Racing Stock Fury

[Skaxis]

I had a front shock blow a cap, so now I need to add fluid. What is a good weight to run for racing front and rear?

My biggest complaint with Arrma is that their shocks stink! They're leaky, fragile and difficult to upgrade because they're an odd size. Arrma doesn't even make hop-ups for them. What's up with that?

Keep in mind that as it gets colder you'll need to use thinner oil. Here is my "stock" setup sheet for the Fury BLS loaner I have. This would be good for summer temps in Texas so consider dropping 50-100 CST in the shocks depending on how cold it is when you're running it.

 

[OrangeDRAGON]

My biggest complaint with Arrma is that their shocks stink! They're leaky, fragile and difficult to upgrade because they're an odd size. Arrma doesn't even make hop-ups for them. What's up with that?

I agree completely, the first thing I'd replace on a Fury would be the shocks - even before the tires. I blew a shock (or more) every battery run.

 

[gruett84]

Can anyone point me in the right direction so I can put the correct amount of oil in the shock, or a how to.

Thanks!

 

[Unusual RC]

Can anyone point me in the right direction so I can put the correct amount of oil in the shock, or a how to.

Thanks!

Can you be more specific about which shocks?
The stock Fury shocks, or others?

In principle they can be filled the same way, but the maximum amount can differ.

 

[gruett84]

@Unusal RC they are the stock shocks. Need to run the stock shocks for the class that I'm running.

 

[Unusual RC]

I was afraid for this answer...

Problem with the stock plastic shocks is the absence of a membrane.

When the shock is pressed in, a piston with holes in it is pushed through the oil. The oil creates drag, which slows down the inward and outward movement of the shock.

Ideally the piston should be moving in a closed cilinder with oil only, no air.

Unfortunately a pushrod is connected to the piston, which adds volume the deeper the shock is pushed in.
If you fill the shock's inside completely to the max with oil, the piston will block quite fast. A fluid cannot be compressed.

If you add a bit of air (gas), the shock will not work properly due to the fact gas and oil will mix, thus creating less drag.

A good designed shock has a rubber gasket called a membrane to act as a devider between the oil and the necessary little bit of air/gas. Gas is compressible, so this will compensate for the reduction in volume when the shock is compressed.

Unfortunately the stock shocks do not have them (at least until 2015), and I do not know if they can be retro fitted, so you cannot fill them to the edge.

What I did: fill the cilinder almost to the top edge. Screw back the cap end, but only very loose so excessive oil can escape. Then very slowly push the piston in to the max (remove the spring to make it easier). This will prevent air to mix.
Keep the shock vertical with the cap end facing upwards.
Remove the spilled oil with cloth, and then screw the shock cap firmly.
Test the shock in your hands.
This is as good as it gets.

Better is it to buy aluminum upgrade shocks with membranes!

 

[Skaxis]

Can anyone point me in the right direction so I can put the correct amount of oil in the shock, or a how to.
Thanks!

I have to rebuild the front shocks on our loaner Fury because they've leaked too much fluid. Rebuilding these junky Arrma shocks is essentially an "after every run" sort of thing. Since I have to do it anyway, I see no reason why I can't video it and post here. It might take me until Sunday to get to it though. Not much light during these January evenings.

 

[Unusual RC]

I have 12 of the same "2013" model Fury's shocks. All from different shops and purchase dates. All with large differences in the production numbers (of the vehicles).

The only conclusion I can make is that they differ a lot in quality. They should have been equal, but they ar not in detail.

For example, the shocks from my BLX mojave/fury (with the lowest production serial number) has pretty decent shocks. They leak, but oil refill has to be done after every 20 times I used the car.

The second Mega I have does have the same shocks, but they leak to the point as @Skaxis describes: a rebuild needed after each time of use

Also the inside of the cilinder is not centered well: the wall-thickness differs from one to the other half. And so much, that one shock body ruptured. All oil came out!

Before that, the fitting of the shock cabs was already bad. Oil came out there already.

I have been a plastic engineer for a while, and have some knowledge how these tools are made to produce the plastic parts.
I can only conclude that at the end the moulds must have worn too much.

