Gear & Products

Let 4WD 24/7 Explain the Benefits of Remote Reservoir Shocks

The Aussie off-roaders take the time to go over the finer details of fancy shocks.

January 19, 2023

4WD 24/7’s Shaun Whale goes over the differences between factory shocks, aftermarket shocks, and remote reservoir coilovers.4WD 24/7

Almost any decent sport UTV on sale today is outfitted from the manufacturer with a set of remote reservoir coilovers. They’ve been the gold standard for off-roaders in any discipline for decades, but it’s still important to know what performance benefit they provide. They’re so prevalent now that it can be easy to lose sight of why you’d want them.

In this video, 4WD 24/7′s Shauno gives a great, succinct explanation of how they work, where they work best, and why they’re so well loved. The short answer is that they handle heat much better than standard single-tube dampers, and they can be easily adjusted to suit whatever terrain you face.

That’s down to the remote reservoir, which is essentially an air chamber into which shock oil can expand. Between the air chamber and the oil is a porous shim stack that controls the flow of oil. By turning a knob that acts on the shim stack, you can make the suspension softer or harder depending on terrain. Depending on what shocks you buy, remote res units can also be serviced and rebuilt, which means they’re longer lived.

Check out the video to hear Shauno’s full rundown on remote reservoir shocks.