do you need to have oil in shocks

[topforcein]

For running is it necessary or the shocks to have oil in them

Or on the other hand can you run with the shocks half full.

The reason I ask is cause I have swiped the stock ones in my lunch box for absima and when I

Installed them today hey was solid so I empty,d the oil and it was really thick

So I tryed them with no oil and they was,nt far from the stock ones then I half filled them with tamiya soft oil. Know I ain't run it yet so don't know how it will handle .

[Gruntfuggly]

It'll be a bit bouncy - the whole point of the dampers is to reduce the springyness of the suspension, while still allowing plenty of movement. Half full is probably no better than empty - the disc moving through the fluid is what makes it work - if the fluid moves at the same time it won't have much effect...

[Wooders28]

As said,it's the oil that is the damper/suspension , the spring is there primarily just to pull the damper piston back through the oil to its original start position,ready for another bump.

When racing,you choose various oil weight (thickness/viscosity),piston size and spring rate to set the car suspension up depending on the track.

So in short,you will find it very bouncy.

[Nobbi1977]

If you only half fill them then the movement of the piston will mix the oil and air making them less resistant over time. The air will come out after a period of no use so they will be hard at the start again and then soft after some use.

[topforcein]

I did fill them with tamiya soft oil and they still seem,d to hard to me I also have some associated 20w oil and that seems

Thicker than the tamiya soft one and as the shocks are fitted to a lunch box hey are naturally bouncy anyway .

I need to find a thinner/softer oil than tamiya soft .

The front is fine with the half full tamiya soft oil but the back using the same setup as the front is still hard

[Wooders28]

Are different rate pistons available for those dampers?

In the past I have used a hot sewing needle to enlarge the holes in the piston,this is a one way ticket though!

[topforcein]

Tbh I doubt it they are absema shocks and only cost £20 for the four

[Wooders28]

Might just be a bit of trail and error with oils.

[HunterZero]

You will find the shock action will tend to bind or won't rebound properly without any oil. The silicone oil helps lubricate the piston in the sleeve. Half full should be OK, although the damping will be inconsistent as air bubbles will form, and oil and air will alternatively pass through the piston.

[Tamiya1/10]

I would just follow the factory recommendation and will be the simplest.

Complicated will be once you start playing with the oil viscosity, spring rating, spring height and the number and size of holes on the disc inside the piston.

You want is bouncy, but not bottom out each time it catches air.

[Byteme909]

+1 on Tamiya 1/10's post. Although I wouldn't say the desired effect is bouncy.

Lots of ideologies behind suspension tuning but the one basic idea is that the amount of dampening should match your spring rate.

The harder the springs, the thicker the oil you want.

You do not need to modify the piston holes unless you are not getting the desired fine tuning from the viscosity of the shock oil.

Most importantly, what surface are you running on?

[topforcein]

The surface depends tbh sometimes on the local park (grass) or a car park there is not a track by where I live so it will never see anything like that

[Byteme909]

Then definitely try to stock suspension settings (stock spring/oil) as typically box stock setup is a neutral starting point and more forgiving for handling. Good luck!