Too bad they did not supply the BLX with aluminum shocks, as announced at the 2013 Nürnberg toy fair...

 

[Unusual RC]

Here a picture I found of my upgrade shock, where the blue translucent part is the membrane.
No idea if they can be purchased separately, or that they can be fitted to the stock shocks.

Here my Fastrax (cheap, also can be found under the Absima brand) next to the stock shocks:

 

[Skaxis]

Can anyone point me in the right direction so I can put the correct amount of oil in the shock, or a how to.
Thanks!

Sorry it took so long to make this video but I've been busy racing my 2WD buggy so my bashing has been pretty limited. I hope this helps.

 

[gruett84]

So I went racing again last weekend and had nothing but issues with these stock shocks. I'm done with them blowing caps and making a mess. I did a little searching and found some shock bodies and caps from http://www.teamstrc.com/index.php?route=common/home has anyone tried these? I'm also going to get the support brace for the front. It seams a little flimsy up front on shock tower, guessing that doesn't help the stock shocks.

Here is a link to the Fury Parts.

http://www.teamstrc.com/index.php?r...ry&category_id=0&description=1&model=1&page=1

With this upgrade I'll be moving up to the "mod" class so I guess i'll just get my butt kicked every time I go. LOL!

 

[Unusual RC]

So I went racing again last weekend and had nothing but issues with these stock shocks. I'm done with them blowing caps and making a mess. I did a little searching and found some shock bodies and caps from http://www.teamstrc.com/index.php?route=common/home has anyone tried these? I'm also going to get the support brace for the front. It seams a little flimsy up front on shock tower, guessing that doesn't help the stock shocks.

Here is a link to the Fury Parts.

http://www.teamstrc.com/index.php?r...ry&category_id=0&description=1&model=1&page=1

With this upgrade I'll be moving up to the "mod" class so I guess i'll just get my butt kicked every time I go. LOL!

I have seen those upgrades, but they are not (yet) for sale overseas (here).
Only judging from the pictures: it is a aluminum version of the plastic shock bodies, no pistons, no membrane.

Maybe somebody can comment this?

 

[gruett84]

Here is an update on my Fury. Stock shocks had to go, got sick of fixing them after every race!

https://arrmaforum.com/threads/fury-mega-racer.3273/#post-32355

 

[gruett84]

I was able to run the truck tonight at an open practice. Wow what a difference good shocks make! Anyone that is sick of the stock shocks leaking and blowing caps needs to get these. Look for link above in my previous post!

Question, was running against a Traxxas Slash with a 12 turn motor and he was pulling me out of corners and out of the straits. Is that 12 turn motor that much better than the Armor 15 turn motor?

 

[Unusual RC]

Indeed better shocks make a big difference on how the car handles! Not as much as changing the tires, but still very noticeable!

Is that 12 turn motor that much better than the Armor 15 turn motor?

You mean the stock Arrma can?
Given that the slash is slightly more heavy, it is true.
Many have changed their Arrma 15T for the Traxxas Titan 12T, and have reported better performance and top speed.
Still it is far from a decent brushed motor with strong neodymium magnets and replaceable brushes on the outside. That makes a bigger difference!

 

[Skaxis]

Also keep in mind that as you lower the motor turn count the RPMs do go up, theoretically raising your top speed but at the cost of torque. Racing involves balancing out your motor and gearing to provide the best combination of top speed and torque. Personally I found the most balanced brushed motor for the Fury to be the Tamiya Super Stock BZ. If you have been bumped from the stock class due to your shocks the rules of your new class may allow you to move from brushed power to brushless. I have had great luck with the Castle Sidewinder SCT combo. It'll transform the Fury completely.

 

[gruett84]

Back again with an update and a question,

Swapped out the Arrma 15T motor for the Traxxas Titan 12T wow, what a difference on a clay track!
Added a new steering servo, Tactic TSX47. Stock servo started to skip.
Going to change my oil in ST Racing shocks to 50wt.

Issue, Arrma pt# AR310400 Rear Stub Axle keeps dimpling in from the dog bone. I've replaced it twice already. Has anyone found something that works better? My sons Traxxas Slash Axles have a slip shaft, that is nice!