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TurboTimmy

Hornet/Grasshopper Shocks

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I am thinking of getting a set of front and rear shocks for my Grasshopper-I saw some on Ebay. Has anyone tried these? If so, which are the ones that work best?

Thanks for any response.

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Yes, I've seen those-usually on Ebay-but I wonder how good they are-and do they fit? 

Are there any shocks available for these models?

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I think because the way the hornet front shock mounts work by screwing through the top (not an eyelet) you dont really have a great deal of choice without cutting off the existing mounts and fitting custom ones to the chassis

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If you want some bling-effect, shiny shocks would do.  

If you want damping, it might backfire, since oil shocks would hardly move. This is why there are not many offerings. 

 

The problem is where the weight is.  There is no suspension between the heavy motor and the tires.  Unlike Fast Attack Vehicle, which has the gearbox and the motor mounted on the chassis (not on the axle), the Grasshopper has them on the axle.  The suspension only supports the battery, mostly.  4 oil shocks for a battery won't make the suspension work hard enough.  

Having said that, the front is so bouncy!  I once had 90's aluminum shocks, but they were too stiff.  Front shocks hardly moved.  I found that the Hornet's O-ring friction damper is enough. (Grasshopper doesn't have them, but you can get Hornet D-parts: You would probably want D-parts even if you want oil shocks for the rear. Without D parts, the rear won't have independent movements)

I'm not saying you shouldn't get aluminum shocks.  It's a hobby, not some exam where there is a right answer.  Testing things out is the fun part.  Do what your heart tells you.  If it doesn't work, you can always use the shocks for other projects.  

5D3LRDs.jpg

Since we are on the subject of dampers, 

Hornet's o-ring housing compresses the spring like 5mm. 

Even that makes them too stiff. 

@shenlonco cuts the front spring off a little to make room for the o-ring housing. (I did it, and it makes the front suspension a lot more useful)  

 

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I have a grasshopper and purchased the oil shock set from Ebay.  They add the bling factor, sure..  but for performance, I think one can only expect so much.  As Juggular mentioned, a fundamental design flaw is the amount of unsprung weight.  That being said, here's my setup and experience with them:

 

I'm using the 380 motor and a small 3s 2200 mah lipo battery.  My intent was to keep the weight down.  In addition, I wanted to have some good top end but not so much torque that disrupts the chassis under hard acceleration as a 540-sized motor seems to do.

The shocks came with thin oil which I replaced.  The springs were a bit stiff for my setup, but I imagine that if running a heavier battery and/or 540 motor they might be ok as-is.  For my liking, I used ball-point pen springs on the underside of each shock piston (sliding the spring over the shock shaft and inserting into the shock body) to counter the spring rate.  The end result is a ride that no longer "hops" around when going over rough pavement or gravel.  It won't handle large jumps or very rough terrain very well, and I suspect that the basic chassis design never will.  Still, I'm very pleased with the results.

P_20190814_133540.jpg

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Thanks all for your comments-I have always been curious about using a Sport Tuned 380 in this buggy-the stock 540 is good, and I have called it the ideal motor for a Hopper in the past, but it does seem to have a bit too much torque. And the Grasshopper is supposed to have a 380 to be more authentic. The 540 belongs in The Hornet......Perhaps I'll try the ST 380 and get back with everyone.....

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I'm running with the 380 Sport Tuned motor now actually.  It moves the car along very nicely (I think it is the perfect balance of torque/top end on 3s) but gets a little hot sometimes.  There was a bit of tinkering to mount it however..  had to combine an aluminum mount with the regular plastic grasshopper motor mount and use a brass sleeve with a 10t pinion normally used in the Lunchbox/Blackfoot/etc.

Oh.. I also used larger gauge wire.  Hope this helps!

P_20190728_093522.jpg

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