Team Losi XXXNT forum v2.0

[losifreak2004]

It's not garbage at all. The smoke is just unused vapor escaping. Nothing to worry about.

Start back at square one. Return all needles back to their factory positions, and work from there. Lean out the bottom until you can get it to run, then tune the top end, running up and down your street if you have to, for no more than 5-7 seconds wide open at a time. Once you have the top where you want it, then go for some crisp throttle response down low. As long as you keep the temp in check you'll be fine!

It's a toy car! Don't let it get you frustrated!

Aaron

[StadiumJ]

I would love nothing more at this point then to drive my truck up and down the street. But I can't because when I give it gas it dies. At the factory settings it is VERY sluggish if I gently squeeze the gas. If I give it any real gas, it dies. When I lean it out, dies immediately, even if I just gently squeeze the throttle. What do think might be wrong?

I need more specific advise then "lean the low end until it runs, then tune the high end". I am frustrated because I have had nothing but problems for 6 weeks. It is to the point that I have very little patience with this machine and tend to give up easily. It's not that I don't want to get it broken-in, it's that I don't know what to do. I've followed the advice of many people, but everyone's personal system seems to break down at some point. I need to UNDERSTAND why this is happening. I need something like this:

If the engine dies when you give it gas it's BECAUSE of this or that. To check for this do this. To check for that do this. If it still doesn't work, you might want to do this. Since you're so lean on the high end, you CAN'T be too rich, it MUST be this.

Something like this would be great, thanks. I've read the "Super Engine Tuning" article written by Steve Pond about 150 times. It doesn't get specific enough. It doesn't give me enough INFORMATION to let me diagnose the problem myself.

[StadiumJ]

I'm burning daylight. Anybody home? :(

[jesse370]

Well I don't know what to tell you that hasn't allready been said. I think you also need to lean out the low end needle. If you give it gas and it bogs down you are running to fat. I don't know that carb so I can't tell you to make a whole turn or a .25 turn. But I would bet if you start leaning out the low speed the engine will start to run. And if you are spitting alot of gas out of the pipe that would be another indicator in my mind that you are to rich in the low needle. The best tuning instructions I have used were from the paris racing website..

[StadiumJ]

That does have alot of information. Frankly, I'm surprised the RTR kit didn't have any Picco instructions. I'll read it over tonight and try to apply any new knowledge tomorrow. I know it's not broken, it's just user error. Hopefully I'll learn enough to break this damn thing in!

[cabbynate]

StadiumJ

Whan you lean out your motor turn it one hour at a time. what I mean by one hour is when you look at a clock, 12:00 is where the stock setting is. One hour is one O'clock and so on.....
Little by little you will get where you need to be. Let it idle some and give it a little gas, get it warm and try more gas. If it stalls, lean it one hour on the bottom and try it again. Make sure it is warm. Leave the top at stock setting and work the bottom. It should run after a few turns(hours). After you get it to run, then you can work the top the same way to get the throttle response crisp. You cant tun if the motor is not warm though. :)

[winning edge designs]

Cabby,First off,if the engine runs fine for 15-20 seconds then "boggs out when you give it gas ",its too lean. A VERY good symptom of a lean setting is the fact that it gets worse as the engine heats up. A cold engine will run better with a lean setting due to poor fuel atomization,once the engine heats up it will be vaporizing the fuel on it's way to the combustion chamber and show the lean problem more.....Unfotunatly,none of us or any Picco techs for that matter,can diagnose your problem "exactly" without seeing it first hand. But,I would start at 3 turns out on the high end and 2 turns on the low end if it doesn't give any settings in your manuals. Even if it only gets a little better but still acts up you'll know you need to go even richer,all you need to see is an improvement to know your headed in the right direction......I believe in my last tuning post I guessed you were too lean and the setttings you said your at now are even leaner?

If it seems to idle fine and gives you trouble when you "gas it",then your trouble is mostly on the high end adjustment. If it goes good at speed,but dies when you let it idle,or idles erratically,then your problem is the low needle or idle speed,etc.........3 screws,not as complicated as it seems right now while your frustrated.

Put the truck on a stand or block,start the engine,after changing your carb setting as desribed above. then while it's still cool,give it some throttle and see how it runs. It should blubber a bit and rev to a steady medium speed if it's set rich enough. If it revs and dies,go richer,if it bogs and dies,you may need to go in a 1/4 turn and try again.....A fuel engine will tell you what it wants by the sounds. Any time you get a very good response,with a sharp Reeeeeeeeev,blah,and it dies,it's too lean. since 2 strokes like lean setting it will sound crispy right up until it dies from fuel starvation(the only reason for rich settings is to keep them running consistantly and living a while)......If the engine is too rich it will tell you,by acting like a spoiled child who your trying to get to eat spinach. It will spudder,burp and **** and try not to rev,but if it's close some blipping of the throttle will get it to rev anyhow,if it's just way too rich it will blubber and die..........Stay calm and listen to your engine,it will tell you what it wants,once your frustrated your just cranking screws and getting P'O'ed with no direction! ( this is the reason there is no warranty on these monsters!)..........:)...........Jim

[winning edge designs]

Sorry Cabby,I meant that post for stadiumJ,not you,heh!.....Jim

[OmegaTrac]

Hey.
I just got back from a day of racing. I got the TQ in the first race and second in the second race. Then when it came around to mains my truck would not respond to any radio signals. It would respond for a few seconds and then die out. So im think its the connector between the battery pack and the receiver. Its one of those little red connectors. So, I was wondering what I should do to prevent this annoying problem. BTW, im running the Limited Edition ready to race.

[PJCruz]

For what it's worth, let me offer my 2 cents to StadiumJ on his tuning problem.

I am by no means an expert, but based on his description of the problem.. here is what I would do.

Return the carb to "factory settings." I would then start the engine and let it idle for a tiny while. If you have trouble starting it use the idle up or S-POS feature on your radio (or even use the throttle trim) to raise the idle a little bit to keep the idle going.

Once you have the idle going, you can start on the needles. You don't have to have the truck idling for ever. It should be really rich and should die or come close every say 10-20 seconds unless you GENTLY blip the throttle. NO FULL THROTTLE, just enough to clear the carb. If it stalls when you blip it, up the throttle trim another notch or two.

Ok, now you need to set the high end needle. For this you need to "blip" the throttle and then SLOWLY give the truck some throttle.. eventually working up to FULL throttle. This will take a while.. and it would help to have a ton of room too =) ANyways, listen to the motor at "full throttle" and you can hear the engine holding back and it will be slow. That's your key. Now bring er in, and lean out the needle about 1 hour (like someone mentioned above). Drive around for a minute or so.. then repeat the high speed test again. Repeat this process until full throttle has still plenty of smoke, AND the engine sounds "clear." It should rev pretty good, run pretty fast, and STILL give off smoke. Check the temp with a temp gun.. and you should be at a reasonable temp (*say 200 or so).

Once you have the high end needle set, now go to the low end needle. This one is easy and there are MANY ways to set it. Basically.. the easiest is this. performance. Bring the engine in, let it idle for about 10-20 seconds.. then give it full throttle. It SHOULD STALL. Due to a rich low end. Ok, lean out the low end say 2 hours or so, repeat the test until the truck LAUNCHES when you want it too. Now, once you get close to the ideal low end, your IDLE speed will begin speeding up on you. Use the radio to trim it back for now.. you can adjust the idle speed screw and linkage later once the needles are set.

Now, run it around for a few minutes and take the temp. On a picco you should be running about 200-240. Adam Drake has this running at major races about 200-215 so you should be close to that.

Good luck dude.
Pete

[Nutter]

Omega: Firstly.. are the reciever & transmitter batteries full, as in you've tried replacing them with new ones? Sometimes the reciever batteries will come lose in the holder, and taking them out & putting them back in works.. another good reason to use a reciever pack. :) If that still doesn't work, you could try connecting the reciever battery pack directly to the reciever, avoiding the switch, that way you'll know if the switch is the problem.


-Nutter

[losifreak2004]

PJ - There's a reason he's at 200-215, and it's not what you think....

Jim - *bows down to the tuning god* LOL I hate tuning on the net!

If there is a part of the wire that you soldered together, that'd be a place to check. If you push here on this wire and it works, but if you take pressure off of it, then it's the joint (don't do this unless you have each wire heat shrunk seperately, you don't want two bare wires touching each other!)

You can try without the switch just to test, but I'm not really a fan of plugging/unplugging your receiver pack to turn the car on/off. If you have a different set of crystals/spare receiver/receiver pack try those one at a time. If only steering or throttle is compromised, try swapping out a servo.

If none of those fix it, it is very possible it is the connection between the battery and the transmitter. Your LHS will probably let you try a new transmitter on a slow day to see if that helps.

Keep us posted!

[cabbynate]

Losifreak2004
The Silver State track is comming along good. Not any real big jumps yet. A lot of open flat track. It looks fast. So fare. (Subject to change with out warning). :)

[lositeamdriver]

nate so you are saying there is no big jumps what about that one ..hint hint...by the wall? its big for 1\10 scale but it will be more of a fast track and high speeds!!

[losifreak2004]

I heard we're going to be spending a lot of time in the air.....

And whatever time was left on the ground would be moving very quickly....

Aaron

[lositeamdriver]

well thats true there are some jumps where are big air there is like 5 or 6 jumps where you get air but the strights are big so there will be alot of speed in the track

[OmegaTrac]

Hey,
The battery pack has been replaced three timees before. THe first time it burnt up, the second time it was just time to replace and this is now the third time we've had trouble. Its not the receiver because it works fine. It has to be the connector. Are there any other types of plugs that can be used instead of the little red connectors?


Also, my truck is totally stock and I have 25 bucks. What is a good hopup I can get for this ammount.

[cabbynate]

OmegaTrac

Change over to Deans ultra plugs.

Lositeamdriver

Yea, The jump by the wall is pretty big but makeable. It's a cool layout.

[OmegaTrac]

where can I get deans ulta plugs?

[INFERN06]

Hey what are your thoughts on the Trinity CRE rear hub conversion?I just put it on after busting a stock one for the second time and have not had time to try it out.I don't much like how it does not come with an inner spacer between the bearings inside the hub,but I do like how it makes the rear end a bit wider.
Your thoughts?

[losifreak2004]

Omega - Check your LHS or any online store....Unless the red ones you are referring to are the ones that plug into your reciever. Those have to be stock. Try changing the plug, the connection there might be bad.

Inferno - It works OK on electric cars, I don't think I'd run it on a gas truck.

Anyone got pictures of the layout?

Aaron

[StadiumJ]

Today I started over at 3 turns on top and 2 turns on the low. I made the adjustment with the servo off and the throttle open. I think this may have been my problem with my previous attempts: adjusting the low end while the throttle was closed. My low end was nowhere near where I thought it was (It was much richer). I would stop screwing because I didn't want to strip it out. So, the end result was that I was way to rich on the low end and way too lean on the high end. With that out of the way, on to today's dilemma. :)

The car is now at 3.25 out on top and a little under 2 on the bottom. Here is how it acts. When it idles it tends to race. It constantly gains temperature. When I first drive it bogs. When I open it up it strains to go and doesn't get near full RPM. After a couple minutes it is responding very well. It actually sounds like I think it should. But when I check the temp after a pass, it goes from 220 to 240 sitting still. I think this means that my low end is too lean. I will try to richen it and see what happens. If anyone reads this soon, am I on the right track? I'm so close I can smell it!

