Opinions on Shock Boots/Covers. Yes/No? And possible options?

[RC-RAD]

Curious how others feel about shock boots and shock covers. Do you prefer one over the other? Or do some of you not bother to use them once the stock shock boot is ripped?

I’ve seen others with diy shock covers such as balloons, bike tubes and brand specific shock covers such as dusty motors. I’m just curious what other methods and materials others are using for shock covers.

3 out of 4 stock shock boots are ripped on my 6s shocks and I dunno if should just replace them with the Arrma stock shock boot, go the ballon route or don’t bother having a boot/cover.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[Surchaufeur]

I personally like the shock boots of the 6s shocks keeps a lot of dirt out so a shock sock should be fine
Baloon is silly get the actual show boot if it has a little tear leave it like that or put shoe goe from the inside without making a mess thats what i use on my tires when i have a tear because superglue wont fix tears on rubber because rubber expands after one run the tear will just reapear again

 

[RC-RAD]

I personally like the shock boots of the 6s shocks keeps a lot of dirt out so a shock sock should be fine
Baloon is silly get the actual show boot if it has a little tear leave it like that or put shoe goe from the inside without making a mess thats what i use on my tires when i have a tear because superglue wont fix tears on rubber because rubber expands after one run the tear will just reapear again

Good tip on the shoe goe. I’ll have to try that. The stock boots have kept the dirt out of my shocks fairly well. When I changed my shock oil, I noticed the oil was dirty in 3 of my shocks....surprise!....ripped shock boot. The price of the stock boot is a little pricy for a small piece of rubber. Might give the ballon method a try.

 

[suchtragedy]

I like the 6s boots over the shaft/under the spring most but I've also used the skinny style balloons (the kind used for balloon animals) over the shafts/under the springs on my 3s shocks and they did fairly okay minus they wear out after half a dozen runs or so because they get rubbed slightly by the spring at the top where I have it snugged around the shock body. I've also used gaffer tape wrapped around the springs and worked pretty well until they get wet. There's also those spandex like sleeves I've seen that go over springs that seem like a solid solution but I've never tried them because I always thought that they weren't worth the money for what they were (something like 10 bucks for a just a few pieces of stretchy fabric.. not for me).

Dirt on the shock shaft leads to wear on your lower seal and eventually leads to leaks. Any solution that keeps dirt off the shaft without hindering shock function is never a bad idea, imo.

 

[RC-RAD]

I like the 6s boots over the shaft/under the spring most but I've also used the skinny style balloons (the kind used for balloon animals) over the shafts/under the springs on my 3s shocks and they did fairly okay minus they wear out after half a dozen runs or so because they get rubbed slightly by the spring at the top where I have it snugged around the shock body. I've also used gaffer tape wrapped around the springs and worked pretty well until they get wet. There's also those spandex like sleeves I've seen that go over springs that seem like a solid solution but I've never tried them because I always thought that they weren't worth the money for what they were (something like 10 bucks for a just a few pieces of stretchy fabric.. not for me).

Dirt on the shock shaft leads to wear on your lower seal and eventually leads to leaks. Any solution that keeps dirt off the shaft without hindering shock function is never a bad idea, imo.

Noted. Thanks for the info.

 

[nino]

Definitely don't run without, I just went over my shocks while changing ends... The rear shock bodies' anodizing is almost sanded away but the shafts are like new. No dirt on them to get sucked into the oil and/or ruin the seals... My boots are a bit cracked but I'll replace them with stock boots or something similar (tekno? ). Don't like the outer cover type that much. I think the smaller boots do a better job of protecting the shafts. The rest of the shock can handle dirt, mud and rocks anyway.