Emulsion Vs Bladder Shocks

Emulsion Shocks – works by mixing the oil and air together. This mixing allows the shock to work a lot like a duel rate spring but without the negative of the rebound like a harder spring.

Rate #1 in small/soft movements the shock has the ability to move faster – for the air/oil mix act more like a sponge than solid oil. This is good for tracks where you have a hard time keeping the tire down – in the bumps or on high-speed rough tracks.

Rate #2 in long/hard movements the shock has a much harder time pushing the oil/air mix through the piston holes. On big jumps, it initially acts like a Bladder Shock but combines with Rate #1 the car usually gets less upset off a hard or bad landing. In short, the car seems to recover faster.

Bladder Shocks – works by separating the oil and air in two chambers. Since the oil does not have air it makes for a very consistent shock (even in long mains). If the shock does not leak you can go for years with nearly the same feel vs Emulsion you might need to bleed the shock out before every run (usually from temperature change). More of a single-rate shock.

Bladder Shocks work better in the initial damping in getting the weight to the tire. You will find if you can keep the tire planted it works better on heavy acceleration, braking, and turns. It also works well in bumps if they are in heavy acceleration/braking zones.