[OmegaTrac]

losifreak.
What are you referring to? The power cord the goes from the receiver to the battery pack and it has a plug in between the two? I was only going to replace the connector between the battery pack and the reciever.

[losifreak2004]

I'm referring to the Z connector that plugs into the reciever. However, it sounds like you guys are talking about a plug inbetween the receiver and battery back; in that case, another Z connector set or Deans Ultra plugs would be the best bet.

[losifreak2004]

StadiumJ - Now we're getting somewhere! It sounds like the bottom is a little too lean and the top end might be an hour or two too fat.

Keep up the progress!

Aaron

[winning edge designs]

Stadium,as aaron my RCZone teammate said,it sounds like your getting close,but a little rich up top and a little lean on the low end. As a reminder,if you'll be running at WOT(WFO for some,:)...) for long,try and leave the top end set slightly rich,so the engine doesn't rev like crazy during high speed runs and grenade itself........Wouldn't it stink to have to do this all over again?


Good point on the Picco carb adjustments,all the low end settings require a slightly open carb position(off idle screw,,manually).....Also a small peice of fuel tubing or a spring from an O.S. carb on the idle speed screw wouldn't hurt either.......ttyl,Jim

[winning edge designs]

side note,after the Snowbirds and the winterchamps,i'm all electric'd out.....Time for some GAS,missin' that whaaa,whaa,waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa sound!.......Racing our state series race in Bartow florida next weekend,Gas truck and 1/8th scale!.....Cya,Jim

[StadiumJ]

Ok, so I'm glad you guys agree. But when I richen the low end by one hour, it will not start. It just turns over and floods. It seems to me that my engine is very erratic. It's either way too rich (boggs down, barely moves, dies quickly), or screaming idle (not moving, but steadily climbing in temp until it hits 270 or 280, then I panic and shut it off. If I richen the low end it won't start. If I lower the idle, it won't start. If I richen the top end, it's bogg time again.

Examine this scenario, if you will. The engine is idling, sounds good, but the temp is at 245 and climbing. If you then richened the high end 2, 3, or even 4 full turns, shouldn't it die from getting too much gas? Mine doesn't. I turned and turned, but the temp got all the way to 288 before I shut it off. Is it possible that the "gritty" bearings that I felt during rebuilding but the LHS guys dismissed is actually a problem. Would this explain why if I do get it going good it's running too hot, because of unnatural friction within the engine? Like I said, there doesn't seem to be a happy medium. It's either way too hot or way too cold. I feel like I'm going in circles.

[OmegaTrac]

Thanks for the help. I will get a set of deans ultra plugs.


Now onto my other dilema (sp?). I have 25 bucks right now so what is the best hopup i can get for this ammount? I am running the Picco as well.

[winning edge designs]

Stadium,the high end needle only has a small effect on the low end. Oddly enough,it usually only has ANY effect when you go leaner up top,it will sometimes cause the low end to go slightly leaner. But,either way the change isn't very significant,since the high end needle is larger,or less of a restriction to fuel flow. Since it already flows, say for example,6 or 8 times as much fuel as the low end it won't have too large an effect on the orifice that is much smaller and below it's potential flue flow already.........Here's a better example,drill a 1/4 inch hole in a bucket,then begin to fill it with water from the garden hose at home. Since the garden hose is an inch in diameter(lets say) it won't have much if any effect on how fast the bucket drains,if you go to a 3/4 inch hose,or a 1 and 1/4 inch hose,right?...Primitive method,but it worked for me in Automotive classes 20 years ago,LOL!

Omega track,i'd go with titanium Losi ballstuds on the inner camber links,or turnbuckles if you haven't gotten any yet..............Jim

[losifreak2004]

StadiumJ - *bows down at your patience level* Is it safe to assume you've been keeping your glow plugs in check? When in doubt, a new one can't hurt. And try using a hotter plug, which normally seems to work better in .12 engines. A McCoy MC59 should do just fine.

Jim - RCzone teammate......niiiiiice LOL. And if I'd told you once, I've told you a million times....Batteries are for flashlights!


The Silver State track! http://kazz.homestead.com/files/Web_art/track.jpg



Aaron

[winning edge designs]

Hey,where'd they get all that H2O?............looks like they wet it down pretty good,hopefully there won't be a sandstorm this year,LOL!........Jim

[OmegaTrac]

nice track. Where is it located?

[losifreak2004]

Las Vegas NV, site of next weekend's 2002 Silver State Nitro Challenge.

It must have rained....LOL

Weather forecast= Highs in the 60's, lows in the 30s, clear skies, and WIND

[lositeamdriver]

well all i got to say is it didnt rain but we have a water tanks and a fire hose so we water it down good and the track is sweet but there is some little ..rocky mountins you cant see and a little single ...

[cabbynate]

Bubba, I was just goinna to say that.

[StadiumJ]

Right now, the engine runs sluggishly. It doesn't respond very crisply and will bog down at WOT. This seems to be a rich condition, but my engine is at 230! If I lean it out any, it starts idling wildly and starts hitting temps in the 280's. If I either reduce the idle OR richen the low end, it will not start. It will turn over, flood, but NOT start.

I would like to clarify a few things if I may.

When the engine is idling, if I don't give it any gas, is it supposed to die after 20 to 30 seconds? Mine will seemingly idle forever. This sounds like a lean engine to you? If I richen the low end anything past 2 turns out then it will not start. It turns over, again & again and will flood, but not start.

Should the wheels move when idling and under no load? When idling on the starter box the wheels spin, but the car doesn't move if I put it on the ground. I was told by the LHS guys that a good idle is if the tires "want" to move while the truck is on the ground, but they won't.

Let me take the time to say thank you to all of you. I know my constant problems are annoying (to me as well, believe me). I will continue to go in circles until either I tune it by accident or the thing blows up. I have just spent an entire weekend trying to tune this thing and cannot do it. It will not be tuned. My engine refuses to act like all the articles and advice I've read say it should act. There is something besides the obvious going on here. I am so frustrated. I've managed to burn three tanks in an entire weekend and am no farther then when I started. I am getting tired of this ####.

Let's say I start over, again. Step one. Set the high end to 3 turns out. Set the low end to 2 turns out. I have no idea where to set the idle. It will not start. It turns over but won't start. What should I do next?

[StadiumJ]

Yeah I put in a new glow plug today thinking (hoping, praying) that would be the magical fix. I've been using MC 59's. The glow plug had no effect. Same thing, over and over. Bogg or blow. No in between.

[Racin Rev]

Stadium J what radio are you running? Does it have an idle step up for starting?
When you are having the temp going up on you are you sitting on the stand or are you running on the ground?

[StadiumJ]

JR XR3. It has a button to raise/lower the throttle. When it's going heat crazy it is idling on the ground. If I lower the throttle while it's running, it seems to have no effect. If I kill the engine and lower the throttle, it won't start back up again. If I do anything to the damn low end it won't start. It seems to want to be at 2 turns out. Any more or less and it won't start.

[StadiumJ]

Since the high and low end settings seem to be agreed upon, I'm thinking my problem is with the idle screw. It would help me to judge the idling speed if you guys can answer these:

1. Should the engine die after 20 to 30 seconds while idling if no throttle is given?

2. Should the wheels spin while idling with no load (off the ground)?

3. How difficult should it be to start the engine? Should it turn over for 20 to 40 seconds before starting or should it fire as soon as you touch the wheel? These are the two conditions I have experienced. There is another condition in which it turns over, does not start, and hydrocks very easily.

4. Does anyone with a Picco .12 engine/OS carb combo know how many turns out their idle screw is?

5. If the engine turns over but doesn't start at 3-high and 2-low, should I raise the idle until it starts or lean the low end until it starts?

Thanks guys.

[losifreak2004]

Turn the idle up and get the thing to stay running. I don't care if the thing is half throttle, you can't have an engine that idles at 280 LOL. Get the botton end richened up once the idle is a little higher, then start turning down the idle until the car doesn't move, or barely lurches forward. At this point in time it sounds like you'd be OK with a compromise LOL, so do whatever you can.

Yes, it should load up and die after idling for much longer than 30 seconds. If it doesn't, the bottom end is too lean.

If the thing cranks over and over and over without starting, hold the throttle wide open, or it will load up and not start.

Your problems are not causing agony, although some headaches from thinking what the heck is wrong here.....:p Actually, right now I am laughing at some of it, which is kind of a nice break. We WILL get this thing running right, or die trying. (And that's a lot of years of trying, I'm only 15, so I have 85 left LOL).

A too lean engine will bog down at WOT (or WFO :D) if it is too lean because it won't be getting enough fuel. It won't be a bubbling bog, but it will sound literally like it is starving.

Hopefully this helps. Again, that's why we're here, to keep you guys having fun!

Aaron

[lositeamdriver]

ok StadiumJ

not to be rude or anything i think you schould send it to igozoom that offered to tune it for you and send it back to you or go and buy a o.s. motor a cvr or the cv they are both good motors i had a picco and it gave me hell for a long time till i sold it and got my o.s. picco are for people who have been racing for a while and know what they are doing no offense but its up to you ..

[iondsky]

This is on the main page, too. I made a mistake in posting.

Hey y'all
This is my first post to this forum, but I have read a lot of the posts, and I must say that this is a valuable resource.

Ok, to my question:
I bought the Limited Edition XXXNT RTR, and I found that with the stock setup I was nosing-over rather dramatically on the jumps. I have to really stay in the throttle to keep a level attitude.

So, from posts I saw here, I changed to Drake's setup, but that seemed to exacerbate the problem. So now I am running red springs front and rear, 56 pistons front and rear, and 30wt losi oil in front with 40wt losi oil in rear.

Now my problem is (lol) that my rear end wants to kick out on me on jumps. It seems to fly much more level with minimal throttle input in the air, but the kicking out or dropping of one corner (not sure which is truly is) is a killer on landings, hehe It gets so bad that if I rev it in the air, the truck will literally turn up sideways. I have to hit the jump dead on with absolutely no steering input to get a decent jump. From appearance, it seems to be one of the rear wheels that is dipping.

Maybe I need tips on jumping, hehe. If that's the case, feel free to enlighten me

I changed from stock turnbuckles to titanium during this time, and I believe I have the camber set equally on both sides, but I have no way to measure other than eyeball. Could a difference in rear camber cause this problem? Or difference in preload? I'm not experienced enough to know how close each side has to be to the other to keep things from acting up.

Any help here would be appreciated, even just general tips on how springs, oil, pistons, etc. affect jump handling.

I'm sure this post is not complete and leaves you experts with questions, so please respond and I'll answer all that I can to help us work out this issue.

Thanks a lot, y'all!

