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The new shock from Silva arrived today and it was sort of perfect timing since I was off and had some free time to mess with them. Follow me through this build and I think you will see that they are a decided improvement over the standard VCS shocks that come in most kits today. (They are even better than Silva’s own VCS’s) Side shocks have been the standard for RC pan cars for a long time but they have not been around since the beginning.
Hyperdrive came next and used the miniature Delta shocks. A little better but not much, those things leaked like a sieve and the volume of oil was so small (8 drops I think) that it made them hard to build. But you got good at it because they had to be rebuilt after each run. The good thing was, you could get at least one four minute run out of them. It was when Associated came out with their VCS (Volume Compensating System) shock though that really got everyone using them. These were quite a step forward back in those days. Along with a good shock, Associated also gave us a choice of different springs plus we already had a choice of shock oils AND they would last for more than one run. Life in the shock world was good. However, believing that Hthere was still something better; I have been trying and testing just about everything I can find to use for side shocks and Silva’s new entry is the latest in my investigating. I love it when someone takes a good thing and makes it better and that’s just what they did. It’s very difficult to look at these shocks without comparing them to the Hot Bodies, so that is what I will have to do. Based on the Hot Bodies shock, Silva took it to another level with a shock cap with a built in stud for the 4/40 ball cup and a shorter shock shaft to stay more in line with the dimensions of a standard VCS shocks. While the end cap on the HB shock is in two pieces, the Silva is molded into one.
The shock body is a little shorter than the HB while still holding a good amount of shock oil. Again, this is keeping them in line with the size of a standard shock. And you can get parts! Did you catch that? PARTS AND SHOCKS ARE AVAILABLE! IMAGIN THAT!
The part number is SC402 for the black version. This standard type of packaging makes it easy for a hobby shop owner to display them and you to see before hand, what you are buying.
Building the new shock is a snap (once you get past those tiny 1.5mm e-clips) just follow the enclosed instructions and within a few short minutes you will be ready to start fitting them to your car. The shock shaft is 1.98 mm x 24.52 mm or .0780 in. dia x .965 in. long. This is the same diameter as the Hot Bodies shaft but shorter, making it more in line with the length of a standard VCS shock. And did I mention that those e-clips are really small! The piston appears to be molded with a different process than the Hot Bodies shock. Also the HB piston is .275 in. while the Silva is .273 and the Silva also has larger holes to pass the oil than the HB. I am sure that they have done their homework on this and the difference is probably to let this new shocks oil weight, correspond to the same weight that is used in a VCS. In other words, 40# will feel the same in this shock as it feels in your VCS. That way the customer has one less thing to get use to. That’s a guess though on my part…………..it sounded good to me anyway!
Before you go any further, if the spring adjusting nut is not installed on the shock body when you get it, put it on now. It will not go on after you have built the whole shock. A tip here is to put your hands inside a large, clear plastic bag (body bag) when you put these on. Then if they DO go boing, they can’t go far. The included o-ring fits firmly in the bottom of the main shock body. Before you install it however, put a liberal amount of oil on it so the shaft will pass through it without doing any damage. Once that’s done, screw on the lower cap to secure it all together. Then, insert the shock shaft and move the piston all the way to the bottom.
Fill the shock with whatever oil you use and work the piston up and down a few times to release the air from the under it and allow the shock to work in pure oil. Once you have done that, let it sit for a while to be sure all the air gets out. This is a good use for an old rear tire; the mounting holes are just about perfect to sit the shocks in to settle the air out.
Just a tip: give it a few minutes before you move on to be sure ALL the air is out. These shocks hold more oil than a standard VCS and it will take a bit longer for all of it to work its way out. Remember, it’s very important not to have any left in the shock body when you finish putting it together. It takes about a half cup of coffee worth of time. Be sure to over fill the shock body just a little bit so that you can work the bladder on and not trap any air under it. Put enough in so that it forms a “dome” over the end of the shock body. Make sure the piston is still on the bottom and slide the bladder on at a slight angle so that the excess oil will run off and then install the shock top. The shaft should move smoothly in and out now. Dat’s it, the shock is built. All you need to do now is add the proper spring and put the retainer on. (it takes a 1.5 mm wrench for the set screw) The total length once built is 2.03 in. It
This next picture show a comparison between a Silva VCS shock and their new HPS2. I did this so that you can see that size to size, there is not that much difference and fitting them to any car that uses VCS’s now should not present a problem.
Here’s a tip if you are not sure about how long to make your shocks: Only install one shock, adjust the length of the ball cup until the shock “almost” bottoms out when you move the rear pod all the way in its direction. Now remove that one and place the second one in position and do the same thing. ALWAYS leave the right shock on the right side and the left on the left side. Put them both on now and you should be able to move the pod all the way to either side without bottoming out the one side or pulling the opposite one all the way to the top. A very nice feature of these new shocks is that “both” spring retainer and the end cap have a 4/40 threaded shaft to accommodate standard ball cups. No modifying here, they come ready to race!
FINAL THOUGHTS They are extremely smooth when built right out of the “bag” and much easier to build than the VCS shocks ever were, even Silva’s version of them. A newbie to building shocks will have no problem building these things just as well as the pros; they are that easy to work with and good results will come each and every time you rebuild them. But the best thing is that there are no “tricks”, Just build them by the directions. I didn’t polish the shock shafts or the inside of the shock bodies and these things are still as smooth as silk. If you do those little extras, I’m sure you can make them even smoother, but like I said…..”out of the bag” they “ain’t bad”. I didn’t put these on a car and run them because they are going to be given away but I know how they feel when they are together and I have run the HB shocks so I can say without any reservations that these are the best shocks Silva has ever had and they will take over the side shock world in pan cars. I can’t say that these shocks are radically different from the HB shock but with the addition of the new cap and the shortened shaft, they are much more in line with what we are use to. AND these shocks are available for order right away and there is already a parts list available to order rebuild parts. No more searching the web to find someone that just happens to have some HB’s in stock. Just ask your hobby shop to order them for you. If they are smart they already have them on order so get your name on the list to have some of the first ones that they get in. I know that Mitch at Mobile Hobbies has them in stock right now and will ship them out to you right away. Email him at - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it HPS2 Shock Parts SC400 HPS2 Shock Body $6.49 Or, contact Silva Concepts – 1003 Harbor Town Circle – Sparks, NV 89436. Also visit their web site at www.silvaconcepts.net You can email them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it The ones you see here will be given away in a drawing at our last nitro race at Easley, S.C. on September 27th to one of the nitro registered racers. |
will be up to the builder to add the ball ends to the length their car calls for.Here you see it with a blue RC4Less spring installed. Running the adjusting nut almost all the way to the top lets the spring sit on the shock with zero preload.