Bombproof shock rod ends?!?!

[Snoprosledneck88]

How tight of a fit is this eyelet in the arms? Do these Tekno shock ends/inner sleeve design still allow some pivoting on the shock end like the stock shock end & ball insert does, as this pivoting would probably put less stress on the shock shafts when the suspension arms flex back on a bad landing??

I also have part #AR330203, but have not used any rod ends yet?

They touch in both sides of the arm. You do not need to push them in but they just touch. The do not allow for the side to side slop like the stock ends to. Nice solid fit. Please bit these inserts do not come with the Tekno rod ends. These are aluminum spacers that you can buy at Ace Hardware.

 

[Snoprosledneck88]

My son and I took the truck out last night and so far so good. Didn’t break any rod ends which was nice. I change all of the rod ends to the Tekno with metal inserts and we are good so far.

 

[RCROD]

so first things first big shout out to @Iamtheoutcast for sharing his video on bulletproof shock rod ends. so I have been breaking shock rod ends on my outcast and I have. Been recommended to follow what iamtheoutcast has done with his which is to use a traxxas shin kit to give your shock rod end a metal insert. Well do I have a treat for you, maybe. I bought package of Arrma part number AR330203. These shock rod ends are a lot beefier than the stock 2018 outcast rod ends. ( I will attach pics. Don’t know how to put them in the text. ) The downside is the fact this part number may be discontinued and I just got lucky getting them at my LHS. Iamtheoutcast uses Arrma part number AR330409 and traxxas part number 5529 for his version. So maybe my version will also work with AR330409 but my LHS didn’t have them in stock. I do however have some Tekno rod ends coming in the mail Thursday so I will see if this works with them. So, here is the cool part. You can buy aluminum spacers at your local Ace hardware. 58398-A is the part number. These also only cost $.69 each. These do hang out of the rod end a little bit in each side but they fit in the a-arms and eliminate slop. I honestly think this is a Benifit. Take a look at the pics and let me know what you guys think. I haven’t gotten to try them yet but I see no reason they shouldn’t work especially with the feedback I have seen from what iamtheoutcast recommends. I will answer anything I can. Hope this can help someone else also.

I gather AR330409 is an optional Arrma part, and these are HD shock rod ends, as they look thicker than the stock replacement shock ends (AR330338) in your picture? However, AR330409 looks a bit "longer" than AR330338, which could possibly "limit" the shock travel somewhat? Also, does AR330409 still work with the stock spring perch?

Does AR330409 look as strong and durable as the Tekno shock ends?

Lamtheoutcast are the Tekno shock rod ends the same length and same inside diameter as AR330338? The Traxxas part 5529 I see has one flat side on the metal ball inserts which may "not" allow the shock end to pivot at all during a bad landing or crash? Traxxas 5529 actually looks the same as AR330202, but wouldn't AR310450 (the same as the steel ball inserts used on the outside rear turnbuckles) work better as a metal ball insert on AR330338, AR330409 or the even Tekno shock rod ends?

Here is a link to AR310450 steel balls:
https://www.arrma-rc.com/part/AR310450

Other possible choices for steel ball inserts for the shock ends:
https://www.amainhobbies.com/helion-shock-ball-end-head-4-hlna0979/p629771

https://www.amainhobbies.com/traxxas-rod-end-with-hollow-balls-6-tra2742/p7037

https://www.amainhobbies.com/schumacher-front-shock-rod-end-ball-set-schu3706/p170605

https://www.amainhobbies.com/gmade-m3-rod-end-w-6.8mm-steel-ball-10-gma20216/p244839

https://www.amainhobbies.com/losi-camber-steering-ball-end-set-12-tent-losb4022/p157950

https://www.amainhobbies.com/ssd-rc-m4-m3-plastic-rod-end-10-ssd00116/p507505

https://www.amainhobbies.com/ecx-rc-shock-rod-ends-pivot-balls-4-ecx0881/p240870

https://www.amainhobbies.com/team-associated-16mm-shock-rod-end-suspension-ball-4-asc7237/p415652

https://www.amainhobbies.com/jqracing-7mm-shock-end-pivot-ball-set-4-jqp-jqb0237/p220348

 

[Snoprosledneck88]

I gather AR330409 is an optional Arrma part, and these are HD shock rod ends, as they look thicker than the stock replacement shock ends (AR330338) in your picture? However, AR330409 looks a bit "longer" than AR330338, which could possibly "limit" the shock travel somewhat? Also, does AR330409 still work with the stock spring perch?

