Three Upgrades: Shocks, Pinion & Front Locker

After running the TT-02 at the 1/8 buggy track, the bouncy stock friction shocks were the first thing I wanted to change.

Need Help?
If you have a question about this post or anything else on the site, leave a comment on any of my YouTube videos. I’m much more likely to see it there and get back to you. RCGuided-YouTube

This site contains affiliate links. When you click these links, you help the site grow. The site may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and as an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase.

Losi JRX-S oil shock used as an upgrade for the Tamiya TT-02

Losi JRX-S oil shocks

I remembered I had a set of Losi JRX-S oil shocks from an old on-road car. They were about the same size as the TT-02 shocks, and I already had softer springs for them, so I decided to see if they would work.

A few things stood out:

Fitment: The shocks fit well, but I needed longer bolts through the shock tower and some of the original JRX-S hardware. I also used the softer springs.
Shock oil: I didn’t open the old shocks because they already felt good. Since they’re older, I wasn’t sure I’d easily find replacement parts if I had trouble getting them sealed again.
Testing: The soft dirt made it difficult to judge the upgrade properly, but the shocks appeared to control the suspension better than the stock friction shocks.

Steel Pinion

The second upgrade was replacing the aluminum pinion gear. After only a few runs, the 22T aluminum pinion was already getting beat up again.

Steel pinion: I replaced the worn aluminum gear with a cheap hardened-steel Mod 0.6 pinion.
22T: I stayed with 22T because that’s what I was already running. However, 20T may be a better choice with the stock plastic bushings and no motor heat sink, especially since my motor was running a bit hot.
Running temperature: The steel pinion ran smoother and a little cooler in my testing. It also held its shape much better than the softer aluminum gear.

For me, the steel pinion was an easy choice after seeing how quickly the aluminum gears wore.

Front Locker

Finally, I tried a front locker to see if locking the front differential would help the TT-02 pull harder out of corners in soft dirt.

It did.

A few things stood out:

Corner exit: The car accelerated better coming out of corners.
Traction: Locking the front differential gave the front tires more drive in the soft dirt.
The catch: There was a downside, and it turned out to be something I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep.

Read below before you decide to lock the front.

What I Learned:

Oil shocks: Should help tame the TT-02’s bouncy stock suspension.
Steel pinion: A much better choice than the soft aluminum one.
Front locker: Gave the car more drive out of corners, but there was a downside.

What I Used: