Suspension mods to my Scorcher

[neverfollow]

Having recently built my Sand Scorcher with RC Channel's metal rear suspension upgrade and dampers, I was less than pleased with the suspension's performance. Dampers are too short and way too stiff, making the vehicle very bouncy. I tried changing the oil in them, but that made little to no difference. So I decided to get a little creative.

I found some Kyosho dampers I had laying around that a friend gave me years ago and decided to see if I could put them to use. With some modification and ingenuity, I was able to use them in the front. I used Avante springs and adjusted the spring collar to make them work.

At the rear, it was a different story. The Kyosho rear dampers were too long to use at the rear of the Scorcher. They must have come from a buggy with long suspension travel.

I had some Tamiya hi-caps in my parts bin and came up with a way to combine the two.

Here you can see the RC Channel damper vs. my modified hi-cap. I used the spring from the Kyosho damper, an alloy spring seat, and some softer oil.

Big difference to say the least. Next was to find a way to mount them.

I drilled the roll bar, added some spacers, and to my surprise, a great fit. Excellent suspension travel, but the dampers do not bottom out. I think I will need to add a bump stop to the piston to limit the travel at full compression.

Here is the RC Channel damper mounted.

And here are the modified hi-caps fitted.

[neverfollow]

Suspension extended.

And at full compression.

I was able to take it for a drive after completing this mod and the difference is night and day. Bouncing is minimized, and the vehicle is much more predictable and controllable.

I've uploaded a video of the run to my YouTube channel, just waiting for it to finalize. Once done, I will share the link.

Thanks for viewing!

[neverfollow]

And the link to the video...

[njmlondon]

Really nice Scorcher.

quick question re the rear shocks mounting. Do you think the roll bar is thick and and strong enough to drill through? I have my eyes on a set of 70mm RC4WD shocks which would fit well on the front but need a similar solution to yours for the rears. Interested in knowing whether this is a strong and easy solution.

[neverfollow]

Really nice Scorcher.

quick question re the rear shocks mounting. Do you think the roll bar is thick and and strong enough to drill through? I have my eyes on a set of 70mm RC4WD shocks which would fit well on the front but need a similar solution to yours for the rears. Interested in knowing whether this is a strong and easy solution.

Thank you kindly! In my opinion, I feel that it will be strong enough. I drilled a 3mm hole and tapped it so the screw would thread into it, and then secured it with a locking nut. There is still room around the screw from the roll bar, and it being alloy, I think it will hold up. I've driven it pretty hard a few times since and haven't had any issues (yet). Not sure what other options would be available since the bar is not completely straight. The spacers I used to the bar are tapered to compensate for that.

I will keep you posted, and thanks again!

[emory70]

Forgive my ignorance, but doesn't the Scorcher suspension use torsion bars? Why use coil over springs, instead of just oil shocks?

[neverfollow]

Forgive my ignorance, but doesn't the Scorcher suspension use torsion bars? Why use coil over springs, instead of just oil shocks?

I'm using RC Channel's rear suspension upgrade which uses an upper control arm and omits the torsion bars.

[njmlondon]

Thank you kindly! In my opinion, I feel that it will be strong enough. I drilled a 3mm hole and tapped it so the screw would thread into it, and then secured it with a locking nut. There is still room around the screw from the roll bar, and it being alloy, I think it will hold up. I've driven it pretty hard a few times since and haven't had any issues (yet). Not sure what other options would be available since the bar is not completely straight. The spacers I used to the bar are tapered to compensate for that.

I will keep you posted, and thanks again!

You need to do some jumps! I have the RC4WD scale shocks for my Scorcher so will try them but I can already feel another one coming on so may try your methods.

[neverfollow]

I found an old ramp that I had and used it with my Clod over the weekend. Tempted to try it out with the Scorcher! I'll be sure to post pics and video when I do

[Yonez]

Hi caps on a scorcher is just genius!