Setting up new shocks

[CSDominion]

I searched for shock oil and all I found was listings of what people were using (mostly on "for sale" posts)

My current truck is an HPI Nitro RS4 MT 2. The truck weighs about 5 pounds and I'm ordering a new set of shocks for it.

HPI Alum Threaded Front Shock Set 70-103mm
HPI Alum Threaded Rear Shock Set 77-117mm

I currently have HPI's "purple" springs and these come with the "black" springs. HPI has wonderful information on these springs coding them by color, so if you need more spring information I can look it up. Basically the black is a medium spring and the purple is a hard spring.

I am setting up the car for pure offroad with jumps in mind. My question is how do you determine what wt oil to put in the shocks? I understand the larger number is thicker, and that a thinner oil will allow for quicker shock response and a more "bouncy" ride which is what I'm trying to avoid. I dont want the truck to bounce much when it lands. Is there a rule of thumb to follow when matching up shock oil to spring rate to performace desired?

Thank you for any assistance you might be able to provide.

Here is what I thought I would try so you can see if I'm on the right track or not:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXWB05&P=7

I see a lot of people listing Trinity oil - is it just a better brand to use? Cost on most shock oils seem to be about the same.

 

[jon2]

trinity is a common brand and can be found at most LHS. I use them as well. I personally use stiff springs and low weight oil. It all depends on you what you do and how hard you jump. No ST or ST size trucks for me. I use that set up I mentioned on my OLD Maxx 2.5 with 4 UE shocks. The threaded versions from HPI should suffice. Just look around if there any weak spots on the shocks.. like the bladder or shafts or caps. Stuff to look for.

 

[CSDominion]

The wt range is 10 to 100 - I'm guessing from places I've read that stock shock oil is around 25-30. So I should be looking at trying out a few oils like 25, 40, 60 maybe? Or is that too much of a drastic range to find what is right for my liking?

I guess my mental block is thinking about oil viscosities for motor use in a sports car motor.

 

[jon2]

Best thing to do is try a few. Try not to keep your mind set at one weight only. You will be surprised that you may like more than just one. Trinity does have weights in the 10-100 and if you go to Kyosho then they just add a few zeros to the number.
100 would be 10,000 and so forth

 

[CSDominion]

I continued to read the search replies and found a post with this link:

http://www.rcnitro.com/articles/tune_sus.asp

I think I'm much better off in choosing an oil now. I'll be buying 20, 30 and 40 wt Trinity oil and try those out and see which I like the best.

 

[FastEddy]

I would start with a 30wt and go up from there. Its all a matter of choosing a combo that works for you. If I was going to make a shopping list here is what I would get. (I take this combo with me and keep it stocked in my own field kit)

Oil:
30wt
50wt
70wt

Springs:
Soft
Medium
Hard.

You can start with this and fill in the voids if you need some fine tuning. Fill your shocks then test each spring set, and yes,try combinations of springs. You will find setups that works for any occasion. I change shock setup all the time. A lot of people look for a general all around good setup and leave it.

 

[CSDominion]

I'm still building up my field kit - in fact I'm shopping for a good tool box or something to store all this stuff in (The wife isnt too happy with them all over my desk in the office LOL) Need to buy a few new tools esp for working on the truck, then I'll be set. Once I learn what combos work best for different terrain, I'll be all set. Thanks for the suggestions. If nothing else, the extra oil I ordered can help my brother in law rebuild his shocks.

When I bought the MT2, I didnt realize how heavy it was compared to my brother-in-law's RC10GT. My goal has been to hang with his car in the straights. I know I can take him in corners (mostly because he hasnt fine tuned driving the 2wd on soft dirt and he spins.

Another goal of the truck, in the same line of "just have fun" is to not break stuff every time I jump it. I can deal with every other LOL

 

[Plaidfish]

I'm still building up my field kit - in fact I'm shopping for a good tool box or something to store all this stuff in (The wife isnt too happy with them all over my desk in the office LOL) Need to buy a few new tools esp for working on the truck, then I'll be set.

I use a plano 777 tackle box...it rocks for RC stuff and only costs 35 bucks....has 2 removable tool boxes and some kind of lure box that rocks for oil type bottles....
http://www.huntingfishinginc.com/plan777guids.html
Outdoor world sells em cheaper......

 

[Revo Rancher]

Hey Plaidfish, same box I use. Paid 25.00 for it on sale at SportMart.

 

[Tucker]

I'd stick to cps measured oils, perhaps Mugen or Kyosho. Any other methods of measurement are haphazzard at best (see TWF8 ).

For an off-road vehicle I'd stick with weights between 200-400 cps. For good terrain following I'd use perhaps 250cps with HPI's #5 pistons for better high speed pack.

If you set up the suspension to just bottom when the vehicle is dropped from 12" you'll be good to go. Don't try having the suspnsion harder in an attempt to prevent the chassis grounding, you'll just break suspension parts if you have the car that hard.

 

[CSDominion]

I use a plano 777 tackle box...it rocks for RC stuff and only costs 35 bucks....has 2 removable tool boxes and some kind of lure box that rocks for oil type bottles....
http://www.huntingfishinginc.com/plan777guids.html
Outdoor world sells em cheaper......

Been a while since I went fishing with a rod, totally forgot about tackle boxes. For some reason my mindset was stuck on tool-boxes. Thanks for the advice and recommendation. I'm now browsing at bass-pro LOL