[purplerides]

ionsky - there are a couple things to look at real quick , make sure preload on the springs is the same , make sure that the bottom of the shocks are mounted in the same hole on arm ie.inside,middle etc., make sure that when fully extended that the shocks are the same length if there a little off you can sdjust each by unscrewing or screwing the shock end more so both left and right are equal. make sure that when shocks and tires are removed from truck that the A-arms move freely through there travel and are not binding , to help eyeball camber use a can or book or anything that sits square to a flat surface , put it against the tire and view the gap between that object and the tire and do the same on the other side and adjust so both gaps are equal , pick up drop the truck about 6-8 inches then check , if you make and adjustment drop truck again then check etc.


stadium - ok for the O.S. carb. your low end needle is usually flush with the housing and when you look down the carb. throat there's barely a gap between the low end needle and the spraybar the gap is maybe as thick as a thin piece of paper or less (unlike the picco carb. that has a larger gap.), put the high end needle at 2 turns , after tuning you'll probably end around 1 3/4 - 1 7/8 turns out on the high end. set the idle screw so that when the throttle is fully closed the barrell is opened around a match thickness maybe a little more /less , go more then adjust down as required , the wheels will usually turn some when off the ground the main thing is it shouldn't go anywhere when on the ground.

oh yea a put a mccoy mc59 glow plug in it , so know that's not going to be a factor if you have problems , i've tried others and the picco motor doesn't like some of them but i know it likes the mc-59.

[INFERN06]

Staduim I hope you are not making adjustments in full turns on the bottom end.It only takes minor increments to get to the right settings.Just like the clock setting it by hour is fine but may not be close enough.If you try setting it for every 5 min- 10 min then you will be way better off than before.With a slide carb things are much simpler to adjust as you usually start the top end at 3.5 turns out and 3 on the bottom.Tune the top first to get it to the ball park area of where it should run then bring it in and make small adjustments to the bottom blipping the throttle every now and then to check the response.While doing this check the tempYou may find the right tune at 2.8 turns out.

[purplerides]

yea and as inferno said the low end needle especially very fine adjustments not 1/4 turns or 1/2 turns , as some posted above like an hour or even sometimes a 1/2 hour when you get it close , which equals 1/12th of a turn.

[rc10tc3drivr]

how do you guys set ur brake because on mine i either have no brake or so much brake that the brake is always on i cant find the happy meduim

[StadiumJ]

Yes, all the adjustments I make are an hour or less.

Purple, regarding the idle, do you mean a match stick like this: ] or like this: ---

My truck will idle forever with no throttle input. This means that the low end is too lean, right? But my low end is 2 turns out and about flush. AND the throttle response is delayed. Shouldn't the throttle response be "snappy" when the low end is lean? I have tried to richen the low end before, but it wouldn't start afterwards. I will try Inferno's method of opening the throttle while turning it over when it won't start again.

Let me ask this. Could it be possible that all of my problems revolve around a too lean low end? Could a truck with a ballpark high end and a too lean low end exhibit the following symptoms?

Idles forever.

Idles erratically (gaining and losing rpm).

Sluggish throttle: Response to throttle input is slow at all throttle levels.

Hot idle: Temp goes up while idling.

Engine rpms go up until throttle is fully opened, then engine dies or nearly dies.

When you pinch the fuel line, the rpms go way up and the engine dies in about 5 seconds.

Let me guess, some of the symptoms suggest too lean, and some of the symptoms suggest too rich, right? Lucky my, I get all of them. Thanks

[StadiumJ]

rc10tc3drivr, my radio (JR XR3) has an adjusment for that. I can set the amount of space that I want the servo to travel in either direction. I believe it's referred to as End Point Adjustment.

[rc10tc3drivr]

i have the xr2 so it prob has same thing

[rc10tc3drivr]

i have a slide carb motor and is the screw thats on the end os the slide or what ever you call it is that the low end

[purplerides]

stadium - the barrel should be about 98% closed at idle , if at idle the rpm's just keep climbing your either lean on settings or you have a air leak. on this page there's a picture of about how far it should be open actually it looks a little to far open to me http://www.rccaraction.com/articles/ht_fixflameout.asp

[StadiumJ]

Thanks, Purple. I'll try to set the idle first tonight and see what happens. One question, if you will. Let's say that I have the idle set to 98% closed, the high end at 3 out and the low end at 2 out, but the engine just turns over instead of starting. What's the first thing I should do? My first thought is to lean the low end until it will start. What do you think? Thanks.


rc10tc3drivr, follow Purplerides' link from above. About 2/3 of the way down the first page is a picture of a carb. The screw on the left is the high end needle, the one in the middle (with the red arrow pointing to it) is the idle screw, and the one on the right is the low end.

[losifreak2004]

If you are cranking the thing over and over and over and it won't start, hold the throttle WOT, and it should fire. Once it is started, turn up the idle high enough so you can richen the bottom without it dying. The low-end screw should have "clicks", and you should go one at a time....then you'll be OK.

Idle settings vary from people's preferences. I like mine a little high so I can pit without blipping the throttle. As long as your car stays still or even lurches forward you're OK.


purple - Good stuff!


Aaron

[purplerides]

forget 2 turns out on the low end i want you to look in the carb. with the barrel wide open and adjust the low end needle so the distance between the end of the needle and the end of the spray bar is about the thickness of a 2 sheets of paper , cut a thin strip of paper (thin enough to fit down there) cut a strip long enough so you can fold it in half ( put the 2 ends together) and still reach it down in there , and adjust the low end needle so that when you have the paper in there , the paper still slides in and out but touching both the needle and spray bar , it should slide but you should be able to feel resistance of the paper. and set the high end needle at 2 turns out.

[drdirt]

Hi guys; You are all so busy trying to help stadium j, I' m hesitant to ask a silly question. Does any one know where I can get a blow up of a picco carb. I don't know what the model no (if any), but it's the one that comes with the xxxnt special edition. I got it broke in without too much trouble, but now after about halve a tank of fuel running it pretty hard I have fuel being sprayed back onto the diff. I would rather pull the carb apart myself, but the diagram would help a lot. I have a lot to learn with this STUPID HOBBY......LOL Thanks as always, Jim

[PJCruz]

Well, if you all recall I had a flywheel that was locking up and not turning. Most of you seemed to think it was strictly a starter box issue. Also, I did manage to accidently dump spooge from the pipe when I was tilting the truck on it's side... a ton seemed to come out.

I did some "minor surgery" on the box by solder the connections to the battery and power panel. I also soldered up a glow warmer for the box. I charged it over the weekend and this afternoon I got the picco started again. It took a bit since I removed the alignment posts but once I found the spot.. she cranked a few seconds and roared to life.

Anyways, I got her started and ran about 1/4 tank........ and put er away. Did the piston BDC and after run.... the weather looks to be great for Thursday (my day off). Who's gonna rock =)

Pete

PS Hang in there StadiumJ

[losifreak2004]

No such thing as a silly question, only silly people :p

And it's not a stupid hobby! Just leads to frustration when a 13" long piece of metal and plastic makes you feel dumb LOL

I looked a bunch of different places, but only found pictures of the slide carb, and that's not gonna be much help.

Your LHS should be quite a bit of help, providing the owner hired people that SHOULD be working there LOL. Otherwise, just remember how things came apart. There's not a whole lot of parts in them, so it shouldn't be hard to put back together.

[StadiumJ]

Just take your time and account for where each piece came from. When your tightening anything on the carb and you think you're tight enough---you are! I broke my carb by overtightening the main needle assembly. Chances are that your not spraying fuel out of the carb anyways. The first thing I'd check is the screws on your header (heat sink). They tend to vibrate loose and some spray can come from out of the side of the engine. A friend of mine even lost a screw during a run!

Evil Picco update.
Ok, when I got home I checked the idle. It was already 98% closed. So, knowing that I was close to tuned yesterday, I started it up and ran around. It bogs down, alot. I hit the gas and the truck doesn't even move until I hit 1/3rd throttle. The damn thing dies when idling or if I give it any gas. So, I leaned out the low end a little until it would start, idle, and accept blips without dying. I bogged around for a few minutes, checking the temp: 170, 180. Ok, so as I got to the end of the tank there were alot of bubbles in the fuel line. The truck seemed to perform better and better. "Ok", I said to myself as I checked the temp, "here's where it goes crazy and hits 280". But instead the temp was................230!!!!!. So, I know I need to lean the top end. But when I do this, the idle is going to start racing. Should I lower the idle or richen the low end when this happens? I'm slowly getting there. Thanks again.

[winning edge designs]

Stadium,always use the idle "speed screw" to adjust the idle speed,never the fuel mix screw. If you use the fuel mix screw it will make the idle change during running,such as revving initially when letting off the throttle,until it slows down on fuel flooding,etc......If the low end is close,a pinch of the fuel line at the carb inlet will result in a change in engine Rpm after only a second or two....Jim

[purplerides]

stadium - i don't know , it sounds to me as if the bottom is lean and the top is rich , set the dang thing up as i posted above and start with the top end.


dr.dirt - sorry i can't help with carb. blow up , but more then likely the fuel is either coming out of a loose exhaust manifold/gasket or also check that the fuel line don't have a pinhole in it especially where the it slides over the bango fitting , clean the truck up good then run again and keep checking to see where the fuel is coming from i'd hate to see ya take the carb. apart and not solve the problem , before you take it all apart now is the time to diagnose where it's coming from while it's together if you can.

[losifreak2004]

I just thought of that, if fuel is on your tranny, then fuel has to be exiting towards the back, and that's either tubing around the inlet or around the exhaust area.

What side of the tranny is getting splashed?

Aaron

[rc10tc3drivr]

is there supposed to be a gasket between the head and the block

[losifreak2004]

(Answer courtesy of winning edge designs through AIM)

Yes, there is a thin metal shim between the button and the block, and it usually sticks to the bottom of the button.

Aaron

[StadiumJ]

rc10tc3drivr, if you're talking about what I call the heat sink (feel free to correct me guys), there is a shim (it's actually 2 stuck together on my Picco) as the guys said. If you're talking about the exhaust header, the order on mine is engine block, metal piece (shim?), gasket, exhaust header. For some reason there is no gasket between the block and the metal piece. I sealed that part on mine with some Permatex high temp gasket maker. Once it was sealed, it actually let me take the exhaust off a couple of times before the metal piece became unstuck again.

Purple, I will do it exactly as you said when I get home from work tomorrow. 2 paper thickness, got it. Thanks.

[lositeamdriver]

see everyone whos coming to vegas and have a safe trip down.. silver state 2002 is on like donkey kong...yahooooooo

[rc10tc3drivr]

i took my xxx-nt down to the practice day for the touring cars put some on road tires and started driving with them and i noticed coming out of the turns the right front tire came off the ground i have the ride hight at arms and bones level any ideas why it did that

also when the motor bogs down at wot do i need to richen or lean it

[andy51289]

rc10tc3driver: To answer your first question, your truck is lifting off the ground because its and off road truck! Unless you are breaking in your motor, don't drive it on the pavement! It flips over way too easily.

