# Boxxer vs Fox 40



## grahamski420 (Jul 7, 2011)

lookling at getting a new fork for my Driver 8 and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on a fox 40 or a boxxer. Right now I am running a totem. Thanks a bunch


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## PeterWest (Sep 19, 2010)

Boxxer...


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## bxxer rider (Jun 7, 2008)

888.....


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## techfersure (Dec 17, 2010)

Had several Boxxers over the years,went Fox this year,now kicking myself in the ass for not converting sooner,major bonus is that Fox represents at many race venues.


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## 1soulrider (Jan 21, 2004)

Boxxer. After dealing with 40s for a couple of seasons the Boxxer is a refreshing change. Spent some time on a 888 evo ti last year and didn't care for it.
The 888 is for sale if you want it.


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## azdog (Nov 16, 2004)

Been riding a 40 for a few years now. I have blown the fit cartridge once and bent the compression knobs(I have the old 2010 40 with the longer weiner thing). I just switched to a lyrik on my am bike and I am truly impressed with the plushness that I really want to try a boxxer now.


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## sgf2 (Oct 13, 2005)

flip a coin. I have a boxxer and i'm sure the 40 is just as sweet too.


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## rongarr (Jan 27, 2009)

Coil or Air on the Boxxer? I've recently converted my WC to a coil - can't ride though do to injury. I also have a driver and I'm pretty happy with rockshox. I've never ridden a 40 but I'm sure it's a sweet fork as well. 
I do know that SRAM is great with their service & warranty.


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## istandalone (Feb 6, 2011)

have you ridden it since switching to coil? i'm curious of the differences in feel.


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## rongarr (Jan 27, 2009)

istandalone said:


> have you ridden it since switching to coil? i'm curious of the differences in feel.


Not yet and it's killing me !
I'm injured so I'll be off the bike for a few months.
I'll post as soon as I ride it.


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## azdog (Nov 16, 2004)

rongarr said:


> Not yet and it's killing me !
> I'm injured so I'll be off the bike for a few months.
> I'll post as soon as I ride it.


Get well soon! I'm interested as well since my buddies all converted their coils to the wc air.


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## CaveGiant (Aug 21, 2007)

Dorado


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

something unrelated that hasn't been mentioned yet, without any reasoning behind the suggestion or even anecdotal evidence to back it up


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## Twisted1 (Aug 24, 2010)

I own a boxxer an love it. Far as coil bs air it's really a personal preference. I prefer coil because to me it is more small bump sensitive. Now I'm thinking about buying a 888. To me they are much more plush, but the 40 with the new coating is the sh1t! So I would say get the 40 with the new coating. End thread now before people start a war in here. Just go buy the 40 and ride your bike!


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## backshift (Nov 26, 2008)

azdog said:


> I just switched to a lyrik on my am bike and I am truly impressed with the plushness that I really want to try a boxxer now.


I also have a lyric on my am bike and love the plushness. I have heard the 40 can be made silky, just needs a little tuning


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## whoopwhoop (Nov 7, 2008)

Have no riding experience with either, but I do have a 2012 40 on the bike I'm building. Kashima makes me smile :thumbsup:


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## IntenseRdr (Jan 21, 2004)

2012 Fox DH 40 w/ Kashima Coat on my new build being currently built.:thumbsup: Been riding Kashima coat on my KX450f dirt bike fork for about 3 years and its butter smooth! :thumbsup::band::cornut:


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

istandalone said:


> have you ridden it since switching to coil? i'm curious of the differences in feel.


My take is that the coil has a bit better small bump sensitivity, and improved mid stroke support. The air is lighter, and gives you more control over spring rate. I test rode both and went with a coil, biggest issue for me was the mid stroke support- the air tended to dive a bit on steep stuff in a way the coil doesn't. Happy with the choice.


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## Maverick05 (Jan 24, 2011)

Boxxer Rc2 or Team on the newer chassis.

