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Shock Damping
Shock damping manages the resistance of the shock to movement, as the internal shock piston moves through the shock oil when the shock
compresses and rebounds.
Damping mainly has an effect on how the car behaves on bumps and how it reacts initially to steering, braking, and acceleration. Damping only
comes into play when the suspension is moving (either vertical wheel or chassis movement or due to chassis roll), and loses its effect when the
suspension has reached a stable position. Without damping, the shock springs would cause the shock to “pogo” or “bounce” (compressing and
rebounding) until it stabilized.
When the shock is compressing or rebounding, the shock oil resists the movement of the piston through it. The amount of resistance is affected by
several factors:
• Viscosity (thickness) of the shock oil
• Restriction of oil flow through the piston (affected by the number of holes in the piston)
• Velocity (speed) of the piston
Damping is affected by both shock oil and shock piston settings; getting the optimum shock damping typically requires a lot of “hands on”
experience.
Shock pistons affect shock damping by affecting how easily the piston travels through the shock oil when the shock is compressing or decompressing
(rebounding). The piston has holes through which shock oil flows as the piston travels up and down inside the shock body. The number of holes helps
control how quickly the shock compresses or decompresses.
A piston with fewer holes moves more slowly through shock oil compared to a piston with more holes (which moves faster). Therefore a piston with
fewer holes gives harder damping, and a shock piston with more holes gives softer damping.
T2 features non-adjustable or adjustable shock pistons.
• Non-adjustable pistons usually use a 1-piece piston with a set number of holes in it. To change the shock damping, you must disassemble the
shocks and replace the piston with another piston with a different number of holes.
• Adjustable pistons come in different forms, but the main idea behind them is that you can change the shock damping by altering the shock
pistons without having to disassemble the shocks and changing pistons. Adjusting the shock pistons may compress an internal O-ring in the
piston, or may align a different number of holes in the pistons.
SHOCKS
30 9520
SILICONE OIL 20W
30 9525
SILICONE OIL 25W
30 9530
SILICONE OIL 30W
30 9535
SILICONE OIL 35W
30 9540
SILICONE OIL 40W
30 9550
SILICONE OIL 50W
Shock Damping - Shock oil
Shock Damping - Shock piStonS
Shock oil is rated with a “viscosity” number that indicates the thickness of the oil, which determines how much the
oil resists flowing and how much it resists the shock piston moving through it. Shock oil with a higher viscosity (for
example, 40W oil) is thicker than shock oil with a lower viscosity (for example, 20W oil).
We recommend using only highest-grade XRAY Silicone Shock Oil, which is available in numerous viscosities. XRAY
Silicone Shock Oil is specially formulated to be temperature-resistant and low-foaming for use in XRAY shocks.
To be able to compare your setup with other XRAY drivers, we advise using only XRAY Silicone Shock Oil.
Adjusting with...
Effect
Shock Oil
Piston Holes
Front Shocks
Softer Damping
Thinner
More holes
• Slower steering response.
• Decreases initial steering at corner entry.
• Increases oversteer at corner exit/under acceleration.
Harder Damping
Thicker
Less holes
• Faster steering response.
• Increases initial steering at corner entry.
• Increases understeer at corner exit/under acceleration.
Rear Shocks
Softer Damping
Thinner
More holes
• Faster steering response.
• Increases rear grip at corner exit/under acceleration.
• Decreases rear grip under braking.
Harder Damping
Thicker
Less holes
• Slower steering response.
• Decreases rear grip at corner exit/under acceleration.
• Increases rear grip under braking.
EFFEctS oF Shock Damping
The effects of damping are often difficult to distinguish since there is an adjustment where grip is optimum. When you get away from the optimum
damping setting, either softer or harder, the car will always lose grip.
The table below describes the handling effects by changing damping on one end of the car; the starting point is always the ideal “optimum.”