Shock setup and drop test??

[Chevy-SS]

I just bought a set of MSR5 Integy shocks for my race Maxx. My local race track has some sizeable jumps. Has anyone set up a set of these shocks for jumping? What oil and pistons you using?

Also, for you racers and jumpers out there, do you ever use a drop test? You know, drop the whole truck from a foot or two? Or perhaps just lift up one end and drop it? If so, what is your drop test and what kind of results do you look for? Do you want the truck to hit with a thud and sit still, or should it bounce? Most guys look for the "bones level" attitude after a drop test, but I'm curious to see what others have to say on the subject.

Any and all comments appreciated.

[Revival]

For me, when I do the drop test its usually around 2 to 3ft....the first thing I look for is that it lands and sit still......there should be as little or no bounce. After that, I will lift the chassis up and see what is the level of droop.....my personal preference is to have about a 1cm droop level.

As for oil, I usually use between 45 and 50wt oil. Depending on the track or terrain condition, I will change the spring rating......Like I mentioned in your earlier thread, if you are racing your MT, limit your jump height......the higher your MT jumps, the distance is increased and you have no speed control while in the air.

PS:.....I am dealing with 1/8 MTs

[Chevy-SS]

From 3 feet, doesn't your chassis slam the ground? Mine does, even from about one foot. Regarding the droop, you are looking for the chassis to be sitting a little low after the drop test, correct?

[Revival]

Nope.....my chassis doesnt slam the ground. What oil rating are you using and what kind of springs? How are you building your shocks? Do you have the option of adjusting your spring tension by threading or insert?

Do you have foam insert in your tires?....it could be your chassis is not slamming but the tires deflates all the way and its the wheels that is doing the slamming.

Yours is the T-Maxx right...... I have no personal experience with it but judging from the pics I have seen with a 8 damper setup, you should not be having this problem.

Regarding the droop yes you are correct.....To me the droop is important as it helps the MT soak up the terrain.

[cretin]

mmm.. the drop test... a stock savage can take a 6 foot drop without bottoming out, even with the stock 10 wt oil. i am still amazed at that. love those shocks

[Chevy-SS]

cretin - Sorry dude, I can't buy that six foot drop claim. No way. Take a video and perhaps I'll believe it.


Revival - I am certain the chassis is slamming. I will have the new shocks in a couple of days. I would post a pic of the truck here. Is it possible to post pics on this forum?

[twisted]

chevy ss....i had a maxx i raced last year and also had those integy shocks.first off i wish you good luck with those shocks as i didnt have any with em,i bent a shock shaft and constently blew the eclips of the shaft where it holds the piston on.

i would start off with atleast 50 wt oil depending on your track conditions.remember not to set your truck up for just the jumps but a happy medium for the whole track.if you go to heavy in ol your truck might push in the turns and bounce over the small bumps.

as for the drop test...its not important.all mts will bottem out regardles.i set my truck up to have some negative droop in the shocks.dog bones just above or rite at leve.

[Farwar]

cretin is telling the truth. I can drop my savage from 6 feet to and not have it bottoming out at all. Try some thicker shock oil and some stiffer springs. If your droping it from 1 foot and it bottoms out, thats kind of sad :( .

[Crusher 1]

cretin is telling the truth. I can drop my savage from 6 feet to and not have it bottoming out at all. Try some thicker shock oil and some stiffer springs. If your droping it from 1 foot and it bottoms out, thats kind of sad :( .

I would have to see that for myself,I am not saying you are lying but 6 feet?
I don't know! please post some video.. :D

[Chevy-SS]

twisted, these are the newer version MSR5 with the 3.5mm shafts. You had all the problems with these? Man, I'll be really disappointed if that happens. They look to be nice shocks. I'll find out soon enough. If they bend and break, I'll be sure and post here. I should be racing with them this Sunday.

Farwar, I have the suspension set very soft, with weak springs, so it is going to bottom out easy. It ain't "sad" dude, it's just the way it is. I can make it so it will never bottom out, if that's what it takes to make you Savage guys happy. Funny thing is, I never see any Savages racing at the track. weird.....

[twisted]

i had the newest version a year ago.yes they look like great shocks but looks dont mean everything. lol.
good luck.

[Revival]

Cretin is more or less correct provided if that is what the dampers and springs are setup for......big jumps and that is it......However for the real world of MT racing, setting up for big jumps is not the best solution as the MT is going to bounce on every ground imperfection plus the fact that the higher the jump, one is going to lose lap timing.

If the dampers are bottoming out at a height of 1 foot, something is seriously wrong with the dampers in question.....either the assembly is not correct or that there is a leak somewhere and lossing damper oil.

There is a video in the Kyosho US website on a Inferno TR15 buggy doing a 20 plus feet jump...........and on this buggy, the shocks are definately smaller in terms of travel and oil volume compared to the T-Maxx.

[that_one_guy]

w/ a savage 25 no lie, 6 foot is right. savage 21, i dont know. now my savage w/ 100wt, 2nd story window and no slap, i would get a vid if i had a camera

[minijosh]

I just dropped my txt-1 with stock everything from my chest height and it didn't bottom out at all. Sudden thud when it hit the ground. You don't want any bounce at all. If you bounce, it will throw off your landing.

[Skribble]

i had the newest version a year ago.yes they look like great shocks but looks dont mean everything. lol.
good luck.You can say that again. My friend bent the the Integy shock shafts several times on a nearly stock E-Maxx on a small track.

