Eagle Racing Dampers: A Cheap Fix for Sticking

The Eagle Racing dampers, that come in their poplar offerings, are similar to other dampers on the market, specifically Tamiya.  They are machined well, and have a nice finish overall, but have one main shortcoming.  They tend to be sticky out of the box, and don't provide smooth, free suspension movement.  Many folks may upgrade to a nice set of TRF dampers, or dampers from another manufacturer.  If your budget is tight, there is an easy and cheap fix to the sticky dampers, that will improve them a great deal over stock.  This mod was mentioned in Patrick's  YouTube video of his R31 setup, and I am documenting that mod step by step.

The only thing required for the mod is four Dubro 4-40 nylon washers, or alternatively you can use the spacers that come in the Tamiya TRF Damper Rod Guide & O-Ring set (53574).  The spacer is approximately 2mm thick, and can be seen in the pic below.

After removing the spring cup, rod end, and the spring, remove the bottom shock cap.  Inside you will find two o-rings.  Simply remove one of them.

Replace that o-ring with the 4-40 nylon washer, or the 2mm spacer from the TRF parts.

Replace the bottom shock cap, and the modification is complete.  Simple, right?

Additionally, I chose to add some Tamiya TRF Damper Urethane Bushings (53577) inside my top bladders to improve the rebound of the shocks.

Once everything is back together, the shocks will work much better, and you will only have to spend a few dollars in the process.