Fork lowers and air seal service - grease discussion

AJ's recent article got me thinking and wondering. I service my lowers 3-4 times per year, and every time I do I LOVE the performance bump, no matter which fork. I usually lube up the air piston with slick honey while I'm at it.

So now I'm wondering. Would it be better to run a slightly thicker grease so the lube benefits last longer? Maybe stick with honey in the cold months. I usually go with OEM recommended lubes, but that stuff is so light and I know RockShocks techs sometimes recommend PM600 Military Grease in their shock air cans to increase service intervals (or in my case keep it feeling good for a full 3 months). PM600 is likely too thick for a fork, but maybe something a step heavier than Slick Honey?

Right now I'm on a Mezzer, and tempted to use RockShocks dynamic seal grease instead of Slick Honey on the air spring. I have plenty of both on hand.

It would probably not feel as supple on day one, but maybe the lube benefits would last longer.  Any input from those that know better? Talk me out of it if this is a stupid idea.

What are you using for lower leg bath oil? I got sucked into a rabbit hole of reading about it last year. Guys seem to love Motorex Supergliss 100K , turns out it's just a ways oil. Machine ways are the smooth, precise tracks that machine carriages move on, the oil is formulated to how high stick under pressure but low slip. 

So the bike specific stuff as usual is expensive...but industrial is cheap. 

30wt is equivalent to iso 100. 

https://www.kbctools.ca/itemdetail/1-820-730 - local $26 per 1 gallon.

https://www.bike24.com/p2338652.html if you can find it $26 per L.

Very interesting find /\

I just picked up a litre of generic synthetic 10w-30 from the hardware store to replace the Rockshox 0w-30 I ran out of. Wonder if I'll feel the difference...

Posted by: Hepcat

Very interesting find /\

I just picked up a litre of generic synthetic 10w-30 from the hardware store to replace the Rockshox 0w-30 I ran out of. Wonder if I'll feel the difference...

I doubt you will feel the difference unless you are at the extremes of temperature, they are both 30 weight oils.

I run synthetic 0w-30 engine oil (Mobil 1 I think? Brand doesn't really matter) for splash oil in the lowers.

Posted by: earleb

What are you using for lower leg bath oil?

Fox Gold for Fox and Manitou, I bought a liter of it a few years ago and have it on hand. My last fork was a DVO (god bless 'em for having 40cc of lower oil!) so I used the 15 wt Motorex that Ronnie recommended. 

I'm always hesitant to go general industrial stuff since I don't know if it has seal swellers. At least bike specific stuff has been tested with the rubber seals in most forks.

Goal here isn't saving money, it's having the fork feel great for 3 months instead of 2. I have this suspicion that the grease on wiper seals and air seals breaks down faster than the bath oil. At least in designs with plenty of bath oil. Some of the Fox and RS I've owned had under 10cc, which seems sketchy for hard use/abuse.

Posted by: shoreboy

they are both 30 weight oils.

One has tackifiers to keep it in place and one has detergents to combat deposits. They are not the same.

Posted by: earleb

Posted by: shoreboy

they are both 30 weight oils.

One has tackifiers to keep it in place and one has detergents to combat deposits. They are not the same.

I did not say they were the same? In regards to their use as splash oils, he is unlikely to notice the difference as they are both 30 weight oils and will have very similar viscosities. Tackifiers and detergents will not effect the oils ability as splash oil in a fork.

Sorry I took your "they are both 30 weight" as to imply that ALL 30w oils are just the same. 

Tackifiers will affect their ability to cling to the surface, the more they cling on a near vertical surface the better.

https://www.shockcraft.co.nz/technical-support/suspension-oils/fork-bath-oils