Love that fork, love my Boxxer :thumbsup:


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## 1soulrider (Jan 21, 2004)

Hardtails Are Better said:


> My take is that the coil has a bit better small bump sensitivity, and improved mid stroke support. The air is lighter, and gives you more control over spring rate. I test rode both and went with a coil, biggest issue for me was the mid stroke support- the air tended to dive a bit on steep stuff in a way the coil doesn't. Happy with the choice.


The cure for lack of mid stroke support on the Boxxer WCS is to turn the bottom out knob in nearly all the way. This makes the fork more progressive and less linear. If you perfer a more linear feel or are a lighter rider, leave the bottom out knob adjusted out.


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## bkboom123 (Jun 30, 2011)

Fwiw, my lbs guy is a former dh racer ad swears by fox


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

bxxer rider said:


> 888.....


everything is great with an 888

go ti evo


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## CaveGiant (Aug 21, 2007)

William42 said:


> something unrelated that hasn't been mentioned yet, without any reasoning behind the suggestion or even anecdotal evidence to back it up


Sorry.

Dorado - because that is what I ride and everyone likes what they ride best!

That better =-)


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## techfersure (Dec 17, 2010)

Do the math on how many WC wins this year on the 40.


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## toyotachaos (Sep 6, 2009)

I have a friend who swears by the boxxer WC, granted he changes the oil and seals almost once a month. I will say his fork always feels sweet though. 

My old boss has always run the Fox 40. His never feels as good because he sells it every six months and buys a new one and they never get fully broken in. I guess that is one of the perks of owning a bike shop.

I have had two different boxxers (both coil), a older Dorado, a Mr. Dirt, Shiver, and a 888. All of them have been good forks for me. The maintenance to keep them feeling good is the big differance between them all.


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## jasevr4 (Feb 23, 2005)

Best combination of minimal servicing and performance? Marzo.

I ride a 40 this year and I am loving it. Shits all over my Boxxer Race which had endless issues last year but the 40 does need more work than the 888.

Race fork? Dorado.


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## Bike Doc (Oct 2, 2007)

*Do yourself and your shop a favor...*

Always go with the non-Fox option, when choosing between Fox and other forks. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against their forks or shocks... just their customer service phone system. Whenever you call Fox, you get a recording that says "Your call is important to us...", (but as long as you have to wait, they are obviously also saying, "but your time is not..."). I would only be moderately annoyed by this, if that and a few minutes worth of bad elevator music or shameless, self-promoting ads were all that I had to put up with, prior to getting a real human on the line...

BUT, the problem with Fox is that their hold music sounds all crackly and fuzzy, and fades in and out, kind of like an old AM radio station, when you are too far away to get clear reception, AND they keep you on hold for WAAAAAAAAY TOOOOOOO LOOOOOOONG.:nono:

Every time I have to call them with a question about a customer's fork, or to order parts, (They only go dealer-direct, and don't use distributors, so a shop has no choice, but to deal directly with them), I always tell the person who answers the phone about this horrible, fuzzy, crackly music, and ask them why they would want to subject their customers to such; but after YEARS of telling them about this problem, they have yet to fix it.:madman:

So, now our shop charges an extra $20 annoyance fee for every call we have to make to Fox, and I STEER EVERY CUSTOMER I POSSIBLY CAN AWAY FROM FOX, AND TOWARD ANY OTHER SUSPENSION COMPANY THAT I CAN!!! I have even told the folks at Fox that I now do this, AND THEY STILL CAN'T SEEM TO GET A CLUE!!!  It makes me wonder if they can possibly be any better at addressing concerns about product quality and performance.

Anyhow, call 1 (831) 274-6500 and see for yourself how horrible their customer service phone system is. Complain to them about it when you get a chance, and SPREAD THE WORD TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE!!! This has gone on for way too long, and they've been notified of the problem way too many times. It is time to make sure that they start losing a lot of sales, and maybe then they will fix their customer dis-service phone system.:thumbsup:


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## Maverick05 (Jan 24, 2011)

jasevr4 said:


> Best combination of minimal servicing and performance? Marzo.
> 
> I ride a 40 this year and I am loving it. Shits all over my Boxxer Race which had endless issues last year but the 40 does need more work than the 888.
> 
> Race fork? Dorado.


