C&D vs. GT THUNDER

[GIXXER1KR]

Dont kill me i know this has been posted a billion and now a billion and 1 times but i have been researching the two different rebuilds and the thing that got my attention was that C&D doesn t use a rear linkage.How does that compare to the GT Thunder linkage and performance wise.I like the fact that i wont have tocut my rear skid plate and does C&D do the triple rate fronts and dual rate rears.I i think he does powder coating right so maybe some custom colored springs!!!!If so u can figure out where ill be going.

[Pappy]

I do all C&D's & GT Thunders custom colors:p


You will not go wrong with either, you will have to decide wether you want a linkage or not, most feel it is not needed, others feel it is.

Flip a coin

[wvspeedfreak]

C&D does great work and have great customer service.Yes,they do the triple rate fronts and dual rate rear.I have been very pleased with mine.I am now upgrading to +2 a arms and just talked to Colby Monday about what changes I will need to my shocks.He was a great help.

[GIXXER1KR]

I guess i will have to order and pay for the springs and pc 1st to get it done quicker.Pappy emaill me with a price on the pc on triple rate fronts and dual rate rears.I was thinking the biggest lower black,middle blue,top white and the rear botton spring black and upper white to match the front.If too much money i wont bother.Thanks Pappy!!!!!!!!So i should set up for MX even though i do a lot of trail so i can get the most outta them right!!!!
at shoe1000r@comcast.net

[Pappy]

If you go thru C&D, the powdercoat is included in thier pricing, I think it adds like $35 to the cost of the revalve/respring.

Sometimes they send me the springs, other times they will send me the assembled shock and I will do the springs and reassemble. This usually depends on where you are located to save on shipping costs.

Best advice, call Colby, explain fully what you have, what you expect from the set up and go from there. making them pretty comes last. Form follows function.

[GIXXER1KR]

Sounds like a plan.Can the shock rezzies be pc'd???

[Pappy]

no sir, just the springs

[GIXXER1KR]

Thanks ill get a hold of C&D!!!!!

id go GTTHUNDER. C&d is more expensive and they dont even offer a link :rolleyes:

[Pappy]

Originally posted by MixMasterMike
id go GTTHUNDER. C&d is more expensive and they dont even offer a link :rolleyes:

They do not, you are correct. However a link is not always the answer, nor is it a requirement for having a good shock set up. (and thats coming from a top shock builder who offers both)

Originally posted by Pappy
They do not, you are correct. However a link is not always the answer, nor is it a requirement for having a good shock set up. (and thats coming from a top shock builder who offers both) perhaps but ill take the link

[GIXXER1KR]

Ill pass on the link and i dont wanna cut my rear skid.Just want to stop it from bucking like a broco.Im sure just a revalve will do this never mind a respring!

Originally posted by GIXXER1KR
Ill pass on the link and i dont wanna cut my rear skid.Just want to stop it from bucking like a broco.Im sure just a revalve will do this never mind a respring! good luck ;) from what I have heard and seen the link improves the bucking a lot better then just a revalve...the revalve alone I have heard does improve the bucking but a little will be there still. with the link it is eliminated. whatever floats your boat i guess. i saved money AND eliminated the bucking instead of just improving it

[Pappy]

Originally posted by MixMasterMike
good luck ;) from what I have heard and seen the link improves the bucking a lot better then just a revalve...the revalve alone I have heard does improve the bucking but a little will be there still. with the link it is eliminated. whatever floats your boat i guess. i saved money AND eliminated the bucking instead of just improving it

how many different shock rebuilds, with and with out a link have you compared with actual seat time and feedback from 100% impartial riders? while we are at it, how many aftermarket set ups have you run to get a good idea of what is considered good and or not so good? You seem to have a lot of knowledge with alot of seat time to level opinions and give people advice on what they should purchase. I thought you rode trails behind your house, i was unaware of the amount of time you have spent testing and getting feedback on more then 1 set up.

[Colby@C&DRacing]

Originally posted by MixMasterMike
good luck ;) from what I have heard and seen the link improves the bucking a lot better then just a revalve...the revalve alone I have heard does improve the bucking but a little will be there still. with the link it is eliminated. whatever floats your boat i guess. i saved money AND eliminated the bucking instead of just improving it

Just as you said this is what you have (heard) not what is really the case. Yes our setup is more exspensive but you get what you pay for. Our setup is super tunable buy the customer and comes with allot more stuff than just a linkage. If you take the time to dial in the valving and setup the shocks correctly they work great without a link. I have rode many other setups with linkages lately and they still buck in some conditions as will any setup when pushed hard enough

[Matt400ex_17]

Can you do the C&D rebuild and just get a aftermarket linkage like GT or someone else?????

[04'400ex'er]

Originally posted by Matt400ex_17
Can you do the C&D rebuild and just get a aftermarket linkage like GT or someone else????? I think the shocks are valved and sprung specific for the linkage, such as GT Thunder. So I would say the C&D would be better with the stock linkage than with the GT Thunder.

