The Traxxas Slash is a high-performance basher that can hit big jumps and handle rugged terrain with ease. Many drivers will look for a Traxxas Slash shock upgrade to help the truck perform even better when hitting big jumps. While the stock Ultra shocks are good enough for backyard bashing, they don’t hold up quite as well when hitting large jumps at the skate park or local race track. In this post, we look at the perfect Traxxas Slash shock upgrade to help you get the absolute best performance out of your truck. Lets dive in!
What Shocks Come On The Traxxas Slash?
Most Traxxas Slash models come equipped with the Traxxas Ultra Shocks. The trucks with Ultra Shocks are:
- Base model brushed 2WD
- Brushed 4×4 model
- VXL 3S brushless model
The Ultra Shocks are made of plastic and are oil-filled shocks. Based on my firsthand experience, the stock Ultra shocks are great for speed runs, driving in your neighborhood, and bashing around offroad.
But, if you are looking to take your Slash to the race track and hit jumps, you should think about upgrading the shocks to handle the hard landings.
After conducting experiments with the stock Ultra Shocks and aftermarket adjustable shocks, the upgraded shocks (like the GTRs) perform better, and the shock caps do not come apart from hard landings.
Please note that if you have the Traxxas Slash Ultimate model, they come with upgraded GTR shocks.
What Shocks Does Traxxas Make for the Slash?
Traxxas has three main shocks you can buy for the Slash 1/10 scale short-course truck.
- Stock Ultra shocks (part #3760 and part #3762)
- Big Bore shocks (part #5862)
- GTR shocks (part #7461 and #7462)
While the stock shocks are great for the average driver, the Big Bore and GTR shocks offer more control when driving fast on rough terrain and smoother take off and landings on race track jumps.
Here are my recommendation for the best Traxxas Slash shock upgrade:
Traxxas GTR Adjustable Shocks
Traxxas Big Bore Shocks
If you don’t want to shell out the money for the GTRs, the Big Bore shock kit is the next best upgrade for your Slash. The kit comes with all four shocks. The longer shocks go on the rear shock tower, and the shorter shocks go up front.
Based on my firsthand experience, The GTR shocks are a better buy for the money compared to the Big Bore Shocks. If you can afford the GTR shocks, that’s what I would go with.
Traxxas Stock Ultra Shocks
If you are looking to replace your stock shocks on the Slash because they are broken or worn out, here are the Traxxas stock shocks that came installed on your Slash:
What Is The Best Traxxas Slash Shock Upgrade?
The Traxxas GTR shocks are the best upgrade shock Traxxas has to offer. The GTR shock is an adjustable shock that allows for spring preload adjustments with the twist of the spring collar. After installing the GTRs on my Slash and using the product at my local track, The truck popped off the jumps without the nose dipping down.
Traxxas GTR Shock Sizes For the Slash 4×4
The Traxxas GTR shocks come in two sizes, long and xx-long. The specific part numbers matter because the front and rear shocks are different lengths.
The GTR Long is 84 mm (3.3 inches) long and the GTR XX-Long is 100.5 mm (3.9 inches) long.
The Traxxas GTR shocks do come in a variety of colors so you can customize your truck to your liking.
What GTR Shocks Do You Need For Your Slash?
Its important to make sure you order the right shocks for your Slash. I spoke with Traxxas support to confirm the model number and which shock goes on the front and the rear.
The two part numbers you need are:
The GTR long shocks are shorter than the GTR xx-long shocks and are installed on the front of the vehicle.
The xx-long shocks are longer than the long shocks and are installed on the rear of the Slash.
If you see a letter at the end of the GTR part number, it indicates the color of the shock body.
Traxxas Slash GTR Shocks Specifications
The Traxxas GTR Shocks body is made of hard anodized PTFE aluminum and have titanium-nitride shafts. They have 13 mm bores that allows the shock body to hold more oil (Traxxas says 70% more!) than the stock Ultra shocks that comes installed on most Slash models.
Do note that the Slash Ultimate already comes equipped with upgraded shocks.
So, if you bought a rear-wheel drive or 4X4 VXL model like I did, you should upgrade the shocks for improved performance.
Are the Traxxas GTR Shocks Adjustable?
Yes! the GTR shocks can be adjusted by turning the threaded spring collar. This will allow you to adjust the ride height and spring preload. Drivers will adjust the spring preload by tightening or loosing the spring.
Spring preload can affect how the truck launches off a jump. If the nose of the truck is dropping down when launching off the jump, you can adjust the spring preload to help launch the truck on a flatter trajectory.
If you tighten the springs down a bit, the suspension should stiffen up helping to keep your truck from bottoming out on the face of the jump. When the rear-end bottoms out on the jump face, usually the truck will pitch forward coming off the jump. If it pitches too much, you will land on the nose and crash the truck.
Having a properly tuned rear suspension can make a huge difference when it comes to jumping your truck on the track. This is a major advantage of the GTR shocks have over the stock shocks and the big bore shocks.
Do the Traxxas GTR Shocks need springs?
Yes, the Traxxas GTR long and xx-long shocks both DO NOT come with springs. You must purchase the springs separately.
The GTR Shock springs come in a variety of different spring rates. The spring rate is a measure of the spring’s “stiffness,” and the GTR shocks come in spring rates ranging from .623 to .892.
Depending on what type of shock oil you are running, you may need a stiffer or loose spring. From my experience, it’s important to pair the right type of shock oil with the spring you are running.
That being said, you can either change the spring or change the oil.
I like to change the spring because it is less of a mess compared to changing the spring.
It all depends on what type of surface you are driving on. So test out different shock oil and spring rates until you are happy with how your Slash is performing.
Best Traxxas GTR Shock Oil For Racing
Traxxas offers seven different weights of shock oil. The shock oil is made of 100% pure silicone for maximum performance and consistency.
Traxxas sells the following weights in their premium shock oil lineup:
For the Traxxas Slash with GTR Shocks, I suggest running a 60 or 70 weight if you are going to be racing on a track and hitting jumps. You may even need to go up to the 80 weight. Keep in mind that the spring rate also comes into play here, so don’t pair up the stiffest spring with the heaviest weight shock oil.
What Does Spring Rate Mean?
Spring rate is a measurement value of how many pounds of weight or force are required to compress or push the spring down one inch.
So, if you want to compress a 1 pound spring down by 1 inch, you would need 1 pound of force pushing down on the spring.
Check out this post comparing the Slash Ultimate with The VXL model.
Are There Other Brands That Make Shocks For The Slash?
If you don’t want to go with the Traxxas shocks, Proline makes an amazing set of shocks called the Power Strokes. I compared the Proline Power Stoke VS the Traxxas GTRs in another post. The Proline shocks are amazing shocks and will not disappoint. I own a set of Proline shocks, and based on my observations, they are just as good as the GTR shocks.
Traxxas Slash Shock Upgrade FAQs
What are the best Traxxas Slash shocks for racing and hitting big jumps?
What shocks come on the Traxxas Slash?
Can the Traxxas GTR shocks be adjusted?
Traxxas Slash Shock Upgrade Conclusion
The Traxxas Slash is an amazing vehicle out of the box. But, If you have started to race your truck at the track, you probably have found that the stock suspension isn’t made for big jumps. Luckily, the Traxxas GTR shocks are a great choice if you want to upgrade the shocks to help dial in your racing suspension. Remember that the Traxxas Slash uses the GTR Long shocks on the front wheels and the XX-Long on the rear wheels. Lastly, don’t forget to purchase a set of springs because the GTR shocks do not come with any. Thanks for reading, and happy racing!
