Tuning made easy with Thomas Pettersson
During your quest to become the most accomplished basher in your neighborhood, learning what can be achieved by tuning your shock absorber position will bring huge benefits.
This simple guide, which shows various mounting positions for upper shock attachments, will allow you to learn what happens when you make adjustments.
We are really excited to hand you over to our resident bashing Pro, Thomas Pettersson, who is excited to show you exactly why he loves the tuning range supplied with ARRMA bashing machines. Over to you Thomas.
Thomas Pettersson – ARRMA Bashing Pro
Shock position tuning can make the difference between an awesome handling bashing machine, and some long walks when you need to flip over your rig.
I always want my ARRMA vehicles to have premium handling. Responsive steering, lively throttle and brake control, and consistent jump and landing reactions.
I am not known for driving in tame environments
This helps me feel confident that as I attack the next obstacle, I know exactly what the vehicle will do, even when I come up short and get things wrong. Lets face it, we all do sometimes.
Here are some very basic shock position notes to help you select the handling characteristics you demand.
Its all about weight transfer.
I am focusing on the ARRMA 1/8 range of vehicles, plus the SENTON 6S, which all have three upper shock mounting holes, front and rear.
Position 1 Front Shock Tower – Fast Steering – Reduced Traction
This shock position provides fast and responsive steering whilst also reducing front end traction on high-grip surfaces. If you are searching for more steering, or reduced understeer, use this setting.
This setting is more sensitive to sideways weight transfer as the car leans during cornering. Some bashers would only use this outside setting if the surface is extremely rough and loose, helping the car ‘sit up’ when power is applied. This setting loses stability in corners.
As you brake, the vehicle suddenly transfers weight from rear to front. This shock position reduces the overall influence of sudden weight transfer to provide less overall vehicle movement, but can be unstable on bumpy surfaces when you are travelling quickly.
Position 2 Front Shock Tower – Decresed Steering – Increased Stability
This is considered the stock shock setting position. Your vehicle will have arrived from the factory set here. This position will provide moderate steering response and good jump landing on hard surfaces.
Slightly decreased side bite will provide less aggressive front end steering response on high-grip surfaces. Forward traction is increased as the power is transferred to the surface.
Choose to start from this position and return to it if you wish to equalize your settings.
Position 3 Front Shock Tower – Maximum Stability – Reduced Steering
This inner-most shock mount hole is useful when all the traction disappears, normally on really wet hard surfaces such as parking lots in the rain.
This position will increase forward traction and create a much more ‘dull’ handling style if you are struggling with oversteer on grass and high-bite surfaces.
Jump landings are slightly harder to recover from this position.
The vehicle will transfer weight more gradually when you brake, meaning the nose will stay stable on bumpy surfaces when you slam on the anchors.
Position 1 Rear Shock Tower – Reduced Traction – Faster Jump Recovery
This upper shock position setting is great for those big jump landings but will reduce forward traction, especially on loose surfaces, a little.
I tend to use this setting when landing from big drops, or of I know the surface is potentially very soft in areas. The rear end is more prone to tipping when weight transfers in a corner. But, if you drop from a great height, this setting will help the shocks soak up all the impact through their full stroke.
Position 2 Rear Shock Tower – Increased Traction – Increased Stability
This second hole mount will provide your vehicle with increased traction, whilst also increasing stability during straight line runs.
Again, this can be considered as a stock setting, so expect the best of both worlds when using this mounting hole. Good traction and average stability. The rear end of the car is less likely to break loose when you throw the car into a turn in this setting than position 1.
Return to this hole when you want stock settings again.
Position 4 Rear Shock Tower – Maximum Traction – Rotates Well
This position is perfect when you want the rear end of your bashing machine to rotate easily. This means you can transfer weight quickly, as you push the car into fast slides and turns, and the rear will swing out and allow you to turn quickly.
Of course, you will also see increased forward traction in this setting, so be careful on high-grip surfaces to avoid having a wheelie machine every time you tap the throttle, unless that is what you want of course.
Only ARRMA vehicles give me the confidence to really blast hard
A vehicle with this setting will struggle to recover quickly from big landings, but has increased stability in a straight line. Great setting for rough and bumpy surfaces with few jumps.
How it all works for you
Here are my favorite adjustments. Simple and really effective. Whatever you need from your bashing machine, here are the solutions.
Need – Vehicle needs to rotate more in the rear to increase turning agility
Solution – Set the rear shock mounting position to the inner most hole
Need – Vehicle needs more steering at the front
Solution – Move your shock mounting position to the outer most hole
Need – Vehicle needs more forward traction on loose surfaces
Solution – Move the front and rear mounting positions to the middle, or on super-low-traction surfaces, the inner most hole
Need – Vehicle needs more straight line stability whilst also remaining agile during cornering
Solution – Set the front to the middle hole and the rear to the inner most hole
Need – You want to land huge jumps and drive away like a Pro
Solution – Set both front and rear to outer most hole and hang on tight
Like all RC settings on high-performance vehicles, what suits one driver and bashing venue may not suit the next. So, experiment with your own experiences and enjoy learning these simple tuning techniques when you next hit the bashing spot.
Stay safe and enjoy.
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