RustyUs

I've gone through many forums; reading about anything O-ring related, and I have not seen anyone come forward with a good alternative to RC specific shock O-rings.

Why bother looking? I run in very dusty conditions, and my monthly cost for O-rings (just for shocks) is in the neighborhood of $28. I'm talking about a pack of 8 shock O-rings @ average of $4.00/pack x 7 rebuilds month. Not every month is like this, but pretty darn close. And then there were times I was using packs of (8) X-rings costing $8/pack.

I've tried silicone S70 (material =Silicone, hardness = 70 durometer) 006 size o-rings that are easy to come by from online sources. The red S70 o-rings are almost identical to the Team Associated ones that have been used in their kits since... forever. The one big difference is the hardness of the o-rings. The ones that I purchased (70 durometer Shore A harness) are not like any good o-rings that are packaged up by your favorite brand.

Yeah, I know maintenance is part of the hobby...am I the only one who thinks $0.50 ~ $1.00 is a lot for a tiny piece of silicone ?

RustyUs

Good golly. I got a reply with a price quote, but I wanted to post the above before I went any farther.

One supplier gave me a quote of $1.73 per domestically made O-ring in a 40 ShoreA durometer hardness. Minimum quantity/sale is $300...or 173 O-rings . I hate to see the quote for X-rings as they cost more to make. A big kudos/thanks goes out to the company who got back to me with my little request. Although I fell into minimum order status of the suppliers that I contacted, I assume, they think I'm just a "little fish in a big pond" and don't have time for my few hundred piece order. They want a huge order, and haven't bothered getting back to me.

bill_delong

It's not necessary to replace the rubber seals every rebuild... I think I might replace a torn/leaking seal maybe once every couple of years. In order to get the longest life out of your rebuilds, you want to apply grease on the seals, I like to use Green Grease brand... you also want to use rubber shock boots, or simply use medium sized animal balloons:

RustyUs

Yeah, I do/did the "clown balloons" on the eBuggy, and that really helps/helped...to a degree. Not the same thicker rubber material as OEM equipment. The small bore 1/10 scale shocks...not so much. Cloth shock socks that go over the springs are a pain, for me anyway. I might have to revert to some sort of shaft cover treatment at a later time. The "balloon" fix is about the same principle as in my shock o-ring search. But I want OEM/upgraded quality without the prepackaged brand-name price.

I guess it's just old habits that I have to get better at breaking . Anytime I see dirty shock oil, or feel air in the shocks, I always just threw out the seals, and started fresh. Same thing I used to do with diff rings. If I can overcome OCDing about rebuilding a tranny every week, I surely can do the same with a couple pieces of silicone.

Back in the day, only having one RC to take care of made things a lot easier/cheaper.

RustyUs

They were not kidding when they said 6~8 weeks for making the order. I went out on a limb doing my first order with the company. At 0.14¢ per o-ring, I'm thrilled to get started on testing as they did show up today.

RustyUs

All I can say is...these things are pretty awesome . Despite the long wait to get my bulk order of o-rings, I will be ordering from this company again. What company? O-Rings, Inc. Since 1958

Yes, I do get excited over little details in my RCs. Having shocks that perform great is a must for me. Saving some money at the same time...even better .

Associated and Duratrax shocks using 3mm shafts; 5 platforms; Big bore, and 10mm bore shocks were the test subjects. In case someone is in a situation like me, I had to make sure the seals held up to the extreme dusty conditions. I wanted to test the o-rings before I posted where I got them from. That was priority number one. Running the S40 (Silicone 40 ShoreA durometer hardness) rings for the past summer was a much needed joy, and relief. I believe the softness/hardness of the seals is a perfect balance in performance/durability as my shock oil stays much cleaner now.

i8tweety

My Feedback: (11)

Good to hear their performance was good in a relatively hostile environment. A lot of people ignore the importance of properly working and tuned shocks. When I was racing, I would rebuild the shocks on my vehicles every few weeks to keep the suspension working optimally.

nishidashah2018

During operation, the O-ring or X-ring is seated in a specially shaped groove (gland) at the interface between two rigid components. When the components are forced closer together, the seal is compressed against the walls of the gland and creates a plug. If a pressure differential occurs across the gland, then the seal is compressed against the low-pressure side of the gland. If the pressure difference is too great, then the seal will extrude into the narrow gap between the walls of the gland, and the seal will fail.