Shocks - what's the difference?

[jozza]

There seem to be a whole lot of different shocks available to fit the same cars, and I wondered if anyone had a simple comparison between them all.

For instance, the Mad Bull manual states that it can use the CVA Mini Shock Unit Set II (50519) and the CVA Short Shock Unit Set II (50520), or High Cap Damper Mini (53036) and High Cap Damper Short (53037)

Is the CVA II equivalent in length to the CVA Mini Shock (50746)?

And what about the aluminium low friction ones?

Any help, or a comparison chart would be gratefully received, as I'm currently confused and don't want to spend more on the MB than is really necessary, and it would be nice when I see shocks on the 'bay that I would know if they were suitable for my cars!

[fury_dice(2)]

I'm not aware of any comparison chart, but do know that the 50519 set and the 50746 set are different lengths (as I have a set of each in front of me!) and the Super Minis will be too short.

Not sure about the ally low friction dampers; at best they'd do for the front of your MB, but I have a feeling that they couldn't be built long enough (need to be 70mm).

As for the hi-cap dampers, these are high spec jobbies made for buggies. They are probably very smooth, and would certainly look good but the difference in performance to the plastic CVAs won't be that noticeable given the big price difference.

My advice (though I don't claim to be an expert) would be to stick with the 50519/50520 combo for the best price/performance.

[mud4fun]

Hi Jozza, I fitted CVA shocks to my daughters Mad Bull, they are the same as the thundershot/terra scorcher. The fronts are the mini CVA's from the hop-up parts twin shock set for the thundershot or standard fitment on the terra scorcher. They are out of production now and quite hard to get hold of. The rear ones are the standard length CVA shocks that were fitted to loads of cars and are generally easyh to get hold of on ebay. I would point out though that the mad bull doesn't accept the oil filled shocks very well. The lower rear mounts on the back transaxle break if you fit too firm a shock and the upper front mounts bend and break easily too. The standard friction shocks are very soft and don't put much strain on anything. Just be advised to keep the CVA's springing soft. Cheers, Ian.

[Jozza(2)]

Thanks for that advice - I will see what I can find on ebay and in my box of bits, and I'll make sure I use soft springs and a light oil for the dampers so they don't break anything!