To answer your second question, you need to lean your top end needle (the big one)

[rc10tc3drivr]

andy where do u live in charlotte ( if you dont mind me asking) ive got family in mint hill

[NItro-Smoke]

Is the engine bogging as it goes up to wide-open or does it bog and slow down once its toppng out?? if its doing the latter then you will have to richen it up a little because its not getting enough fuel when its wide -open!!:eek:

[StadiumJ]

Raced home today just in time for it to start raining :mad: I have Thursday off, so this damn storm better pass by then or I may go insane :rolleyes:

On a side note, I picked up a set of street tires for my truck. Will they really flip that easily? I live in a cul de sac so I have some open space here. I'd like to think I can just slap my street tires on an take it for a spin. Plus, there is no local track, yet. A friend of mine drives his on the street all the time. In fact, his tires (off road) are almost bald. He hasn't complained about flipping too much. Are there any other negative side effects of driving on the street? Thanks.

[winning edge designs]

rc10tc3,the truck is lifting the inside front due to a soft suspension in the rear. If you'll do alot of asphalt driving with the truck,make the shocks and springs stiffer. I'd try blue springs all around,with 45 wt oil and 56 pistons to start out. You can also get really slick and add spacers inside the shocks to remove alot of the un-needed suspension travel.

As nitro posted,the bogging could be either,you'll need to look at what the engine is doing otherwise. For example,how hot is it after it starts bogging down. Also does it do it right away when the engine isn't too hot,or does it change when it heats up. For example,if it runs good cold,then starts to bog as it heats up,it's too lean...If it bogs cold and hot,but seems to get better as it heats up,it's too rich.

Stadiumj,I haven't had trouble with flipping while running my truck on the street(two boys,7 and 10,:)...),i do however use the teamlosi onroad truck tires,A-7690S,they are lower profile so that likely helps.........Plus I lower the ride hieght ALOT for street use....Jim

[rc10tc3drivr]

i lean it out a little much better

the only time my truck flipped is when i got of control with the throttle

[rc10tc3drivr]

i lean it out a little much better

the only time my truck flipped is when i got of control with the throttle

which setup is best for a packed and tight track

[igozoom]

I run my truck on the street every once in a while. I use use a worn out set of dirt tires. My truck will wheelie any time I jump on the throttle. I always let off prior to looping it out. (I love it. Must have been all those drag races my dad took me to at the old Orange County International Raceway! Jim, does the name Pisano Matsubara (sp?) ring a bell?)

Hey, where did all of those scratches on my battery box come from ? lol

StadiumJ, almost there. Do not let the Evil Picco have it's way with you.

Tarvey, R U still coming to Jax? Need to help me set up my flippin suspension. I can't get it right. While you are here you can teach me to drive. hehehe

Tech Tip - Never check motor temp with your tongue. :p

[tarvymoto]

I'l be driving down to J-ville in less than 2 weeks. I think we leave on the 20th(Wed) so with any luck I'll have a few practice sessions and get to race on Sunday. I'll only be in town for a week , but I'll be back down April 10th-18th(I'll be at the Losi race in Clearwater babeeeeyyy).
Anyway we should hook up one day for a practice/tuning session before the Sunday club race. Maybe Thurs , Fri , or Sat?

My brother finally got his GT running again so he will probable be around the track some. His name is Austin if you've ever met him? He is somewhat of a newbie and ask alot of questions. I've gotta help him get tuned up as well.

Travis

[dkj-M3]

Originally posted by iondsky
This is on the main page, too. I made a mistake in posting.

Hey y'all
This is my first post to this forum, but I have read a lot of the posts, and I must say that this is a valuable resource.

Ok, to my question:
I bought the Limited Edition XXXNT RTR, and I found that with the stock setup I was nosing-over rather dramatically on the jumps. I have to really stay in the throttle to keep a level attitude.

So, from posts I saw here, I changed to Drake's setup, but that seemed to exacerbate the problem. So now I am running red springs front and rear, 56 pistons front and rear, and 30wt losi oil in front with 40wt losi oil in rear.

Now my problem is (lol) that my rear end wants to kick out on me on jumps. It seems to fly much more level with minimal throttle input in the air, but the kicking out or dropping of one corner (not sure which is truly is) is a killer on landings, hehe It gets so bad that if I rev it in the air, the truck will literally turn up sideways. I have to hit the jump dead on with absolutely no steering input to get a decent jump. From appearance, it seems to be one of the rear wheels that is dipping.

Maybe I need tips on jumping, hehe. If that's the case, feel free to enlighten me

I changed from stock turnbuckles to titanium during this time, and I believe I have the camber set equally on both sides, but I have no way to measure other than eyeball. Could a difference in rear camber cause this problem? Or difference in preload? I'm not experienced enough to know how close each side has to be to the other to keep things from acting up.

Any help here would be appreciated, even just general tips on how springs, oil, pistons, etc. affect jump handling.

I'm sure this post is not complete and leaves you experts with questions, so please respond and I'll answer all that I can to help us work out this issue.

Thanks a lot, y'all!

It could be something else but i had a slightly bent front axle. every jump i went over i never landed squarely, until i replaced it:confused:

[drdirt]

Thanks again guys, (wish there were some women in this sport:D ) I'll check the head bolts. It seems to be in the front of the diff. Any body have the limited edition? What kind of loctite do they use on the engine mount bolts? I couldn't budge it, and TLH couldn't get them loose with a torch. Dang. I'll let you know what happens after saturday. The Pennjerseynitro boys will be racing near Allentown, Pa. this weekend. Gotta love spring time!! BTW an excellent tech tip on the TONGUE..........fell over on that one! see y'all, Jim

[drdirt]

dude, I owe you a rub on the belly for the tip. The frickin head bolts were loose. three of em anyway. I'd a pulled that all apart if it wasn't for your tip. If you weren't on the wrong coast I'd buy you a cold one .....Thanks again, Jim:p

[igozoom]

dkj- while I am one of the least experienced people on this board, I can try and help you avoid some pain regarding suspension.

I have tested the majority of set ups out there and, while, close, still have not found damping/rebound mecca. There is no secret set up good everywhere for all experience levels, driving styles. As an example:

Started stock reds, 30wt, 55's front, 56's rears .12 limiter on the fronts. Nose dived horribly just like you.

Went to Adam Drake's set up with (oranges in the back and 40 wt). Suspension was so stiff that the rear wheels spent half the time off of the ground. Had to panic rev over the triple to drop rear end.

Left the front alone and went to Pinks in rear with 56's, and 40 wt as many of the fast drivers are running this set up at the track. Experienced some horrific understeer. Also looped out my truck over triple. Cost me a battery box. The wheelie's in the street probably didn't help either !

Without walking you through the other's I have tried, here is where I'm at. Frankenstein set up......Orange fronts, 56's, 27.5 or 30 wt. Pinks in the rear running same pistions and 30 wt. .12 limiters all around. I can't explain why it works for me, but it does. Now have to chop throttle after leaving jump face of triple to drop front end. Rear end stays hooked up everywhere. I have no understeer problem, go figure !(20 of the fast guys on this board are thinking that I need to step away from the crack pipe.)

Try to find someone at your track with a similar driving style. Try different combinations until you find something that causes truck to settle in handling and inspire you to stay on the throttle more aggresively. Trade rides with others to see how their truck handles, feels, jumps etc.

Bottom line. Start someplace....stock, Drake..... and pay attention to how the truck feels. Ask one of the fast guys at your track to drive it. Record your changes so you can always go back.

Hope my endless diatribe helps. Jim, Losi, Purple, Tarvey, Cabby neone.....feel free to comment, correct, or just plain tell me to GTH.


Tech Tip - Never drink 20% on a hot summer day. It'll give you gas.

[cabbynate]

Igozoom

The set up I am running at the Silver State race is close to what you are running. Only I am running reds in the rear. As the track gets ruffer I will most likely go to pinks. Your set up sounds great to me! Are you running the 1dg Losi hubs? I'm like-in them.:)

[iondsky]

Hi y'all :)

Well, it seems I agree with y'all on setup. I have finally settled on 40wt with red springs in rear and 30wt with orange springs up front. 56 pistons front and rear on mine, only because that is something I haven't messed with yet, hehe. I doubt I will though. The truck is handling very well for me on my local track.

Last night I experimented with reds in front again, but I found I had too little steering with them. So I changed back to the orange and it just seems to fit my driving style.

I took my truck down to a friend's machine shop and used a surface plate (a very flat surface) and used some squares and calipers to get my camber and toe in correct. That seemed to solve my kickout problem that I posted about a couple of days ago.

Thanks for all your help guys :) I'll hang around and see if I can offer any advice for anyone, and I'm sure I'll have more problems I'll need help with soon! Thanks.

Thom

[igozoom]

Cabby, I run the Losi one deg.'s on one truck and the trinity 2 deg.'s on the nt rtr. When the track is rough (when isn't it rough?) the 2 degree hubs make the rear end do the Cha Cha Cha when braking hard prior to a turn. (Jim, why didn't I listen to ya ?lol)

The one deg.s are awesome. I already purchased a second set for the rtr. We are getting a fresh load of clay for the track this weekend. IT IS ON !

Can you or anyone help me? Just bought a brand new jr 4750 servo to use as throttle servo. The thing is chattering like my knees in church. I have checked brake and throttle connection to ensure that there is no binding....and still it chatters. Anybody got any ideas? This is an expensive servo. Transient time is smokin. Hate to take the hack saw to it to show it who's boss!

Next.... the nt rtr le uses an exhaust manifold designed for pull or bump start motors. I hate it as my pipe sits too high. Would like to move to a Dynamite e.m. as pipe rides low along frame. Setting aside length, and space between e.m. and pipe, does the e.m. play a huge role in the power output of Picco?

Finally, does 55 piston and 35 wt = 56 piston and 32.5 wt, or, 56 piston and 30 wt ?

Cabby - Hope you tear it up at the Silver State. One day I will learn to drive well enough to be a force during a race and not an obsticle.lol

Thought of the day - I love cats. They taste like chicken!

[cabbynate]

Igozoom

Is that a Digital servo? If it is they buzz all the time. That i the servo centering. I use the M.I.P Header. It is most likely the best side exhaust header out there.
As far as the pistons and oil go, I can't tell ya. Maybe W.E.D (Jim) can.
I'm gonna need all the luck I can get at the Silver State Race.
Lots of big names in the R/C world are here. We will see.......
Nate

[StadiumJ]

Dr. Dirt, right on! I'm glad I could help. I've taken the Evil Picco 7 week training course ;)


Evil Picco Update............Perfection

My friend and I took the hour drive up to Sacramento yesterday. We met another friend of ours (also a XXXNT owner) and went to a track. This place is in a industrial area so there was a huge empty parking lot in front. I spent about a 1/2 hour on the pavement and had it tuned. I then spent the next 5 hours ripping up the track. These things are sick! It wasn't the best track ever, there were sharp & loose turns into and out of the double which prevented any of us from clearing it. There was also a support beam right in the middle of one section. But it was great to not only get it tuned, but to drive it on a track as well. I had it crispy and fast at a cool 205. I would like to thank all of you on the board for your tireless efferts to answer my countless questions. Jim, you'll be glad to here I got many compliments on my Winning Edge Designs paint job as well. I'm glad to say that it no longer has that showroom finish. :p

[purplerides]

yahoo! stadium glad to hear you got it going and actually was able to enjoy several hours of thrashing you truck , instead of it thrashing you , now you'll be able to enjoy the hobby as it was meant to be. as you now know tuning over the internet can be one of the most difficult and frustrating things , i don't know about the others guys on here but i'm sure it's true for them also but it also very frustrating for us trying to get you going and failure day after day , i'm just glad you hung in there and didn't get to the point of giving up , now you can enjoy a great hobby.

