Test Bench: Outerwears Shockwears Evolution Shock Covers

Test Bench: Outerwears Shockwears Evolution Shock Covers

I’ll have to admit that as much as I love RC cars I’m not a big fan of constant maintenance. I’m sure others can agree that wrenching on your ride to keep it in top running condition comes with the territory, but if you can save yourself some routine maintenance then that equals more time having fun on the track and less time back on the workbench. A common wear component of RC cars is shocks, and when dealing with 1/5 vehicles the bigger the shocks, the more time and money are involved in repairs. So this is where Outerwears steps in with their Shockwares Evolution shock covers.

These shock covers are designed to keep dirt and debris out of your shocks and their moving components. When dirt builds up on your shocks it can slowly wear away your shock’s shafts and seals and lead to premature failure. By eliminating this from happening you can increase the time between shock rebuilds plus keep your costs down by getting more life out of the shocks themselves.

It only takes minutes to install these shock covers and for this test I used a HPI Baja 5B. First I removed the shocks from the Baja, dumped all the old fluid, then I rebuilt them with some fresh fluid and seals. I cleaned up the rest of the components, decided which springs I would install, and then I slipped the shock covers over the entire shock body with the springs and cups installed. The Evolution shock covers had plenty of room to clear the large shocks with the springs still attached, and when I mounted the shocks back onto the Baja I made sure that I didn’t “snag” the bottom of the shock covers with the screw so that they could move freely with the shocks.

HPI does provide you shock “boots” that cover up where the shock shaft is exposed and I elected to keep those installed as extra insurance. But they only cover the exposed shock shaft and now with the Evolution shock covers installed I had plenty of protection. The only negative I found is that if you do need to change your spring rate you are better off removing the entire shock versus trying to slip off just the spring now, but that is a small price to pay for increased performance and more run time on the track.

RC Car Action - RC Cars & Trucks | Test Bench: Outerwears Shockwears Evolution Shock Covers

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Updated: July 20, 2015 — 3:52 PM
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