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eBay / Chinese shock absorber sets

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There are lots of sellers on eBay selling sets of four shocks for around the £15-20 mark, they look reasonably well made but I didn’t want to buy a set if they are rubbish. Has anyone got any experience of these, are there any better than others, or ones to avoid?

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I got some cheapo ones off Amazon but very similar to the eBay ones. 

Oil simply ******** out of them! Still probably better than the friction shocks they replaced,  But I won't be buying again. 

Look great though!

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Quality is all over the place in my experience. I bought some 'internal spring' oil dampers for a crawler and they're terrible, but look awfully similar to Boom Racing versions right down to the machining.

Wait until you see some of the prices on AliExpress.

Ultimately, you get what you pay for. If it's bling you want and you acknowledge the quality and performance will be questionable, go for it. If you want performance then nothing beats the OEM Tamiya, with Yeah Racing close behind. The weakness not in the metal parts (difficult to get wrong) but the seals and bladders. Like many of us on here have found, you can buy Yeah Racing dampers and replace all of the seals with the Tamiya equivalent, such are the similarities in size. Then you have a good damper set for approx. 60% the cost of the TRF branded stuff. 

If you're less worried about bling but want performance, the plastic CVA oil dampers from Tamiya are great and very affordable. Replacing CVA's with cheap Chinese shocks is definitely a backwards step for performance.

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Generally shocks are not a area of the car you can save money and end up with what you wanted. The issue is that shocks hold oil, under pressure, and most cheap shocks hold oil until you start using them. More often than not the shock shafts are made from butter and bend quite easily, the alloy may not be properly machined and finished smoothly. 
 

I usually recommend people avoid gpm and integy shocks and anything that made cheaper. 

yeah racing and 3racing make mediocre shocks, that are a step above the usual cheap Chinese shocks. 
 

fact is to get a decent upgrade on a Tamiya plastic oil shock there isn’t any metal options that cost the same or less than the stock Tamiya cva’s that are worth having. 
 

there is a lot of people who swear by cheaper shocks, I’ve been there and tried the lot, in recent times I’m in the position to afford genuine Tamiya shocks, and I’ve never had such clean low maintainence high performing vehicles till now. I know from my own experience if I can not financially justify a genuine Tamiya alloy shock there is few other Options I’ll consider, and usually that leaves just keep using cva’s. Cheap metal shocks for me is just pouring good money down the drain. A good quality plastic shock for the same money is often the better option.

Juls

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50 minutes ago, Why me? said:

There are lots of sellers on eBay selling sets of four shocks for around the £15-20 mark, they look reasonably well made but I didn’t want to buy a set if they are rubbish. Has anyone got any experience of these, are there any better than others, or ones to avoid?

From personal experience, I've found that it's best to stay away from shocks that don't have bottom caps on the shock body. A lot of times these cheaper shocks hold in their seals and rod guides with a flimsy circular clip that loves to give up the ghost the moment you give a shock its first compression after filling with oil. Down comes the clip, the oil, the seals, and the guides lol.

If you're getting them for looks alone, just be sure to leave them empty, or at least don't fill them with oil all the way up.

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Seems like a general consensus to avoid them then, thanks for the replies. I’ve only ever used Kyosho gold shocks in the past, but the plastic shocks on my df02 are poor in comparison so I was looking for an upgrade. I know the quality of Chinese stuff can vary wildly, so I’m going to steer clear of them.

is the Absima stuff any good?

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I'll echo the above - cheap shocks are an unknown and until you get them you've got no idea what they'll be like.  Much like anything cheap coming from China, it's made quickly in a copycat factory with very little care for whether it will actually do the job it's intended to do.

Yeah Racing can be good but sometimes need a good clean before assembly.  3Racing is one of the better ones.  GMade are good.

Another problem with cheap shocks is they often don't come with ball studs, Tamiya ball studs don't fit and nobody can ever advise what size you need or where to get them from.  I have several sets of cheap shocks that I only ever bought for cheap projects but I haven't been able to fit them in 5 years because I don't have the right hardware.

Tamiya CVAs really are very good for the money but if you're racing seriously you'll justify TRFs.

