A well-maintained shock absorber will last longer and perform better. The best way to protect your shock absorbers from the elements is to use shock absorber protectors," such as shock covers" we highly recommend contacting Mom's Kustoms found on Facebook or www.sealsavers.com. 

For cleaning, use a gentle detergent and pay particular attention to areas where debris can become lodged. Do not use any abrasive cleaning products. 

Maintenance frequency may vary depending on the number of hours the vehicle is driven and the conditions under which it is ridden. Heat, violent impacts, dust, mud and adjustment settings are all factors that need to be taken into consideration in determining the frequency of basic maintenance and oil changes. 

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR SHOCK ABSORBERS: 1) Do not use compressed air when cleaning the seal head as this can damage the seals. 2) Clean the threads under the preload ring using a soft brush. 3) Clean around the rebound adjustment, if applicable, knob so that no foreign particles damage the adjustment mechanism. 4) Use compressed air to clean beneath the bottom out bumper.

Despite what you may have read from other companies there is no specific adjustment or setting for us to tell you where to set your cross-over rings. Cross-over rings are intended to fine tune to each individuals preferred feel while out on the trail or track. By adjusting your cross-over rings to the lowest area on the threads you will engage your main spring much sooner or in some cases almost immediately. This will activate your main spring which is a heavier rate, as you will be mostly riding on this heavy rate spring. By adjusting your cross-over rings to the top of the threaded area you are now allowing for a softer overall combined spring rate of the two springs working together. You may adjust anywhere in between the lower threads or the upper threads to suit your needs.

Rebound damping is what controls the speed at which your suspension re-extends after compressing i.e. after absorbing a hit. Not enough rebound will make your suspension pogo or buck around off of big hits. Too much rebound will cause your suspension to pack down resulting in a harsh ride. Your rebound adjuster is typically located at the lower end of your shock, which will be marked with an H and an S. We send shocks out with the rebound set midway. This is the best all around rebound setting. By adjusting counter clockwise towards the S you will speed up the action of the shock going back to full extension faster. By adjusting clockwise towards the H you will ultimately be slowing the shock down going back to full extension. There is no perfect setting for us to tell you since all terrains, drivers speeds and even tire pressure can effect each indivduals settings. We recommend starting at the mid point which is where we ship them out at and adjusting one click at a time to suit your needs.

We do not recommend re-powder coating springs. Sand blasting and reheating will weaken the spring as it changes the molecular structure of the steel. We periodically will offer silver springs but mainly Bandit's color is black.

We use all of the top spring manufacturers in the US.

Spring dividers are made to ride up and down on the shock body. They are used to connect a top and bottom spring, it is the nature of a spring divider to move up and down on a shock body. It is always best to regularly wash your shocks and rinse the dirt or debris out from the spring divider area.