Does AR330409 look as strong and durable as the Tekno shock ends?

Lamtheoutcast are the Tekno shock rod ends the same length and same inside diameter as AR330338? The Traxxas part 5529 I see has one flat side on the metal ball inserts which may "not" allow the shock end to pivot for bad crashes? Traxxas 5529 actually looks the same as AR330202, but wouldn't AR310450 (the same as the steel ball inserts used on the outside rear turnbuckles) work better as a metal ball insert on AR330338, AR330409 or the even Tekno shock rod ends?

Here is a link to AR310450 steel balls:
https://www.arrma-rc.com/part/AR310450

If these metal balls fit the all 3 shock ends that can be used, I think this might be a better choice possibly? Let me know what you think...

AR330409 does not fit with the stock spring perch but they come with their own so no big deal. They are just a tough longer but not enough to worry about i don't think. The Tekno shock ends don't look quite a beefy but seem to be made very well. I'm not concerned about their durability.
I think the metal ball would be a good option to try, the reason i went with the aluminum spacers is they are cheap, easily available (just like the tekno shock ends), and fit nicely in the arms to help eliminate slop. Your a-arm moves up and down, forward and back some, mainly on crashes or bad landings. With this being a little more solid (there is some play between the pin and insert so if the a-arm flexes enough it does not bind right away) when you buy the traxxas 5529 you do not use the metal balls with the flares on the ends. You are using the shims/washers that are in that kit.

I really like the Tekno ends because the lock with the spring perch so that gives the rod end a little reinforcement. give the Arrma Balls a shot if you can get them at your LHS. I would like to know how they work also. All great ideas! Hope this helps!

 

[RCROD]

AR330409 does not fit with the stock spring perch but they come with their own so no big deal. They are just a tough longer but not enough to worry about i don't think. The Tekno shock ends don't look quite a beefy but seem to be made very well. I'm not concerned about their durability.
I think the metal ball would be a good option to try, the reason i went with the aluminum spacers is they are cheap, easily available (just like the tekno shock ends), and fit nicely in the arms to help eliminate slop. Your a-arm moves up and down, forward and back some, mainly on crashes or bad landings. With this being a little more solid (there is some play between the pin and insert so if the a-arm flexes enough it does not bind right away) when you buy the traxxas 5529 you do not use the metal balls with the flares on the ends. You are using the shims/washers that are in that kit.

I really like the Tekno ends because the lock with the spring perch so that gives the rod end a little reinforcement. give the Arrma Balls a shot if you can get them at your LHS. I would like to know how they work also. All great ideas! Hope this helps!

I did already notice AR330409 comes with it's own spring perch(s), but also noticed they are completely different than the stock spring perch, so wasn't sure if they would fit as well? Since these do fit and are beefier than the stock shock ends (AR330338), I wonder why Arrma did not put these on their 1/8 RTR's, especially since they did upgrade the to beefier 4mm shafts on their V3 shocks? Furthermore, why would Arrma not at least include these beefier shock ends (AR330409) on their OPTION LIST?

Sounds like you like both, so are you going to go with the Tekno or AR330409 HD shock ends?

Good to hear there is some movement and no binding with your HD shock end build. I do still think a correct steel ball insert would be better than using an aluminum spacer/sleeve in the shock ends though. I revised my last post & included some more steel balls that may work, especially since Arrma parts are hard to find right now, and not sure if AR310450 is even the correct size?

I'm confused, so if you do not use the metal balls with the flares that come with Traxxas 5529, what steel ball is used with the Tekno shock ends, as you are not paying $14 for just some washers?

