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James Stenabaugh photos
MetalCloak 6Pak Shocks
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James Stenabaugh photos
MetalCloak 6Pak Shocks
Not your ordinary shock design.
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James Stenabaugh photos
MetalCloak 6Pak Shocks
A Schrader valve allows you to recharge the nitrogen pressure if needed.
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James Stenabaugh photos
MetalCloak 6Pak Shocks
Installation is straightforward with little grinding and drilling required.
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James Stenabaugh photos
MetalCloak 6Pak Shocks
We took the 6Pak’s straight out to some favourite trails to test the performance difference.
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James Stenabaugh photos
MetalCloak 6Pak Shocks
The extra travel will require lengthening brake lines and locker lines.
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James Stenabaugh photos
MetalCloak 6Pak Shocks
High fenders will be required to reach total compression lengths.
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James Stenabaugh photos
MetalCloak 6Pak Shocks
They may look unconventional, but 14-in of travel is a powerful tool off-road.
By Pat Harrison, photos by James Stenabaugh
6Pak for the Trail - Exploring the long travel of MetalCloak’s 6Pak’s
When MetalCloak first came out with the crazy looking 6Pak shocks for their Gamechanger lift system, the headlines typically asked "Fad or Hype?” Will they fizzle or is this the future, they all wanted to know. Well, it's been almost four years since their release and there are thousands of Jeep owners running these purpose built kits, so I think it's safe to say the graduation ceremonies can begin. Now let's see how they perform and where they finish up in the class. The class I'm referring to is the mid-arm, bolt-on, long travel suspension kit and it’s a busy one.
On paper alone the Gamechanger lift system from MetalCloak comes out on top when you compare numbers like 14-in travel up front and 12-in in the rear. In fact, a brand new development from the evolving company has the newest versions of these shocks coming out a 15-in and 13-in now. No other off-the-shelf pre-configured setup utilizing the stock control arm mounting locations achieves this type of travel. The key is the one of a kind 6Pak shocks working in conjunction with a well engineered system, that has been designed to provide both JK and TJ model Jeep owners with performance that boarders on the long travel class, without having to break out the welder, alter their frames or enter into the coil-over world.
The 6Pak shocks
These unique units are priced in the range of the high-end remote reservoir adjustable shocks, or the entry-level coil-over units. They are purpose built by a systems based company that provides the high-flex control arms, coils, mounting brackets and high clearance fender flares to allow you to actually achieve the performance levels they claim. Consider that conventional shocks have a travel that is dictated by the length of their body, whereas these bizarre looking dampers have half the body length because they extend two rods in both directions to double the travel. I have a conventional 14-in travel shock on our shop bench that measures 35-in extended and 21-in compressed. The 6Paks are 29-in extended and a scant 15-in compressed. Why six tubes all bundled together like a new millennium marguerita blender? Each pair of rods has its own oil reservoir, which accounts for the bundle that is left to float up and down as it sees fit during operation, thus “6Pak’s”.
MetalCloak dub this “floating shock body technology.” Schematics, drawings, technical data and in depth mechanical explanations can be found on MetalCloaks web-site or in a growing number of technical discussions you can Google, so we won't get carried away here with that. Valved specifically for their own coil rates and nitro charged in the 150-psi range (which can be re-pressurized locally with the right equipment and zero loss schraeder valve filler) these shocks can be serviced by MetalCloak for a nominal fee for extended service life. The aluminium bodies dissipate heat well and combine to create the capacities of a 3-in diameter tube, which is significant.
The Installation
Wouldn't you know it; but the install was not nearly as complicated or technical as I was expecting. You will have to break out the cut-off disc and a grinder to create some clearance for that odd shaped body up front, and drill a few holes for the well made mounting brackets, but it is all straight forward. A bonus feature in the rear is that you can buzz the low hanging shock mounts off and be rid of those vulnerable hangers that attract so much attention from rocks. Paying close attention to the instructions will ensure that you orient everything as intended to avoid unwanted interferences. Everything you need to mount these comes with the kit and the parts are available individually as well.
The Testing
As you may recall we were busy testing the ARB and Fox variants of shocks valved on the soft side to suit the stiff coils MetalCloak spec'd for us, and available as recommended pairings for their Duroflex lift kits. 10.75-in travel was the range to expect from those long-travel variants that worked very well both on- and off-road. Pavement pounding was similar to those, and even though these newly mounted oddities soaked up small frequency hits better, they still managed the stiff coil rebound nicely. Road handling manners from this complete Gamechanger version surpass those we experienced with our high-end 2.5-in lift on OEM control arms and geometry correction brackets. Off-road, and now with up to 14-in of travel available, you need to re-evaluate a few things to get the most out of the system as it was intended. The only thing preventing us from reaching the full potential of upward travel afforded by the 6Paks, was the companies own high line fender flares hanging over our meaty 37-in Pitbull Rockers. It left me wondering how much further we might have gone with 35’s.
At full droop, down travel is awesome now, which requires extended brake lines, diff breather lines and looser wiring for the electronic lockers, especially up front as the high misalignment Duroflex joint control arms get put to the test. Off-road in the rough stuff, the whole MetalCloak philosophy of "systems based " lift kits comes together to provide the smoothest quietest performance I've ever experienced in seven years of building JK’s. No small wonder, as this set-up would represent the high-end of anything in its class. Being a big fan of low centre of gravity lifts, it also represented the highest I would ever find it necessary to lift even a four-door JK. The extra spring rate and height were noticeable when the bigger hits had the Jeep bobbing up and down.
The 6Paks kept the action moderated and comfortable though. Now the real surprise came where I should have expected it, and that was our B.C. gravel and dirt FSR (forest service road) travel. I could maintain control through the rutted corners and over potholed sections at speeds and comfort levels that didn't even make sense based on what I was used to. This is obviously where your higher-end shocks shine and given the amount of FSR we need to cover to get to our favourite trails, the performance of the 6Paks here alone spoiled James and I every time we headed out in the name of "testing." We'll be paired up again soon for a seven day epic overland trip through the B.C. central province backcountry and mountain ranges, so we'll get to really put the boots to these shocks to see how they stand up to what would be over four months of steady abuse.
Pros:
- How can you argue with 14-in ...wait now 15-in of bolt-on travel?
- Super smooth, quiet performance.
- Rebuildable by a company that stands behind their products.
- You could have these shocks for a long time.
- Relatively easy install, and right in your own garage.
- All the people you meet under your rig checking out your crazy shocks.
Cons:
- Someone always wants to argue about that much bolt-on travel.
- You will have to send these in to MetalCloak for service or rebuild.
- Requiring a full set of back up shocks during servicing period.
- Install not as easy as plain shocks.
- At over twice the price of conventional shocks the fun doesn't come cheap.
- You'll have to talk to all those people you meet under your rig.
Who are these for?
These are not for the budget minded builder. At $500+ CAD per corner, plus high clearance fender flares on top of the $2500+ MetalCloak kit that is required to put these to proper use, you have arrived at about as much as you can spend on a bolt-on mid arm system. You have also arrived at a travel and performance level normally only provided by a full long arm kit and at least remote reservoir shocks, which will set you back even more. Not everyone has access to chopping, grinding and welding their way to a high performance outcome. Companies like MetalCloak that have put together a complete system based kit have essentially done all the thinking for you, and these tailor made systems will always perform extremely well when all the components are combined as they had intended. If you won't be satisfied with the typical travel afforded by mid arm lifts, or are looking to be at the top of this particular class, then maybe it's time for you to graduate to the 6Paks to go... for the long travel.