Benefit in moving lower shock mounts further out on axles?

[Hoosierdady]

I had to do this on my Southern buggy and I was wondering if it would be beneficial to do on a regular crawler. Basicaly I had to move the lower shock mounts further out on the axles to get the angle right to clear the chassis. So what do you think? Is it a good idea? Dumbest idea in the history of crawling? Any benefit in doing this on a standard crawler to get more angle?

 

[jkracing37]

Being on more of an angle you get a longer range of travel before the shocks bottom out - to a point. At some point (extreme angles) you'll move them out far enough that the shock can no longer compress as the suspension cycles - they just act like another link.

Also the more angle the shock is on, for a given spring rate the suspension will have more leverage on the shock and it will act softer.

So I guess if you needed more travel it would be a good reason to move the shock out. You'd most likely have to re-spring depending on how much you move it.

 

[Hoosierdady]

I think I understand. So basically, if I wanted more suspension travel, and ran a little firmer spring, this setup would be beneficial?

 

[jkracing37]

Yes, just keep in mind there is a point of diminishing returns. "thumbsup"

Also you might introduce a little more body roll and TT since the chassis/suspension angle will have more leverage on the shocks. Most of the time that can be taken up with stiffer springs.

 

[DemetriM]

Nice Framework, bracketry, and paint my friend. Homemade I presume. What material was utilized. Just wondering how you got those joints so neat and clean looking?

 

[Hoosierdady]

The chassis was made by warriorsimi. The 4 link was made by me. The ear on the right is bent in this pic but its since been straightened. Just MIG welding and cleanup with my Dremel.

 

[alexchen86]

In theory what you're doing has already been done by some. Most people don't mess too much with the shock angle from the axle side...more do adjustments from the chassis side. But I have seen some comp rigs jack up the rear end on Axial axles to prevent binding and gain some clearance. VP made a similar thing with their shock mount razors...

axial, rock racing, losi, traxxas, xr-10, ax10, scorpion

 

[1tuff40]

The further out the shocks are mounted on the diff, the more stable the crawler becomes. You see a lot of buggies with either air shocks or coilovers mounted on custom brackets that sit over the steering knuckles or as wide as can be for that very reason. If you left the top shock position the same but mounted the bottom of the shock further out more, you will lose a bit of travel but have a much more stable rig: