79 Bronco shock tuning question

[Valor]

Hello folks, new to this forum and looking to gain some knowledge here. My son just got into crawling a few months ago. I bought him a 79 Bronco for Xmas. Current mods are 2300kv Fusion, Incision wheels w/G8 Hyrax, LCG Rock Pirates battery tray but use the front battery tray with the small 3s 1800 lipo and the rest of the truck is stock, Overall, we've been really happy with the trucks performance. That being said, with the battery now at the very front and looking to add some weighted front portal covers soon, I feel the rear end feels a bit too stiff relative to the front. What are some shock tuning options via spring or shock oil change do you suggest to soften up the rear a bit and create a better balance? Thanks in advance

[ferp420]

Originally Posted by Valor

Hello folks, new to this forum and looking to gain some knowledge here. My son just got into crawling a few months ago. I bought him a 79 Bronco for Xmas. Current mods are 2300kv Fusion, Incision wheels w/G8 Hyrax, LCG Rock Pirates battery tray but use the front battery tray with the small 3s 1800 lipo and the rest of the truck is stock, Overall, we've been really happy with the trucks performance. That being said, with the battery now at the very front and looking to add some weighted front portal covers soon, I feel the rear end feels a bit too stiff relative to the front. What are some shock tuning options via spring or shock oil change do you suggest to soften up the rear a bit and create a better balance? Thanks in advance

im not sure i would.do anything when you start to climb the waight transfers to the back wheels so the rear springs need to be stiff to handle the weight of the whole rig if you soften the rear springs you would want a anti sway bar.to keep the rig flat while climbing or accelerating on flat ground



personaly i like the soft spring or no spring with a anti sway bar

[AnimalHippie]

Originally Posted by Valor

Hello folks, new to this forum and looking to gain some knowledge here. My son just got into crawling a few months ago. I bought him a 79 Bronco for Xmas. Current mods are 2300kv Fusion, Incision wheels w/G8 Hyrax, LCG Rock Pirates battery tray but use the front battery tray with the small 3s 1800 lipo and the rest of the truck is stock, Overall, we've been really happy with the trucks performance. That being said, with the battery now at the very front and looking to add some weighted front portal covers soon, I feel the rear end feels a bit too stiff relative to the front. What are some shock tuning options via spring or shock oil change do you suggest to soften up the rear a bit and create a better balance? Thanks in advance

Welcome to the world of RC crawlers!!! Shock tuning and tire foam tuning are two of my favorite things. Trx-4 is a great rig! I love mine!!! Plenty of aftermarket support and a extremely durable platform.

Everyone is going to have their own opinion on the best way to run your shocks. I have tried many configurations. The setup that I have found to be the best for my rig is running around 60% droop (full droop would be shocks fully compressed when the rig is sitting static on flat ground) on my shocks with 75wt oil. I like a little preload just to keep the tires pushed down. I’ve ran from 10wt - 100wt oil in my shocks and I like the reaction of the 75wt. Thinner oil makes them rebound faster. If you drive over a hole with a tire and the tire falls in fast there’s a chance it will drag the rig down with it. The slower it rebounds the less chance of that happening. Don’t let anyone talk you into buying different shocks. Traxxas gts shocks are some of the best. Hope this helps. Have any other questions. Don’t hesitate to ask. Good luck!!!

[Valor]

^^^thanks for the advise. I definitely need to soften up the rear just a tiny bit. We installed the weighted front portal covers and now feel like the rig goes where it is pointed. It just needs a bit better balance to make it smoother when climbing. I have the dual stage foams and may mix and match the G8/Predator compounds.

[Valor]

Got a set of Desert Lizards 90mm shocks for free on a raffle from out local hobby shop. Set it up with the small soft spring on top and long soft spring on the shaft. Added 30wt oil to bet a baseline and let her rip. I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to clear my little test course with a sidewalk and sidehill without issues that we couldn't clear with the stock suspension. Not sure if I will keep it on but initial test results have been very positive. The main reason I wanted to try a different setup was the frustrating sticking stock shocks. I've been playing around with it, taking it all apart, and using grease on the o-rings. Going to put the stock ones on and see how it handles.