suspension guide
07-13-2011, 11:47 AM
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RE: suspension guide
I'm not sure it would be helpful, as shock settings and adjustment are all over the place. What works for one crawler won't work for another, even if they are the same model. This speaks to driver preference.
The only thing Icould see as helpful is an articulation guide or specs on what articulation does (either too much, just right, and too little). I find the craze toward articulation to be false in most instances. I used to compete with an Axial that had less than 40 degrees total articulation front and back. It was never a problem. I started out crawling with an Axial set with 50 degrees of articulation, and it wouldn't crawl well at all. It just got bound up, making a tough section tougher, because of too much articulation.
Wheelbase seems to have an effect, as well. Axial, having the luxury of being the first (mass-production-wise), had set the standard for wheelbase, and so far, it has worked out, which is why you see many crawlers with that same dimension.
Nice idea, though. Anything to help others understand the mechanics of crawling!
The only thing Icould see as helpful is an articulation guide or specs on what articulation does (either too much, just right, and too little). I find the craze toward articulation to be false in most instances. I used to compete with an Axial that had less than 40 degrees total articulation front and back. It was never a problem. I started out crawling with an Axial set with 50 degrees of articulation, and it wouldn't crawl well at all. It just got bound up, making a tough section tougher, because of too much articulation.
Wheelbase seems to have an effect, as well. Axial, having the luxury of being the first (mass-production-wise), had set the standard for wheelbase, and so far, it has worked out, which is why you see many crawlers with that same dimension.
Nice idea, though. Anything to help others understand the mechanics of crawling!
07-13-2011, 01:15 PM
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RE: suspension guide
What I was looking for is something that would explain the effects of moving from shock hole 2 to shock hole 4 and so on. That way If I can tell what I want my crawler to do as opposed to what it is doing I'll know "hey I need to move my rear shocks this direction and my front shocks that direction and I will get what I'm looking for. Right now I'm just starting to play around in the yard to see what I can and can't go over. Not to mention I like to be the guy that can tell my friends what to do to get the effect they want.
Thanks for you reply
Thanks for you reply
07-13-2011, 01:41 PM
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RE: suspension guide
Oh. Well, in that case, The further from vertical you mount a shock, the "heavier" it's action will be. This applies to all shocks in all disciplines.
Mounting a shock vertically will make it's operation freeflowing, so you can see and feel how the shock is, whether it is hard, or soft, the damping too heavy, too light, or just right. By "canting" the shock, you increase it's effect, so if you have what you think are soft shocks, you can move them a hole or two inboard, and you will do the same thing as if you disassembled the shock and replaced the oil with something heavier. Conversely, the springs will become just a tiny bit softer, so your damping effect is increased.
With crawlers, this is a good tuning tool, as most of the time, crawlers have very plush suspension. So if you are having trouble clearing a section because you don't get the response from the suspension, decide which way to go on the upper shock mount.
I hope this helped. You should take some time and ask around (if you could go to a crawler meet, that would be great!) to other crawlers, what they use. Pay attention to how their rigs are set up. That will give you a baseline to work from, so you can develop your own shock arrangement.
Mounting a shock vertically will make it's operation freeflowing, so you can see and feel how the shock is, whether it is hard, or soft, the damping too heavy, too light, or just right. By "canting" the shock, you increase it's effect, so if you have what you think are soft shocks, you can move them a hole or two inboard, and you will do the same thing as if you disassembled the shock and replaced the oil with something heavier. Conversely, the springs will become just a tiny bit softer, so your damping effect is increased.
With crawlers, this is a good tuning tool, as most of the time, crawlers have very plush suspension. So if you are having trouble clearing a section because you don't get the response from the suspension, decide which way to go on the upper shock mount.
I hope this helped. You should take some time and ask around (if you could go to a crawler meet, that would be great!) to other crawlers, what they use. Pay attention to how their rigs are set up. That will give you a baseline to work from, so you can develop your own shock arrangement.