Not exactly the same comparison is it, with Fox there is only the RC2 or R

Compare a RC2 or WC with the 40, if you''d upgraded the internals of your Boxxer to either you'd have had a better comparison, its like comparing the base model Jeep Cherokee to the Grand Cherokee hardly the same thing.

If ya like it though cool, all forks require maintenance e.g proper intervals if you want the performance to be consistent, apart from 08 Zocchi's, I've known some never to have had an oil change and still run, but imagine what some real fresh fluid would do and new seals.

I've had my Boxxer for over a year and done a fluid change and its purrrrrrrrrrfect, seals are still sweet, slick honey and shes butter.

Also basic lube a regular clean like 2mins makes a huge diff to fork and shock performance, how man of you run a lubed rag on there fork stanchions and shock shaft, cycle wipe cycle wipe cycle wipe this will increase life and performance 10 fold of any fork and shock.

We can all be different, still love my Boxxers, and my Boxxer fork


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## techfersure (Dec 17, 2010)

Bike Doc said:


> Always go with the non-Fox option, when choosing between Fox and other forks. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against their forks or shocks... just their customer service phone system. Whenever you call Fox, you get a recording that says "Your call is important to us...", (but as long as you have to wait, they are obviously also saying, "but your time is not..."). I would only be moderately annoyed by this, if that and a few minutes worth of bad elevator music or shameless, self-promoting ads were all that I had to put up with, prior to getting a real human on the line...
> 
> BUT, the problem with Fox is that their hold music sounds all crackly and fuzzy, and fades in and out, kind of like an old AM radio station, when you are too far away to get clear reception, AND they keep you on hold for WAAAAAAAAY TOOOOOOO LOOOOOOONG.:nono:
> 
> ...


Guess I'm fortunate to have a competent LBS who can address any or all issues with fox forks,and if you race you will not find any better support from there staff,at an earlier race this year they gave away and or installed upgraded internals for earlier 40's,as well as seals,etc.that in itself is priceless! all high end forks will take more maintenance and attention,and each has it's quirks.


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## CombatMutt (Jan 3, 2011)

I'm at WP this weekend, and spent all day yesterday on demo bikes. Two bikes I rode had the 40s, the other one was a Boxxer. Both worked well, and I really couldn't tell the difference between them. (Now you want to ask me about the bikes, that's a different story.) From what I understand, both are pretty much bombproof, but the 40 requires more preventative maintenance.


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## 1soulrider (Jan 21, 2004)

techfersure said:


> Guess I'm fortunate to have a competent LBS who can address any or all issues with fox forks,and if you race you will not find any better support from there staff,at an earlier race this year they gave away and or installed upgraded internals for earlier 40's,as well as seals,etc.that in itself is priceless! all high end forks will take more maintenance and attention,and each has it's quirks.


What race are you reffering to?
Years ago Fox used to be at all the races and offer service to the masses, but I have not seen this in a long time.
First they stopped offering service to non pro riders and then they stopped showing at the races at all. Aside from Sea Otter and the WC races I don't see them at all any more. For example I was just at the Crested Butte Pro GRT a couple weeks ago, no sign of Fox.


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## jasevr4 (Feb 23, 2005)

Maverick05 said:


> Not exactly the same comparison is it, with Fox there is only the RC2 or R
> 
> Compare a RC2 or WC with the 40, if you''d upgraded the internals of your Boxxer to either you'd have had a better comparison, its like comparing the base model Jeep Cherokee to the Grand Cherokee hardly the same thing.
> 
> ...


That's why I specified Race. :thumbsup: Which was a piece of crap compared to my RC2. But with that said, my mate is running an Avy cartridge in his Boxxer and I still prefer how my 40 rides, and he does too. He's selling it for a 888 Ti.

It's personal preference at the end of the day, nothing more nothing less.


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## Bike Doc (Oct 2, 2007)

*So your LBS never has to...*

So your LBS never has to call Fox Racing? How do they order parts from them?



techfersure said:


> Guess I'm fortunate to have a competent LBS who can address any or all issues with fox forks,and if you race you will not find any better support from there staff,at an earlier race this year they gave away and or installed upgraded internals for earlier 40's,as well as seals,etc.that in itself is priceless! all high end forks will take more maintenance and attention,and each has it's quirks.


