I'm not a racer but to me for general running around and jumping, the factory shocks work well. The big issue is the weight. The Monsoon is very heavy. I find with a good run it launches well but is extremely nose heavy, so lots of throttle in the air making sure your freewheeling when landing. The torque is there for short launches, problem I have is getting traction. In the grass all four wheels just spin off the line. Power slides are no problem with this machine. Even on the pavement it breaks the wheels loose. As far as avoiding things, I just mentioned what parts I thought could have been stronger. It's still taken its share of hits without a blemish. I still say for the money it's well worth it. Try to buy any nitro from Traxxas in this price range and you'll be going home with a nitro rustler for about $50 more. Like anything else out there, there's room for some mods. I like the idea of CVDs all around. Redcat sells them cheap enough. I would also like to carbon fiber anything I can to try and get rid of some of the weight, not because the stock components aren't tough enough.