Spring rubbing on tube.

[Thh]

How many ppl experience the spring rubbing on the tube? I have both my rear springs on my notorious rubbing kinda bad, so I ordered new springs since the stock ones werent completly straight.
Now I put the new springs in, and the rub is less, but still present, so I turn the springs around slightly and the rub gets worse, so I try turning my front springs around for referance, and now they rub too slightly.

I have taken the dampers apart and rebuilt them to make sure they were correctly mounted etc.

Any tips on springs from another brand of high quality for replacements?

 

[Phamous]

How many ppl experience the spring rubbing on the tube? I have both my rear springs on my notorious rubbing kinda bad, so I ordered new springs since the stock ones werent completly straight.
Now I put the new springs in, and the rub is less, but still present, so I turn the springs around slightly and the rub gets worse, so I try turning my front springs around for referance, and now they rub too slightly.

I have taken the dampers apart and rebuilt them to make sure they were correctly mounted etc.

Any tips on springs from another brand of high quality for replacements?

Got the same issue, but haven't figured out how to solve it yet.

 

[Mongoose]

My Kraton V3 had the same issue. I could never figure out it it was the spring, the perch, the collar or all the above.

 

[Camaroboy383]

Typically there is 2 causes for spring rub.. and it's a very common thing for them to rub...

1) spring perch as noted above...if they are not the locking ones they tend to spread and lean over..

2) piston to bore tolerances are not ideal.. the piston has area around it causing the shock shaft to lean.. you can check this simply by grabbing the mounted shock by the lower portion of the body and wiggle it side to side... this angled motion of the shaft wears the lower shaft guide rather quickly making it worse...

1 of these is enough to rub, but add both of these things to the mix and you have a bare aluminum shock with a quickness..

You can change the pistons out to help some of the slop, out of a handful of them you will see many different fits.. they aren't very precise... if you want to solve the piston issue for good you need to get some good pistons that have orings around them.. like the m2c pistons...

 

[SrC]

Forget about it.
It is what it is.
Don't over think it. These shocks are not Tekno's. The shocks still work fine regardless of rubbing. I also noticed that. This happens to many RC rigs at some point over time as shocks get worn. But is also an inherent flaw with these Arrma shocks as new. Don't stress over it.

 

[Camaroboy383]

Forget about it.
It is what it is.
Don't over think it. These shocks are not Tekno's. The shocks still work fine regardless of rubbing. I also noticed that. This happens to many RC rigs at some point over time as shocks get worn. But is also an inherent flaw with these Arrma shocks as new. Don't stress over it.

I would agree... go grab some oven cleaner and remove the anodizing.. much harder to notice then...

 

[SrC]

Somehow to me, I like that worn shock look. It has Arrma character.
I de-anodized 90% of all my stock a upgrade parts including the stock chassis. But just NOT the shocks, because internally, the anodizing is important to have for a smooth piston stroke and less wear against that piston. Sticktion can result. The anodizing protects the shock body's bore from wear internally. I am fussy about the functionality of my shocks. External looks are less important.
I just cover my springs.

 

[Camaroboy383]

Somehow to me, I like that worn shock look. It has Arrma character.
I de-anodized 90% of all my stock a upgrade parts including the stock chassis. But just NOT the shocks, because internally, the anodizing is important to have for a smooth piston stroke and less wear against that piston. Sticktion can result. The anodizing protects the shock body's bore from wear internally. I am fussy about the functionality of my shocks. External looks are less important.

Have you tried the pistons with the orings that actually fit the bore? If your fussy about functionality and havnt tried them you should... they are great! So much easier to tune when oil isnt pissing past the outside of the piston...

Somehow to me, I like that worn shock look. It has Arrma character.
I de-anodized 90% of all my stock a upgrade parts including the stock chassis. But just NOT the shocks, because internally, the anodizing is important to have for a smooth piston stroke and less wear against that piston. Sticktion can result. The anodizing protects the shock body's bore from wear internally. I am fussy about the functionality of my shocks. External looks are less important.
I just cover my springs. View attachment 61676

Same here

 

[SrC]

My Kraton V3 had the same issue. I could never figure out it it was the spring, the perch, the collar or all the above.

Its just a combination of imprecise parts. With use this happens. But they function well enough if you keep the shocks tuned/filled/maintained.
These shocks don't generally leak. That's a big plus compared to other brands. M2C has the best pistons and shock caps..IMO A worthy upgrade. But I wouldnt expect them to solve the rubbing problem much.

 

[Mongoose]

Its just a combination of imprecise parts. With use this happens. But they function well enough if you keep the shocks tuned/filled/maintained.
These shocks don't generally leak. That's a big plus compared to other brands. M2C has the best pistons and shock caps..IMO A worthy upgrade. But I wouldnt expect them to solve the rubbing problem much.

