The Importance of Suspension Droop

What is Suspension Droop?

   When you pick up your RC model car, the suspension arms naturally drop, this is termed as Droop and should be equal from side to side, but can vary from front to rear.

   Setting the amount of droop, or suspension movement, can dramatically change the handling of your car by limiting the transfer of weight from one side of the car to the other.

Pros and Cons

   Basically, increasing the droop at the rear of the car can improve cornering grip at the front and increasing droop at the front of the car, improve cornering grip at the rear. The amount of effectiveness of this setting does in general depend on a number of other setting factors your car may have to suit your personal driving style. Also, adding any droop will increase body roll.

Off-Road Cars

   Off road models obviously have the need for more droop than On road cars, especially on bumpy tracks where a large amount of suspension movement is needed to simply keep the wheels on the track, or the car will become unstable and un-drivable. Lower droop settings for smoother, high grip tracks on the other hand can be advantageous, but don't overdo it.

On-Road Cars

   On road cars can achieve good results from small changes in droop, on tarmac and on carpet. In general they are also easier to adjust for droop than their off road cousins.

Droop Adjustment

   Limiting the amount of droop can be achieved in a number of ways, but by far the easiest is more often seen as a standard setting option for On road cars and is achieved by simply turning a screw, located on the suspension arms, that comes up against the chassis.

   For Off road models and those On road cars that do not have the above option, droop can be set by positioning a specific length of plastic tube over the damper shaft, just below the piston - this of course means stripping and rebuilding each damper with the new setting, which can be messy, especially in the middle of a field. Some of the top drivers used to get around this by simply having a number of different sets of shocks, with all the settings they might need, but for us mere mortals, this of course isn't a realistic option.

   If you are close to what you consider to be your optimum droop setting, you can fine tune this by simply screwing on or off the plastic ball connector at the end of the shock shaft. You could also have different length ball connectors that you could easily change.

   At present, the RC Model Manufacturers, Brands and Distributors covered by us are: ABC Hobby, Academy, Acme Racing, Agama Racing, Amewi, Ansmann Racing, ARRMA, Team Associated, Atomic RC, Axial, AYK, Bolink, BSD Racing, Capricorn, Carisma, Carson, Caster Racing, Cen, Corally, Custom Works, Durango, Duratrax, ECX - Electrix, Exceed RC, FG Modellsport, FS-Racing, FTX, Fujimi, Gmade, GS-Racing, Harm, HBX, Helion, Heng Long, Himoto Racing, Hirobo, Hitari, Hobao, Hong-Nor, Hot Bodies, HPI, HSP, Intech, Integy, Jamara, JQ Products, Kawada, Kyosho, Losi, LRP, Maisto, Mardave, Marui, Maverick, MCD Racing, Megatech, Mugen, New Bright, Nichimo, Nikko, Nkok, Ofna, Pro-Pulse, Protech, PTI, RC4WD, Redcat Racing, RJ-Speed, Robitronic, Schumacher, Seben, Serpent, Smartech, Sportwerks, Step-Up, Tamiya, Team-C Racing, Team Magic, Thunder Tiger, Tomy, Top Racing, Traxxas, Trinity, Tyco, Vaterra RC, Venom, VRX Racing, WLToys, X-Factory, Xmods, Xpress, Xray, XTM, Yankee RC, Yokomo, ZD Racing and Zipzaps.

   This is an ongoing project, with new and "lost in time" RC Models and Brands being added as they are found and although most of those listed above have been covered in relative detail, some are still being researched and will be completed in the near future.