 

[Snoprosledneck88]

I did already notice AR330409 comes with it's own spring perch(s), but also noticed they are completely different than the stock spring perch, so wasn't sure if they would fit as well? Since these do fit and are beefier than the stock shock ends (AR330338), I wonder why Arrma did not put these on their 1/8 RTR's, especially since they did upgrade the to beefier 4mm shafts on their V3 shocks? Furthermore, why would Arrma not at least include these beefier shock ends (AR330409) on their OPTION LIST?

Sounds like you like both, so are you going to go with the Tekno or AR330409 HD shock ends?

Good to hear there is some movement and no binding with your HD shock end build. I do still think a correct steel ball insert would be better than using an aluminum spacer/sleeve in the shock ends though. I revised my last post & included some more steel balls that may work, especially since Arrma parts are hard to find right now, and not sure if AR310450 is even the correct size?

I'm confused, so if you do not use the metal balls with the flares that come with Traxxas 5529, what steel ball is used with the Tekno shock ends, as you are not paying $14 for just some washers?

The AR330409 is for a 3.5MM shaft, you can thread the 4mm no problem. It makes it's own threads. I'm going with the tekno shock ends. The only reason i used the AR330409 is I couldn't get the original parts but kinda fell in love with them once i seen how much beefier they looked. Before I even went to my LHS to get the 409's I ordered two packs of the Teknos from amain (LHS can sell tekno but no stock). Now that I have the tekno's on thats what i'm going to stick with unless i find they don't hold up. I am using the same aluminum spacer in the Tekno shock ends as well. I honestly think a metal ball would do well also. I'm cheap and like solutions from places other than a hobby store only for the fact that the hobby store I like to use is close to an hour away.

 

[chevys10zr2003]

The AR330409 is for a 3.5MM shaft, you can thread the 4mm no problem. It makes it's own threads. I'm going with the tekno shock ends. The only reason i used the AR330409 is I couldn't get the original parts but kinda fell in love with them once i seen how much beefier they looked. Before I even went to my LHS to get the 409's I ordered two packs of the Teknos from amain (LHS can sell tekno but no stock). Now that I have the tekno's on thats what i'm going to stick with unless i find they don't hold up. I am using the same aluminum spacer in the Tekno shock ends as well. I honestly think a metal ball would do well also. I'm cheap and like solutions from places other than a hobby store only for the fact that the hobby store I like to use is close to an hour away.

The AR330409 is actually for the Nero which has 4mm shock shafts, so it is not for a 3.5mm shock shaft.

 

[olds97_lss]

The ball that is being replaced is plastic. I can’t say it helps, other have said it does so I’m trying it. Cheaper than stock stuff anyways haha. Maybe that stock plastic ball has some flex and allows the pin to apply more pressure in a smaller area and this metal insert will distribute it more evenly and over a larger area.

Ah, I thought there were steel balls in the rod end. HPI has the same plastic ball on the savage, but my issue with them isn't the ball ripping through the end, it's the end itself snapping in half due to the RPM flexing too much on big air/heavy oil with a 4 shock setup. I went back to stock arms and haven't had an issue yet.

Now it makes sense why using an alloy part in there helps spread the load more. That said, I'd think you would end up with issues like I'm having with the savage where the arm flexes so much that it snaps the shock end or bends the shock rod now that it can't lean forward/back on the ball since there is no ball. Then again, the geometry of the arm is a lot different and the truck doesn't weigh as much or have as much travel before the chassis bottoms out. Would only possibly be an issue if you landed badly on the arm flexing it forward.

Just curious, is the ball end breaking an issue on the front and the rear or just one or the other?

 

[Snoprosledneck88]

Ah, I thought there were steel balls in the rod end. HPI has the same plastic ball on the savage, but my issue with them isn't the ball ripping through the end, it's the end itself snapping in half due to the RPM flexing too much on big air/heavy oil with a 4 shock setup. I went back to stock arms and haven't had an issue yet.