[ragamuffin]

I admit, I've been having too much fun with my XR buggy and new AE NTC3, but I want to drive the Losi again. I think that the diff gear is stripped, but only a teardown will reveal that. I do have a couple of Q's, though:

1. What's up with the pressure line? I notice that the pipe gets full of fresh fuel, and it's a bear to drain it.

2. It appears that like my flywheel or engine mounts, seem to be an odd size. I'm using an OS CV-R non p/start and no washers, and yet it's a right PITA to start the truck on my trusty starter box. When I compared my Losi to another one, his flywheel appeared to sit slightly lower than mine, and he also had a non p/start engine. What gives? :confused: I hope I don't have to machine the engine mounts...:(

[igozoom]

StadiumJ, You made my day !!!!!!!!!!!

I still remember my first nitro drive. It had to be twice as sweet for you. Congrats !!!!!!! You now have the confidence to deal with any problem the truck throws your way.

So tell us about your ride. How was the acceleration? How did it handle?

Message of the day - xxx nt horn broke. Watch for finger.

[StadiumJ]

How was it? I don't know. I have nothing to compare it to. I can say that it was fast enough (never got above 1/2 throttle on small track) and it handled very well. I probably could have gone leaner if I wanted to (running at 205), but I definately didn't need to. If I had any complaints it would be that my turning radius was too big. There was one particular corner which I could not take at lower speeds. I had to come in fast and slide out in order to make it. This, of course, was easier said then done during driving experience #1. My truck also bottomed out when I "went big". I'm not sure if that's normal or not. I took quite a few flips, cartwheels, head-ons and such, but my truck held up well. The only time I had to stop was when I bounced off of a wall at an odd angle (don't ask) and broke my left rear suspension. At least I thought it was broke until I got closer to inspect it. The ball cup had popped off and everything else was cool (thank you Lunsford). 30 seconds later I was back on the track. Sweet!

I would love to learn more about setting up the truck. Such things as hubs, springs, shocks, spacers, etc., etc. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any good sources on the net. I've learned some by reading the boards, but it seems that trial and error will be the way I have to learn. I would love to know which piston to use in a particular situation and more importantly WHY. I'm definately a "why" kind of guy. With that said, what would you do to a stock (RTR LE) setup to improve it? What oil & pistons come in it? What do you guys think of the Trinity CRE?

http://www.teamtrinity.com/hotstuff/1/f1.html

Oh, and if you know of any information on the web that can help me, please share! Thanks.

[winning edge designs]

igozoom,the pistons and oil deal is a little tricky,if you consider "pack" and "rebound". Not sure how deep inot this you are,but i'll give a run dwon in case(disregard if your as hardcore as I am,:)). Most of the time we're only "Feeling" rebound on the bench,but Pack is what keeps our trucks from bottoming out,while still feeling the way we want. So with that said,30wt and 56 pistons will fell the same as 35 wt and 55 pistons,but the 55 piston set-up may bottom out easier on big jumps.


On the header,I use a low header from Losi's NXT,or an A/E header,same dimensions.


Stadiumj,sorry to hear that your body is beginning to lean towards needing replacement....Well,not really that sorry,:). But a little. Send those guys who liked it to our website at www.jconcepts.net ,Thanks. Also,glad you got that engine up and running. If you leave it on the rich side and resist the urge to make it faster by leaning on it,it will last a long time!


ragamuffin,I dremeled a bevel edge into the flywheel opening in my chassis. Not only does it make it easier to get at the flywheel,it also helps the starter wheel live longer!...btw,usually if you're feeling a "stripped gear",it's the compound or counter gear,the diff will usually feel like the left and right tires aren't connected to each other. ie,when you turn one tire,the other doesn't go the opposite way like usual.

Jim

[igozoom]

StadiumJ If you have the nt rtr that came with z550 servos and the xr3 trans, adjust your steering endpoints to 125%. I did mine and at 125% your truck will turn on a gnats eyelash. Down side is that you can't grab a bunch of steering while grabbing a whole lotta throttle or your truck will have a violent accident. ( Us newbie's are notorious for oversteering, overthrottling, overbreaking, and overcrashing !!!!!!! hehehe)

You can set the A or B button ( I forget which) so that when activated, it gives you 60 % steering for high speed straights. I elected not to activate another switch and just don't yank the front end of the truck around at speed.

While I concur with you that there isn't a lot of info available, I can highly recommend trying the different settings on this BB. There are some very talented and experienced racers/hobbyists here. This is one of the few places that everyone is willing to share all of their set up tips. They can save you hours/days of testing.

Only half throttle? Just wait until you get a little cocky when you're driving well and bury the throttle down the straight, barely hanging on through a sweeper. It is an incredible feeling.
Yep, I am a nitro junky.

I need to get some sleep. Going to the track tomorrow to lay down some fresh clay! Our Sunday club race is gonna rock. I will be the old, slow guy in the nitro GT class with the big a$$ smile on my face.

Tear it up sir.( The track, not the truck!)

[igozoom]

Jim, think I am with you as I have esperience (Lucy, I'm Home. You got some splainin to do!) revalving forks and shock as a former mx'er. Need you to check my pea-brain reasoning.

So, rebound speed is governed by spring as well as the speed at which the oil moves through piston holes? Or, is rebound speed governed solely by oil and spring is damping only ?

Hmmmmm......so riddle me this jim-man, I must assume then that 35 wt moving through 55 pistons will not pack as rapidly as 30 wt though 56 pistons. Wait a minute......lighter weight oil moving through smaller holes vs heavier wt oil moving through bigger holes is the same flipping thing.

So is the spring itself preventing packing through a whoop section?

It is grossly apparent that I don't know what the heck I am talking about. Teach me oh master Jim and I shall reward you with a picture of your future wife, Alissa Milano !!!!! lol

Also need you to talk me down off the ledge. I got to drive a 7.5 Kanai with the v01b ? os. Talk about insane speed and three to four foot rooster tails, not to mention 10 mile an hour faster corner speed with the 4 wheel churning! My wife has informed me that there is no need to spend 1500 on an 1/8th scale buggy as I won't be able to afford maintenace while paying alimony !!!!!!!lol

[tarvymoto]

Igozoom. Me and you are on the same page brother.lol .

We finally had a nice day in the North East. Shorts and sunshine..."I like it"... Anyay... I had to crank up the NT and run a few tanks. I can't wait to hit the track again w/ this mofo. I'm running electric at in indoor track this weekend just to keep it tight.(Minrreg in April BABY).

[purplerides]

igozoom - i know the smaller piston thinner oil vs. the larger and thicker oil sounds as if it would be the same and in some instance they are , and some there not , ex. if your running the #55 piston and 35wt. oil set-up and like the way the truck handles for the most part but are bottoming out landing some of the jumps, the #56 piston 30wt. set-up will give similiar handling on some area's of the track but won't bottom out as easy off the jumps , the spring also does play a roll , if you were to change the spring rate especially if you make a drastic change of several springs rate , if you put a much harder spring on then the vehicle may become bouncy do to to thin of oil so you would thicken the oil to slow the spring down , if you put to light of a spring and thick oil the suspension won't rebound fast enough and the truck chassis will roll more in the corner but won't square up coming out of the corner and cause you to delay getting on the throttle early or you'll spin out. so if you like how the trucks handling put are bottoming out change the piston/oil and you'll have the same static feel and in area's of the track were the shock isn't being compressed at a high rate of speed (corners , straights etc.) the truck will handle the same but hitting a jump when the shock speed goes up that's when the smaller piston will take effect.

[PJCruz]

Glad to hear of your success StadiumJ. It's sweet to see you come full circle and now be in love with your rig.

I went to the track for a couple of hours yesterday with my NT. It was the first "track action" I have seen since the Invitational in Feb at J's Action RC. Anyways.. the track was pretty loose and bonehead me.. let my "tire box" home. I had the step pins on there on they were not hooking up too well. I had Reptiles (red) and Proline bow-ties at home.. I think either would have done better.

I have to say I am impressed with the mannerisms on the Losi. It was my first real lengthy day at the track (both on and offroad) where I didn't have some mechanical failure of some sort of broke something that ended my day early. I went to try to get the picco loosened up and tuned up. I took a couple of tumbles but no real "crashes" to speak off. I landed most of the jumps pretty well.. and even landed on the battery box once or twice.. and nothing is broken. I was psyched. The truck held up very well. I will need to do some "cleaning" on the truck and check all the screws, etc. But overall it held up great. It handled pretty well too considering... and like StadiumJ I didn't need to get full throttle. Esp since the conditions were so loose. It would get squirrely down the straight as the back end would break loose at full throttle.

(more to come =)

Pete

[PJCruz]

The picco gave me some trouble turning over to start but I think it was 1. hydrolocked again, and 2. bad alignment on the starter box. Once started, I had no more trouble the rest of the day. I continued my tuning from where I left off.. basically factory settings and maybe in a 1/2 turn on either needle. I didn't count or keep track since my last race 1 month ago.

Anyways, finally I got the truck running pretty well and the idle was "stable" for about 20 seconds or so.. but it would continue to idle for a while if I left it without loading up. Well, at first without the body it was running low 200's in temp.. but after putting on the body (i have windshield half cut-out, and side window and over the picco in the back) and running a few laps it was in the upper 200's. But what was funny was it was giving off plenty of smoke when I got on the gas.

Let me pose this to you guys. Should I TIGHTEN the slipper clutch down all the way to tune the engine. I noticed on occassion the rpm's would CLIMB really high when I was on the throttle.... almost like the truck had a 2 speed...... then the hobby shop guy mentioned it was probably the slipper kicking in. I'm thinking.. that perhaps the high end needle is too lean (since it wasn't fully reving due to the slipper) I may have leaned it out a bit much to improve the response, and the bottom is too rich.. and therefore my temp was climbing.

I'll have to look at the needle settings and see where they are at. I think the low end should start at 3 turns out and high end at 2 turns out for factory settings.

Thanks

Pete

[PJCruz]

The picco gave me some trouble turning over to start but I think it was 1. hydrolocked again, and 2. bad alignment on the starter box. Once started, I had no more trouble the rest of the day. I continued my tuning from where I left off.. basically factory settings and maybe in a 1/2 turn on either needle. I didn't count or keep track since my last race 1 month ago.

