Tamiya touring springs are easy to get wrong because the part numbers and colors only make sense once you know which damper they belong to. This chart lays out the springs by their actual rate, with Tamiya's official numbers where they exist, and shows which set fits your car.
The one rule: match the spring to your damper, not your chassis
Tamiya touring springs come in families sized to a specific damper. A 25 mm large-diameter spring will not work on a super-short damper, and a small-bore spring will not fit a 14 mm low-friction damper. Find your damper first:
| Damper | Spring set(s) | Free length | Rates published? |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRF Large-Diameter (14 mm low-friction) | 42278, 42293 (super-soft), 47317 | 25 mm | Yes — official N/mm |
| Super-Short Big-Bore (SSBB) (14 mm) | 42306 | 20.3 mm | Yes — official N/mm |
| Touring Short (CVA-short) | 42168, 54797 | 23 mm | Yes — official N/mm |
| Big-Bore AR (TA06 / TB-04 era) | 54507 (front), 54508 (rear) | std | No — color only |
| Legacy small-bore (Low-Friction / CVA / TRF Special) | OP.163, OP.440, OP.630-633, OP.635/636 | ~25 mm | No — not officially published |
Reading Tamiya's color marks
Modern TRF large-diameter and short springs are all black wire with a colored mark — the color is the hardness, not the wire. Softest to hardest the modern ladder runs Green → Red → Black → Gold → White (with Yellow and Blue used as medium/hard on some short sets). The older small-bore springs use a different ladder: Red → Yellow → Blue → White, soft to hard.
TRF Large-Diameter springs — set 42278 (+ 42293)
For the 14 mm TRF low-friction (large-diameter) damper, 25 mm. Official rates:
| Color | Hardness | Rate (N/mm) | Coils | Part |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Super-soft | 2.30 | 5.5 | 42293 (sold separately) |
| Red | Soft | 2.66 | 5 | 42278 |
| Black | Medium | 2.96 | 4.5 | 42278 |
| Yellow | Hard | 3.33 | 4 | 42278 |
(47317 is the same set with a cosmetic Mica-Blue plating — same rates.)
Super-Short Big-Bore (SSBB) springs — set 42306
For the super-short big-bore damper used on the TRF419X, TRF420/420X/421 and TA08, 20.3 mm. Official rates:
| Color | Hardness | Rate (N/mm) | Coils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Super-soft | 2.06 | 5 |
| Red | Soft | 2.29 | 4.5 |
| Black | Medium | 2.58 | 4 |
Touring Short springs — sets 42168 + 54797
For touring (CVA-short) dampers, 23 mm. Two sets combine into one continuous ladder; official rates, softest to hardest:
| Color | Rate (N/mm) | Coils | Part |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 1.67 | 5.5 | 54797 |
| Red | 1.94 | 5 | 42168 |
| Gold | 2.04 | 4.5 | 54797 |
| Yellow | 2.43 | 4 | 42168 |
| White | 2.63 | 3.5 | 54797 |
| Blue | 2.77 | 3.5 | 42168 |
Big-Bore AR springs — sets 54507 / 54508
For the TA06 / TB-04-era big-bore AR dampers. Tamiya does not publish rates here — go by color, and note front and rear use different marks: rear 54508 = Red (soft) / Yellow (medium) / Blue (hard); front (2WD) 54507 = White (soft) / no mark (medium) / Green (hard).
Legacy small-bore springs
Only relevant if you are running an old Low-Friction, CVA or TRF-Special small-bore damper. Sets include OP.163 (soft), OP.440 (hard), OP.630-633 (TRF-Special short) and the super/ultra-hard singles OP.635/636. Tamiya does not publish rates for these — go by the legacy color ladder (Red → Yellow → Blue → White, plus the harder singles above).
Which spring fits my car?
- TRF420 / 420X / 421 / 421X, TA08 PRO, TRF419X → Super-Short Big-Bore, set 42306
- TRF419 (original), TA07 / TA07 PRO → Large-Diameter, 42278 (+ 42293 super-soft). TA07 MS/MSX short variants use 42306.
- TB05 / TB-04 → large-diameter (42278/42306, depending on the damper fitted); AR-damper kits use 54507/54508.
- TC-01 → ships with big-bore dampers; uses the large-diameter family.
- TT-02 / TT-01E with upgraded CVA-short dampers → Touring Short, 42168 / 54797.
As a starting point: a softer spring gives more mechanical grip and body roll; a harder spring is more responsive with less roll. Most touring setups tune front-to-rear balance by a single step at one end.
