Ponddust

I'm new to RCing and my brother through together a slash 2wd for me about a year ago. It has lots of aftermarket parts such as an aluminum bulkhead and gearbox. right now my shocks are Integy MSR9 piggybacks with unknown blue springs however they they don't hold up my rear end. I have full preload and a big nut for a spacer just to get my rear to fully return.(they are proper length)

My first big question is what springs should i run for bashing in my backyard with a aluminum gearbox?
Second, I'm not sure if my shocks are holding oil so do i buy new seals and a shaft or get traxxas big bores?
Third, are aluminum a-arms and shock towers worth it in the long run?
Finally and less important, I have a baja bug thing going on, are the proline skid plates with builtin bumper mounts any good?

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

Yeah, I would just replace the shocks with stock Traxxas. Parts are easier to get. That aluminum gearbox is certainly weighing down the rear end. And I'm not convinced it's necessary. I've never heard of a 2wd gearbox failing. You might wanna ditch it. If you do that, the stock springs will work fine. Otherwise, you're going to have to find some stiffer springs to hold up the rear.

Aluminum A-arms are never a good idea. You'd be MUCH better off getting RPM replacement parts for the Slash. Aluminum will just transfer the force to something further inboard, like the attachment points which are probably on the chassis. Which would you rather replace? An A-arm, or a whole chassis? Aluminum shock towers, maybe. Depending on the vehicle. When it comes to Traxxas vehicles, RPM is the way to go, as they make tons of parts for Traxxas, and they use better plastics. You may also want to consider Proline's Low CG chassis. It lowers the chassis height for better handling. But if yer just bashing, you may not need it.

Ponddust

That's a very good point with the a-arms, right now I'm running rpm but they're getting stripped out so ill try a new pair, don't think they had locktight. As for the suspension, I'm not sure what my current spring rate is or if they're stock, chances are they were on there because they were the only ones laying around. I plan on moving from the Golden Horizons gearbox, which is trashed, to an Integy without the motor shroud. I believe ill be dropping a lot of weight right there.

I'm not sure if I should spend 80 bucks on big bores and possibly have to buy new springs. Or spend 8 bucks for the rebuild kit and definitely get new springs. In either of these scenarios, what spring rate sounds right for an aluminum transmission, highest possible?

side note: The reason I'm going aluminum is because I'm running a already high gearing plus 1/8 wheels so i want to never have to worry about it and the cooling.

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

Yes on the spring rate. But I still don't get the whole aluminum tranny case thing. Do the hinge pins for the rear arms go through the tranny case on the Slash? That would be the only reason to possibly want an aluminum case. Do those things tend to break? I've never heard of heat being an issue in Slash trannys. What kind of motor you running?

Ponddust

Yes the rear a-arms mount directly to the trans and heat has been know to warp the gearbox causing your pinion to spur mesh to move. I just took a look at my shocks and they're definitely not holding oil so i looked at reviews of the big bores and that's the way I'm going to go. Thanks very much for the help.

The Saylors

I run the big bores and i really like them so far. Get some aluminum caps as well, i didn't care for the caps that come with the big bores but everything else was great!

Ponddust

I got in my big bores and so far they seem nice, i haven't gotten to try it yet because my gearbox is failing. However, with my broken aluminum gearbox I'm still not returning to a reasonable height (see pics) so I'm going to try them first with a lighter gearbox, then try preload, then worst case scenario get new springs.
I did find that the stock caps are aluminum. Scratched an edge to check (see pics). So I'm happy.

I've also decided to get the protrac suspension kit for the ultimate bashing rc.

The Saylors

Oh wow you are sitting very low! Mine didnt need pre-loads at all, truck sits right at attention. Hmmm i wonder why we had such a different experience with the same product?

Ponddust

Do you have an aluminum gearbox as well? I have a golden horizons gearbox which to my understanding is heavier than the average aluminum gearbox. I also am beginning to wonder if has something to do with the arms potentially getting stiff. ill know in a week if that's the case when i get my protrac kit.

The Saylors

No i have been lucky, the stock plastic box still hasn't given up yet. Mine literally sits opposite of how yours is. Do you also have aluminum a-arms and shock towers by chance? i would also check to see if the pins connecting the a-arms to the trans bulkhead are bent.

Ponddust

I have all rpm arms and towers right now. I just did a full dis-assembly and my rear pins are fine however my front pins are a nightmare, front was sitting fine though.

The Saylors

see i'm running aluminum towers and rpm a arms so i should be close to the same weight as you. So strange, i would think the setup for the shocks must be the difference but without having hands on it it's too hard to tell as i'm not an expert when it comes to shocks. Maybe different fluid, i used what came with the shock set. Also i noticed that you are using the spacers to stiffen the spring which i didn't need to do at all so you should sit higher than me. Are you on the LCG chassis or HCG? i run the LCG, not sure if they have a big difference weight wise.

Ponddust

The lcg and hcg are the same weight and I'm running hcg. i used stock fluid as well. I think aluminum shock tower is the big difference due to the amount of material, i could be wrong though. The spacers I'm using are the recommended setup from the instructions for stock slash used for off road, same for shock position.