Elka VS Raptor VS Exit????

[chickenman]

After reading seemingly all of the shock threads I think I. Ready to bite the bullet. The interesting thing that I've noticed is guys always saying how expensive the Elka set up is compared to Raptors or Exits. From what I can tell, if you want the whole stage 5 set up of Elkas, that seems to be true. But then that's not apple to apples. For us guys up north here, I'm seeing cost saving of about $500 on a full set up that is comparable to the other two manufacturers when buying all 4 shocks. Am I missing something?

 

[Eldereldo]

One of the things you have to look at is that if you want to revalve the Elka at some point on the future, you pretty much have to send them back to the factory. Not sure about the other shocks, but with Elka it is $140/shock plus 85/spring if they need changing. Standard Service is 105/shock. That is stage 5 prices, don’t know if they are any cheaper for other models.

 

[oler1234]

Seems like a long way to rebuild a shock... just saying!

 

[kingcat162]

Seems like a long way to rebuild a shock... just saying!

Talked to Elka guys at the Edmonton sled show and they are setting up a service dealer in BC somewhere and in Whitecourt AB - and they have a sale on when you buy a complete package - I got a flyer from them at the show but I'm not at home right now to post a pic of it - nice thing about elka's is they are setup completely custom for the rider - how many questions does raptor ask you? 1 question - how heavy you are - that's it -I'm kicking myself that I paid $800 per shock from raptor - they look good on the outside but that's about it in my opinion - elka has a vehicle application list that is about 1000 times longer than the other competitors - very very high end shock

 

[lilduke]

Talked to Elka guys at the Edmonton sled show and they are setting up a service dealer in BC somewhere and in Whitecourt AB - and they have a sale on when you buy a complete package - I got a flyer from them at the show but I'm not at home right now to post a pic of it - nice thing about elka's is they are setup completely custom for the rider - how many questions does raptor ask you? 1 question - how heavy you are - that's it -I'm kicking myself that I paid $800 per shock from raptor - they look good on the outside but that's about it in my opinion -

I don't think that is a fair statement, because Raptor uses top notch quality internals, oil, shafts and seals. They come with a wide range of adjustment. The idea is you set them up however you want by turning the clickers up or down. What specifically don't you like about the way they come valved? If you find that you have run out of adjustment they can revalve them for you no problem. I personally would like to see rebound and separate hi/low speed compression adjustment on them, but reality is most people don't need or even want an overly complicated shock. If you are like me and want those features, yes you will have to look else where. But a lot of people don't even seem to get the concept of the single compression adjustment and think they need custom valving.....

 

[oler1234]

Talked to Elka guys at the Edmonton sled show and they are setting up a service dealer in BC somewhere and in Whitecourt AB - and they have a sale on when you buy a complete package - I got a flyer from them at the show but I'm not at home right now to post a pic of it - nice thing about elka's is they are setup completely custom for the rider - how many questions does raptor ask you? 1 question - how heavy you are - that's it -I'm kicking myself that I paid $800 per shock from raptor - they look good on the outside but that's about it in my opinion - elka has a vehicle application list that is about 1000 times longer than the other competitors - very very high end shock

you missed my point, i service these shocks. I am well aware of how there made.

 

[bayman]

you missed my point, i service these shocks. I am well aware of how there made.

Do you even wrench Bro?

 

[kingcat162]

I don't think that is a fair statement, because Raptor uses top notch quality internals, oil, shafts and seals. They come with a wide range of adjustment. The idea is you set them up however you want by turning the clickers up or down. What specifically don't you like about the way they come valved? If you find that you have run out of adjustment they can revalve them for you no problem. I personally would like to see rebound and separate hi/low speed compression adjustment on them, but reality is most people don't need or even want an overly complicated shock. If you are like me and want those features, yes you will have to look else where. But a lot of people don't even seem to get the concept of the single compression adjustment and think they need custom valving.....