Anyways, finally I got the truck running pretty well and the idle was "stable" for about 20 seconds or so.. but it would continue to idle for a while if I left it without loading up. Well, at first without the body it was running low 200's in temp.. but after putting on the body (i have windshield half cut-out, and side window and over the picco in the back) and running a few laps it was in the upper 200's. But what was funny was it was giving off plenty of smoke when I got on the gas.

Let me pose this to you guys. Should I TIGHTEN the slipper clutch down all the way to tune the engine. I noticed on occassion the rpm's would CLIMB really high when I was on the throttle.... almost like the truck had a 2 speed...... then the hobby shop guy mentioned it was probably the slipper kicking in. I'm thinking.. that perhaps the high end needle is too lean (since it wasn't fully reving due to the slipper) I may have leaned it out a bit much to improve the response, and the bottom is too rich.. and therefore my temp was climbing. Otherwise the engine was running ok.. wasn't super powerful and no wheelies for me.. just wasnt gonna happen. =( It ran fine.. not super snappy but a bit gingerly... I could grab some throttle and rarely would it stall out.

I'll have to look at the needle settings and see where they are at. I think the low end should start at 3 turns out and high end at 2 turns out for factory settings.

Thanks

Pete

[PJCruz]

I just wanted to share with you guys perhaps the greatest invention since the XXX-NT. At the Invitationals, I noticed SEVERAL racers with these pit boxes that rocked. It was about 3 feet high, had wheels and a handle. The top section was a toolbox, the middle was 2 drawers with dividers, and the bottom section is a "bin" where you can put large stuff. Apparently it's available in many colors, and manufacturers. It's like the Stanley's Rolling Workshop.. but these are plastic. Anyways, ZAG makes one, Benchtop makes one. And they are available at Walmart, KMart, etc. I bought the Benchtop one (only one I could find) for under $50.

I moved all my RC stuff into it.. and yesterday going to the track.. was a piece of cake. I made ONE trip with all my stuff. The top of the box has an angled ridge where a starter box fits perfectly tilted towards you, and then the truck rest nicely on top of the box.. and rests again the pull up handle... lean it back.. and wheel it off to the pit area. I only had to carry my radio in my other hand.

Anyways, just sharing this info.. I found this to be a big help. Before I used to make several trips back and forth to load and unload at the track.

Just sharing some info with my fellow NT'ers.

Pete

[losirtr]

I just received probably the last Ready to RAce XXXNT in the Eastern US. I have read most of the posts on this thread and am petrified!!. I have some nitro experience and have broken in about 3 engines and a couple of piston and sleeves in other vehicles. However, the Picco may be my match!!

I haven't even opened the box yet so I have a few questions:

1. What should I do before even trying to fire up this beast for the first time? (I plan to check the diff, slipper, and seal the carb)

2. Is there a rechargable battery pack for the JR 3 radio?

Any other hints??

[igozoom]

Tarveymoto- Met your brother yesterday. Actually had chatted withhim before, just didn't know he was your brother!lol

We used your brother as the "crash test dummy" (lol) for the new jump section. Have a roller/table right out of a turn that you have to hit perfectly to try and clear the new triple. If you aren't pure and chaste with the approach, it's off to the hobby shop for parts! hehehe. Actually, I probably won't even try it today until after the race. I will email you my phone number. Call me when you are in town and want to go the track.

Purple- You are the man!!!!! Thank you. I finally understand. Smaller holes equal less packing. May have to slow the spring down with a slightly heavier weight oil when there is a large difference in spring rates between front and rear.

losi rtr - Do not be petrified. You purchased one of the best trucks available. I have had mine three months and haven't had any major problems. Remember that problems are amplified on the BB as this is the place to ask questions.

While I am in love with the Picco motor, the Picco carb gave me fits. I got it under control; however, hated messing with it all the time. I purchased a brand new os 10er carb off ebay, bought the Trinity adapter, and installed. it. I will be racing today so I will let you know how it goes.

Other than the carb, I purchased Lunsford turnbuckles, Trinity aluminum brake mounts as they give a more porgressive feel to the brakes, and a fuel filter.

Just check your diff regularly, zip tie your air filter, and hang on down the straights !!!!!!!!!!

THere is a recharg. battery for the xr 3. I know Horizon carries them but you may be able to find the more reasonably priced elsewhere.

[makaluch]

Pete - The best advice was already given to you...OS carb and adapter. That carb's a pain to deal with. I also had a Picco G1 Pro that seemed to wander out of tune even when broken in. It sounds like you're a little lean up top and just a tad rich down low...but, it's a Picco carb so you never really know.

A rock solid bottom end test...Warm up the engine and stand at the end of the straight. Run two laps and at the end of the straight pull in...let it idle for about ten seconds...then pinch the fuel tube pretty close to the carb...if the bottom is tuned close you should hear the engine rev up after 2 or 3 seconds. After adjusting run it around two laps again...but be sure that your top is rich if leaning the bottom or you might damage the cylinder with too much heat.

The top and bottom needles are directly related. When adjusting one it effects the other. Think of the top end needle as a main valve and the bottom needle as a fine tune to the first valve. The only thing that complicates this concept is that fuel will store in the cases of a 2-stroke...hence pulling it off after the straight.

Hope I've helped...later...Mark :)

[makaluch]

One more thing...tune to EVERY track.

If you go to a bigger track you may clear too soon in places and run hot...and vice versa...smaller track you'll run a little rich and never really clear. Your plugs will tell the story. Just be sure to never "drop-and-race." Get a Raytec laser temp gun...it's worth the money and you can use it on all of your motors without carrying the weight on the car.

[StadiumJ]

I can also recommend the OS 10er. I got it and the Lunsford adapter. My friend who owns an NT with the Picco carb here in Napa has to make much more drastic changes to his needle settings when we go up to Sacramento.

Igozoom, yes I have that same setup and will try that. But what about the throttle? I noticed that the servo/carb will travel farther when off then when on and at full throttle. It looks like the carb can open a little more. Should I bump up the throttle % or is that playing with fire?

Weak gas cap strikes again. I went up to Sacramento again yesterday (they need to finish the track here in Napa soon!). I noticed that I was getting about half of the run-time as 2 of my friends with XXXNTs. I was even getting less run-time than an electric buggy LOL. It turns out that I am spilling gas from the cap when I flip. I am thinking of rigging some sort of tie-down since I'm not racing yet. Do they make replacement caps for tanks? I could've sworn I saw a picture of one with an aluminum cap. None of the shops around here have anything. Actually, none of them have replacement tanks either. :(

One more thing. Don't bother buying the $10 quick ramp off of Tower. It has too short of a face and all you do is flip off of it. I'm now considering ramp designs that will let me jump from the street onto my lawn. Are there any basic guidlines for angle/length that any of you track designers can share with me? Thanks.

[igozoom]

StadiumJ- you want your throttle at WOT to be....well... wide open. The throttle trim adjustment is easy. Manually open throttle first to see how far it can open. Look down in carb to get a good visual picture. Now turn trans and truck on. Dial up the throttle throw on trans and increase percentage of throw while looking inside carb. The object is to get the throttle to open just short of the barrel stop for lack of a better term. In effect, you don't want the servo to strain at WOT against the carb's mechanical stop. If you are unsure, email me and I will walk you through it step by step.

If you just quit flipping the truck, you will stop spilling fuel. lol.
The gas tank has been a sore spot with some people. I have two trucks and flip them regularly. ( I am sorry to say) I don't have leakage problems with either one.

If you continue to spill 10.00 in fuel every time you flip the truck you can either purchase another tank (7.00-8.00 I think), or, convert to an associated tank like some of the guys at our track.

Hope this helps.

[purplerides]

stadium - it sounds as if you have a bad fuel tank , i bought a new kit in december and the tank was bad i didn't even have to flip mine over and fuel was squirting out of the lid , contact losi's customer support and tell them you got a new truck with a bad tank they will more them likely take care of it , i've been running losi's since they came out with the GTX and that's only my second bad tank , 1st bad one leaked at the seem the 2nd out of the cap , they used to make a fuel tank lid rebuild kit don't know if they still do , the one i got the inside diameter of the filler neck is slightly larger then other tanks that i have so i rebuild kit wouldn't do it even if i wanted to try it , i just put a new tank in it no problem.

stadium - you should take care of that tank it can make your motor run inconsistant and/or cause a lean condition , take it easy until you do.

[PJCruz]

Thanks again guys... I have an OS Hyper 12 with the slide carb. But I think my problem is "user error." Last night I checked the needle settingon the high end needle.. and it was less than 1 1/2 turns out.. so probably pretty lean. I wasn't able to get at the low needle last night.

My question though is should I tighten down the slipper all the way in order to tune the engine.. or does it not matter? It seemed whenever the slipper kicked in the engine would rev MUCH higher... maybe I was leaning it out too much BEFORE the slipper kicked in.. and when it did it was way too lean (hence the high temps).

Anyways, I do need to give the truck the once over and a cleaning... but so far no trouble. Maybe I can get out there this weekend for some club racing.....

Pete

[losirtr]

I have a solution for the leaking fuel cap.
1. take the fuel cap off the tank (a little difficult to do because of the hinge spring but possible!!)
2. Remove the screw from the bottom of the cap that holds the plastic disk on the bottom of the cap.
3. remove the rubber o-ring
4. Wtih very fine sand paper sand off a very tiny amount of the flat surface where the o-ring fits (just a few 1/100ths of an inch!)
5.replace the o-ring, etc

What this does is flatten the o-ring out a little more so that it seals the cap inside the filler hole tighter. I have done this to 2 tanks and it works. Just be careful to sand a tiny amount off at a time, reassemble the cap, test the fit, and repeat the process itf needed!

[iondsky]

Hey y'all, can anyone give me some advice on where to find a front bearing set for the picco that comes with the RTR?

I opened the clutch bell just to make a routine inspection and found that the inside bearing is missing a seal and it looks like it is missing a few ball bearings, too. Although I did not find any balls in the housing.

The only bearing set I can find is at Horizon for 32 bucks. I'm hoping I have other options, seeing how I have only had the kit a couple of weeks and I changed nothing near the engine (gear mesh, etc.) to cause this to happen. If this is a regular occurance, 30 bucks a pop will get really steep very quickly!

Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks a lot, y'all :)

Thom

[NItro-Smoke]

I dont think you are missing a seal in the front bearing! When I took my Hyper engine apart for the first time, I also noticed there was no seal in that front bearing and I could see the balls rolling around in there, so I dont think you have a problem! If that seal WAS missing along with a ball or two you would have had a very big problem sooner!

[WHITESTER1]

Just recently purchased OS.12 TR for triple XT. What pipe header combo works best. For lowend performance, and which combo for highend performance.

How's performance of engine?

[winning edge designs]

whitester,that engine is awesome,maybe even too awesome?........:)........For a pipe believe it or not i;ve had great succes with the New Dynamite pipes and headers,i'm using a one peice on my V one R. I'm going to try one on my truck now as well. They look extremely close to the RB and rossi pipes,maybe made by them for dynamtie?...hmmmmm....Jim

[igozoom]

Jim, too awesome? As in too much power ? I didn't know you could put too much water in a nuclear reactor. lol

Seriously, what's the deal? Too much on top? Bottom? Hitting too hard ?

