b) Adjusting the shock absorbers
The spring elements of the 4-wheel suspension of the vehicle consist of a coil spring (1) each with oil-pressure shock absorbers (2) in the centre. The four oil-
pressure shock absorbers are fastened to the lower transverse links and the top of the shock tower on the differential housings. On the top, the coil springs rest
against a knurled nut (3) on the outer tube of the shock absorber and a spring seat on the bottom end of the piston rod. The compression travel of the piston rods
is limited by silicone sleeves on the lower part of the piston rods.
Turning the knurled nut upwards takes pressure off the spring. Turning it downwards increases spring preload. Spring preload can thus be finely adjusted to the
ground and the way of driving.
• Low spring preload causes the chassis to sink down lower due to its own weight.
• A tighter setting lifts the chassis.
This means you have influence on lifting or lowering the chassis (setting ground clearance). By setting the damping you can adjust the model's ability to
compensate road unevenness and also influence the model's behaviour in bends.
This is described as "oversteering" or "understeering" driving behaviour.
Oversteering driving behaviour
The model "pulls" in the bend, the rear tends to swerve (too little traction on the rear axle or too much traction on the steered front axle). As a counter measure,
the damping should be set softer at the rear (or harder at the front).
Understeering driving behaviour
The model is difficult to steer around the bend, "pushes" outwards over the front wheels (too much traction of the rear axle or too little traction of the steered front
axle). As a counter measure, the damping should be set harder at the rear (or softer at the front).
Oversteering or understeering driving behaviour can be the result of uneven cornering forces of front and rear axle due to incorrect camber settings.
As a basic setting the front axle should be approx. 5 mm lower than the rear axle!
Check the effectiveness of the shock absorbers:
• Lift the model at the rear axle and drop it.
• The model should not deflect to the end stop and only rebound once (without any additional swinging)!
• Test the shock absorbers of the front axle in the same way.
Setting the spring preload
• Increasing spring preload: Turn the knurled nut on the external pipe of the shock absorber clockwise.
• Decreasing spring preload: Turn the knurled nut on the external pipe of the shock absorber anti-clockwise.
Tuning
By selecting the right dampening oil, you can influence the damping characteristics. The oil normally used in the shock absorbers is perfectly suited for most
applications.
• On a predominantly flat surface, the use of viscous oil is recommended.
• On uneven terrain, low-viscosity oil should be used.
Do not use conventional engine oil. We generally recommend using pure silicon shock absorber oil only. To further optimize the damping characteristics,
we offer silicon oil for the shock absorbers in different viscosities as an accessory.
Moving the shock absorbers
• Moving the shock absorbers at the upper or lower transverse links to a steeper attack angle reduces the progressivity. The vertical relative motion of the
chassis is transmitted more directly into the suspension, the damping effect sets in immediately, i.e. the suspension is harder even with small deflections. At
the same time the vehicle is elevated.
• Moving the shock absorbers to a flatter attack angle increases the progressivity. When the attack angle is flat, the chassis deflection has to be deeper for the
damping to respond, i.e. the suspension responds softly at first and becomes harder with increasing deflection.
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