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I’m not racing, just bashing but I want to just make a few improvements to the car to sharpen it up a bit. I’ll keep an eye out for a spare set of CVAs to rebuild maybe.

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The only good thing about buying cheap Chinese shocks is that you might get a few chrome pieces that work with the CVAs you buy to replace them.

Terry

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If your DF02 still has the stock CVA Dampers (which are real cva's not ones with metal pistons), you could just get a new set of seals and rebuild them. This would make the most sense, unless you've broken or damaged them somehow, 

If they are stuffed, and you want a cheap fix, the DT03 Damper set (54567) will work, goes for about $15usd for a set of 4. 

Built properly these are reasonable dampers. They are not however as good as Tamiya Alloy damper sets.

Kyosho Alloy shocks are usually equally as good as Tamiya Alloy shocks, but they also demand basically the same price, in some cases more. If your expecting that level, then you'll be totally disappointed in any cheap metal sets. 

I still have a set of original late 90's kyosho twin cap pro's, really love those shocks. But they where equally or more expensive than tamiya equivalent. 

 

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Look out for ZD Racing shocks. They're really good and very cheap. $8 a pair.

2PCS-ZD-Racing-7359-Alloy-Oil-Filled-Rear-Shock-Damper-Absorber-for-1-10-HSP-Redcat.jpg_q50.jpg

bde9ba9c-f9a4-483b-8ac3-db34d8065773.jpg

https://sea.banggood.com/2PCS-ZD-Racing-73587359-FrontRear-Oil-Filled-Shock-Absorber-for-9106s-110-RC-Car-Parts-p-1510057.html?ID=510658&cur_warehouse=CN

Comes in different colors and sizes too. 80-110mm. Grey, blue, red, orange, yellow/gold

I'm using 2 pairs for my CC-01. Very nice rebound, good quality body, pistons and springs. No leak. 

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2 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

I'll echo the above - cheap shocks are an unknown and until you get them you've got no idea what they'll be like.  Much like anything cheap coming from China, it's made quickly in a copycat factory with very little care for whether it will actually do the job it's intended to do.

Yeah Racing can be good but sometimes need a good clean before assembly.  3Racing is one of the better ones

Tamiya CVAs really are very good for the money but if you're racing seriously you'll justify TRFs.

I have two sets of Yeah Racing shock gear and had a set of 3 Racing. I liked the YR better to be honest and sold the 3R. 

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I have genuine Tamiya TRF shocks on some of my cars, and used to think they were the only way forward until I built a set of YR Shock Gear ones for a mate. The quality of finish is not quite TRF standard and the seals aren't as good, but once the moulding flash is cleaned up from the plastic parts and the seals are replaced with genuine Tamiya ones, I honestly can't tell any functional difference between them and TRFs. I suspect that they might not last as long, but my oldest set is pushing 3 years now and still looks good as new with no leaks or slop. On a classic shelfer or car used for really high end national/international competition it has to be TRF, but given the price difference, YR Shock Gear ones make a lot of sense on a general runner or club racer IMO.

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4 minutes ago, TurnipJF said:

I have genuine Tamiya TRF shocks on some of my cars, and used to think they were the only way forward until I built a set of YR Shock Gear ones for a mate. The quality of finish is not quite TRF standard and the seals aren't as good, but once the moulding flash is cleaned up from the plastic parts and the seals are replaced with genuine Tamiya ones, I honestly can't tell any functional difference between them and TRFs. I suspect that they might not last as long, but my oldest set is pushing 3 years now and still looks good as new with no leaks or slop. On a classic shelfer or car used for really high end national/international competition it has to be TRF, but given the price difference, YR Shock Gear ones make a lot of sense on a general runner or club racer IMO.

This is true. My sets of shock gears are used for rallying and street bashing which is more abused than an on-road track or crawling use. But I have not had any issues with them and I have not even changed any of the internals (still using all YR components). I actually used one of the spring sets to my TRF and it's a good match too.

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4 hours ago, Why me? said:

Is the Absima stuff any good?

