What is the best silicone oil for xv01?

[rally racer #75]

I have now ordered my xv01, and i am making list of upgrades and parts that i need to buy. everything was good until i got to the silicone oil. i don't know which weight i should buy. i saw a build, and they used 45w. is that okay for the xv01? or should i get a heaver silicone oil?

[stormridersp]

Originally Posted by rally racer #75

I have now ordered my xv01, and i am making list of upgrades and parts that i need to buy. everything was good until i got to the silicone oil. i don't know which weight i should buy. i saw a build, and they used 45w. is that okay for the xv01? or should i get a heaver silicone oil?

The fluid weight depends on more factors than just a general number. What works on one car, might not work on yours.

The oil weight is what makes a damper damp. Although an accurate calculation is out of the scope here, you need to understand that it depends on factors like the spring rate, the wheel rate, the sprung weight of the chassis (everything that is attached to the upper side of the damper), the unsprung weight of the chassis (everything that is attached to the lower side of the damper) and the damping ratio. This means that different batteries, different electronics, different springs and even different bodies will make a difference!

What I do to simplify things is to buy 2 different oil weights, one light and the other very heavy and mix them together until I get the desired damping. The process is quite simple: first I setup the car and make it drive ready with battery and body shell. Then I fill the dampers with a light mixture, install the dampers and drop the car from a height of about 4" off the ground, making sure that all the wheels will hit the ground at the exact same time. Since the mixture is very light, the damping ratio is very low, so the chassis will rebound back and will continue 'vibrating' up and down. Next I increase the mixture weight, progressively, by replacing a small amount of the oil mixture with a few drops of the heavier oil, until the car is hitting the ground and is almost not vibrating after the initial impact. When this happens, then you´re very close to the golden number, the Critical Damping.

[rally racer #75]

Originally Posted by stormridersp

The fluid weight depends on more factors than just a general number. What works on one car, might not work on yours.

The oil weight is what makes a damper damp. Although an accurate calculation is out of the scope here, you need to understand that it depends on factors like the spring rate, the wheel rate, the sprung weight of the chassis (everything that is attached to the upper side of the damper), the unsprung weight of the chassis (everything that is attached to the lower side of the damper) and the damping ratio. This means that different batteries, different electronics, different springs and even different bodies will make a difference!

What I do to simplify things is to buy 2 different oil weights, one light and the other very heavy and mix them together until I get the desired damping. The process is quite simple: first I setup the car and make it drive ready with battery and body shell. Then I fill the dampers with a light mixture, install the dampers and drop the car from a height of about 4" off the ground, making sure that all the wheels will hit the ground at the exact same time. Since the mixture is very light, the damping ratio is very low, so the chassis will rebound back and will continue 'vibrating' up and down. Next I increase the mixture weight, progressively, by replacing a small amount of the oil mixture with a few drops of the heavier oil, until the car is hitting the ground and is almost not vibrating after the initial impact. When this happens, then you´re very close to the golden number, the Critical Damping.

thank you for that, but is there any easy way?
btw I will have stock motor, cheap and light electronic

[Sith Lord]

Originally Posted by rally racer #75

thank you for that, but is there any easy way?

Yes - use the kit oil and just drive the thing!

Seriously though. Start there, then change (one thing at a time) to suit you or where you run. I'm just bashing on the street, so I changed to a softer spring but much heavier oil (50-60wt I think)

[rally racer #75]

Originally Posted by Sith Lord

Yes - use the kit oil and just drive the thing!

Seriously though. Start there, then change (one thing at a time) to suit you or where you run. I'm just bashing on the street, so I changed to a softer spring but much heavier oil (50-60wt I think)

thanks! I just finished building the kit, and I found some parts that I did not like, for example: the way the car have camber when you turn the car, the way the chassis almost scrapes the ground, etc... did this happen to everyone who have a xv-01?

[flifisher312]

After building mine, the car sits a little low for my liking. I've been meaning to try some things to get a little more clearance but haven't got around to it yet.


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[Sith Lord]

This is all I did to mine. Post # 11:

Rally Time

[rally racer #75]

in my area, the road is covered in snow and/or salt. I don't want to damage the body chassis or electronic. so even though the chassis is finished I have not run the chassis yet. so I have a question: should I put the long shock rod end or should I just stick with it? I am asking this, because average joe(youtuber) said that with the long one, it would roll over. but at the same time I don't want the chassis to be all scratched up from driving on road.

[Sith Lord]

It's a chassis. It's a rally car. Deal with it. What RC cars aren't going to get scratched up? Absolutely zero solutions for there mate