You want to run a very soft set-up for gravel or dirt. In fact, the best place to start is to just add a spacer above the top end (to raise the car a half inch) and run the OE springs. The only problem with this approach, as I have learned with the Evo X GSR, is that you don't want KYB shocks. You want something digressive or trigressive, instead. If I could get the Bilsteins off an MR, I would have them by now. For you, getting good shocks for gavel or dirt is going to cost you.

As always: the shocks are an order of magnitude more important that the springs.

If you are actually catching air (which means that it's an advanced rally or the organizers are idiots), then that's a little bit different. But I'd still start with OE-rate springs and just add large and progressive bumpstops to deal with this. You have a good skidplate, yes? No thin sheet of aluminum. I mean a real skidplate from a place like TRF in Michigan.

What is trigressive?

The KYB's are all progressive? I thought that digressive valving was a inherent nature to modern shocks.... I guess not. If they are progressive, maybe that's why I hate my AGX's. They feel like they have no "low speed" damping.

Are any of the commonly available dsm shock rebuildable/revalveable?

I've been doing dirtbike shocks for a quite a while so I got a pretty good handle on what it takes..

Yeah you're telling me, there's this one laughably uneven brick paved section of a street here in Ithaca and driving over that I don't believe AGX's have any low speed damping at all even at the softest setting ha.


Hmm Spacers and beefy bumpstops sound like an awesome starting point thank you.
I shall purchase Hella Black Magic 1000's an mudflaps and the "look" shall be complete muahahaha

I need new bumpstops anyway actually. Would you know of a good slip on replacement part/brand? Redoing the suspension in that tiny rented garage in my pictures was NOT fun.

A skid plate is deff on the list, I understand anything thats not seriously beefy won't cut it. There's a Cornell prof. with a rally eclipse that has one I should ask for the templates but if TRF already has one that'd be sweet thank you.

I heard an interesting lightwieght solution for a good skidplate can also be High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) sheeting- the same stuff they make plastic cutting boards out of because its cheap(if you can find it),self healing and super tough.