Shock Therapy Ride Improvement System for Can-Am Maverick X3 XRS

By Jon Crowley

The 2017 Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs is top of the food chain when it comes to sport UTVs. With factory long travel that pushes the width to 72-inches (8-inches wider than a Polaris RZR XP or the Maverick X3 X ds) and a whopping 22/24 inches of travel, the X rs has impressive suspension right out of the box.

We’ve had some seat time in the Maverick X3 X rs up in Idaho (see CAN-AM MAVERICK X3 X RS DUNE REVIEW) and down in Mexico (see CAN-AM MAVERICK X3 REVIEW). Overall, the suspension on the X rs is pretty incredible, but as with any factory unit, manufacturers have to take in consideration a variety of terrain and driving styles.  The end result is there is always room for improvement. That’s where Shock Therapy comes into the picture.

Shock Therapy is based in Arizona where they test and upgrade shocks on many different UTVs.  They are also setup in Glamis during the winter season with a full semi worth of parts and work on UTV suspension right in the dunes. They test and build suspension for the Maverick X3 in the dunes and desert where 95% of the people ride the Maverick.

The Maverick X3 X rs comes with top-of-the-line FOX Podium shocks. FOX 2.5 PODIUM RC2’s up front and FOX 3.0 PODIUM RC2 remote reservoir and bypass in the rear.

Shock Therapy went to work on the Maverick X3 X rs and here is what they found:

The FOX shocks work very well on the Maverick X3, but after extensive testing, Shock Therapy felt there were many ways they could improve on the stock suspension performance. Some of the things Shock Therapy wanted to address were:

1. Stiff ride quality at slow speeds and can’t adjust the shocks soft enough to eliminate this
2. Stiff ride quality in the small chop and rocks
3. Harsh compression hit in the whoops at speed
4. Rear bucking in the whoops
5. Jumping rear high and nose low.
6. Low ground clearance contributing to bottoming out
7. The shocks just felt too stiff or too soft. They don’t have the progressive nature needed to get a plush ride with no bottoming out

Shock Therapy testing the Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs through the whoops in Arizona.

Ride Improvement System Stage 1

With these things in mind Shock Therapy dove straight into the shocks looking to make improvements. It didn’t take them long to find that most of the nasty snap the car had in it’s compression stroke was due to shock internals from the factory. Because the shocks gain stiffness instantly the factory also added excessive rebound dampening to lessen the compression ill effects which combined to create most of the problems they wanted to cure. Once Shock Therapy changed the valving the car started to show real promise but valving alone was not enough. They changed piston oil flow characteristics, shock shaft mods and adjuster improvements as well to get the best working system. Small chop and chatter is vastly improved. The whoops become smoother and less harsh. Rear bucking is all but eliminated in both the whoops and jumping. Adjustability in the dual stage compression adjuster is widened to control a larger range.

In a nut shell, the Shock Therapy internal shock mods and machine work creates a ride that is both smooth and plush in the small stuff but also extremely progressive compression ramping that keeps you from bottoming out in the biggest hits even with a plush ride every where else.

Ride Improvement System Stage 1………$749.95 for all 4 shocks

Ride Improvement System Stage 2

Having already tested the Dual Rate spring kits for the Maverick X3 X rs, Shock Therapy was excited to combine shock work with that spring kit and see what the potential was. WOW is all that we can say. All of the internal improvements we made to the shocks ride quality were now doubled with the spring kit. Twice as plush, twice as smooth in the whoops and way more bump stage for jumping and big G outs in the dunes. The combination of shock mods and spring kit is the pinnacle of performance for the X rs. In addition to the performance improvements the addition of the spring kit will raise your ground clearance another 2 inches. This added height actually rides smoother and more plush than the factory system as well as giving you extra clearance for rocks and rutted trails without needing to ever use a lift kit! This kit is a home run for every driving style since we can tune it just for your car weight, terrain and driving style. Don’t waist another minute with your stock XRS suspension set up. Get our Stage 2 RIS and enjoy the best ride your car can ever have right NOW!

Ride Improvement System Stage 2…………….$1,649.90  includes stage 1 shock work and level 4 spring kit. 

TMW Offroad charging through the whoops at Oldsmobile Hill in Glamis in their Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs after Shock Therapy RIS Stage 2 work.

TMW Offroad landing after a big jump in Glamis

For more information, visit the Shock Therapy website at: www.shocktherapyst.com or go directly to their Maverick X3 X rs Ride Improvement System.