DF-02 Ground Clearance

[SteveU30]

Hope you guys can help as I don't know which way to tackle this issue.

I have a DF-02 Rising Storm which I really love however it suffers from the inherent low ground clearance/ground slap issue. I've read of fitting longer shocks as well as taller wheels/tyres but I don't what is the best combo without throwing a lot of money at it (this is meant to be a cheap basher after all). As I see it I have the following options:

1. Fit uprated standard length alloy shocks with threaded bodies and set the spring tension quite high to reduce the chassis slapping the ground on landing a jump. I'd probably get a little extra ground clearance too from the extra spring tension as the standard CVAs aren't the best at holding the buggy up. This is probably the cheapest option if I fit something like these Absima shocks? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alloy-Oil-Shock-Absorber-Upgrade-For-Tamiya-DF-02-Rising-Storm-Chassis-By-Absima-/400662508884?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item5d4958b554'> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alloy-Oil-Shock-Absorber-Upgrade-For-Tamiya-DF-02-Rising-Storm-Chassis-By-Absima-/400662508884?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item5d4958b554

2. Fit longer shocks both front and back. This will definitely give me a raised chassis however it will also mean fitting adjustable turnbuckles to both the steering and upper arms due to the altered geometry, this is extra expense I really wanted to avoid on a basher but if it's recommended over option 1 then I may have to consider it.

3. Fit taller wheels/tyres. I think I've read that DF-03 ones have a larger diameter or is there a better option? I did want to avoid buying new wheels and tyres just now as they are like new but its definitely a consideration for the (near) future. Do I need new wheels or just tyres?

4. Anything I've not mentioned?

Hope you guys can help as buggy's are a little foreign to me having only recently gotten into them.

[BigSteve]

Hi my friend I picked up a tt-02b neo scorcher a couple of months ago and the chassis suffers the same problem. I bought a set of four DF-03 wheels and a set of tamiya dual block k tyres from Banzai which came to around us$20 including shipping. They do increase the ground clearance a bit.

Steve.

[GregM]

Option 1 doesn't help. The CVA plastic dampers are way better than cheap alloy damper (e.g. Ansmann, Absima and similar).

For tuning the ground clearance with the standard shocks, use collars as you like, and play with different spring rates for adjusting the softness.

Bigsteves suggestion using larger tires/wheels is the first thing to try, but see if you can adjust your gearing for the increased load, if you need to.

When using longer dampers, be careful with dogbone angles on full droop.

[XV Pilot]

There are a couple of things to bear in mind when raising a DF02 or similar.

Firstly, it is important to remember that the tub-slapping is a self-preservation strategy. If landing a large jump, the bottom of the tub should be able to hit the ground before the shocks max out their travel. Otherwise, the stresses are passed to the shock towers, potentially breaking them.

Secondly, driveshafts operate at their best efficiency when straight. You are thus reducing the efficiency of your drivetrain if you fit shocks that make the car drive with the suspension deflected downwards.

Thirdly, the bigger the wheels, the taller the gearing, so if you go up a wheel size, consider going down a pinion size to compensate.

With my DF02, I kept to the stock compressed shock length, ensuring that the driveshafts stay horizontal. I fitted standard size buggy wheels from the FTX Vantage, giving a bit of extra ride height, but not so much that the shocks run out of travel before the chassis bottoms out. And I went down a pinion size. The buggy runs well with no overheating issues, and I am still on my original set of shock towers!

[SteveU30]

What shocks were you running on it XV?

[taliesin]

+1 on slightly taller wheel / tire combo and down one pinion size. That's what I've done and it cures the problem. Otherwise, box stock except for a 25t motor.

I chose to use the stock wheel / tires from a CC-01 Land Cruiser, oddly enough and it looks and handles more like a vintage DF-01 Blazing Star. Quite like the way it handles now and the tires wear like iron.

I also fit a set of wheels & tires from a TLT Rock Buster for a big wheel buggy look and it was just a hoot to drive. It did heat up a bit though, so eventually I took them off. It wasn't so much of a problem that it damaged anything, but it was noticeably warmer for all the components and probably not the best combination.

[XV Pilot]

I am running Ansmann alloy shocks, rebuilt with Tamiya seals, and springs from a Yokomo MR4BC. Can't remember the oil weight I'm afraid.

The shocks are 105mm rear, 85mm front, but I built them to match the stock items in terms of travel, then played around with the spring collars so that the car sits with the driveshafts horizontal.

[alfagta]

you could also fill the dampers with heavier oil or pistons with fewer holes to increase damping , also overfill the dampers a touch to get more 'pack' toward the end of the compression stroke , if the dampers are diaphragm type you could fit some urethane bumpers inside the damper caps which also serve to ramp up the the damping rate as the shocks reach full compression

[SteveU30]

I am running Ansmann alloy shocks, rebuilt with Tamiya seals, and springs from a Yokomo MR4BC. Can't remember the oil weight I'm afraid.

The shocks are 105mm rear, 85mm front, but I built them to match the stock items in terms of travel, then played around with the spring collars so that the car sits with the driveshafts horizontal.

Wow, that's considerably longer than the stock lengths of 70mm & 95mm! Did you shorten them by limiting the travel of the pistons?

[XV Pilot]

I may have mis-remembered the shock lengths - it has been a while since I fiddled with my DF02 suspension setup. I do remember the shocks were a fair bit longer than stock though - I shall measure them when I get home.

The thinking with the longer shocks is that, when the buggy is in the air, the unloaded suspension deflects further downwards, meaning that when the buggy lands, the wheels hit the ground before they would with the stock shocks, giving a longer suspension arc in which to allow the dampers to absorb the landing impact before the chassis bottoms out.

However the shocks have similar up-travel to the stock items, meaning that the chassis can still bottom out before the shocks run out of travel, saving the shock towers.

And when the car is driving normally, the spring collars are set so that the shocks are partially compressed by the car's weight, keeping the driveshafts horizontal.

The car does exhibit more body roll in corners with this arrangement, however it still grips well without flipping, so I reckon it is a fair compromise.

[XV Pilot]

Double-checked my shock measurements. Fully-extended, the rears are indeed 105mm hole-to-hole, but the fronts are only 80mm hole-to-hole.

[SteveU30]

Right you are, I'm guessing you may have fitted them to the outer lower mounting holes in the lower arms possibly I order to prevent the camber angle changing too much?

[XV Pilot]

Indeed. However I also have the DF02 hardened turnbuckle set fitted, so I can set the camber independently of shock length.