What shock oil weights are you using? Diff weights? (Bashers and racers)

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DavidB1126

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Like the question says. I am rebuilding my rustler and slash shocks. The only oil I have it AE 50wt oil so I will use that. The stock wt for the Traxxas cars is 30 I'm pretty sure. 50 should be a little better for my speed runs/street bashes. In the mini b I am running the stock which I think is 22.5 per the manual. In my B74.1D I am running kit set up so 40 in the front and 35 in the rear if I remember correctly. I got a little of stock Traxxas 30 left but I'll just use 50. For diffs, on the Traxxas cars I am just using the Mobil 1 grease and whatever comes with the 272R trans (I think 300k or 500k) In the buggy, still running kit set up so 10k front and rear and 200 in the center.
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Also found these green shock caps so I might change the color up.
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This is a loaded question and what I have learned to do is drill slightly larger holes in the pistons of my rear shocks so that I can run the exact same weight shock fluid in both the front and rear to make it easier for me during rebuilds and tuning adjustments.

Note that when the tempature changes, your shock oil will drastically change to where I typically run 350CST in the winter and 550CST in the summer for most of my cars. I try get my pistons tuned to where I run the same fluid in every car in my stable at the same time so I don't get confused with rebuilds ;)
 
On my Rustler: 30wt FR / 50wt RR for on-road. 30wt FR / 40wt RR off-road (grass). 2-hole TRX piston. AE silicon shock fluid.

MT10: 40wt FR / 50wt RR on-road. 40wt FR / 40wt RR off-road (grass). Std pistons. AE silicon shock fluid.

AE silicon shock fluid tends to run a bit heavier in CST rating than Losi. Example: 30wt AE 350 CST; Losi 338 CST. Have both brands in inventory, having used Losi exclusively in the past. For now am using AE. My preference is for Losi. The bottle is more supple and easier to control fluid flow. AE bottle is very hard plastic and relies on gravity feed which is less easier controlling flow.

For shock fluid, I try to use the lightest weight possible that will allow the tires to follow the road or grass surface.

'AC'
 
What is stated in a particular RC's manual, or what comes prefilled in a RTR's shocks, is generally a good starting point... generally. Every track, every surface has different needs. Experimenting with shock pistons, and fluids is a love/hate thing with me. Tapered, thin, thick, slanted holes, dual rate, rebound valved... stupid amount of ways we all try to get the right pack/damping/rebound from our shock's pistons. I love putting together a shock package that soaks up ultra rough terrain, and watching the suspension do it's thing. I hate cleaning. Running outside on real dirt; in dusty conditions... let's just say I wouldn't have it any other way. 😎 :wacky:

The same thing goes for diff fluids. Experiment when box stock settings are not cutting it for you. Go get the Hudy or Tekno tuning guide, or visit one of the many RC tuning sites for tips on making your diffs work the way you want them to. My diffs normally get filled with lighter fluids than what's recommended on a box stock setup sheet from a manual, cause of medium/loose track conditions I run on.
 
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