The effects of shocks setup are the same for drifting and racing, generally you want more weight transfer when drifting although this is down to your driving style and the chassis you are using. Another thing to note is that you will set your shock differently for drifting, this is because normally you would want to tune out excessive over steer, with drifting you need to provoke it.

Type of RC Shock Absorbers

• Friction Shock Absorbers

These are the basic entry level shocks, they are functional and cheap. You can't change anything about them except the springs and they don't work very well for racing, but for bashing they are the perfect RC shocks, you can find these at any hobby shop.

• Oil Shock Absorbers

These the are what you want when your radio controlled hobby goes to the next level, this is also known as hobby grade, where the equipment you start using changes to carbon fiber and Anodized Aluminum. You can adjust Dampening, rebound, travel and shock stiffness.

Setting Oil Shock Absorbers

There are a few things you can change, but only 2 can be done without draining the oil from the shock. These are:

1. The Spring

Different Springs have different properties, some springs have linear compression, while other get stiffer as you compress the,

2. The Spring Stiffness

The best type of oil shock is the one that has a threaded part at the top the the spring, which can use used to compress the spring and restrict it's travel. This is the best way to tune the handling of your radio controlled car.

The type of oil you use in your RC shocks is also important, there are internal parts which you can change which either restrict or enhance the flow of oil as the shock compresses. It's generally best to leave these at the factory recommended settings.

Weight Transfer

The real secret to your shocks is weight transfer, this what the weight of the car does when your slam on brakes or accelerate hard. Knowing how the weight reacts and what that means to you is the first step in setting up your shocks. In a nut shell when you brake the weight goes forward, when you accelerate the weight moves back, if you've even driven a car with very soft shock absorbers you'll know what I mean.

So as you brake the weight of the car moves forward and pushes the wheels into the road, this creates more traction, even with RC drift tires the same applies, although to a lesser extent, but we can still use this to help us get the car sliding how we want.

When you accelerate the rear wheels dig in and you get more grip on the rear.

RC Car setup tips

• If you want the rear to step out more under braking, soften the front or stiffen the rear.
• For more control mid-drift fit some anti-roll bars, also know as sway bars.
• Softening the rear give you more throttle-steering control when exiting the corner, although it can be tricky to control, but lots of fun.
• You want to be able to back off throttle at the right time and let the shifting wieght carry your car into the next drift, using mainly throttle to steer, and steering to correct slightly.

Sideways forever...

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