Adding oil to V13 air shocks.

[mrelwood]

A person David Smith published a YouTube video where he shares a tip to get the V13 suspension working better:

 

 

There are however a few issues with this mod. There are a few things going on:

1) The amount of oil that David puts in decreases the air chamber volume enough for it to function similarly like a volume spacer for bicycle air shocks. It may be beneficial, but that much oil might already decrease the suspension travel, which I’m sure is not intended. You should at least let the shocks compress fully while upside down to make sure the excess oil is pushed out and the suspension travel isn’t inhibited too much.

2) The oil might (not sure how/if the V13 shock balances the upper chamber pressure) only reach the lower chamber, and if you keep the wheel upright, the piston’s O-ring will dry out again. You might actually benefit from just leaving a stock V13 upside down for a while every now and then, so that the original oils reach the piston.

3) There is no mechanism at the bottom of the shock that utilizes/benefits from traditional shock oil. There are no valves etc, since the separate damper serves that function. Therefore one needs to use a thicker oil for a mod like this (if one wants to mess with it).

On the V11 the external rails are the main point of friction. If you want to get the best out of either suspension, be sure to first clean and wax (or otherwise lubricate) the rails. If that’s not enough for you, do the oil mod if you’re desperate enough. But be sure to check that the shock still travels down all the way. Also, measure your sag again, since you might be good with a lower pressure than with a stock setup.

 

Ps. A tip for inserting the oil for those brave and desperate enough to try this: Pushing thick oil through a narrow channel into a sealed compartment is difficult, since the air you’re replacing has no way to escape. For a non-messy successful inserting and no oil lost:

- Lay the V13 upside down on it’s pedals on top of two solid chairs’ backrests. Deflate and remove the bottom valve from one of the shocks.

- Put your weight on the tire to compress the suspension.

- Set the oil filled plunger tightly in the air shock valve stem, as tightly as you can hold it.

- Squeeze in the oil while you slowly let go of the wheel and let the suspension travel back to it’s extended position. That creates a negative pressure in the air chamber which sucks in the oil.

[Punxatawneyjoe]

Seems stupid, and why is he putting it beside the valve? Why isn't the valve core removed if he is trying to get oil into it? I think the suspension works just fine, the pressure can be raised and lowered in order to adjust pre-load and the damper works too good if you turn it all the way up. Lastly, is it the right oil? Because mixing 2 different types of oils is a no no. If it's not right the oil can eat away at the seals. My 2 cents.

I feel like you are correct, the only weak point is stiction on the sliders.

Edited April 19, 2023 by Punxatawneyjoe

[OldFartRides]

Just out of curiosity I watched the whole *tutorial*….and he’s putting 80-90w gear oil in and around the shock.

 Well, it’s his wheel….I hope.

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by OldFartRides

[mrelwood]

He did remove the valve core, and tried to push the oil through the valve stem. But since the air had no place to escape, a lot of the oil ended up beside the valve stem.

Oils shouldn’t be mixed is indeed yet another reason for avoiding this mod. And to be clear, the main reason I created this topic is to bring up the negatives and the risks of the mod. Discussion is good.

[Punxatawneyjoe]

4 hours ago, mrelwood said:

He did remove the valve core, and tried to push the oil through the valve stem. But since the air had no place to escape, a lot of the oil ended up beside the valve stem.

Watched it again, my bad. I did see he was trying to suck it back up from the sides. Not sure how i missed him putting the valve core back in but i did the first time.

Still, bad idea IMO.