Sometimes you drive a car and its front unit hits a bump. Then, the tire keeps on bouncing and takes a while to stop. This indicates car shocks are blown or worn out.
This is common to all cars and RC cars as well. When this happens, you know that there’s no compression or rebound.
You may wonder why your RC shocks not rebounding?
There are four reasons why RC shocks do not rebound. Bent spring spacers, tight shock mount, less fluid, and inappropriate-sized hinge pins are the reasons. When any of these occur, shock shaft doesn’t come up after pushing it down. So, make sure to have all in order to make the rebound happen.
You’ll get a broader look at the issue. We’ve prepared a fix for it as well.
Read along to know more!
Why Do RC Shocks Need Rebounding?
If you’re new to RC cars or any cars this is very important for you to know. All the cars have stock shock and shock not rebounding is a serious issue.
But, before going to the reasons, let’s know what actually rebounded RC shocks do?
RC shock rebound helps to keep the tire planted down to the ground. Planted tire to the ground basically ensures better control. Along with that, it looks after safety, braking, and acceleration kinds of stuff.
Overall, whenever you see shock isn’t coming up after pushing it down, do a shock rebound. Otherwise, racing on bumpy roads won’t be smoother and safer. The consequences are somewhat similar to when RC steering servo doesn’t turn both sides.
See, how easily RC shocks are explained.
Now, it’s time to understand the reasons that cause RC shocks not to rebound. Let’s have a look at those.
RC Shocks Not Rebounding [4 Reasons]
RC shock rebounding is necessary for safety and the car’s longevity. Whether it’s Traxxas shocks that do not rebound or other models, reasons are the same.
We’ve figured out four main reasons that are causing any RC car shocks not rebounding.
Let’s get started then!
Spring Spacers
Rc shocks won’t rebound without spring spacers on them. Because of the spring, when you push the shaft down it comes up gradually. It’s all you want to see after a shock rebound.
Mainly, the rear tire shocks face difficulty in rebounding. Rear shocks need more spacers.
You can easily count on 25 wt spacers for front shocks and 20wt spacers for rear. If you’ve any less then your shocks won’t rebound freely.
Shock Mount
Another one is the shock mount. Over tightening the top and bottom shock mounting points can also be the reason. This limits shock movement.
Shocks should have a little wiggle movement at the top and the bottom. This allows its free movement to pivot at these points. You need to know the right tuning of shock location.
Shock Oil
Shock oil is the most important factor for shock rebounding. It should be refilled from time to time.
But, what is RC shock oil for jumping? What does it do?
RC shock oil mainly controls how fast the shock rebound moves in and out. Shock oil helps keep the tire from bouncing around uncontrollably over bumps. A newly refilled shock oil rebounds the shock better than an old one. The better the rebound, the better the RC car moves.
This clearly identifies the importance of RC shock oil. Quickly see if your stock shaft has enough oil or not.
Hinge Pins
Another culprit is hinge pins. Bent, rusty or huge hinge pins hinder shocks rebound. Hinge pins are required to move freely. If they can’t do so, shocks won’t rebound.
To make hinge pins of appropriate size for the hole, people use a hole reamer. But, the hole reamer must be of the same size as the hinge pins. Otherwise, it’ll make the hole too big. Rebound won’t happen.
These are the main reasons why your RC shocks are not rebounding. Now, it’s time to see how to make shocks rebound?
How to Make RC Shocks Rebound?
Before going into the discussion, take care of a few things.
- The shock shaft should be straight.
- Hinge pins must be clean and straight.
- Tires must have spring spacers on.
- Shocks must be topped off with oil.
- Foam compensator should be adjusted to fit the bladder.
Now, we can move on to the real work of making shocks rebound and rebuild. The solution has answers to all the issues stated above.
Start by compressing the shock a couple of times. It will take out any air from the oil. Let it sit for a couple of minutes. At this stage decide how much rebound you want.
For full rebound, barely push the shock shaft up about a few millimeters. A half rebound of rear shock, shaft goes up to halfway. There you set the bladder on top bleeding out excess oil.
On top of that, set the foam compensator. And then just screw the cap on. Don’t worry everything will be adjusted on the body of the shock shaft.
Now, just compress the shock a couple of times and see the shaft come back out halfway.
Front shock runs a little bit more rebound. So, to get that don’t compress the shaft too far. Build it with a three-quarter rebound. Repeat the same process above by compressing the shock a quarter of the way.
To sum up, more rebounds need less compression before setting the bladder on. If you want less rebound, just compress the shaft farther before placing the bladder on. The process is much simpler than depuffing a LiPo battery.
Rebounding isn’t that hard. You just need to be careful about a couple of things. And you’ll be good to go.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Happens If a Suspension Is Too Stiff?
The tires will be stiffer if the suspension is too stiff. Your driving won’t be safer and enjoyable with stiff suspension. Especially, on bumpy and uneven roads you’ll get difficulties. Stiffer suspension triggers stiffer spring. This can cause oversteering or understeering.
How to Soften RC Shocks?
To soften RC shocks you need shock spacers. It comes with any new RC vehicles. These are plastic and come in several different sizes. You just need to pop it onto the body of the shock. Your spring will look more compact. Now, that’s how you make your shock soften.
How to Check For RC Suspension Binding?
To check for suspension binding, remove tires as they’re unnecessary weights. Next, remove shocks to check the mechanical parts. Lift the suspension arm up to see if it drops back down. If there’s no binding the arm will drop freely. The same goes with a solid axle. It should drop on its own weight.
