shock upgrade for the savage

Welcome to RCTalk

Come join other RC enthusiasts! You'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

kevin4578

RCTalk Member
Messages
25
Reaction score
0
RC Driving Style
  1. Bashing
I was thinking about upgrading the shocks on my rig, right now I have a mixture of stockers and integy piggy back shocks. The problem is I keep folding the front shocks into horse shoes(integy) and not sure why I haven't even been bashing all that hard. I've seen some with LST shocks and so on. Just curious as to which most people are leaning towards as I don't want to spend a fortune but want it to handle well, hold up and look good. Right now I have a axial .32, 3 speed trans, xl extended chassis plates, xl tires/rims. Let me know what you're running and how they hold up. Still a mystery to me why its only the integy's that aren't holding up???????
 
Get rid of the Integy shocks. Send them back for their guarantee. OOps, can't do that. Guarantee is void since you took them out of their package.
PURE crap, but they're pretty. Who said you couldn't polish a turd?
 
I run the stock plastic ones and haven't had a problem yet. I use black springs with I believe 25 weight oil. Seems to do the job pretty well.

However, I've been eyeballing a set of the HPI big bores... $80 for 4 though makes it tough to swallow for a basher like me.

I know someone on this forum is running 4 HPI Baja front shocks on his savage. He's using aftermarket towers though as they are longer, but he really likes them.

A buddy of mine runs LST2 shocks on his. He had to make little adapters for the bottom, but with 40 weight oil/yellow springs, it sure lands nice. Drives like a whole different truck. He has issues with the little stand offs bending out on the bottoms. I think he's going to retool them with 1/8 steel vs aluminum in hopes it will stand up a bit better to the big air he gets.

A long time ago I ran 8 1/8 buggy shocks with aftermarket towers (they are shorter, but beefier built) and they held up like a tank. Unfortunately, even after drilling out the pistons a bit and putting in light oil, they were still too stiff and I never got around to finding softer springs. The poor thing would bounce, but it wouldn't bottom out from a 8 foot drop! ;) Handled horribly though. Like a true "brick".

EDIT:
Found the thread with 5B shocks:
https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65022

Looks mean as hell!
 
Last edited:
Get rid of the Integy shocks. Send them back for their guarantee. OOps, can't do that. Guarantee is void since you took them out of their package.
PURE crap, but they're pretty. Who said you couldn't polish a turd?

I'm with you Rolex, these shocks do look nice but total crap!
 
I have run the stock shocks for over two years and see no reason to go to anything else. They are way to cheep to replace and hold up nicely. Remember that the thicker the oil you run the more chance you take of bending a shock. Stick to an oil around 25-35 viscosity and you should be fine with the stockers.
 
I was thinking of trying a set of LST2 but wanted to see if anyone else that has gone this way or tried them likes the way they handle or not
 
The LST shocks handle nice, but you add a lot of weight with the kit to installl them and the shocks themselves. LST shock shafts are weak, they don't bend they just snap at the threaded portion.
I prefer the stock plastic HPI shocks myself. Nothing else holds up to bashing like they can.
You can go up to 45 wt. oil as long as you properly fill them. Too much oil bends shock shafts in a hurry.
The HPI big bores are nice for racing, best performing shock for the Savage hands down.
I do not know how they will hold up to major air though.
 
Still a mystery to me why its only the integy's that aren't holding up???????

Integy are garbage. Like Rolex and everyone else said, no good.
They are pretty, but hold up about as well as a pair of matchsticks would...
 
I put the lst2 shocks on my xl. It took some fiddling and some parts from the hardware store. But the shocks are deffinatly a smoother ride. The main problem is attaching the shock to the suspension arm in a manner that is strong and durable, so i took some stainless sheet metal and cut it down then bent and formed it to fit to the front face of the arm. A couple screws and some gorilla glue and i was finished. I did this after one of my stock shocks blew apart from some big air. I will never by anything from Integy, i bought some parts for my pede vxl and every last part broke or bent, very disapointed....
 
I put the lst2 shocks on my xl. It took some fiddling and some parts from the hardware store. But the shocks are deffinatly a smoother ride. The main problem is attaching the shock to the suspension arm in a manner that is strong and durable, so i took some stainless sheet metal and cut it down then bent and formed it to fit to the front face of the arm. A couple screws and some gorilla glue and i was finished. I did this after one of my stock shocks blew apart from some big air. I will never by anything from Integy, i bought some parts for my pede vxl and every last part broke or bent, very disapointed....

Symmetricon, would you be able to post some pics of your rig? Just wanted to see how you went about doing it
 
FYI, this is my buddies:
2008-0713-ScootsSavageLSTShocks.jpg


Front is pretty much the same, but since the turnbuckles are already on the back side, they weren't the issue. Wheel/tire clearance was the problem on the front. He's running muggy wheels/tires with Losi 20mm adapter hubs. I'm not sure what (if any) offset there is compared to normal wheels/tires. I want to say he was also able to run standard t-maxx rims/tires on it, but he likes bigger tires.

If you make some little stand offs on the bottom, use some relatively thick steel. Aluminum doesn't hold up. The aluminum he used is 3/16" thick I believe and it bent out on him. Unless you can get your hands on some 7075 aluminum... or titanium ;) You can see the thickness of the aluminum by looking at the bracket his roll bar is attached to. The same stuff is what he used for the stand offs on the bottoms of the shocks. That thing lands like it's on pillows... stock oil/piston with losi yellow springs.

He made little braces like these on mine to ditch the rear turnbuckles to make room:
2008-1228-SavageRearTurnbuckleEliminator.jpg

I made them just because I was bored...
 
Last edited:
Whe I get back into town ill post some pics. I don't know how to on the blackberry.
 
Hi I'm not shure how to post a pic here. I have some pics in my photo album here. They should be viewable to you.
 
IRC mount kit with Muggy shocks, they are the perfect length for my taste. A bit shorter than LSTs.
100_0196.jpg

100_0197.jpg

100_0195.jpg

100_0194.jpg

100_0199.jpg
 
Last edited:
You haven't had any issues bending the upper bolts? Looks like their sticking out a bit farther than on the LST*. I'd up their size to 4mm. I was bending bolts on my aftershock and haven't had an issue since I went to 4mm.

Looks nice though.

What wing mount is that?
 
IMO HPI big bore shocks are the best for bashing or racing and they are the most tunable shock you can buy for the savage also.

If you want to go the less expensive route then get some new stockers for cheap and get some rc raven triple rate springs for them.
 
You haven't had any issues bending the upper bolts? Looks like their sticking out a bit farther than on the LST*. I'd up their size to 4mm. I was bending bolts on my aftershock and haven't had an issue since I went to 4mm.

Looks nice though.

What wing mount is that?

I don't have that truck anymore, I parted it out a while back. BIG mistake.
I never had any issues with bending. I would either break the plastic Muggy shock cap or the shock shaft at the threaded portion.
That is the DPP wing mount plate with a Mugen MBX5T wing mount. I painted it flat black to match the rest of the truck.
Thanks for the compliment.
http://www.dppracing.com/
 
Back
Top