Elka owner long term feedback

Hello all,
Looking for ling term ownership feedback from those running Elka suspension. Looking at installing the remote reservoir front and rears. Still debating between 0-2" or 2-3" with new UCAs. I have a friend trying to talk me into Icon, but really like the Elka products from what I have been reading.

 

I had a full Elka Stage 5 suspension on a 2016 snowmobile I set up for high speed long distance trial riding / small jumps. The shocks themselves, when they were dialed in and freshly rebuilt, were the best I ever had. That said, the needed to be rebuilt a couple times every year and I did break one of the shocks in half after about a 18 months (shaft broke in half inside the shock body). Elka wouldn’t warranty it but fortunately the shop that serviced them (who I had bought the shocks from from originally) stepped up in Elka’s place. So, as a product, the Elka’s were great. They need a lot of service (the seals tended to leak) if you use them hard but they performed better than anything I’ve used before. On sleds anyway, I wasn’t impressed with shock durability... the Stage 5s I bought are supposed to be their race shocks ($3400 for 4 snowmobile shocks) so to break a shaft in half riding at 80% on trails perplexed me but maybe mine was a one in a million failure. The seals are just regular service items but still needed more TLC than other shocks I’ve owned. My only other real negative comment is their customer service. It’s awful in my experience. When my shock failed it took me 3 weeks to get in touch with anyone there. I probably left 8-10 messages and when they finally called me back after talking to authorized service shop I bought the shocks from (and who had serviced them since new) they didn’t want to hear anything about the failure of the shaft. I’d say if you buy them, make sure the retailer is authorized to service them. That all said, I’d probably buy another set. For snowmobiles, there aren’t many offerings that have the adjustability that the Elkas have. Good luck!

 

Elka has only been making suspension for Tundras since about late fall or early winter 2018. I got mine installed in July of 2019, so not really long term yet.

I owned Icon on a Tacoma. On the Tundra I have the extended adjustable front (with SPC UCA’s) and adjustable rear along with an Icon add-a-leaf. My opinion to date is that Elka is one of the best all-purpose suspension systems out there. If the truck was mostly an off-roader, I would go Icon or King. But for a truck that you do everything with: commute, go to Home Depot, tow and off-road, Elka wins for me. One harsh winter so far and zero issues for corrosion.

Zero issues, beautiful road contact on fire roads and very planted for daily driving. Off road articulation is generally equal if you compare like for like systems.

I absolutely would buy Elka again. No question about it.

Hope that helps.

 

Which Elkas are we talking about for the tundra? I am considering the 2.0 ICP or whatever they call it, the entry level coilover set as a lift/upgrade for my SR5

 

Any update on the durability so far? It's been a few years now. I am very interested in these Elkas as my current setup rusted super quick! 10 months and these look like shit already.

 

I got mine in 2019. Hose them off they look almost new still. Only a little bit of corrosion on the fitting that connects the remote res hose to the main body.

 

That’s awesome. Do you live in a salt prone area in winter.

I’m pretty bummed about these shocks of mine. I even paid an extra $1300 Canadian for them to be “cerakoted”. Which quite obviously failed miserably.

What’s that old saying? “Throwing good money after bad...”

 

I’m in Calgary and there is salt everywhere - especially this year.

 

Some pics from the folks at Krave Auto on Fox corrosion up here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLZw8_KHWXb/?igshid=1fyt8fet735ss

 

I’ll just run mine to failure, which is hopefully a few more years and then likely go the Elka route.

Or I may just go back to Bilstein throwaways.

 

Running to failure is the best bet. It may even better financial sense to just rebuild them again vs replace if you are generally happy with the performance.

 

To add... did you contact Radflo? I know they aren't super popular and are a small shop, but they have a reputation for decent service. Send them some pics, especially if you paid extra for the corrosion coatings.

 

Yeah I contacted them and they denied any warranty claim for the coating. Only 10 months old and I’m not impressed.

We had a mild winter here in Squamish too, with next to no snow.

 

That picture is after 10 months????

 

Yep. Installed May 1, 2020 by a shop in the Fraser Valley. I have about 16000 km on them at this point. (10000 miles).

 

Very disappointing. After 10 months that is unacceptable. Did you buy them through that shop? If not, who did you purchase them from?

 

Ive had mine since 2019 as well. I have the 0-2" remote res without DC, and SPC UCA's. They still look brand new and have performed very well. The can be a little stiff on fast impacts off road but they float over rolling hills and whatnot. They are great on the street as well. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them or buy them again.

 

Those don't look very good for being so new. For comparison, here's one of mine (Radflo 2.5s) I just took a pic of it. These have seen two Kansas City winters, where we do use salt a lot. They're dirty, for sure, but no rust.

 

I had a similar set as yours prior to this and had better luck.

It’s almost as if the cerakote made them rust faster! I was rinsing them with water every couple weeks too.

No warranty support from the shop, where purchased and installed, or manufacturer at this point. Fairly lame.

 

Do you have any pics from when they were first installed? I thought is their cerakote black or clear?

 

They were so pretty on install. The Cerakote is black. *note this is on a Tacoma.

 

Were the threads on your front coilovers black?

 

Yes that’s correct.

 

Not too optimistic on rust removal...

 

It would be worth it to put marine grease on which ever model you buy next. Pretty quick proccess before they go in

 

A harsh lesson was learned here.

I had the regular 2.0’s for 6 years prior to this and they didn’t corrode anything like this.

I felt that since they were cerakoted (and I paid $$$$ extra) that they would be fine.

Alas, not the case.

 

I may be getting a resolution after hearing from the dealer after the fact. I know they aren’t happy either. Shitty situation for everyone.

But let’s hear more about Elka long term durability and performance please.

 

I ordered the 2-3 2.5s with the remote reservoir and clickers. Also new ucas and a rear leaf packs They're fairly new compared to other shocks on the market for our trucks elka is big in the power sports market. I was sold on them though after that one thread where they were compared to kings.
I ran bilstein 6112s and 5160s for 182k miles they're blown out at this point. We'll see how long these last. I'm hoping it totally changes the truck. Since I couldn't find 6112s I kinda went nuts lol.
I looked at the radflos too but I went with the Elkas, but I'll update how they handle my abuse. Just patiently waiting for them to arrive.

 

Cool! I will be interested how your Elka journey goes.

The scuttlebutt I heard just today, complete hearsay of course, from Suspension tuners/techs, was that aluminum shock bodies die after 3 years ish.

I’d be much happier if that wasn’t the case.

Time will tell.