Review – GPM Shocks for RC18T

Mar 242008

Nice upgrade for the Team Associated RC18T
Words and photos: Sylvain Lafrance

Introduction

I’ve raced my Team Associated RC18T several times and bashed it few times since I bought it. The front shocks began to leak and I didn’t want to rebuild them, not because they didn’t do their job well, but simply because I wanted to add a little bling bling to my truck. After having searched on the web, I ended to www.thetoyz.com and bought GPM front (#AR347F) and rear (#AR357R) shocks for my RC18T.

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Installation

Before installation, I inspected my new shocks. They are all aluminum, have internal bladders and the shock bodies are threaded. They are fully filled with an unknown fluid grade. When fully compressed, the shocks extend 1/4″ which is perfect. All mounting hardware and extra springs are included with the kits. To install the shocks, you must remove the shock tower and the a-arm ball studs. A new ball stud is included for the a-arm and an aluminum spacer and a screw are included to attach the shock to the shock tower. Installation time is 10 minutes for the 4 shocks. Once installed, adjust the ride height by turning the shock collar.

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Testing

To test my new shocks, I had to setup few jumps in my house because there is a lot of snow here and no indoor track is available. With the new GPM shocks, my RC18T jumps like before with no sign of bottoming out. I was lucky enough to find a clean (with no snow!) parking lot where I can run my RC18T at full speed. There was a rough section in the parking lot and my RC18T handles this section with ease even at full speed. The handling still the same as before and the suspension is as smooth as before too. With the cold temperature, the oil became a little bit thicker and handling changed.

Conclusion

The GPM shocks are well made and add a nice aluminum touch to my RC18T. They didn’t make my truck handles better but they are easy to adjust and look nice. They are a good hop-up if your stock shocks are leaking and you wish to upgrade them.

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Airtronics