T-BirdJunkie

iTrader: (10)

Always built shocks with 0 rebound. It's the only way to get each one consistent with each other, and rebound means there's excess pressure inside the shock which is what "helps" make caps blow off and such nasty things.

Big Vic

Maybe that's why some guys are always rebuilding their shocks. Seems they are always blowing them out the bottoms. I'm noticing that they like lots of rebound, heavy oil, and a little heavier spring. I think that they might all be jump crazy.
I just rebuilt mine, but I think I'm gonna drop to lighter oil and bleed out the rebound. I'm just learning, and I'd rather learn to drive "clean and quiet". The track I usually run on is pretty technical, and it's way more important to be able to come out of a corner and set up than be able to fly through the air.

Matt Ward

iTrader: (23)

What everyone saying hear goes against hat I was taught. To get rebound.

BuggyKing

iTrader: (17)

You can run like an 1/8 of an in. Try and match it up with other shocks when rebuilding them.

bob o

iTrader: (2)

Here is a tip for getting the same rebound other than none. Pick up the inner hing pin "snap on" spacers fot the TC5. Measure them up for the amount of rebound you want, snap them onto the shafts, push the shaft all the way in and tighten the bleed screw. Remove the spacers and you now have both shocks with the same rebound.
Bob O

T-BirdJunkie

iTrader: (10)

Sometimes, over the years, you need to blow off what you've been taught and find what works best for you. If rebound works best for you, great...but remember that when you build a shock with rebound, the oil is under pressure when you bottom the shock out, and landing big jumps or (especially) smacking a pipe hard with one wheel can blow out a shock real quick with the sharp, fast increase in pressure that you can't replicate with your hands.

This works best for ThunderbirdJunkie, so he will continue to do it

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

That's a damn good idea.

DirtRacer68

iTrader: (14)

I think that is a great idea for those who want the rebound but I'm going to try the new school approach. I'll let everyone know how they work.

rc east

iTrader: (4)

Yes to get rebound you have to have some air, with the new shocks you bleed all the air out like the directions say. once you tighten the bleeder screw you simply pull the shaft all the way out. this forces in just the right amount of air through the o-rings, then you have some rebound and they are the same, however, using the bladders gives you that air pocket without letting the air and oil mix.

Rick Hohwart

This is exactly how you do it.

The AE shocks are designed so that the oil mixes with air inside the shock. Adding a bladder changes the design of the shock and when you introduce rebound it must be compensated for in the oil and spring. Rebound works like a stiffer spring.

All AE cars that use these shocks are designed with their use in mind. While adding bladder may seem easier, this will change how your car handles.

By using the bleeder caps, the shocks will be very consistent in terms of the amount of oil in each shock. In the past, bleeding the shocks was difficult and could require a few tries to make the left and right sides even.

If you choose to use some type of bladder, use the bleeder caps with no screw. This will release air behind the bladder which will will improve consistency and reduce rebound.

Punisher72

iTrader: (4)

well Rick, I'm taking you're advice, pulled all the bladders out of my v2 shocks on my b4.1 and my sc10. going to give it a shot and see if my traction increases in my sc10, and my on power steering increases in my b4.1. it seemed like they both handled better when I wasn't running bladders. so wish me luck!! I bled all of the shocks the way you said, left maybe like 1/8th of an inch of rebound from the bottom of the lower shock seal cap to the top of the shock pivot eyelet. so, we'll see what happens. I have the day after thanksgiving off maybe I'll take a ride to my local track and give them a few runs each and see how I make out.

BIG JIM WOODMAN

iTrader: (86)

great advise here!

DirtRacer68

iTrader: (14)

I would like to thank everyone for their comments and insight to the topic, especially Rick for taking the time to explain how the shocks work. I have always purchased Associated cars and parts, when I wasn't dirt oval racing. To me, they are the best and now have excellent support. I will keep everyone posted on how the shocks perform.

ShortCourseOnly

I think you will have to adjust your springs and oils to get the performance you want. If you had it working with bladders and some rebound and you remove that then I would assume you would need to increase your spring force.

I have the original FT shocks without the lower cap. I purchased the bleeder caps and love them. I get a number of races on them before I service them and leaks are very slow or not noticed. I do not have any rebound. My SC10 handles great. So much so that people come up to me and comment how nice my truck handles. I have been able to increase rear forward traction and improve corner speed through spring/oil tuning, shock position and camber link length selections. Also Speedo settings can make a big difference too. I have a Novak Kinetic with 17.5 motor for the stock class and tuned the throttle curve, deadband, and throttle frequency to improve corner speed without sliding out.

So much goes into handling and traction and I don't want to have any shock inconsistancies. That is why I like the AE imulsion shocks.

Rick Hohwart

The main thing to remember with any shock is that they require constant maintenance. They are one of if not the most important part of a car's set up but are the most often overlooked. Many handling problems can be traced back to poorly maintained or problem shocks.

Silicone o-rings naturally degrade over time due to their contact interaction with silicone oil. They swell which increases friction with the shock shaft which leads to handling problems and inconsistencies. The o-rings in a car that sits unused for 3 months will be in nearly as bad a shape as those in a car that is used once a week for that same time period.

Shocks also naturally lose some oil when used so they need to be filled occasionally. Some racers might completely rebuild their shocks before each big race. Some will rebuild their shocks before qualifying and then again before the main. For club racing this is too often but it is important to plan a maintenance routine and stick with it.