the stock shocks work fine..change the oil to 70-80 and put a 1/4 spacer to limit shock travel and lower the truck for racing..keep the aluminum parts to a min. so you truck doesn`t end up being a 1 ton tank..it doesn`t really need any except for the lower braces and skid plates..switch to a 5 cell AAA (triple) NCMH battery(TMAXX),get a faster and stronger steering servo and a quicker throttle servo(TMAXX)