Sprung suspention question: Does your shock/spring setup have any down travel?

[BigB_117]

I've been playing around with shock setup on my Berg while I do a rebuild on a new chassis.

I'm running a CDW chump chassis and 103mm HPI shocks with Losi white springs.

I've always run my truck fully sprung. The shocks are at full extension when the truck is sitting at ride height.

Lately I've noticed that some build threads are mentioning two measurements for ground clearance. Ride height and "fully drooped out" these are sprung trucks but it appears that their suspension has some down travel.

I usually see this mentioned on trucks running losi shocks. It looks like their spring preload collars can be backed off enough that the springs aren't holding the shock at full extension like mine do. I don't think these trucks are running a spring under the piston in a true "semi-droop" setup.

Is some down travel in the shock beneficial? Does it let the wheels drop down and grab when you're hung up on the skid? Does that down travel cause the suspension to "unload" in any weird ways?

What are your thoughts?

Thanks.

[roksloski]

mine is set like that...
the springs are set so i have a ride height of 3 1/4"..

if they were set to full extension it would have over 3 1/2" belly height
and be under the 12 1/2" wheel base...

and i think you mean up travel when the truck is sitting at static height..

it will lift some on accelaration and suck down you dig...

[BigB_117]

Originally Posted by roksloski

mine is set like that...
the springs are set so i have a ride height of 3 1/4"..

if they were set to full extension it would have over 3 1/2" belly height
and be under the 12 1/2" wheel base...

and i think you mean up travel when the truck is sitting at static height..

it will lift some on accelaration and suck down you dig...

By down travel I meant the wheel moving down away from the chassis. So your truck's wheels can flex down about 1/4" it sounds like.

I think I would need shorter springs to get that same effect. Even with my shocks unlimited the Losi white springs will hold the shocks at full extension.

[roksloski]

If you are running HPI shocks unlimited, i think they are over 4" eye to eye...... 4 3/16 i belive..

you cant adj. the threaded spring adjusters all the way up to the top of the shock?

[BigB_117]

Originally Posted by roksloski

If you are running HPI shocks unlimited, i think they are over 4" eye to eye...... 4 3/16 i belive..

you cant adj. the threaded spring adjusters all the way up to the top of the shock?

Yeah they're a little bit longer than the Losi shocks. I've always run a small limiter to get length where I want it.

I've always run the preload collar all the way up, but it doesn't go up as far as the Losi shocks because of the screw on shock caps.

I mocked them up with no limiter but it put me way too high.

[roksloski]

maybe a shorter spring from a 3 1/2" shock???

or lay the shock back one hole to soften it a bit...

[BigB_117]

Originally Posted by roksloski

maybe a shorter spring from a 3 1/2" shock???

That might do the trick and it would something cheap to try out.

I don't have any idea how it would change the trucks behavior having always run it fully sprung...

[roksloski]

Originally Posted by BigB_117

That might do the trick and it would something cheap to try out.

I don't have any idea how it would change the trucks behavior having always run it fully sprung...

the truck will feel softer.....