I am shopping a new motor. Since I threw the os 10 er on the Picco, I am pretty darn excited. Tried a Dynomite spd just to see if, as a newbie, I could recognize the power difference. Well, let's just say that I had to set my alarm clock to wake me up at the end of the straight to remind me to head into the sweeper.

While I am looking for performance at least equal to the Picco, I don't want unusable power. I think you'll agree that it takes a little time for us new folk to exercise some finger control.

What say you, RC Jedi Master ?

[tarvymoto]

Igozoom , once you can take a hot lap w/ your eyes closed you are ready for 1+ horses.lmao
I'll be in J-ville Tuesday night(20th) and will hopefully hit the track on Friday and Sunday.

Jim , I placed an order w/ Nitrospecialties(Broward) , talk to Alan who is a super nice guy.

Whitester1 , I'm using the Trinity manifold part# 8125 on my NT w/ rear ehaust engines and it allows plenty of room to use the stock NT body.

[dkj-M3]

iondsky- are you talking about the engine bearing or the clutch bearings. I have the rtr & had my clutch bearings shredded. Too much heat I guess. I just switched to ASSO bearings with the teflon seal. $13 a pair. I will see if these hold up any better.
Oh yeah, I had about a gallon through the engine before the stock bearings broke down. Is that normal, does anyone know?

[makaluch]

Yeah, it's pretty normal to go through a set of metal shielded bearings with a new clutch. The dust from the shoes settling in contaminates the bearing...and they may not be lubed well from the factory too. I've had good luck with stock Losi bearings, but that's just one of those regular maintenance things. Just upgrade to teflon or rubber seals to cut down on maintenance costs. And when you install the bearings be sure to face the rubber or teflon towards the area of heaviest contamination (if only one side is shielded).

It's also a good idea to go through the truck and clean it well at least every other week. Pay close attention to everything when cleaning. I've been accused of being a clean freak...but I never have catastrophic break downs. If you see something with wear... replace it...it'll save you bigger headaches down the road.

[WHITESTER1]

makaluch

Good advice. One question, the rubber sealed bearings, do they ever melt?

[makaluch]

I've never heard of Bocas melting...I personally still use stock Losi bearings though. Just take care of 'em whenever you can...shoe change/inspection, bell change, mount screws come lose, hehehe. And if one blows, be sure to change 'em both.

[losirtr]

Update on my new Ready to Race; I inspected it out of the box and found only one problem. From past experience I know that the diff is a potential problem area. Sure enough, the diff was too loose straight out of the box. too make matters worse when I tightened it, the diff nut stripped. So the first thing I had to do on this brand new truck was take the tranny out, replace the nut, and adjust the diff. At least I know its right now. I fired the Picco right up. it doesn't seem to have any leaks that I could find. I idled 2 tanks through and am now ready to start the serious tuning !! Wish me luck!!

Boca Bearings Green seals for the clutch bell are wonderful. You can order them directly from Boca (see their web sight) (about $4 apiece- you will need two)

I doubt iondsky has blown his front engine bearings but rather the clutch bearings. If it is the engine bearing I think Boca has those too. :D

[losirtr]

Stadiumj: Sorry to burst your bubble but the Ready to RAce Limited Edition does not have graphite parts. All the parts are stock, same as in the kit!!. All Losi Graphite parts will have the word "graphite" painted onto the part!!;)

[Nutter]

No, he actually said that the graphite parts are *available* for it, not come with it.. :p

*edit: err, I mis-read it.. you're right, he did say that.. and you're also right, it doesn't come with them... oops! :o


-Nutter

[dkj-M3]

thanks guys;)

[OmegaTrac]

Hey.
I have the XXX-NT RTR Limited Edition. How should I set up my xr3? What percentages should the trims be set to? Like steering and throttle?

[iondsky]

Thanks for the responses y'all. I got some teflon or rubber (not sure which, red seals) sealed bearings (yes, it is clutch :)) from the LHS. Cost me $4.00 a piece, so they were much cheaper than I thought. I was looking at the wrong bearings at horizon (duh!).

Yeah, I have run exactly one gallon through my engine, and the bearings weren't at the complete failure stage, but they were hanging on the brink. I'm glad I read an article at rcnitro about regular inspection. I caught them in time and have better bearings now as a result. I'll for sure keep an eye on them.

Now, about the differential. I have the RTR and have done nothing to my diff. How do I check that and how do I tighten it if need be. The info in the manual and on the wesite seem a bit vague to me. Anyone mind taking a shot at explaining this stuff to a newbie? :) Thanks for all your help. You all are saints :)

Thom

[winning edge designs]

igozoom,heh,it is a VERY powerful engine for a 2w truck. I would guess that the scenario would be several bad laps and a few fast ones with an engine that powerful...Unless you have "throttle finger restraint ?" and Alot of traction. I use the standard O.S. CV-R side exhaust in my truck and on high bite tracks wheelies are no problem,by mistake! I'd recommend the standard exhaust engine with a barrel carb,picco pro pipe and the broward precision cylinder head. I TQed and won our state series race last weekend with that combo,so it works!


losirtr,the diff was too loose?...did it slip,or just feel very good? I haven't seen a loose diff in a kit yet,slipper yes,diff,no!


iondsky,The best way to check the tranny adjustments,is to push down on the right tire with your right palm,and the spur with your thumb and pointer finger. Then turn the left tire slowly,while watching the slipper and spur gear. The shaft and it's nut should turn inside the spur gear,if they don't and you feel slipping,it's coming from the diff. Tighten the diff,or and "this is a common mistake",loosen the slipper!...........Alot of first time gas truckers have been stripping the diff nuts trying to lock the diff with the slipper locked!,be sure the slipper is approx 5 turns backed off from locked down snug. Then retest.............Always be sure that the slipper slips first and you'll never have a diff problem. As I stated above,mine pulls wheelies with the slipper slipping a little and not "locked"!.........Ever hear a B3 touch down over a jump,then go "BaRk",thats the diff slipping from a slipper that's too tight,it happens in every brand,but gas trucks and long mains,with slipping diffs don't mix!!!..................Jim

[Racin Rev]

Actually Jim, I saw a losi rtr at my lhs (before he sent it back for lack of interest) with the diff way too loose. I had just finished building mine and checked theirs. the diff slipped long before the slipper. This is one of those things that makes me dispair at the whole rtr thing. If you don't carefully go over your new car you might miss something important that will cost time, place, money soon thereafter. you just can't assume that some guy at the factory did everything right. (especially with the new xxxnts coming from some foregin country). On the other hand, when you build the car you know the car and i found that building was a kind of a zen experience.

[losifreak2004]

Taiwan actually....

I haven't seen one yet, but I'm sure Losi has a checklist of things to make sure of before you run the new truck.

If not, as long as the owner has a clue what he is talking about, they will probably send him another diff that's better adjusted.

[dkj-M3]

OmegaTrac

Sorry, can't answer that one. I sold that radio & kept my Futaba 3PDF.

[cabbynate]

Losifreak2004

I tried to find you at the Siver State race but you were never in your pit space. My friend Adam was pitting next to you on Sunday
but I never saw you. I saw your truck. So how did you end up? I got a third place plack in the "H" main. LOL!!!!

[Nutter]

LOL! I seriously burst out laughing when I read that.. I didn't even know they *had* H mains! :p

Don't worry, I'd have been in the Z main if I was there! ;)


-Nutter

[losirtr]

I agree, it is better to build your own kit. I built my son's kit last year and have maintained his truck through a year of racing. I am no novice to builidng diffs, etc. I bought the Rady to race because I needed a truck, radio, and electronics for myself so that I could have some fun too. It was either buy the kit and add the radio, electronics and a engine or the Ready to Race. The ready to race was the better value. However, there is no "RTR" out there that doesn't have the potential of something on it not quite right. I only checked my new diff because of past experience. I like to run my diffs really tight so that I can run the slipper fairly tight on large high bite tracks. The diff out of the box was about 1 revolutions of the tire too loose!! The diff was probably set alright for a fairly loose slipper.

By the way, why has Losi put a plastic sleeve to cover the threads on the slipper screw in the Ready to Race? It will not allow you to tighen the slipper very much (maybe to keep newbies from tightening it and thereby melting their diff?)

[dkj-M3]

I have the rtrace. It was my 1st nitro & only 2nd car. I knew nothing about diffs then, so I end up over tighting mine, stripped the bolt & melted it. I took it apart to rebuild it & found the plastic spacer under the slipper spring would bind the slipper so I just took it off.

Oh yeah, I built my diffs the way the book said & it's been running like a tank for about 1-1/2 gallons. <<<<<<>>>>>>
Knock on wood. I think I'll go rebuild it now.lol

[Lord Radeon]

I melted my first 3 diffs in the losi... each lasted about a week, it was pathetic. I bought a metal gear for the tranny, built it right, tightened it up to almost HULK-tight and i've been running my slipper at 3+ turns since.... that SAME diff has had 1.5 gallons run through it and still is smooth as a baby's butt. (The metal gear may/may not have made a difference, BUT it did make me feel more confident in my car, which makes me drive better.)

[StadiumJ]

Losi XXXNT gurus step up! I have a short quiz and a shopping list for you to complete. I figure the best way to find out about suspension is to buy some parts and play with different setups I've seen listed on the board. But being that I know nothing at this point, could you please help me with the following:

Initial stupid question: The red mark on the tires on the RTR mean that they are the red compound, right? Just checking.

1. What shock pistons come with the ready-to-race?
2. What wt. shock oil comes with the ready-to-race?
3. If I buy pistons from Horizon Hobby, do they come in pairs? It costs $3.00.
4. Is there any difference between Trinity and Team Losi shock oil?
5. What are Titanium Nitride shock shafts? Are they a worthwhile upgrade at $7.00 a piece?
6. What is the part number on the internal limiters?
7. What are the best rear tires for a track, reptiles or step-pin?
8. Can you comment on the new "razor rib" front tires?
9. What are the part numbers for 1dg rear hubs?


OK, so it wasn't THAT short of a quiz. :) Just think of it as a great opportunity to show your brilliance! ;)


I'm looking to stock up on some suspension components. What should I add to this shopping cart?

(2) A-5154 orange springs
(2) A-5160 blue springs (for street)
(2??) A-5046 56 pistons
Other recommended Pistons?
SHOCK OIL (possibly Losi 6 pack or Trinity)
(?) A-5050 Shock spacer set (how many do I need?)
(?) Internal limiters (how many & what part #?)
A-17505S Glued Truck Front Directionals (Silver)
(?) A-2033 Rear hub spacer (1 or 2?)

Thanks alot!!!!



LOSIRTR- Ha ha! *in his best Dana Carvey doing Johnny Carson voice* "well I, uh, well I, DID not know that". :D Now I have something else I need to buy!