I eventually just gave up because it wasn’t that big of a deal. The noise was annoying though.

 

[SrC]

If I were to guess, I feel it is more shock rod/bottom cartridge play causing the issue. Not so much the spring. But springs do bow out. Even new ones are bowed sometimes. Also making sure that the pistons are tight enough through the stroke is important. Many have noticed piston slop due to unsnug loosely fastened pistons. Some are like that when new. I use a drop of thread lock on the piston rod when I snug down the piston to the rod. Make sure you have the correct washers on there first. The piston should turn by finger and not lock tightly, or they will crack. Tekno shocks are built this way with TL. I have an MT. Most of the Tekno build tips I carry over to the 1/8 Armma's.
When rebuilding the shocks, examine the inside bore of the shock body for any worn areas of the anodizing. That is a sign of bad piston/rod alignment. Mine are not worn. Not yet at least.

 

[Mk_Rc]

Somehow to me, I like that worn shock look. It has Arrma character.
I de-anodized 90% of all my stock a upgrade parts including the stock chassis. But just NOT the shocks, because internally, the anodizing is important to have for a smooth piston stroke and less wear against that piston. Sticktion can result. The anodizing protects the shock body's bore from wear internally. I am fussy about the functionality of my shocks. External looks are less important.
I just cover my springs. View attachment 61676

nice shock absorber boots ?What material did you use for it .. or did you buy them?

 

[SrC]

These came with A Dusty Motors chassis cover as a free bonus. I think they sell them separately now. I never really considered using them. They came as a 2 ft long roll. Cut to fit. These sat in my bin for a few years. When I rebuilt my shocks, I noticed torn rubber shock boots. I kept the boots anyway but put these covers on in addition. They work, but man are they hard to install correctly. They do work. And they will tear at some point I imagine. I didn't put them on for any aesthetic reasons. But they prevent any additional road rash on the rear shock bodies.

 

[Mk_Rc]

@SrC Tnx ? I saw that you can do it yourself ... one method can be made of balloons ... the second method is elastic gloves..and the third one is from spandex ? I'll try all 3 and see which one will work best.

 

[SrC]

@SrC Tnx ? I saw that you can do it yourself ... one method can be made of balloons ... the second method is elastic gloves..and the third one is from spandex ? I'll try all 3 and see which one will work best.

I experimented with all of the above you just mentioned over the last 30 years. I was using large black balloon necks for shock covers with the best results on my 1/10 rigs years past. Spandex works also, which is what The Dusty Motors covers are made of.

 

[Mk_Rc]

I experimented with all of the above you just mentioned over the last 30 years. I was using large black balloon necks for shock covers with the best results on my 1/10 rigs years past. Spandex works also, which is what The Dusty Motors covers are made of.

thanks for that info. yesterday i wanted to buy from dusty motor these covers but, i was reading a little bit of feedback and not some positive review ... should tear up quickly ?

 

[SrC]

The purpose of the stock rubber boots for the shock shaft serves the same at the shock spring Covers. To protect the shock shafts from road rash. (usually happens to the rears) The rubber boots break/tear over time. So will the Shock spring covers. I got mine as an included bonus with the Dusty Motors chassis cover. They probably will last as long as the rubber boots. I say it is a win win. How much do the shock covers cost by themselves? I never checked. Mine haven't ripped or torn yet with approximately 8 packs worth of use on clay, dirt and grass. If you cut them too short and stretch them on too tight length wise, yes they probably will rip sooner than later. They should be fit somewhat wrinkled and loose sitting in the shocks extended position.
If you just want to cover most of the shock for aesthetic purposes, buy them. But functionally they provide the same purpose as the stock rubber boots.
FYI ,I am using mud guards on the leading edge of my rear arms. It prevents a lot of direct hits to the shocks shaft/boot.
Just my thoughts.

 

[Mk_Rc]

great input ? I like to protect shocks springs and shafts from dirt and stones flying in them ... they cost somewhere around $ 6 ... not much money .. but if you make your own you can pick up the color to make it more aesthetically ... so it's not much different from stock rubber boots ... I'll look for mud guards ?

 

[SrC]

Mud guards are key. They really do protect most of the shock. If you have the RPM rear arms, you can use the RPM Guards, but although they are nice and wide, they are much too low. IMO.
I made a set using TBR guards from my Noto. as a template and drilled 2 holes to fit onto those on the RPM rear arms. The TBR guards are taller and more functional. The RPM guards are 40mm tall while the TBR guards are 60mm. That 20mm difference matters. IMO. Some food for thought. I think RPM screwed that up if you ask me. I ran them for a while and the shocks were getting hammered and pitted by comparison to the taller TBR sized guards. When making the guards I used black Kydex sheet plastic. But you can use anything. The Tekno versions on my MT410 are a made of clear Lexan.