When are front outboard shocks worth it?

[The4bangertj]

From my understanding the point of out-boarding the rear is to raise the mounting point of the shock to fit a longer travel shock (12inch travel), move the mounting point closer to the tire for more control, and go with a tunable shock.
So with the front your gain in shock travel is minimal, the mounting is already out-boarded though you could move the axle side about an inch or so further out, and lastly the option for a tunable shocks.
I have found that you can get tunable foxes (with cd tuning knobs) for the factory mounting location that are 10inch travel with a 15.1inch compressed length.
https://accutuneoffroad.com/product...-reservoir-10-1-3-4-5-2-3-5-lift-cd-adjuster/
That option that gives my set up exactly 5inch of up travel and 5 down up front, 4inch till I touch the Currie bump with the expectation of 1inch till the shock shaft is 0.
So for those that have outboarded the front, is the work to package it worth it to get 1inch more of travel which would only be downtravel or are the options for tunable shocks different/better that would be pair with a rear outboard better?

 

[jjvw]

New shock mounts for the front are worth exactly however much you value tunable shocks for the front.

 

[The4bangertj]

New shock mounts for the front are worth exactly however much you value tunable shocks for the front.

So I’ll assume these arnt tunable or as adjustable because on accutune they say they’ll custom tune them. Re reading it again it says “with several different tunes. From soft Street Tunes all the way up to aggressive Trail Tunes, AccuTune Offroad will custom valve these shocks to your preference” so it seems like it’s not custom just 3 different presets to pick from. Outboards it is.

 

[jjvw]

So I’ll assume these arnt tunable or as adjustable because on accutune they say they’ll custom tune them. Re reading it again it says “with several different tunes. From soft Street Tunes all the way up to aggressive Trail Tunes, AccuTune Offroad will custom valve these shocks to your preference” so it seems like it’s not custom just 3 different presets to pick from. Outboards it is.

I know nothing about what Accutune can or cannot do. All I do know is that the capability of the tuner will dramatically affect the outcome of what the shocks are able to do.

One thing I will say about making the front shocks work in harmony with the rear is that the entire dynamic of the vehicle will change in ways not achievable with the front or rear alone. That was a true experience when I did the fronts to get Fox 2.0 RR all around. Changing to DSC reservoirs all around was entering into an entirely different world of experiencing what good shocks will do. Again, I do not know what Accutune is or isn't able to achieve with DSCs. I do know that there is more to it than simply getting them installed.

 

[Ithaca]

If you want to pursue tuned shocks, look into FullStack Motorsports and contact Paul Coplin who is the owner. He tuned my 4 Fox 2.0 RRs for my outboard just recently. Super nice on the phone and answered all my questions over a 40 minute call. I looked into Accutune but found some posts on here that were saying to look somewhere else for good tunes. Seemed the quality was iffy between different people.

He's also a forum member so it felt good supporting someone with a small business within this community.

 

[GoldenGorilla]

I know nothing about what Accutune can or cannot do. All I do know is that the capability of the tuner will dramatically affect the outcome of what the shocks are able to do.

One thing I will say about making the front shocks work in harmony with the rear is that the entire dynamic of the vehicle will change in ways not achievable with the front or rear alone. That was a true experience when I did the fronts to get Fox 2.0 RR all around. Changing to DSC reservoirs all around was entering into an entirely different world of experiencing what good shocks will do. Again, I do not know what Accutune is or isn't able to achieve with DSCs. I do know that there is more to it than simply getting them installed.

I'd believe it. The other advantage is a shock designed to be mantained, not thrown out. Built to give many years of service. My high end MTB shocks (Fox factory series and Rockshox Pike) have served me well for a long time.