Questions regarding Big Bores, RPM a-arms and shock towers

[Form]

I'm currently having a hard time with the stock Savage shocks and I'm thinking about upgrading to Big Bores.

Actually, I had one shock in my original kit which had a hole where the body was attached to the mold, which leaked oil like crazy. I sent an e-mail to HPI and they sent me a 4-shock kit which I was very happy with... until I tried to fill them. 3 shocks out of 4 had the exact same problem as the one in my kit! I cannot bash my Savage yet 3 weeks after building it :axed:. Sucks. (I did run it a bit though, with 4 shocks on the back and 2 on the front)

Anyway, I sent another e-mail to HPI and I'll see what happens next. Meanwhile I am looking at the Big Bores which I read many good things about. I won't hesitate to trash the stock shocks, they seem quite flimsy to me. (I'll resist the urge to do so and store them somewhere.. just in case)

I just ordered a set of RPM a-arms and based on what I read in various BB threads, I came up with these questions:

1- Will the BBs scrape against the upper a-arm with the stock shock towers and the RPM a-arms?
2- If so, what can I do about this? (mounting kit, spacers, etc?)
3- Does the 4 shock setup require some more sturdy shock towers, or would I be OK with the stock plastic ones? I read some people had problems with the rear tower bending and breaking the fuel tank.
4- If metal shock towers are a necessity, what about my first and second question, considering I would use some metal shock towers?

I'm looking forward to your answers/opinion guys (regarding warranty too), and pics would be welcome if you got a similar setup!

:resp:

 

[frddyj]

that stinks with the stock shocks Form, caz i like them pretty good.

i have big bores & they rub the upper a-arm a bit but some have used the spacer from a Hellfire where the big bore attaches to the shock tower to eliminate this problem. http://www.hobbyfever.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=86545

big bores work fine with stock savage tvp's.

 

[Larsenracing]

The big bores are a great upgrade and should make you happy.

1: you should have no problem with them rubbing to hard. They will sit close and maybe touch them but should be no problem.

2: If for any chance they do you can just space them away.

3: You will be fine running the stock shock towers. Make sure you insert the rear screws toward the Rear so the threaded end is away from the tank and you should have very little problems with this hitting the tank.

4: Not needed unless you wish to go this rough. If you do check out my CF ones or any of the aluminum ones like GH.

 

[Bankrupter]

the fuel tank issue is if you have bolts in or bolts out and will do it with 8 shocks... Larsons post was not there when I wrote this and he addressed it..

 

[Form]

Thanks frddyj, Larsen, Bank, you three were fast! That pretty much answers everything. I guess I'll get some big bores soon.
:resp:

 

[Form]

I didn't get an answer from HPI yet (weekend..), so I don't know yet what's going to happen with the warranty, I just exposed the facts to them. I wonder if I could push for some metal shocks / a rebate on big bores or something? I don't want to get another pack of leaky shocks and wait another 2-3 weeks. Hell, 3 leaky shocks on 4 is unacceptable! What do you think? Do you have any experiences with HPI warranty?

 

[frddyj]

id be surprised if the dint just replace the faulty part with an identical part.

imo, just take the hit & get big bores, theyre worth it!

 

[Form]

Today I was set to fix my shocks with some parts from the new shocks I got from HPI warranty last time. I had been running only two front shocks for the break-in and a bit of post-break-in. Not a good idea: one of the front shock shafts was bent (slightly, but enough to be unusable).

I didn't receive an answer from HPI yet but I decided to purchase some big bores from eBay after all the good things I read about those. ~78$ US including shipping (~90$ CAD), from eHobby_world. I purchased some nitro cleaner from them not long ago, the shipping time was reasonable. Let's hope this arrives soon!

If anyone is interested in the link, that seems like a good deal: http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=250415594914

I still wonder what HPI will do, but in the meantime I'm gonna bash those shiny big bores!

UPDATE:

The Big Bores DO rock! Handling seems incredibly better to me and the build quality is top notch compared to the stock shocks. I did have a bit of difficulty bleeding them though, but in the end they perform very well.

I also got a new set of stock shocks (with red springs) from HPI with the warranty, which was very nice again. I only had to send them a pic of the leaking shocks and they sent me the replacement. I'll be keeping the shocks they sent me just in case, but I bet I won't need them anytime soon.