Your grade for reading comprehension  is barely any higher than Fox Racing's grade for their phone system.


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## techfersure (Dec 17, 2010)

1soulrider,Plattekill Mtn Pro GRT,hooked me up with a set of seals.

Hey Bike Doc,this shop stocks most parts for them and have had no problems dealing with Fox for parts or any other issues and do everything in house for repairs and maintenance with quick turnaround.just to note I have owned three Boxxer WC and a Team and several Marzocchi 888's in my experience the Fox is less high maintenance.East coasters don't piss and moan we find a way and get things done!


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## Bike Doc (Oct 2, 2007)

*Go west young man...*



techfersure said:


> Hey Bike Doc,this shop stocks most parts for them and have had no problems dealing with Fox for parts or any other issues and do everything in house for repairs and maintenance with quick turnaround.just to note I have owned three Boxxer WC and a Team and several Marzocchi 888's in my experience the Fox is less high maintenance.East coasters don't piss and moan we find a way and get things done!


Come on out West, and try riding some real trails, and not only will you piss and moan, you'll piss your pants and moan in pain after you crash harder than you ever thought possible...

Here is a trail that I built back in 1999, when I lived in Utah. The first time I took Ritchey Schley down it, he went over the bars. I watched Kyle Strait take three headers on his first run. Bender and I used to ride it on full moon nights, with no headlights. You would probably hurt yourself just trying to walk down it in full daylight.

http://trails.mtbr.com/cat/united-s...h/trail/flying-monkey/prd_170551_4583crx.aspx


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## CombatMutt (Jan 3, 2011)

Bike Doc said:


> Come on out West, and try riding some real trails, and not only will you piss and moan, you'll piss your pants and moan in pain after you crash harder than you ever thought possible...
> 
> Here is a trail that I built back in 1999, when I lived in Utah. The first time I took Ritchey Schley down it, he went over the bars. I watched Kyle Strait take three headers on his first run. Bender and I used to ride it on full moon nights, with no headlights. You would probably hurt yourself just trying to walk down it in full daylight.
> 
> http://trails.mtbr.com/cat/united-s...h/trail/flying-monkey/prd_170551_4583crx.aspx


Whoa Doc, that trail looks brutal!


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## techfersure (Dec 17, 2010)

Been out west did the Norba National circuit for two years as well as Whistler,spent time and raced with Kyle Strait in Jamaica,what is it that you take such an offense,generally spewers like you are just trying to make up for inadequacies and or are completely delusional in your abilities,so have you been to the east coast? if not please do not assume that your terrain is so much more difficult or superior to the east.abilities are abilities no matter the local.


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## bullcrew (Jan 2, 2005)

If thats flying monkey then yeah bring MASSIVE balls. Seen pictures and have a couple friends ride it. 
That is in a league of its own.


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## mtbnozpikr (Sep 1, 2008)

These product vs. product threads are generally worthless. People have their preferences and no matter what, they always come out and you generally have a conflict or two (this thread is no exception). I also have my preferences and ride Fox. I don't have anything against Rock Shox (rode their forks for a while) but Marzocchi has had serious problems with quality. Some say it's in their past, but the verdict is still out (I used to ride them too).

What I am saying that is when you have products of such high quality, there are differences but it is purely subjective as to which is better than the other. You may have done so already, but you can search google and find many threads on many different forums with the same or similar titles to yours.


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## blue109 (Jun 21, 2009)

William42 said:


> something unrelated that hasn't been mentioned yet, without any reasoning behind the suggestion or even anecdotal evidence to back it up


similar story with the exact opposite result, followed by thinly veiled insult hurled at no one in particular.


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## Bike Doc (Oct 2, 2007)

*Who was the first?*



techfersure said:


> Been out west did the Norba National circuit for two years as well as Whistler,spent time and raced with Kyle Strait in Jamaica,what is it that you take such an offense,generally spewers like you are just trying to make up for inadequacies and or are completely delusional in your abilities,so have you been to the east coast? if not please do not assume that your terrain is so much more difficult or superior to the east.abilities are abilities no matter the local.





techfersure said:


> East coasters don't piss and moan we find a way and get things done!


