Shock questions

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martinmarty

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Sorry if I don't have the terms right. I hope you can tell what I am talking about.

There is a small spacer (they call it a limiter) that goes on the shaft below the E clip below the piston. The Traxxas (plastic) shock instruction sheet says to use these spacers on the rear shocks. The big bore kit instructions do not mention the spacer, but they give them to you, so I put them on.

It appears that this spacer prevents the shock from extending fully, by its thickness, approx. 1/16".

What is the significance of this spacer or limiter, and why is it only needed on the rear shocks?

Question #2) At the bottom of the big bores, there is a tiny C clip that holds in the o-rings, etc. What do you use to get these in and out?

THANKS
 
Needle nose pliers and WEAR GOGGLES! E Clips do Fly! I would purchase extras in the event you bend the ones you have.

In regards to spacers and their uses. Well, if you wanted to lower your suspension, lets say for racing, you would want to use the spacers. These reduce the travel limit of the shaft, thus, lowering your ride.

If you plan on hitting the track a lot, then try the iggest ones all the way around and see how it handles. Then, work your way smaller if you still want to.

For bashing, I do not run any spacers at all. Makes the ride a little top heavy, but, the added suspension is worth it when your launching it ;)

Hope this helps.

-Chris
 
Thanks, but I have no problem with the E clips, it is the C clips I was asking about. They have such tiny holes I don't know what kind of tool to use to compress them.
 
I use a dental pick to take them out. Slide the pick into one hole and pull it a bit until it slides out of the groove just a smigent then gently peel it out.

To put them back in, use a small flathead screwdriver. With your finger work one end into the groove than while holding it in place gently use the screwdriver to compress the clip into the recess of the shock. Sometimes the clip will just pop into place sometimes you have to help it. Make sure the clip is fully seated.

Once you get it together make sure you place a bit of shock oil on the shaft before inserting it through the seals. If you do this dry you run a risk of damaging the o-rings.
 
When putting the clips back in take your time if using a screw driver, If the SD slips you can stick your finger bad it hurts trust me.
 
Sears also sells a retaining clip tool that will do the job. Otherwise, like Eddy said. Just be careful. They ALL fly :D
 
HAHAHA LOL I put on ti pins (in the a-arm) I was lazy and did not disassemble anything. Well now i have the front pins in with no more clips. (had enough for the front and back) I am on my hands and knees looking for clips in my rug. (only for 2 seconds) then i ran to lhs to get clips. I found a somewhat easy way to do this. I magnitzed a screw driver .
 
Thanks, guys. I think I've got the picture on the clips. While I gots you on the phone, lemme axe you another question.

I have seen several people recommending Trinity springs, but I can't seem to find a place to buy them. I would like to try some better springs and the progressive ones seem like a good idea to me. Tower has Raven progressive springs for about $18. Would these be OK? Or someplace that sells Trinity?

What weight is the standard shock oil that comes from Traxxas? I might like to mess around with that too, but would like to know my starting point.

I just bought the big bore shocks so I am asking all these shock questions. I don't do a lot of jumping, but I quickly got tired of those caps popping off every time I got some good air off a dirt pile or something!
 
Stock oil is around 30-35 wt.
I use 60 in the BB shocks and Trinity blue springs on the 4 corners and stock (not the BB springs) on the inside. seems to be a good setup for all around use.
 
Tower Hobbies sells Trinity Springs. The Trinity Blue work great for a slightly heavier than stock T-Maxx. The Trinity Black work better for a heavy Maxx. I run the Trinity springs and have no complaints. I have a mix of Blue and Black on the rear and straight Blues in the front.

The stock oil weight is 35wt. Your oil/silicone weight is going to be dependent on your driving style (on road, off road, basher, flyer, etc.) General rule of thumb...

Heavy springs with heavy oil, light springs with light oil. You can go counter to that, but the results will be dependent on how you mix things up. The oil is to dampen the movement of the shock. The spring is to absorb the shock and return the shock to an extended position. With that in mind a light spring with heavy oil means the shock will compress fairly quickly on a hard landing and be slow to return to full extension after the landing.

You can also use preload spacers to either stiffen up the ride a smidge or force the ride height a little higher. Those are the ones that are external to the shock cylinder.
 
Thanks. I have ordered a set of the Trinity Blue and some 50 wt oil and will do some experimenting and see what I like.

Eddy, are you telling me the BB springs are different than the stock (plastic shocks)? Heavier I presume? They looked the same to me.

Any advice on the pistons, ie. 2-hole, 3-hole. This would just contribute to dampening along with the weight of the oil, right? Like maybe the 3-hole with 60wt oil is the same as the 2-hole with 40wt?

I read somewhere that the stiffer I go on the shocks the less it will want to turn. I want to be able to turn but I want it to land from five feet in the air without breaking anything.

Thanks.
 
MartinMarty - you are right one about the 40 with two being the same or similar as the 30 with 3 (or vice versa - i think i wrote that backwards). But you are getting the point. One thing you want to accomplish is less sprung weight. Which is essentially the amount of time the springs are compressed. In order for me to accomplish this I have done the following:

Dual Rate RC Raven springs (hevier spring the farther they are compressed)
40wt oil in the rear shocks
30wt oil in the front shocks
RPM Dual Rate Plates! Purples all the way around.

The key here are the RPM dual rate plates. They way they work is simple but VERY effective. When the chock compresses, the oil is allowed to travel through 4 holes on the plate. When the shock is returning to is 'ready position' the oil flows through 6 holes. Following the 'path of least resistance'. These plates, combined with dual rate springs, make for a lethal suspension, one that is made to always keep the wheels on the ground. Follow?

You can run much heavier oil (I have gone as high as 100wt). However, this, in my opinion, puts a ton of stress on the shock. It is VERY difficult to even compress a shock with 100wt, much less decompress it.

At the end of the day, it will be personal preference and how you drive ;)
 
Thanks for all the advice on this. I am now running the Big Bores all around with two-hole plates. I use the stock oil and springs on the front and the Trinity blue + 50wt oil in the back. I thought the back was going to be too stiff but it seems to work real well. Now, me learning to land the truck with the wheels pointing DOWN is another problem. The shocks don't do much for me when they are facing the sky ... :D

I put some of those shock boots on it because I thought they would help keep the grunge out but that may have been a mistake. These may just be giant grunge collectors themselves, plus they collect water and nitro and all kinds of crap. Maybe I should have tried balloons.
 
Shock socks take care of that problem. My shocks always look like new when I take them apart ;)

I just rebuilt my rear shocks today. I ended up bumping my oil selection a little. I decided to go with 50 in the back shocks. I will do 40 in the front. Still went with 5mm spacer, rpm 2/6 dual rate plates, RC Raven progressive springs.

Let me just say, the return rate is so wicked fast, that my unsprung values should be much better. I can't wait to get my T back together with this getup.

Martin - you have to master the use of the gas and brake wile in the air. Good tracjectory, or slope of the launch spot, contributes a LOT to how easy a jump is to land. Always do your first few jumps slower than normal, but not slow enough to dump. It helps get the rythm of the jump itself. Then, use the gas to bring nose up when needed. Apply brake to put nose down. When you put on the brake or the gas (while airborne) always keep in mind the higher the input, the more radical the result. I find myself 'pulsing' the throttle or brake to correct my air :D

Hope this helps!
 

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