I dont just ride trails "behind my house" :rolleyes: and I also have not ran another setup valved for me so I cannot give a true opinion so I can just say what I have read on here and how mine run. some places use GTthunders rear link so that says a lot I think. I know J-B racing does and Derisi has a VERY similar rear link to GTThunders

[Pappy]

Ill let you all in on a little secret....


the top 4 or 5 suspension guys in the country all crack up when someone posts this unit is the best and they know full well thats the only set up they have tried. how do i know this? because i usually get a call from them atleast once during the week asking what they did that sparked someone to go on a "Mine is the best" posting spree. we have come to the conclusion that most folks expierencing a decent set of shocks for the first time will be of that opinion and believe 100% in what they are posting, but it does not make it fact no matter who built the shock.

In my position, Ive had the enjoyment and fun of being able to test parts before they even hit the market, and all I can say is that no matter what top builder does your suspension, you will be satisfied. and you have no idea how similiar most of the links are...no idea:D

Originally posted by Pappy
you will be satisfied. and you have no idea how similiar most of the links are...no idea:D I kinda do. why do they even bother getting them patented?

[Pappy]

patents in this industry are a joke. it cracks me up when one brand of arm is damn near indistinguishable from another, yet one is junk and the other is touted as the next big thing:p i get to see so many parts stripped that ive gotton good at noticing who does good work and who doesnt, who uses cheap metal and who doesnt and who covers up bad welds and who doesnt:D

[GIXXER1KR]

Hey Pappy what arms are you running???LOL!!!!!:DAnd let me guess there not $2000 Walsh are they!!!:D

[Pappy]

I ran plain old Burgard sfor the past few years....its all I needed and fit my budget.

Last summer I was offered the chance to pound on Lonestar racings new LT XC arm and I love it. The shock is a bigger factor then the arm, but they still must work together.

[mills_racing]

GT Thunder is the only way to go.....Whose running C&D's work on the front Row? I love mine.

[jdwxv3]

Ok. I hate posting on these type of threads but this time I am going to. First off I have not owned a quad with GT Thunder revalves but I have rode one and saw it take an overall in a Missouri Hillbillygp race. My brother and I did have the C&D revalve for a couple weeks last year and I have to say it bucked about the same or more than stock. Just setting on the seat made the shock hit the bottom out bumper on both of our quads. Maybe ours was a freak deal......maybe not. We had several PM's from other racers warning me about this problem while I posted the same type of question you are asking now. I just pushed them to the side because I was in a hurry. Bad Mistake. My bro got bucked at one of our races and spent hours at a chiropractor(sp) trying to get fixed. After that we both got rid of our set-ups. He has since purchased Elkas and I have purchased Axis. Both set ups were more than twice the price of the rebuilds but work a lot better.

I am no shock expert and I am not afraid to admit that. However I do no what works and if you want to go balls to the wall week in and week out just spend the extra cash if you can and get some main stream shocks. Colby was honest with me and told me that his shocks would not perform like the other after markets like Elka and Axis.....and they did'nt. I would say for casual trail riding and playing around C&D's shocks would work awesome because they do soak up the small bumps on the trails, they are just not made for long distance full out racing. I would def still buy things from C&D because everytime I have talked to Colby I have had zero problems and they both seem like nice people who do a lot for the sport. The suspension package just does not do the trick for me. Good luck on what ever decision you make.

[Pappy]

josh, did you take the oppertunity and test different spring rates and such? even with aftermarket, rarely is it perfect out of the box.


Colby is very upfront and honest about the limitations on a stock shock, as are the other builders I chat with about these. I feel very strongly that most riders do not need to spend the cash on aftermarket now that we have builders and decent shocks to work with. (im talking your average rider play racer)

Mills, who's running what means very little these days, especially on the front row. One minute they are claiming brand A is the shiznit, the next week it's a new sponsor and its the best. I put very little stock in what goes on today on the front row, very little. That is not taking away from GT Thunder, Laz is a personal friend of mine and does some serious work....but you know what im saying;)


The main issue here is that you can get more for less these days, and thats a huge plus to us riders who do not have $1400 to drop on shocks!

[jdwxv3]

Pappy, I did not get different springs. I adjusted the rear shock in every way possible and called C&D and he told me what to do. I tried and tried and just decided to sell my stuff to a friend of mine that rides mid pack in the C class and weighs about 20 ibs less than me. He says the shocks are alright but does not feel to comforatable on the rear. The fronts are ok but the rear is what can get you hurt. I dont want to knock C&D at all I was just sharing my experience. I have ordered other items from them and had excelent turn around time and great service. I just wish the shocks would have worked out better for me:( When I talked to him he did not mention different spring rates....and like I said I am no genuis on shocks so I just assumed it was in the valving. Anyway I better get off of here got some laundry to do:ermm:

[Pappy]

Josh, your an A class rider and I wouldnt expect you to say anything but what you expierenced...infact I have posted before that i put more "truth" in what A class tells me then the Pro riders. We have had several rears done and they have done more then fine, heck we just went to a LT front end and kept our revalved stocker because it works so well. I think once your reach a certain level, no matter what suspension you run you will want more out of it. There is a limit to what can be done with a stocker, and it will not always be the answer for everyone.

[jdwxv3]

Yea I have heard more good about the shocks than bad. I just wanted to tell my story so the person heard both good and bad. Even if the shocks save you a ton of money over aftermarket $600+++ is still a lot of money and I always like to make informed desicions. Just take it all in and listen to all angles. Maybe my brother and I got some friday afternoon shocks I dont know. What I do know is the the turn around time on the shocks was really fast. I belive it was total a week and a half or two weeks. Good luck on what ever you decide to buy! Later, Josh