Who was the first one in this conversation to get all "East vs. West"?

Your reading comprehension sucks worse than I thought. You can't even comprehend what you, yourself wrote a day or so ago!


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## techfersure (Dec 17, 2010)

Bike Doc said:


> So your LBS never has to call Fox Racing? How do they order parts from them?
> 
> Your grade for reading comprehension  is barely any higher than Fox Racing's grade for their phone system.


You opened the door with this personal attack about my lack of comprehension.I was relating my experience with Fox which has been stelar and somehow you took offense,nuff said.time to move on !


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## Bike Doc (Oct 2, 2007)

techfersure said:


> You opened the door with this personal attack about my lack of comprehension.I was relating my experience with Fox which has been stelar and somehow you took offense,nuff said.time to move on !





techfersure said:


> Guess I'm fortunate to have a competent LBS who can address any or all issues with fox forks,and if you race you will not find any better support from there staff,at an earlier race this year they gave away and or installed upgraded internals for earlier 40's,as well as seals,etc.that in itself is priceless! all high end forks will take more maintenance and attention,and each has it's quirks.


It seems to me that YOU opened the door, with the "Guess I'm fortunate to have a competent LBS who can address any or all issues with fox forks" part of your comment, which seemed to me as if you were trying to imply that our shop was not competent, just because we call Fox once or twice a year to ask them a question about their products. You then went on to talk about how wonderful Fox's customer service is. My complaint about Fox was NOT about the level of their customer service, and wasn't really even about their ten-to-fifteen-times-longer-than-industry-average hold time to wait for a rep...It was about their crappy, crackly, fuzzy music that fades in and out, that one is subjected to when waiting for a human to answer the phone. Your quoting my entire first post, and then failing to address the subject matter of that post, is what showed your lack of reading comprehension. You still somehow seemed to miss this point, even after it was specifically pointed out to you, which is when your reading comprehension grade dropped even further...

Try calling Fox Racing Shocks at 1 (831) 274-6500 for yourself, and you will see what I am talking about.


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## blue109 (Jun 21, 2009)

> Try calling Fox Racing Shocks at 1 (831) 274-6500 for yourself, and you will see what I am talking about.


i just called that number to tell Fox that Bike Doc and techfersure were having a really gay argument on MTBR on its behalf, and they didnt seem to care. so i decided Bike Doc was right and should get some sweet rep points.


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## CombatMutt (Jan 3, 2011)

blue109 said:


> i just called that number to tell Fox that Bike Doc and techfersure were having a really gay argument on MTBR on its behalf, and they didnt seem to care. so i decided Bike Doc was right and should get some sweet rep points.


Winner.


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## flowtron (Nov 17, 2006)

Bike Doc said:


> Try calling Fox Racing Shocks at 1 (831) 274-6500 for yourself, and you will see what I am talking about.


So what you're saying is....Fox product = Good. Fox hold music = bad.

I will keep that in mind when deciding what I want on the front of my bike when hitting mach loony on a DH run.

FWIW I have a Boxxer R2C2 currently. It took 3 good days of rallying and a rebuild to start feeling like a good fork. Digging it.


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## istandalone (Feb 6, 2011)

flowtron....what did you need to do in order to get your R2C2 "feeling good"?

just curious. i've got one too, and while it did take a few days to get all the settings adjusted the way i like, it still felt good right out of the box (then again, i'm coming from a low end Domain, so the boxxer is a huge upgrade for me).


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## LarryFahn (Jul 19, 2005)

Bike Doc said:


> Come on out West, and try riding some real trails...





Bike Doc said:


> Who was the first one in this conversation to get all "East vs. West"? Your reading comprehension sucks worse than I thought.


Apparently yours sucks... Just sayin'

PS. Name dropping is definitely cool!


Bike Doc said:


> The first time I took Ritchey Schley... I watched Kyle Strait... Bender and I used to... ?


 AWESOME!!!1!11!


