Suspension oil weight chart

There is a lot of confusion about the suspension oil to use in our front forks or shock absorbers. So, to facilitate the searching, we have made a Suspension oil equivalence chart for you.

Now you can compare quickly suspension oils by brand.

SAE range

Despite what many believe, the SAE range does not define the exact viscosity of an oil. It is a reference to a range of viscosities in which it can be contained.

Therefore, the SAE range is more appropriate for use in motor oils rather than for suspensions. Keep in mind that each manufacturer places its oils where they think it should be (it’s not a standard).

In addition, what can cause when changing the oil brand while maintaining the SAE, is that your suspension (being a front fork or shock absorber) behaves in a different way (because the kinematic viscosity is different).

And in a 99% of cases, doesn’t perform better than before.

General recommendations

We recommend using the original oil on your suspensions so that the damping behavior is not changed.

In case you can’t find the original oil, use the one with the closest kinematic viscosity.

You can look up for the original oil specs in the workshop manual or by asking to an official dealer.

You can also look up for it on internet forums, although it may take longer.

Viscosity or density?

The viscosity is measured in centistokes (cSt) or mm2/s at 40ºC as a reference temperature and is a technical characteristic of each oil.

Viscosity index indicates the “quality” of the oil. The greater the number, the more stable the viscosity is against temperature changes.

Therefore, it is important to remember that the viscosity of a fluid (resistance offered by a liquid to flow) has nothing to do with its density (mass per unit volume).

Check the next video to learn more about the importance of visosity (and suscribe to our channel!)

Suspension oil equivalence chart

Below you can find a equivalence suspension oil chart (both for motorcycle and bicycle) where you can easily choose the closest oil to the original one.

Oils are sorted by Viscosity. SAE range is only shown for your reference.

If you can’t find the same viscosity as your original oil has, choose one with a difference of +/- 5cst. Beyond that, the damping behaviour is quite different.

A change on oil’s viscosity could need a new damping adjuster (low speed adjusters COMP/TEN) set-up.

Example

Original oil was a 14,14cst. Couldn’t find nothing else than a 15.3cst oil. This means that all damping (compression and rebound) will be slower, in general.

Turn the external adjusters 1 click/1/8turn anti-clockwise.

This doesn’t means that suspension behaves exactly the same as with 14,14cst oil, but slow speed behaviour is similar.

The bigger the difference in viscosity from the original oil, the more turns/clicks would need the adjuster.

Your favourite oil is missing?

Can’t find your favourite oil? Send us an e-mail and we will add it to the list!