Now it makes sense why using an alloy part in there helps spread the load more. That said, I'd think you would end up with issues like I'm having with the savage where the arm flexes so much that it snaps the shock end or bends the shock rod now that it can't lean forward/back on the ball since there is no ball. Then again, the geometry of the arm is a lot different and the truck doesn't weigh as much or have as much travel before the chassis bottoms out. Would only possibly be an issue if you landed badly on the arm flexing it forward.

Just curious, is the ball end breaking an issue on the front and the rear or just one or the other?

I had front and rear break. Actually has one front and one rear break at the same time before. Haha. Droop could have been part of it also.

 

[Iamtheoutcast]

Before I was breaking front and rears and the issue I was having wasnt the ball snapping. It was the bottom of the eyelet that was failing.

 

[WTF MIKE]

Is it possible to upgrade my stock 3.5mm shafts to 4mm keeping all the same parts? I know I would have to customize some of the parts.

 

[Iamtheoutcast]

Is it possible to upgrade my stock 3.5mm shafts to 4mm keeping all the same parts? I know I would have to customize some of the parts.

Never done it but I'm sure if you drill the shock bodies out with a 4mm drill bit then buy the 4mm shafts and swap them over.

 

[WTF MIKE]

I am going to try it going to order them now

 

[Mr.Duke]

Alright...once I realized I already have all the parts to field test this setup,
I sat down tonight and rebuilt a set of spare shocks with fresh 80wt, Tekno rod ends, and machined 4 aluminum spacers 3mm ID by 6.5mm OD by 6.5mm long.

I'll run these through their paces and report back whenever I break one.

I've been running through rod ends at a good pace lately so it shouldn't take take long to see if they'll hold up.

 

[RCROD]

Alright...once I realized I already have all the parts to field test this setup,
I sat down tonight and rebuilt a set of spare shocks with fresh 80wt, Tekno rod ends, and machined 4 aluminum spacers 3mm ID by 6.5mm OD by 6.5mm long.

View attachment 19346

I'll run these through their paces and report back whenever I break one.

I've been running through rod ends at a good pace lately so it shouldn't take take long to see if they'll hold up.

Wow, you are going through V3 shock ends at a good pace? I wonder if using RPM arms, has maybe too much flex, and this flex is just more noticeable as you are doing "really big air jumps", possibly?

Will these steel Tekno balls (which are made for shock ends & will allow the shock ends to pivot and turn slightly on bad landings) not work better and not break as easily than just some aluminum sleeve type spacers, that doesn't allow shock end to pivot properly?
https://www.amazon.com/TEKNO-TKR504..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=S0JYHJDDZG191XAH44W5

 

[Iamtheoutcast]

From what I've experienced stopping so much of the slop in the rod ends takes away from how often they break. Because on the v3 and v2 outcast u have a pivot point in the top of your shocks. This allows the shock body to still turn with out giving the rod end so much flex. Just going from my experience I think this mod helps for my driving style may not work for everyone i just go by the fact that I havnt bought a rod end for the outcast the typhon or my kraton. So I'm pleased with it and thought I'd share to maybe help someone else. I hope it works for everyone the way it has for me.

 

[RCROD]

From what I've experienced stopping so much of the slop in the rod ends takes away from how often they break. Because on the v3 and v2 outcast u have a pivot point in the top of your shocks. This allows the shock body to still turn with out giving the rod end so much flex. Just going from my experience I think this mod helps for my driving style may not work for everyone i just go by the fact that I havnt bought a rod end for the outcast the typhon or my kraton. So I'm pleased with it and thought I'd share to maybe help someone else. I hope it works for everyone the way it has for me.

Thanks for the info William. In one of the earlier pics in this thread, the Tekno shock rod ends do not look as "thick" as stock, but hard to tell, as no side pictures of the Tekno shock ends? I though the Tekno shock ends would be thicker in order to be more durable? Now, I'm not exactly sure what is helping you the most, as it sounds like there are 3 possible reasons why your mod upgrade is helping you? Is it due to upgrading the stock Arrma shock ends to the Tekno ones, or is it due to replacing the inner ball with a sleeve style spacer, or is it due to just simply upgrading from a plastic/composite ball material to an aluminum material insert?

