Balloon shock covers

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I was looking at the thread and come acorss the pics as my mom walked in..She asked "What the hell ya looking at?" ..lol..
 
Haha, thats hilarious! Really good tip tho! Makes them look really nice too.
 
Great idea, really helps to keep the parts clean.

However, I've tried this before and found it created more work in maintenance than if I didn't do the party balloon cover thing. I've found the ballons will get holes when the springs bottom hard pinching the balloon between the coils and if you don't change it ASAP it keeps dirt inside the balloon not letting it escape like if the balloon was not there. If you some how have a shock leakage problem the silicone shock oil wil desolve the ballon turning it into a gooey mess that's impossible to clean up. The balloon over the coil spring (same applies to the spandex covers) results in resistance so the spring/shock combo reacts slower in compression/rebound.

I stopped doing this and just put a party balloon over the shock piston making sure my shock seals were working well
 
Wouldn't it suck if you sucked the balloon down your throat while holding a vacuum on it?

Just thought about that.

Explain that one to the doctor.
 
If you have ever tried to put a ballon on your shock you will know that this idea is genius. Thank you for the tip I gave up on trying to put a ballon on my shocks but now I will try again.
 
I've used this method a few times, the one draw back i found is after awhile the ballons have a tendance to melt to the springs, and as mentioned in a reply here , when you get a tear the dirt is harder to clean out, and if you use a cleaner, it can melt the ballons
 
Thank you this is why i love this forum.

DSCN0153.jpg
:yes:
 
While the balloon shock covers are cheap and functional, they do tend to tear after use.

Anther cheap alternative is to pick up a set of Bad Horsie shock covers. Simple to install, tough and machine washable.

http://www.badhorsie.com/products/shock-covers.html
 
Either I bought the wrong balloons or that guy has more suction than my vacuum!!!! I couldn't even get my balloon to expand in the tube with my Bissel turbo vac!!!! Think I'll go with the Badhorsies shock covers that were suggested.
 
woooohhhhhh... alright now... so I'm a lil confused the balloons just trim it at neck and then fold it over...?
 
i just did that for my maxxs and it works great and i did double them up and it did even better
 
I bought a set of Bad Horsie shock covers after reading this about the balloon trick:

"The use of party balloons as a shock protector has got to be the dumbest thing we have ever seen! It would be a cheap and easy alternative if it worked but it doesn't. An RC shock cover must fulfill one objective; To reduce dirt build-up on your shock shafts for prolonging shock rebuilds while not hindering the spring-rate performance of your shocks. If you are so inclined to stretch a rubber party balloon over your shock then you might as well use a different weight shock oil at each corner of your RC. Balloons will inconsistently alter your shock performance and cause suspension tuning nightmares."

The rest of the facts (according to that company) about shock covers can be read here: http://www.badhorsie.com/faq/rc-shock-covers-socks-facts.html

I'm not saying you should or shouldn't use balloons, I just didn't realize they could affect the set up of your suspension. And I must admit, the Bad Horsie cover are pretty sweet, nice and clean looking.
 
while i can't say you are wrong about the ballons altering your dampining rate, i can say i dont belive its as big a deal to most of the non-raceing ppl. here, this thread was , i belive, started to just give a few tips/tricks to the average R/C hobbyist, if you are a seriouse racer, I'm sure this tip/trick isnt anything you/they dont allready know about !?, if you are a seriouse racer, then id suggest like mrclean mentioned, get a set of covers like the ones @badhorsie, other wise one could save a few bucks and use the good old ballon method trick :p:, happy R/C'ing peeps !!!:first_place:
 
Ok, what is the purpose of the ballons on the shocks? Is it to keep them clean? (Which is the assumption I have and makes perfect sense.) Or is there another reason for this?
 
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Ok, what is the purpose of the ballons on the shocks? Is it to keep them clean? (Which is the assumption I have and makes perfect sense.) Or is there another reason for this?

To reduce dirt build-up on your shock shafts which will prolong shock rebuilds.

Plus they come in many different colors that will make your rig stand out.
 
To reduce dirt build-up on your shock shafts which will prolong shock rebuilds.

Plus they come in many different colors that will make your rig stand out.

So is it for all RCs that you should get this for or just the Nitros? I use air right now to clean them up, but if I can make it easier on myself getting this then I think I need to start investing.
 
So is it for all RCs that you should get this for or just the Nitros? I use air right now to clean them up, but if I can make it easier on myself getting this then I think I need to start investing.

You should be careful using air to clean shock shafts. You can easily force crap into the seals.
 
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