidents. I still hurt! You can’t find a better weather forecaster. .

My S18 suspension mods are finally complete. There we so many tiny tweaks I performed as you can read in my previous posts. I will compile a list of the components I used in a few days.

Thanks. The S18 suspension is truly unique and sophisticated. I find it interesting exploring all of the options to improve it. The 38RC is an updated version of the 36RC and only has one air chamber to fill so it should be easier to dial in.

Great job! Your getting closer.

No more infamous ball buster, split washers ripping my bearings apart! My wheel had 6 of those jagged gators. S18 suspension systems contain 14 individual pivot bearings. All of the bearings on the suspension arms are piggybacked except for the 2 articulations that attach to the mainboard’s metal frame. For reasons unknown Kingsong’s engineers tapered the end of two suspension arms and installed only one pivot bearing per pocket instead of two. The suspension arm bushing and screws used throughout the S18 suspension system are of identical length. When these carbon copy bushings are used to secure the 2 narrowed suspension arms to the MB metal frame they end up being too long resulting in a 3/16 -1/4” gap between the bushing and screw head. We all know what happened next to resolve this ‘extra space‘ dilemma.....split washers. After experimenting with various methods to shore up the sloppiness at these 2 articulation points I elected to add an additional pivot bearing to each of the 2 arms. This singular modification diminished my suspension’s fiction significantly. Below is a view of the modified, twin bearing suspension arm attached to the MB metal frame. I also installed my new DNM 38RC shock today. I’m getting closer to the finale.

Awesome! It will be nice to see your wheel back in action! Long road and you’ve done a fantastic job! Thanks for allowing me to tag along! I look at the S18’s suspension as a piece of machinery so lubrication in hard to reach areas to me is important.

Well I made more headway today. All of the new bearings are installed and I added zerk fittings to the sliders and control board frame. Zerk installation on sliders Zerk Installation on CB frame

Video depicting my DIY method for extracting the pivot bearings using a vise, 11mm and 3/4 inch socket.

My S18 suspension mods have diverged from @Feynman’s superb suspension overhaul topic so I felt it best to post my own mods in a separate topic. Best wishes Feynman and thanks for all of the motivation.

@Feynman how close are you to completing your mods?

I must admit you do love your hammer. Well I made more headway today. All of the new bearings are installed and I added zerk fittings to the sliders and control board frame. Zerk installation on sliders Zerk Installation on CB frame

Ya but think of all the aggression you got off your chest.

Video depicting my DIY method for extracting the pivot bearings using a vise, 11mm and 3/4 inch socket.

Yes sir! I hope it solves this malalignment issue as well. I’ve methodically assembled each linkage component and evaluated for possible binding. Attaching the shock to the arms has now become an issue as the shock’s threaded nut does not line up with the contralateral suspension arm. I’m not sure if the shock’s attachment point is skewed or the actual suspension arm has a twist. I tried the spare suspension arm and the nut was oblique as well. If the new shock does not resolve the issue I’ll need to heat up the arm and twist it. This is a regular occurrence at work when designing braces but unfortunately I’ll need to repaint the arms after melting the paint. Suppose I could just hammer the suspension system back together until the pieces fit but then I’d have to change my last name to Song. I truly love this wheel and the R&D that went into the design. I consider my mods a labor of love.

GW Z25