Mixing shock oils

[Gaffle]

I’m upgrading my 5T2 springs and moving the gasket ring to the inside. Is it okay to mix my Losi 90 weight oil with whatever came with the car?

 

[Top Dead Center]

They're both shock oil(silicone) so it should be okay. If you are trying to achieve a specific weight, here is a calculator.
https://scriptasylum.com/rc_speed/oil_mixer.html

 

[Gaffle]

Perfect! The next question is what will happen with my Losi's performance with stiffer springs and heavier weight oil in the shocks? I only removed 5ml of the stock oil and re-added 5ml of the 90 wt. stuff. I also got replaced the Losi blue springs with DDM silver (stiffest) springs. The reason for the increased springs was knowing my RCMax 65 is a heavier engine than the stock 32cc.

 

[Frenimy]

Just curious but why would you choose 90wt. That is extremely thick and will really negatively affect the shocks performance? Springs are for weight and landings, oil is for dampening bumps. Yes the larger Motor is heavier but I would not jump to 90wt, stock is 40wt on the Losi 5ive T 2.0. I am not saying that 90wt wont be interesting to try but I am sure you would be happier with a much lower choice. As for your original question yes you can mix oils but if you do that then you will never be able to find a repeatable setup that you like and can go back to. The shock oils are pretty cheap in comparison to the rest of the stuff we buy for these. Best to use a known variable and and log what you did so you can make changes and go back as needed.

 

[Gaffle]

Just curious but why would you choose 90wt. That is extremely thick and will really negatively affect the shocks performance? Springs are for weight and landings, oil is for dampening bumps. Yes the larger Motor is heavier but I would not jump to 90wt, stock is 40wt on the Losi 5ive T 2.0. I am not saying that 90wt wont be interesting to try but I am sure you would be happier with a much lower choice. As for your original question yes you can mix oils but if you do that then you will never be able to find a repeatable setup that you like and can go back to. The shock oils are pretty cheap in comparison to the rest of the stuff we buy for these. Best to use a known variable and and log what you did so you can make changes and go back as needed.

Thanks for the words of wisdom. Along with the strongest silver springs, I felt 90wt. oil would prevent the truck from sagging and perhaps would lean it to do wheelies with my 65cc motor in charge. So my rear was full with stock 40wt, then I removed 5ml and added 90 wt on each rear. I'm guessing the rears are currently 70% 40wt and 30% 90wt. I used a syringe to measure those 5ml's.

I haven't done anything to the fronts. Should I do the same to keep it consistent? I do have the silver springs for my front as well. Or should I just add the springs and leave the 40wt alone in those?

 

[Frenimy]

The "sag"(ride height) is adjusted by the shock adjusting ring. Wheelies happen when you get traction and your suspension has reached its maximum bind, soft rear stiff front for faster weight transfer. The suspension can be tuned to do different things. What is your main goal? Handling, Jumping, Wheelies or Straight line acceleration

 

[1Coopgt]

Well this is an interesting thread to follow along with . I Went to heavier springs on the rear of my buggy and bumped from 35 weight to 45. Buggy had to much sag.

 

[Gaffle]

The "sag"(ride height) is adjusted by the shock adjusting ring. Wheelies happen when you get traction and your suspension has reached its maximum bind, soft rear stiff front for faster weight transfer. The suspension can be tuned to do different things. What is your main goal? Handling, Jumping, Wheelies or Straight line acceleration

Main goal in order by your list:

1. Handling
2. Wheelies
3. Straight line acceleration
4. Jumping

I definitely don't want the car prone to flipping or rolling over. I've upgraded my center diff to 2M weight oil + RCMax center diff and Blackbone hardened spur. I'll be running 500k on the outer diffs.

 

[Frenimy]

Ok so handling is your main goal then Start with Losi red springs front and rear with 40wt oil all around. Adjust front and rear separately. Soft springs will give better cornering and stiffer will cause a little push. Grip level is dependent on the surface you run on. Shock position is also important. Try Front Middle top inside bottom, Rear middle top 2nd from outside bottom. The Diff oil will drastically affect cornering and stability. Heavy front will increase corner exit grip on power but make for poor rotation off power. Heavy rear will act like a posi rear and give good straight line traction but case the rear to be loose on power corner exit and create push on corner entry and mid corner. Heavy center diff will give tremendous snap to the acceleration but will affect the cornering and cause it to pull harder on the front which may cause a push. Finding what you like will take some experimentation. I don't recommend going drastically high right off the bat. Try a few mild setups then go to the extreme high on your diffs so you can feel what the changes are and determine if that fits your drive style. Traction rolling is something that can be reduced by raising spring tension to the extreme but that will negatively affect your cornering ability. Ride height is also important, a good general height is bones level, means your dog bones are sitting level when you are on a flat surface with the body on. to change ride height use the spring adjusting rings on the shock body, That is the only thing they are for. If you have more questions please ask. I think people read about setups but don't know why it works or doesn't and so they stick with something that only half works for them

 

[Gaffle]

Jeez... lots to consider but a definite thanks!

 

[Frenimy]

Haha Suspension Setup is overwhelming at first but once you start playing with it and have the correct info then it all starts to make sense. Most important is that what works for someone may not work for you we all drive slightly different.