[Revival]

w/ a savage 25 no lie, 6 foot is right. savage 21, i dont know. now my savage w/ 100wt, 2nd story window and no slap, i would get a vid if i had a camera


2nd storey window huh.....?....Man you got a really FAT wallet.....heeheehee...:D

[twisted]

I just dropped my txt-1 with stock everything from my chest height and it didn't bottom out at all. Sudden thud when it hit the ground. You don't want any bounce at all. If you bounce, it will throw off your landing.


dude , your txt-1 will never bottem out..its a solid axle mt.

[cretin]

um, how is is impossible for a solid axle truck to bottom out?

i wasn't saying that the 6 foot drop makes the savage cooler than all the other trucks. just that it can. those that don't believe just haven't seen it.

yeah, chevy ss, if there are no savages racing at your track, then they must suck. great logic.

[Revival]

It is possible for a solid axle truck to bottom out.......just that it can take more height just before it does due to the fact that there is less sprung weight onto the dampers.....My cousin's .25 Savage was doing 8 to 9 feet jumps last week at the beach......just to impress bikini clad girls .........whahahhahaaaa...:D

[maxximus14]

Cretin is telling the truth, my friend has a savage and it can take a drop from 6ft w/o bottoming out. One thing that really amaced me was that one day he was getting really pissed and it so he picked it up and threw it on the ground as hard as he could and i think the truck barely bottomed out if it did at all.

As for your t-maxx, my t-maxx in stock trim also bottomed out from a very small drop(like 1ft.). Now that i have added 45wt oil it takes more of a 4-5ft drop for it to bottom out. How much air are you getting from the jumps on your track? If it is around 8ft i think 45wt. will be perfect. If your getting 15ft of air i would consider going to 60wt. After the "drop" test i like having my T almost come all the way back up, but i just bash and don't race so what Revival said is proabably better.

Bottoming out isnt bad unless it is knocking your truck of its line or breaking things(but that shouldnt be happening unless its like a 30-40ft drop). On our home made track, my truck gets around 10ft of air off the biggest ramp, bottoms out, but keep on going along fine. Its only those harsh,loud, slapping bottom outs that you should worry about(like how ur truck is set-up now).

[Chevy-SS]

Maxximus - I would say the jumps are creating about 8 feet of air. I just installed the wide RPM arms and should have new shocks today or tomorrow. I think I will start with 40w oil or thereabouts. Thanks for tips. I will definitely look for more height on the drop test before it bottoms out.

cretin - I'm impressed by the 6 foot drop test. I know a lot of guys that run Savages, and love them. They are sturdy, no doubt. Also fast, when upgraded. I ain't saying Savages suck, jeez. I don't wanna start a freakin' war here. I'm just sayin' I don't see any racing. Draw your own conclusions from that, but it doesn't mean I think Savages suck. Hell, I like all MT's, some more than others. I got two Maxxes, but I ain't necessarily a completely devoted Maxx fan.

I can see a Monster GT in my future. :rolleyes:

[twisted]

It is possible for a solid axle truck to bottom out.......just that it can take more height just before it does due to the fact that there is less sprung weight onto the dampers.....My cousin's .25 Savage was doing 8 to 9 feet jumps last week at the beach......just to impress bikini clad girls .........whahahhahaaaa...:D


nope....a solid axle mt will NEVER bottem out.its impossible. the shocks will bottem out well befor the chassis touches the ground and on a solid axle mt the 4 links with shocks off dont allow the chassis to touch the ground in most casses. soryy dude, just not gonna happen.

[cretin]

i bet the tlt would. it's a solid axle monster, albeit 1/18 scale, and has under an inch of ground clearance. in most cases, you're probably right, but not always.

[cretin]

oh, don't worry, chevy ss, most of the reason i come here is to get into it with people. it's all in good fun. no "freakin" wars for me.

[Revival]

Hi Twisted

Are you saying that my MF is not going to bottom out..........????

[cretin]

NEVER NEVER NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hee hee

[twisted]

Hi Twisted

Are you saying that my MF is not going to bottom out..........????


if you read my post tothe "T" it says in most cases a solid mt will not bottem out. i doubt you mf will to.

[Revival]

Ooooh okay ......that is a comforting thought.......perhaps the next beach bashing with my cousin, me gonna squash his Savage........hee hee hee.......:D

[r.c.dealer]

i had the newest version a year ago.yes they look like great shocks but looks dont mean everything. lol.
good luck.


MSR5 Shocks just came out. You didn't have those a year ago, you had the MSR4 shocks which are completely different than the MSR5 shocks other than the piggy backs which are also different than the old MSR4's.

[twisted]

i had the piggy backs.i said i didnt know what ones i had,that put a bad taste in my mouth for integy.

[SavageMan21]

A solid axle mt will bottom out.... If both axles snap in half.

~Justin

[twisted]

good point, lol.

[cretin]

technically, bottoming out doesn't mean the chassis hits the ground. it just means the suspension couldn't absorb the whole impact. if your suspension is set up so that at full compression the chassis slaps, then when you bottom out, your chassis slaps.

[Revival]

A solid axle mt will bottom out.... If both axles snap in half.

~Justin


Not gonna happen bro........:D....If it does, I am gonna smack you for it.......whahahahahhahaa

[twisted]

technically, bottoming out doesn't mean the chassis hits the ground. it just means the suspension couldn't absorb the whole impact. if your suspension is set up so that at full compression the chassis slaps, then when you bottom out, your chassis slaps.


yup, i know what bottem out means thats why a couple of posts back i specified chassis and shock botteming out.