XRAY - Model racing cars

On the 09' shock boots there is a small hole on the top which is supposed to help the boot ''breath'' in order...not to fold in when compressed and diccompressed.

Well this causes a problem...by putting in dust and building it inside which makes things worse than without one.

has anyone tried blocking this hole with silicone and let the boot fold??

I run the holes towards the rear (ie facing backwards) and don't ever see any dirt inside the shock shaft area.

In one of the other shock threads on here I saw where one guy was having a leak problem. It was determined that the little hole was not open and I think he also tried other shock boots without the hole. The bottom line was the hole must be there otherwise the boot creates a vaccuum and literally sucks the oil out of the shock. Turning the hole inward makes good sense too; thanks for that tip Oli.

Im starting to see right now that these high end rigs require a lot more maintenance and care than the RTR junk most entry-level folks run. I wouldn't think the little hole would let in enough to worry about especially if the truck gets properly cleaned after race day....

I honestly don't think shock boots are necessary. I run the old bottm caps with the felt spacer, and prefer it over the boots. I haven't switched the bottom caps on my xt8 yet, but I took the boots off them too. I also switched to the older shock eyelets so the shock retainer doesn't pop off because of the loose fit.