Keeping grit and mud off of your shock shafts is paramount to making the shock last; scratches in the shock shaft coating, or, worse yet, the shock shaft itself, can and will lead to a multitude of problems such as leaky seals and increased stiction in the short term and eventually corrosion can set in on the bare steel of the shaft damaging the shaft and seals beyond a usable state. RPM has introduced a new set of bolt-on molded shock shaft guard that reduce the amount of debris that can come in contact with the shafts, extending their life and also protecting them from direct impacts. Each guard is secured to the lower spring cup via two screws and covers 100 degrees of the shock shaft allowing dirt and debris to escape. In addition to being a mounting point for the guards the new spring cups are captured to the shaft preventing their ejection in the case of a hard impact. The guards cover the entire shock shaft up to the bottom of the shock body and are a “zero friction protection device” and do not touch any moving part of the shock. A tech note from RPM:
“RPM Shock Shaft Guards fit all Traxxas GTR shocks, but only work with 4×4 versions of the following vehicles: Slash, Rustler, Stampede and Hoss. Please note, due to space constraints, some inner shock mount positions (a-arms and shock towers) may not be compatible with our Shock Shaft Guards. RPM Shock Shaft Guards are not compatible with the UDR or Revo.”
Link: https://rpmrcproducts.com/shop/shock-accessories/shock-shaft-guards-for-traxxas-gtr-shocks/