I agree you have some pivoting on the top of the shocks, but believe you should also have at least some movement/pivoting on the bottom also. Most RC's, especially high end RC's "ALWAYS" use a "ball" style insert in the rod ends, whether shocks, rear turnbuckles, steering turnbuckles, etc, so I can't see why this would not be the best to use, compared to a "sleeve" style insert, which is just a spacer? Therefore, I gather it must not be changing from a ball insert to a sleeve insert that is helping you, but one of the two other reasons...

 

[Mr.Duke]

I've broken 3 rod ends in the last 2 months, all 3 on the rear.
1st one broke when I landed wrong at the local skate park and took out the lower arm. It wasn't so much "broken" as it was severely "bent".
2&3 were both at the same time when I got too greedy doing backflips from way up and landed hard on the backend taking the rear tower with it.



I've got an extra set of stock rod ends and balls I'm going to put on my other set of shocks but figured why not....?
Give it a try, beat the crap out of it with the spacers on, and see how it holds up to the abuse.
Articulation is smooth and bind free during the full stroke of the shock and the upper shock ball still allows for the shock to pivot well outside of normal operating range.

 

[Iamtheoutcast]

Wow, you are going through V3 shock ends at a good pace? I wonder if using RPM arms, has maybe too much flex, and this flex is just more noticeable as you are doing "really big air jumps", possibly?



Will these steel Tekno balls (which are made for shock ends & will allow the shock ends to pivot and turn slightly on bad landings) not work better and not break as easily than just some aluminum sleeve type spacers, that doesn't allow shock end to pivot properly?
https://www.amazon.com/TEKNO-TKR504..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=S0JYHJDDZG191XAH44W5

Thanks for the info William. In one of the earlier pics in this thread, the Tekno shock rod ends do not look as "thick" as stock, but hard to tell, as no side pictures of the Tekno shock ends? I though the Tekno shock ends would be thicker in order to be more durable? Now, I'm not exactly sure what is helping you the most, as it sounds like there are 3 possible reasons why your mod upgrade is helping you? Is it due to upgrading the stock Arrma shock ends to the Tekno ones, or is it due to replacing the inner ball with a sleeve style spacer, or is it due to just simply upgrading from a plastic/composite ball material to an aluminum material insert?

I agree you have some pivoting on the top of the shocks, but believe you should also have at least some movement/pivoting on the bottom also. Most RC's, especially high end RC's "ALWAYS" use a "ball" style insert in the rod ends, whether shocks, rear turnbuckles, steering turnbuckles, etc, so I can't see why this would not be the best to use, compared to a "sleeve" style insert, which is just a spacer? Therefore, I gather it must not be changing from a ball insert to a sleeve insert that is helping you, but one of the two other reasons...

The rod ends I'm using are for the nero I'm pretty sure I know they arnt the part numbers for the outcast rod ends. The other guys are using tekno ends.

 

[RCROD]

The rod ends I'm using are for the nero I'm pretty sure I know they arnt the part numbers for the outcast rod ends. The other guys are using tekno ends.

Sorry, I was actually referring to Snoprosledneck88, regarding the Tekno shock ends not looking as thick as even the stock shock ends, in the pic (1st post)? The rest of my last post, I understand why you would change the stock composite ball, but just wondered why you or others that are using different shock rod ends, would not try using a "steel ball" instead of just some spacers

The Outcast/Kraton/Talion shock ends are (#AR330338). I think the Nero shock ends are (#AR330203)?

EDIT:
I just noticed the Nero shock ends include "plastic spacers" to use inside the shock ends, & now see why you/others are using aluminum spacers, instead of a ball. Maybe a "ball" will not fit, or work very well in the Nero shock ends, as the Nero's are different than most ball style shock/turnbuckle ends?