Everything Elka and How They Compare

So those who has that clunk, did you guys ever figure out what it was? Was it that lower spherical bearing that caused it?

@Norilsk for the design change from Elka were you given any sort of discount? Just because of a design change everyone who has the older version and needs a rebuild will be eating the cost I assume? I "think" it should be taken care of by Elka since it seems as if it was a design flaw to begin with, probably the reason they made the change? But glad you got it fixed! Any clunks after the fix? Asking because I thought about switching to Elka from icons, might hold off on them. So far I have had no issues with my icons, no clunks and no leaks and been on my truck for roughly over a year.

 

I have the updated design and had the clunk. It mysteriously went away after I bought my truck in for the needle bearing replacement. Not sure if it’s the shock itself or if it’s the CV axle/front diff

 

^^ that is weird. And I find it hard to believe it's the oil running through the valves when the shocks are compressing/expanding (although I'm no expert in that field).

 

I still haven’t taken mine out. I have a trip scheduled over the holidays so I can update then.

 

Any new news from Krave? Can they get replacement bearings?
I have ADS on my taco, but my wife's 4runner has 2.5 non resis that have been clunking for the past month. I've been chasing the noises, removed sway bar, retorqued all bolts a couple of times and was about to start checking out the shocks when I came across this post. I'm in Calgary as well, but my shocks are less than a year old. No hard wheeling, almost all pavement on these.

Will likely inspect the lower mounts this Friday when it warms up.

 

Its a pretty common bearing amongst the different shock manufacturers. I get mine from here
https://www.303shockservices.com/product-page/com10t-bearing-kit

Might not ship to Canada though.

You can also get those bearings in higher end specs if you want that will probably last longer but they cost way more. Here's some info on those
https://adventuretaco.com/replacing-the-spherical-bearings-again-with-stainless-steel/

Couple places you can get them online if locally doesn't work out. Not too hard to replace.

 

Are there any photos of the new versus old design? Seems mine were made about the time the design change happened. But I don’t know if I have the new or old.

 

I got 4WA here in Edmonton to replace my spherical bearings on the 2.0 Elkas.
I bought the replacements from Krave and they had them in stock. It was just over $200 with shipping to Edmonton.



4WA did mention that the Elka design is significantly better than ICON. Elka's have rubber o-rings and ICONs do not. 4WA says that the ICONs get completed wrecked by road salt and grime. Definitely not designed for Canadian weather and roads.

I have no idea if these are a different design than the original. I don't think they are or 4WA would have mentioned it.

 

Thanks for the info
I called Krave a couple days ago, and spoke with Cam. He said it was either Elka's third or fourth iteration, so sounds like there have been some changes. He did say they have them in stock, and I would assume try to stock them on the regular.

 

Anyone had issues with the line between the shock body and remote reservoir leaking?

 

Why did I wait so long?! This thing is going into the trash. I have 700lb springs and really regret not doing this day one.

 

^^ Not sure if it's any different but I have a 4th gen 4runner and both my sways are removed. I also have 700lb springs up front and the swaying back and forth is not a good feeling. I just haven't found the time to put my front sways back on. Most say their driving is nothing to worry about. Mine is the opposite. My daughter drove it the other day and that was the first thing she mentioned to me when she walked thru the front door. I thought it was just in my head but since she also mentioned it, I'm putting it back on.

 

Yeah, I can hardly tell a difference at all with sway, but the ride quality is massively better.

 

I wish that was the case with me. I'd prefer no sway but if it's unsafe, I prefer safety over not having 1" of flex.

 

I didn't remove mine for a little bit. Sway bar is still hanging out in the OE/spare parts shelf.

 

Its not just extra flex, it’s extra ride comfort. It just drives how I imagined it would after the suspension upgrade now. It doesn’t feel unsafe at all to me.

 

Congrats! It’s the best decision you can make. I’ve had mine off for 8 months now. Love the way it feels. With 700 lbs coils there is enough support to counteract the sway. I can’t tell a difference when swerving or getting on/off highway at high speeds actually but have noticed an improved ride comfort.

 

Define comfort? Like a stiff (on rails type) comfort or caddy (floaty) comfort? Mine, while on a straight-a-way drives great. It's in-between stiff and comfort which is what I like. When on the hwy and it slight curves, I can feel the swaying as if it's top heavy. I haven't tried adjusting the coilovers to the stiff setting so maybe I should try that before putting that sway bar back in.

 

How long and how many miles have you put on them?

Any known or likely situations where you could've had flying sticks, largeish rock/stone? Is it leaking in the hose itself or the fitting/hose fitting?

 

It’s perfect but not so stiff that it rattles your teeth out. Previous to removal I could open up high and low, all the way open, and it was still too stiff. I would sit down on the trails, still too stiff.

Yesterday, when I took it out without the bar for the first time, it almost felt like a caddy. I tighten everything up today and it’s exactly what I needed. It’s sporty stiff, but I’m not going to get a concussion on a speed bump. Also, with the low speed tightened up all the way, I couldn’t really feel the sway at all.

With how amazing the difference is, I can’t help but imagine that it wasn’t good for the spindles. I’m getting a Lil B’s front bumper installed with a winch on Tuesday. If it still feels this good afterwards I’m going to start getting serious about the Swaybarless spindle gussets.