big bore dampers vs normal dampers

[Alexei]

does the big bore dampers offer any advantage over normal dampers, when it comes to onroad driving?

i can get some Tamiya alumium dampers at a discounted price, but they are not big bores. on the other hand i dont think it would matter much as im not going to compete anyway, just making a street basher.

 

[ACCEL]

lets start in the beginning when the the world was void of oil dampers to start with just some air and springs.

ok enough of that jargin, big bores offer more in severe bumpy and rough conditions, standard and bled correctly are just as good as big bores, it's like everything else new and exciting got to have them. there's a lot of info out there, but in the end regular(normal dampers are fine) piston hole count, oil viscosity and springs are also at play and can achieve what your looking for when tuning your shocks, if your manual provides a standard suggestion go up a lil' with CST/ weight of the shock oil, spring load and compression settings of the adjustable shock body, taller and or lower spring cups, you'll simply go nuts.

 

 

[DeadMeat666]

My 2 cents (or 2 pence, depending on where you're from):

Having tried a few dampers recently, I can conclude that big bore dampers are for 2 kinds of people. The first kind are those who like bling and like to say they bought the latest/greatest. The second kind are those who really understand dampers, and have tried different springs, shock oil weights, piston types, shock positions, and still feel they need that extra edge in performance, usually in a competitive setting. Everyone else will be perfectly satisfied with non-big bore dampers that are oil filled.

I belong to the first kind

[Carmine A]

Yup......  I also belong to the first group in the @DeadMeat666 scenario!! 😜😂   However, about 150 years ago, I did Race for real - and Fun. 

WE didn't have none of them new fangled Big Bore Dampers...  One train of thought we used was Oil Weights vs actual Piston travel.   Just as a baseline, we tuned up or down from there. 

Without going into Maths and Geometries - we started with THIS. 

With a Long Shock (75-115mm), the Shock Piston will move up and down between 15 and 30mm. This much Travel will move very quickly, just because it has farther to go.   In this case, we'd start with 20/35wt Shock Oil. Really THICK Oil will cause way too much resistance - making your Springs feel TIGHTER than their compression rate.  You GET, Bouncy Trucks that lose Traction because they BARELY move!! 😖👎👎 

With a Short Shock (45 to 70mm), they can have as LITTLE as 5 to 10mm up and down movement. Because of this - the Piston will move very SLOWLY from full up to full down. If you started with a 25/45wt Oil... You would barely notice it HAD ANY Oil in them!! This is because the lighter Oil wouldn't provide much resistance at all, for movements that small and slow. 😲 

In Short, On-Road Shocks - I would personally START with 55wt. I've gone as high as 110wt!  The M05 I'm building now has 90wt in Front, 70wt in the Rear. (Because FWD Cars have over 65% of their weight on the FRONT Wheels!) Those need more Damping, than in the Rear. 

Initial Oil Weight adjustments are as easy as picking the Car up, and compressing one Suspension Arm by Hand.   THEN, quickly release it.

If the Arm (Wheel) just SNAPS back down - your Oil is way too thin. You'll need to go UP at least another 20... 

IF however you release it, and it takes a noticeably long time (over a Second, but after you do a few, you'll KNOW what's too fast or slow) - your Oil is way too THICK. Go Down at least 20.....

I realize that a lot of you use CST for Oil Viscosity. Here's a handy dandy conversion Chart, that will hopefully help you!! 😁

I realize that this has been LONG winded! I tend to do that. 😜   I do hope this all made some sense to you....

[Alexei]

my drift car has a set of big bore dampers, but i just picked that as it was on sale, not because it was big bores. i cant tell if it is better than regular dampers, but it works just fine.

about oils, i will first start with the oils included in the kit.

well then, sounds that i will go for regular dampers for now .

[Carmine A]

10 hours ago, Alexei said:

My drift car has a set of big bore dampers, but i just picked that as it was on sale, not because it was big bores. I can't tell if it is better than regular dampers, but it works just fine.

About oils, i will first start with the oils included in the kit.

Well then, sounds that i will go for regular dampers for now .

Big Bore Dampers WILL have smoother action... JUST because they will hold a little more Oil, and have a slightly bigger Piston, pushing more Fluid. 😉 

Will you be able to FEEL it?? Probably NOT! But it will be there. There will be a nominal Performance gain.  Thing is, with a real shorty, only 45-65mm, the fact that there's so little Oil IN those Shock Bodies, means that trace amount of extra Oil does show improvement!! 

Now, on the 110mm Shocks on my Wraith, because of all the length required to travel - a Big Bore in THIS size, would be a waste of precious resources!! 😜

[wtcc5]

Good comments so far!

It is true the SSBBs are for the racing guys, that look for another 4 tenths gain on a 5 minute heat.

If you do not have this kind of consistency, then it makes no real sense to upgrade.
 

Still a lovely product 🥰

[berman]

They were in stock, and I liked the colour? 🤷‍♂️

You know when you were in school, and your 1:1 had a big bore exhaust so it was cooler? Yeah well, same applies 😆

No comparison, I haven't driven the M06 in about 2 years, and the M08 hasn't left the table yet 🤣

 

But asthetically, "bling bling bruh!" 😆🙄😬 

 

[Carmine A]

2 hours ago, berman said:

They were in stock, and I liked the colour? 🤷‍♂️

You know when you were in school, and your 1:1 had a big bore exhaust so it was cooler? Yeah well, same applies 😆

No comparison, I haven't driven the M06 in about 2 years, and the M08 hasn't left the table yet 🤣

But asthetically, "bling bling bruh!" 😆🙄😬 

There's nothing wrong with that reasoning!! When I can, I do the same. 

A Big Bore Shock with something THAT short, will actually make a small difference, because it's badly needed extra volume for Damping Oil.

And the Bling Factor can be viable too!! 😁

[•Axle]

Also, what if you wanted a certain length and the only shock style they do is ‘big bore’?

[Carmine A]

1 hour ago, •Axle said:

Also, what if you wanted a certain length and the only shock style they do is ‘big bore’?

Not to sound simple.....  But in that case, GET the Big Bores! 😊  You'll gain a marginal improvement with the BB Shocks, but NO disadvantages. (Unless the actual Body diameter doesn't fit in the location you need it too.)  That's nearly unlikely though.

[•Axle]

Just now, Carmine A said:

Not to sound simple.....  But in that case, GET the Big Bores! 😊  You'll gain a marginal improvement with the BB Shocks, but NO disadvantages. (Unless the actual Body diameter doesn't fit in the location you need it too.)  That's nearly unlikely though.

Oh I realise this, I’m just thinking now I should spray them black to de-bling them!

[Carmine A]

1 hour ago, •Axle said:

Oh I realise this, I’m just thinking now I should spray them black to de-bling them!

LOL!! 😜😂😄😂

I'd go with Brown if you're de-Blinging.....  That way they could appear extra gritty!  Or you could simply cake some Mud on them.