In stock form, not really, no. The seals are awful, the eyelets are brittle, the shafts are often rough and unpolished, the pistons aren't cleaned of moulding flash prior to assembly, the shock bodies are sometimes not machined concentric, if you have ones with threaded shock bodies the threads wear out very quickly, and so forth. I had a set on my TL-01B, and I considered it an upgrade when I replaced them with Tamiya plastic CVAs.

That said, with a bit of work they can be made acceptable, assuming you are lucky enough to get a set with no glaring machining errors. I rebuilt a non- threaded-body set for the TT-02 charity build, with Tamiya seals, Tamiya pistons and shafts, Tamiya eyelets and Tamiya oil. They work much like CVAs, but add a little bit of bling factor. 

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I wonder how many of these eBay/Banggood/AliExpress shocks are the same products coming from the same factory, but with different brand names and anodizing?

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1 minute ago, Mrowka said:

I wonder how many of these eBay/Banggood/AliExpress shocks are the same products coming from the same factory, but with different brand names and anodizing?

Probably a good few. Ansmann, Absima and Fastrax are all the same thing apart from branding. Many others probably are too.

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I recently purchased some for Kyosho Optima Mid - the quality "feels" good and seem well made. https://www.ebay.com/itm/4pcs-Front-Rear-Shock-Absorbers-For-RC-Hobby-Car-1-10-Kyosho-Optima-4WD-New/113489962638?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=413690583834&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

My only gripe is that they stick. After the first run they worked as they should once you get running and did not leak. When you push down on the car/chassis there is a slite stick/stutter hope that makes sense. I'm hoping over time it will resolve itself. 

 

 

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I've tended to stay away from the cheap cheap shocks on eBay, the cheapest I've gone is the 3Racing shocks, and they needed a rebuild and oil change as soon as they landed.

The best option I've found so far, is 2nd hand decent race shocks, I've had full sets of Schumacher big bores for just over £30 (on a dt03 and a df03 atm, and another set waiting  in the wings) a set of kyosho RB6 for £40 and got 2 sets of the old kyosho plastic black shocks (the ones on the mid custom with collars) for £20+ 

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Just to echo Wooders above, you can't really go wrong with schumacher shocks (indeed any 'race' spec shock). More expensive than CVA's but cheaper than TRF and the quality is first rate. 

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15 minutes ago, Silver-Can said:

More expensive than CVA's but cheaper than TRF and the quality is first rate. 

Plus spares are fairly cheap, plentiful, and lots of set up sheets for various terrain, to give you a nudge in the right set up direction.

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Benjamin Franklin: "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

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Another good option is check the kit breakers for OEM RTr shocks of various brands.

I put HPI on road   shocks Doen Jenny’s RC on my m-06 chassis. They were like $10USD for a set of 4 and the stock Tamiya springs popped right on . Huge improvement over the friction shocks.

On my G-06 I used Tamiya CVAs on the front and back wheels and left the friction shocks on the middle axle 

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I'm definitely with most of the consensus here. The Korean Knockoff Shocks are a real hit and miss. And the MISS can be horrible! 

I'm working with a very low income, and couldn't resist the temptation once or twice.... The first Set, not terrible, after replacing the Shafts, Pistons and Seals! 

The second Set was beyond rubbish - and unserviceable.  And with the first, I spent a little more than I PAID for those Shocks in the first place!! 

As much as I would LOVE a Set of TRF Shocks or equivalent, they will never fit in my Budget.... 

The BEST alternative I've found so far is Yeah Racing! I've got a 90mm set in my SCX10, a 65mm Set in my TT-02, and had 60mm Sets in my M03 and M04. 👍👍💯  A Set of Yeah Racing Aluminum Shocks had cost me no more than $26.00 USD (about 21 Quid) for a Set. Plus most sets include 3 different sets of Springs, and several Piston choices! 

Only Mod was replacing the Seals with Team Associated Shock Seals. NONE have ever leaked!! Not even the long ones in my Crawler.  I imagine that a Set of Tamiya Seals would work about the same, but I Raced Buggies for Team Associated about 100 years ago - and I've always found their Dampers to be superior. 😊

It's just my experience, but that combination will get you Shocks as good as any costing twice as much!

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