Originally Posted by nytryder (Post 9291172)

I am running some d8/vorza shocks and am looking for some 2 stage pistons for them. anyone know where I can get some for the d8's? If no one makesthem for the d8/vorza, is there a DIY thread around?

Originally Posted by Cpt.America (Post 9291230)

I assume you are referring to B4 shocks? Easy fix... run kyosho RB5 springs. Not only are they superior, they are a tad wider and do not rub at all. With properly build new V2s, and Kyosho springs, the AE shocks are as good as my cougar big bores.

Originally Posted by MantisWorx (Post 9290850)

i will chime in a little bit on damping. what Fred states is true but i believe there is more to it than that simply because of the technology in oils,chassis setups and tires. there are many ways to skin a cat and this is how i go about it. in general you want to run as light as oil as possible and not chassis slap to the point where it upsets the car, a little slap will not hurt you but if you land a jump and the car squirts around then go up a half a point until you reach a compromise (more on compromise later!) keep in mind that your oil and pistons size/number have a major effect on how the car handles as far as weight transfer, turning, accelerating etc etc. have you ever wondered why putting the same piston oil in front and back does not work? this is simply due to shock location and leverage, front shocks are always mounted further inward which increase leverage its as simple as that!
the thicker you run your shocks the more sluggish the car will be especially in our old dinosaur tech shocks, think about it if it takes longer for the car to transfer weight it will not be as agile especially through quick left/right turns and also jumping will suffer as you will get very little rebound to get the car in the air.
i have sitting in front of me literally about 25 sets of experimental pistons, over the past few weeks i have come up with some very good information and soon to be released piston kits. Fred has been fortunate enough to see first hand how my car handles and jumps, first weekend out i managed to break the track laptime record by .5 sec in 4w mod and .4 sec in SC with only these piston changes1 but before we get to that lets discuss the dino shocks! the current trend is big bore/multiple holes and for good reasons, IT WORKS! but you gotta ask yourself how is that a BB shock with 12 holes and 30 wt "feels" the same as 2 hole 30wt on a std size shock? doesnt make sense, you would think that with that many holes you would need 60 wt to get the same result. well to keep it simple it quite simply is surface area/oil volume/weight of vehicle always keep these three things in mind when you are shock tuning. if you put 2hole pistons on a heavy Ebuggy it will never work with anything thicker than water simply because of SA/OV/VW. So a good rule of thumb is that the heavier the vehicle the more holes/volume you will need to compensate.
As you can already tell its more complicated than it seems but having the right combo can make or break your laptimes and consistency.unfortunately we are all hindered by not having the ability to seperate compression and rebound(building your shock to have hydro rebound is not consistent and not enough for off road). to go along with the tuning guide that Fred has drawn up, it makes sense for us to come up with the same idea with shock oil/pistons. what good is to have your springs perfectly tuned and then scew it up by not having equal damping on both ends? im a beliver in that you should never have the same pistons F/R due to shock location/leverage. so here is what i have discovered with single piston setups:
(these are my own piston designs and are 3.1mm thick, with .093 std pistons try 1mm holes)
2wd FRONT:
5 hole 1.1mm/40wt
2wd REAR
6 hole 1.1mm /40wt

4WD buggy FRONT
6hole 1.1mm/40wt
4WD buggy REAR
8hole 1.1mm/30wt

try these setups and get back to us with your results if you can, remember to start small on the holes (1mm)

Originally Posted by Kash$ (Post 9293990)

When you typed 1.1mm is that the size of your drill bit ? My bits are numbered like this 52-54-55-56-57 how do i do a conversion so i know what bit to use ? I run a Losi 2.0 Ebuggy and my shocks are very small compared to the guys with the AE and Kyosho big bores, there also kicking my ass on the blown out tracks but then on the smooth grooved tracks the Losi kinda jumps back out front.. Is the shock bodies and 6 hole #56 & #54 pistons just to small to let the Losi perform well on rough blown out soil tracks. I seem to have great diffaculty with the soil tracks they tend to get rutted and pot holed up, my car sometimes flips tail over front just hitting pot holes while the damm Kyosho cars ride right over them like they were not even there.. Should I be looking into getting larger bore shocks and 10 hole pistons ? I am running the Drake set up on my Losi 42.5oil front and 30 or 27.5 oil rear with 54 piston up front and 56 in the rear. Thanks .

Originally Posted by MantisWorx (Post 9290967)

im going to let the cat out of the bag a little bit but it will help explain: here is the scenario, this track is VERY bumpy and loose but probably the best conditions for testing shocks what you see here is my Caster 4w buggy with two stage pistons...

...Still lots of testing to do on the pistons before they go up for sale but currently i have them on a few SC104X4' and couple of RC8's and the results have been the same: better jumping,quicker turning and the ability to accelerate quicker through the rough stuff!

Originally Posted by audriusv (Post 9294424)

Marcus, please make these for Caster 1/8 as soon as possible (would be nice to have them for all Caster vehicles). Two stage pistons is a one nice idea and am eager to try them on my tracks. Our tracks are very rusty, loamy and loose so there is always compromise with damping setups. I think that two stage pistons will help me a lot...

Originally Posted by MantisWorx (Post 9294035)

here is the conversion:
http://bobmay.astronomy.net/misc/drillchart.htm

you need large bore and more holes. but in the mean time go larger on your holes size and maybe drill an extra hole or two in your pistons. i am not familiar with what and how many holes a 54piston has. if you are bouncing around the ruts then you have too much pack or you could be way too soft and chassis slapping everywhere. more than likely your packed up. especially when you say that when you get on a smooth track your car is dialed in. as hard as you may try your not going to be able to compromise on both tracks , your setup will have to be drastically different for each track. if you can afford it i would get some large bore shocks, set them up for the rough stuff and just swap shocks between the tracks. i will eventually have 2 stage pistons for the Losi but will be a mth or so .

Originally Posted by Kash$ (Post 9297792)

Ok thanks

Originally Posted by MantisWorx (Post 9294035)

i will eventually have 2 stage pistons for the Losi but will be a mth or so .

Originally Posted by larlev (Post 9305121)

I would like this when you do it.

Originally Posted by IOP_Racer (Post 9306178)

What is the advantage of 2 stage pistons? Are they worth it on the smoother tracks?

Originally Posted by CMaD (Post 9304771)

I am in the process of doing the spring frequency tuning on my mugen eco buggy and have a full set of all the new springs. So, if i want it softer or slower I can make the shocks more verticle?