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## asin (Jan 31, 2005)

As a bigger rider (6'7", 225lbs lean) I find the Boxxer a bit light-duty. Suspension performance seems good though. 

I went with a 40 and have been super stoked. A big bonus for me here in Vancouver is that there's tons of Fox support. I don't ever have to call Fox. I call Suspensionwerx and they help me out.

Because Fox are made in NA small parts are always available, and upgrades to new cartridges are always available. Upgrading an older Boxxer with newer parts isn't always so easy. 

The inside of a 40 is like a swiss clock. Lots of beautifully-machined metal bits. Boxxers have a lot more plastic inside.

I have a 2011 Demo and the Fox lower crown and stanchion diameter interfere significantly with turning radius. I'm going to swap out of the lower cup (internal zero-stack) and put in a regular 1cm lower cup to gain the clearance I need. For me this isn't a big deal as I could use the front end a bit higher, but for smaller riders (or those looking for the lowest possible front end) this could be a problem.

If you're dead-set on air then obviously the Boxxer is the only choice. If you're going coil then go test ride the Boxxer you like against the Fox. I believe that at the extreme end of the spectrum the 40 is stiffer and more tunable. Boxxers tend to be cheaper and more readily available > probably better bang for the buck.

But you're going to find as many people on one side of this preference as the other. So often these preferences are based on totally arbitrary/avoidable things. With proper care, use and maintenance they are both good products.


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## flowtron (Nov 17, 2006)

istandalone said:


> flowtron....what did you need to do in order to get your R2C2 "feeling good"?
> 
> just curious. i've got one too, and while it did take a few days to get all the settings adjusted the way i like, it still felt good right out of the box (then again, i'm coming from a low end Domain, so the boxxer is a huge upgrade for me).


At first it was the spring. I'm about 170 w/DH gear and ride aggressively on the front of the bike. I had to swap the medium for the light spring, no big deal, then it still felt like the spring was too heavy. I had the damping turned all the way open and I could not get all my travel. It didn't seem like the damping adjustments were doing anything, en to end.
I lent it to my co-worker for the Triple Dhip at Sol Vista, he rode it for a day then gave it to the SRAM guys. They took it apart, inspected it, declared it good and functional and put it back together. After a bit more break-in things opened up and its good. 
It is still weirdly stiff if its been sitting for a while, but once everything gets circulating it feels great. That seems to be the case with most RS product I encounter these days.


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## istandalone (Feb 6, 2011)

i also notice, if my bike has sat for a week or so the first 10 or so compressions on the fork feel stiff and crappy. once the oil gets circulated it's buttery smooth.


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## mtbnozpikr (Sep 1, 2008)

asin said:


> I went with a 40 and have been super stoked. A big bonus for me here in Vancouver is that there's tons of Fox support. I don't ever have to call Fox. I call Suspensionwerx and they help me out.


For what it's worth, I have never had a problem contacting Fox. I have called them a few times about different things and the only thing annoying is the fact that certain people within the company don't return phone calls but then again nobody today no matter what company returns phone calls. I have ordered parts through them and they have sold directly to me without a problem. The people I speak with are always helpful with advice and friendly to talk to.


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## vpc-los (Jan 26, 2007)

East Coast or West Coast!! Fox or Boxxer!! Just ask yourself what would* Bigg*ie and *Tupac* Ride!!!
I bet their elevator music would also get your head nodding while you wait to ask questions!!


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

vpc-los said:


> East Coast or West Coast!! Fox or Boxxer!! Just ask yourself what would* Bigg*ie and *Tupac* Ride!!!
> I bet their elevator music would also get your head nodding while you wait to ask questions!!


east coast west coast? I'm pretty sure gwin showed up and turned the whole debate into a "no contest"


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## vpc-los (Jan 26, 2007)

William42 said:


> east coast west coast? I'm pretty sure gwin showed up and turned the whole debate into a "no contest"


True Dat. But can he be trusted to be Down With *OPP!!!*


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## istandalone (Feb 6, 2011)

vpc-los said:


> true dat. But can he be trusted to be down with *opp!!!*


testify!!


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