Screws for bleed vent TRF 501X dampers?
 

I'd like to get the "54028 TRF buggy aeration damper set" and wanted to know what size screws you need to use the bleed vent. I read Jimmy's review and it says 2mm screw. I can get these off ebay but what length e.g. M2 x 5 ? Does it matter if they're grub screw or flat head? Also wondering where's the best place to buy e.g. eBay or can you recommend a Tamiya dealer? Thanks

Yep, M2 x 5.

I bought Yokomo ones, purely cos they were in stock wherever I was ordering.

They all tend to be socket head - 1.5mm hex driver.

air and oil mixing?
 

I understand these "aeration" dampers have no rubber diaphragms. 'Scuse me if this is a silly question, but how come it's OK for the air to mix with the oil on these dampers? Thanks

Basically it's cheating...

The design accepts that air will be in the shock, and thus through the action of the shocks will be distributed as tiny bubbles in an oil and air emulsion.

Result is consistent damping throughout the travel of the shock, just like it would be if there was no air in it at all. But the action will be slightly lighter than just the oil on it's own.

That's how I understand it anyway, might be wrong...

If you buy the TRF Aeration dampers the bleed screws are in the box.

I was quite confused about this when i first built/installed them. In the supplied manual it tells you to leave the oil about 1 mm below the edge of the shock top, screw on the cap and that's it.

It doesn't mention anything about being able to bleed the shocks if you drill a hole in the top of the shock cap or the supplied screws.

As you can see on the TRF UK website http://www.trfracing.co.uk/page_1265187551237.html
If you use this process you will bleed excess air/oil out.

I'm still running them with air in atm. and not really having any issues. Will probably do them like on trf uk when i get different oil on sunday.

Putting an o-ring on the shaft on the outside of the shock will prevent the piston going above the oil, thus making sure it always stays airfree. I have no air in mine at all.

Also if you work with the bleed screw you can manage to have no air inside at all. This makes the dampers much smoother although it seems a bit weird to have Aeration dampers without air :wtf:
I absolutely prefer the bleeding screw method which is also described on the TRF UK page: http://www.trfracing.co.uk/page_1265187551237.html

No matter what you do, the air will always mix with the oil. If you don't believe me, remove one of your caps after a run and see if the oil is full of bubbles. Adding o-rings mainly reduces your compression stroke.

The bleed ports are used as a tuning aid. They allow you to leave little or no air inside. Air inside leaves you with a softer and less progressive damper throughout the stroke. No air inside makes the damper smoother, but also causes larger pressure changes through the stroke (more progressive). With no oil inside, it is important to bleed enough oil out so the damper doesn't hydro-lock when compressing it. If it does, your car will loose it's compression stroke just like adding o-rings on the outside.

The nice thing is that the bleed port allows you to easily change both the oil and air levels in the damper. That makes matching them left to right much easier. If one damper has more rebound than the other, simply bleed some oil out of the faster one. If one damper feels softer than the other, suck some air into the stiff one).

Having said all this, I have yet to mess with this adjustment. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the different possibilities and when to use them...

Dust covers
 

Does anyone know what dust covers / shock boots will fit over the TRF 501X shocks? I know you can get the little "socks" that go over the springs but is there a better rubber cover to protect the shaft? I think this is more a feature on 1/8 buggies. Thanks

I just use the outerwears shock covers for the b44 on my shocks. Got them from GS hobbies website...awesome.

On another note I just tried the bleeder hole for the first time and I must admit...Perfect shocks every time. And extremely smooth when compared to other methods Ive used. I used a body reamer t activate the hole and found 4 screws that fit perfectly. No drama and as I said...perfect every time.:thumbsup:

Whities
 

Yeah, those shock covers look cool, especially in black. You can get them off eBay. Will the 1/10 ones fit the 501X shocks? Also, would it be OTT to put in some "Whities" o-rings and "green slime"?

What weight oil?
 

Nearly finished my new 501X shocks and I was wondering what oil shall I use? I'm using the kit pistons (No. 3 front and No. 4 rear) and the shocks are for a vintage 4WD Schumacher CAT. Probably won't be raced - just for recreation - don't want to risk breaking anything so no jumps either. I've got 30, 45 and 60 Schumacher oil in stock. Thanks for any suggestions.

Even with 45 oil in the front it's still a little soft. Have only 1.2mm pistons from Hong Kong and will try these. Also, what do you think of these dirt shields and has anyone used them on 501X dampers?

http://www.iq-tuning.ch/en/dirtshield.html

Luke