Rubicon Express Mono Tube Front Shock

What is the difference between a mono tube shock and a twin tube shock?  Let’s take a quick peek at the two.

Mono Tube

With a mono tube shock, the cylinder of the shock has been divided into a couple of sections.  This is a section for the gas chamber and one for the fluid.  The shaft and the piston move in the fluid section.  There is only one valve assembly in the piston.  The overall diameter of the single cylinder and the valve for the piston are larger than what you see in a twin tube design, even while the outer dimensions of the two types are typically the same.   With this type of design, there isn’t a need for gas or air in the area with the fluid so the valve is able to work more responsively while not experiencing any performance fade or aeration.  The gas chamber is high pressure and is kept separate from the area with the fluid by a seal and a floating piston.  This provides an area for expansion for the excess movement of the fluid during the compressions stroke.  For movement that is more aggressive, this floating piston gets pushed further into the chamber for the gas which works to increase the pressure of the gas rather quickly which then provides additional force for the damping.  A mono tube shock is designed to have performance capabilities that are higher when compared to a twin tube shock and as such, it is used as the original equipment on many rigs and the ones that do not have this type of shock installed by the factory can upgrade to it. 

Twin Tube

With this type of shock, the working cylinder is the place where the shaft and piston move.  The outer cylinder is a reservoir for hydraulic fluid.  Both the stationary base valve and the piston have fluid valves.  The base valve is what controls the flow of liquid between the cylinders while also providing damping force.  The valves that are in the piston are responsible for controlling the damping.  When you hear the term “gas shock”, it typically refers to a twin tube shock.

Rubicon Express Mono Tube

The mono tube shocks that are made by Rubicon Express have been developed and tuned specially for each intended application.  In this way, the control is maximized while the ride quality is not compromised and neither is the stability at high speeds or the comfort for longer trips over rough terrain.  These shocks will allow you to get the best from your suspension system.  They have been robotically welded for precision and then specifically calibrated and then tested to ensure that you get the best ride possible regardless of the terrain.  When you want shocks that deliver on performance, strength and consistency, this is what you are looking for.