I dont think the ice scraper seal where the shaft enters the shockbody on a raptor is made out of brass like others - and I heard from other people that the inside of the raptor shock body isn't anodized - the only shock that should have rebound control is the rear shock in my opinion - from what i've been hearing from other sledders too is that an Elka stage 5 is higher quality than a raptor

 

[lilduke]

I dont think the ice scraper seal where the shaft enters the shockbody on a raptor is made out of brass like others - and I heard from other people that the inside of the raptor shock body isn't anodized - the only shock that should have rebound control is the rear shock in my opinion - from what i've been hearing from other sledders too is that an Elka stage 5 is higher quality than a raptor

Hey I wouldn't try to talk you out of the Elkas, they are a good shock. I put around 15,000km on Raptors though and can tell you they are a durable shock.

I have moved on to something else now, but I never had any issues with my Raptors and I ride hard.

If you already have the Raptors Id give them a shot, but that is your call.


I know Jonathon with Raptor Performance Shocks checks out the forum from time to time, maybe he will chime in
and can give some more insight to how the shock is built.


Cheers

 

[TDR]

I have had 3 pairs of Raptors and put on about 12,000 miles. They are high quality and Jonathon and Jake stand behind the product. I’m sure Elka’s are an equally good product based on what I’ve seen. Really comes down to preference. I’m sure you will be happy either way. These companies will ask about height, weight and riding style and will recommend valving based on their experience and feedback. Regardless of which way you go this will be one of the best upgrades you will do to your sled. Very noticeable.

 

[Biggs456]

I dont think the ice scraper seal where the shaft enters the shockbody on a raptor is made out of brass like others - and I heard from other people that the inside of the raptor shock body isn't anodized - the only shock that should have rebound control is the rear shock in my opinion - from what i've been hearing from other sledders too is that an Elka stage 5 is higher quality than a raptor

You are getting some misinformation kingcat162. Feel free to PM me or call us any time to discuss your concerns. Thank you Dan (lilduke) for pointing out the information you did. Much appreciated.

I'll try to clarify a few items. We do typically ask the questions you are referring to about weight, height and riding style. They are very important to anyone doing proper shock setup. One thing that sets Raptor apart and creates some of this confusion we see about riders thinking they need valving changes is that our range of adjustability on our compression clicker covers a huge gap compared to other brands. What this means is we can valve pretty close and know that our customers have the available adjustability to dial in the compression exactly the way they need it.

We get calls regularly from guys who have had some of our competition's shocks and had to send them back many times for re valve before they were right. We're not perfect either, but I can tell you with certainty that we re-valved 4 or 5 shocks last season for guys that thought things weren't quite perfect for them. 75% of these were guys that were 300+ lbs and over 6ft tall skidoo riders. Of those, half were guys that were happy with the shocks but their compression knob was close to maxed out on range and so we re-valve them in the off-season to get their compression knob back into the mid range again. Because of that range of adjustability in our shocks, we don't need to know what you had for breakfast to valve the shocks for you. I pick on the skidoo riders, but the reality is that the suspension design of that vehicle and the rider forward design mean that the rear especially is very lightly sprung and the shock is lightly valved so it is a little more temperamental when you get taller, bigger riders because tall riders tend to ride a little further back on the sled which is not what that vehicle was designed to accommodate. Not knocking the skidoo product. They make great sleds and their market share says everything they need to about what sledders think of their product.

You are correct that we don't use a brass ice scraper like some of our competitors. We have considered it but there are a couple of reasons we don't feel we need it at this point. Our shafts are unique in that they are not chrome plated like some of the shocks you'll find out there. Chrome plating has a tendency to chip or peel because it is a coating and coatings depend on parent material condition for proper adhesion. When chrome coatings fail, they can cause premature seal damage. Our R-Tride shaft treatment process is not a coating, but a proprietary process of heat treating, polishing and some secret sauce that will never chip off, again because it is not a coating. It also happens to be lab tested to at least 200% more resistant to corrosion than chrome plating. The second reason we have not gone to a brass wiper is that we will often take shocks that are in for routine service and centrifuge the fluids to see if we are getting any water past the seals. With all of that testing, we have not seen a reason to go to a brass scraper in our shocks.

As far as the other people telling you that our shock bodies are not anodized internally, I can certifiably say that one is #fakenews. Every one of our shocks bodies is hard coat anodized to our custom specs, inside and out.

One thing many people don't know about Raptor is that the owner Jake was entrenched in snow suspension engineering and design at Polaris for 12 years before he started his own company in 2008. If you get a chance to bend his ear at a snow show or on the phone sometime, you will leave the conversation understanding more about suspension design than when you started. We're positive that none of our competition can offer snow suspension customers what Raptor offers when it comes to understanding vehicle dynamics and suspension calibration. While at Polaris he worked with some of the biggest shocks suppliers in the world from an OEM perspective and that experience and knowledge has been a huge benefit to Raptor customers.

We try really hard not to talk smack about our competition. Everyone has a valid business and products that they sell and believe in. We will point out differences and the reasons why we do what we do from a design and engineering standpoint to show how our products differ when misinformation is presented. If you understand anything about Raptor after reading this thread, I hope it is that you understand we don't do things the way everyone else does them and we have good reasons for it.

I don't get on the forums as often as I should in the heart of the season when phones ring off the hook, but I will do my best to check back here to make sure any questions about Raptor get answered.

 

[jereber]

Anybody on here have pictures of their elka setup, any feedback would be appreciated!

 

[gtopski]

May just be me, would be great if the links on the raptor website under sock service worked, appears there is some good information to learn details on set up, installation and tuning shocks, however links don't work at all, and have tried on several computers? Ran raptors all around on my 16, XM-174, was extremely happy with them, marked my preferred settings on the front dials, for rough trail ride, then a turn for playing up top. Bit disappointed I had to sell the front set to fit on my new G4, just to spend the additional cash to get set up again, on the other hand was an easy sell for ~50% new price. I agree which ever manufacturer you pick, will be a significant and noticeable upgrade from OEM. I am very tossed and keep seeking real experience on the raptor ACE upgrade, is it worth the additional ~$1k? any experienced opinions? thx !

 

[Biggs456]

May just be me, would be great if the links on the raptor website under sock service worked, appears there is some good information to learn details on set up, installation and tuning shocks, however links don't work at all, and have tried on several computers? Ran raptors all around on my 16, XM-174, was extremely happy with them, marked my preferred settings on the front dials, for rough trail ride, then a turn for playing up top. Bit disappointed I had to sell the front set to fit on my new G4, just to spend the additional cash to get set up again, on the other hand was an easy sell for ~50% new price. I agree which ever manufacturer you pick, will be a significant and noticeable upgrade from OEM. I am very tossed and keep seeking real experience on the raptor ACE upgrade, is it worth the additional ~$1k? any experienced opinions? thx !

Thanks for the heads up. It's not just you on the links. We recently launched our new site and realized those links were not working. Should be fixed by tomorrow morning. If you need some of the instructions sooner, send an email to info@raptorshocks.com and we can email any of the ones you need before then.

 

[dragonweld28]

My shocks just showed up. Ill have a few pics shortly.

 

[butthead1]

My shocks just showed up. Ill have a few pics shortly.

lets see those
sled porno photos

 

[davelaw1982]

Have any of you guys gone with Enzo revalving for stockers or just aftermarket?

I had Enzo do my XM shocks, was night and day!! They were revalved and sprung, well worth the money. On my AXYS, I have Raptor all the way around, and the heavier rear springs, as I'm not a light guy. I will spend money on suspension before engine on everysled I own.

 

[dragonweld28]

lets see those
sled porno photos

These Shock are amazing. Cant wait to get and see how smooth they are!

 

[chickenman]

Elkas are installed in ready to go for the next couple days. Excited to see how they work out for me

 

[butthead1]

Elkas are installed in ready to go for the next couple days. Excited to see how they work out for me[/QUOTE
looks pretty notty