[ragamuffin]

Originally posted by ragamuffin
I admit, I've been having too much fun with my XR buggy and new AE NTC3, but I want to drive the Losi again. I think that the diff gear is stripped, but only a teardown will reveal that. I do have a couple of Q's, though:

1. What's up with the pressure line? I notice that the pipe gets full of fresh fuel, and it's a bear to drain it.

2. It appears that like my flywheel or engine mounts, seem to be an odd size. I'm using an OS CV-R non p/start and no washers, and yet it's a right PITA to start the truck on my trusty starter box. When I compared my Losi to another one, his flywheel appeared to sit slightly lower than mine, and he also had a non p/start engine. What gives? :confused: I hope I don't have to machine the engine mounts...:(

Geez, thanks for all the help, guys...:rolleyes:

Guess I'll sell it and wait for the Mugen truck...

[StadiumJ]

Sorry, can't help you on the diff. I am clueless about them. As far as the pressure line I'm not sure what you mean. The exhaust is filling with fresh fuel? How are you shutting the engine off? If I shut it off by blocking the stinger, the back-pressure will force fuel into the pipe. Now I either run it dry or squeeze off the fuel line. Hope this helps.

[losirtr]

StadiumJ; my, my what a lot of questions!!
I'll take a stab at them
1. Part numbers for shock pistons are:
A5046 for 56 pistons (red)
A5047 for 55 (orange)
I think you get 2 pistons when you buy/order. I'm not sure what comes in your shocks but if you open the shock you will see. (I think the directions that come with the truck have that info somewhere) If they are black pistons then they are 57's

2. the limiters are part number A5050 and you get lots of sizes in the kit. (limiters and spacers are the same thing)

3. The RTRace comes with 30 shock oil in it. My opinion is that you need 30 and 30 and 30!! ( you might want to buy some 35 too - and if you have huge jumps and a high bite track with lots of loose dirt you might occ use 40)

4. The Trinity and Losi oils are close enough to be about the same - you will not be able to tell a difference

5.. the titanium shock shafts might not bend, scratch, brake as easily as stock but I personally don't feel that they are necessary. We have been racing for a year with the stock ones.

6 Rear tires depends on what type track and dirt you race/ drive on. If it is loose/ loamy dirt then step pins will work fine. If it is hard dirt and broken up the Bowties/T-bones work well. If it is hard packed with no loose dirt or dust then try t-2000's or Hole shots

For the front I would use the directionals for everything exvcept in situations in which you use the hole shots/T2000 on the back. In that situation I would use Proline Blades

7. one degree rear hubs are Part A9807 . We use stock hubs on large open tracks and 2 degree on small tight tracks A9808

Your shopping list looks fine except for the blue spings. I've never seen anybody use those but then again I've never seen a XXXNT anywhere but on a dirt track!!

My advice would be to buy things as you find that you need them. So far it doesn't look like you are going overboard. Graphite parts are not a necessity and I wouldn't rec. them until you are an expert racer. Those plastic parts don't break as easily and are a lot less expenive to replace!!

[tarvymoto]

Pistons come in a 4 pack for the $3:)

[Nutter]

ragamuffin: I'd help ya if I knew the answer.. sorry :(

SJ:
There's 4 pistons in each set.
4) There's probably a slight difference between Losi and Trinity shock oil.. stick to one brand only for consistancy.
5) I think they're smoother, and I know they last longer. As a shock shaft wears it'll become thinner (duh), and it'll alow oil to leak out of the shock and dirt to enter. Not really necessary, I use the normal ones still.
7) As losirtr said, it totally depends on the track. :)
8) Check out the Losi tire guide on their site, it seems like they're only better than directionals for slick, broken surfaces, and only marginally better then. http://www.teamlosi.com/newprod/tirechart/tirechart.htm
And finally, I'd get the Losi 6-pack of shock oil that has 20-45wt in it.. lots to experiment with. Also get a set of pink springs so you have a bit more choice.


-Nutter

[igozoom]

Jim, congrats sir!!!!! I would have thought that it was the paint job on your truck that won it for you ! lol.

I came in 2nd in the B Main at our club race. Somehow " 2nd in the B Main, club race" doesn't roll off of the tongue like "State Series". hehehe. What do I have to do to get into the A Main ? I know, buy a W.E.D. body !!!!!!!

If the TR has that much juice, then it is probably not for me.

OK. Standard CVR side exhaust. Go the with the 10e carb or the new 10 er ? How do I contact Broward ? Sorry if I got the (Cyl.)name wrong. I changed pages before writing.

What about the header?

[purplerides]

ragamuffin - hmm i haven't seen that problem before all the motor mounts and flywheels should be the same unless for some reason you got an oddball set , if you say there's no spacers between the motor mount and the motor then you should be good unless something was put between the motor mounts and the chassis , pullstart and non-pullstart use the same mounts but no spacers and flywheels , the only other thing i could think of is maybe you got mounts from a NXT or something on yours did you/or anyone else ever change the mounts or changed a motor that had mounts already on it?

we try to help everyone here , some on here may not have the experience to answer your question's or have seen it , i myself am on here a lot most weeks but i work rotating shift work and am selling one house and buying another house so i myself have been busy and not on much lately , just be patient and repost if it may appeared to have been overlooked but drop the attitude. none of us here own losi so your threats to buy a Mugen are idle , go ahead. then who are you going to ask?

[tarvymoto]

Has your set-up changed for the new track lay-out ? I think I'll be at the track Thursday or Friday of next week to tune for Sunday's club race. We should hook up and burn some laps. My Broward (nitrospecialties.com) heads-{yes I got one for each of my engines** should be here tomorrow. I'm not expecting to take first in the A , I just want to come down and be fast. I'd really like to bring my electric truck and buggy down to practice for the Losi race at minreg , but I don't have enough time this trip to.(I'm bearlly getting away w/ raceing on TPC Sunday as it is.lol) Anyway I hope the weather cooperates.
Travis

[purplerides]

i have a broward head on my O.S.tr , i like it so far , i couldn't compare the O.S. tr to the cv-r i haven't tried a cv-r , the tr seems to have a ton of power and is very fast, yet seems smooth and controlable but i don't have alot of time on it , i bought in the off-season , but racing season starts in like 22 or 23 days can't wait , heck it's even supposed to get into the 50's this week!!! hopefully them 30 deg. days are gone. http://www.browardprecision.com/

[tarvymoto]

It looks like I'll be able to make the first race at Vineland this season(April 6th?) I should have my 1/8 scale ready by then too...we'lll see. I'll be in Clearwater for the Losi electric race the very next weekend.Any way your track looks sweet. Travis

[StadiumJ]

Right on, LosiRtR! Thanks for the help guys. A couple of follow ups if you don't mind:

1. Do you use the M2 or M3 compound on the Pro Lines?
2. How can I tell which shock piston is when I open one up? What will be black, the whole shaft?

[StadiumJ]

I just saw this at Pro Line. From what I've read they're bodies arre pretty popular due to their film coverings, masks, etc. Anyways, I figured you guys would want to know. I like the low profile look and the Mercedes-style headlights! :cool:

http://www.prolineracing.com/flash/plhome.html

[INFERN06]

I love that body ,wow.:D

[losirtr]

stadiumj: when you open your shock the piston is the round plastic part with 2-3 holes in it at the end of the shaft that is held on by an e-clip on each side.

I ordered one of those Crowd pleaser bodies 2 days ago. My son paints with an airbrush and should have one for sale on e-bay soon.

[losirtr]

M2 for conditions when the track has some bite to it. M3 when it is slick!

[cabbynate]

StaidumJ

You will know by the color of the piston. Black is #57.
You will get four in a bag. Racers edge makes piston finger use drill bits so you can drill out a combo if you want or make a pair of #57 be #56,#55,#54 or a combo of what ever. If you see a set up that reads "566" pistons they are #56 pistons with one hole taped out to a #55.;)

[purplerides]

Tarvymoto - no 1/8th scales in Vineland , all 1/10th scale , M3 holeshots are the tire that normally works most of us use Trinity TK1523 2 stage foams or bomb 1's and up front it's the tire of your choice , i mainly use losi directionals with bomb 1's , compound depends on the track silver or reds both will work just some days 1 is slightly better then the other , also m3 edges work but sometimes they can be a little unpredictable , they get plenty of traction but don't carve as smooth a turn. also the first two/three weeks or so sometimes M3 fuzzy "T"s are a little better until the track gets run in but they wear quickly. hope to see you there i'll be working tech.

[purplerides]

stadium - i pretty sure the rtr's have the stock set-up on them so the piston's in front should be #55(orange) the rears #56(red/or pinkish) #57(black), #54(blue), #60's(natrual/white)

[tarvymoto]

Thanks for the info. I plan on being there. Maybe I'll bring my electric buggy or truck too. I can uderstand that there's no1/8 scale , I just assumed you guys ran them there because on the "enter" page on Family Hobbies' site there is a pic w/ an 1/8 buggy.Anyway Thanks Travis

[cabbynate]

My CV-R wen't south. The pistons all scratched and the area around the glow plug has lots of melted bits all over it. I took it apart and the inside bearing rolls kind of rough. I cleanded it out but I think I need a new head. W.E.D was talking about a heatsink head, any one rember what brand it was.
Also should I replace that bearing. I'm thinking about getting that new Picco. Any one have one of those yet?

[losirtr]

All the bad things you have read on this thread about picco hasn't scared you off?!!. If you want another engine and don't want another OS (foolish to even contemplate) try a RBX12 rear exhaust!! Tons of power, fast, and lasts forever.

[StadiumJ]

Is the the exhaust pipe that comes with the ready-to-race a good one? Which is the best for the Picco .12 in your opinion? Can anyone recommend the K&N chrome top air filter? Thanks.

[cabbynate]

Picco has a new engine with a new better carb. Not the same as the rtr.

[ragamuffin]

Originally posted by purplerides
ragamuffin - hmm i haven't seen that problem before all the motor mounts and flywheels should be the same unless for some reason you got an oddball set , if you say there's no spacers between the motor mount and the motor then you should be good unless something was put between the motor mounts and the chassis , pullstart and non-pullstart use the same mounts but no spacers and flywheels , the only other thing i could think of is maybe you got mounts from a NXT or something on yours did you/or anyone else ever change the mounts or changed a motor that had mounts already on it?


The engine is a CV-R .12 non pullstart. If the mounts were from another Losi truck (i.e. NXT), then they must have been inadvertantly included in the kit. The box was sealed when I purchased it. The spacers for the non pullstart conversion are still in my toolbox, so there's no way that they are a factor here. Maybe I did receive an "oddball" kit; I read that Losi upgraded the internal idler gear and brake hub material. It appears that I have one of the early pre-upgraded kits.

"Threats?" Please. No harm, no foul...;)

[tarvymoto]

I have one of these and it is a great engine. It's a screamer. It took some ajusting to get the linkage correct for the slide carb but once done correctly it's solid. I just fitted a new Broward presion head on it today;)

Nate , the guys from Broward presicion (Nitro Specialties) were out in Vegas for silver state. They also make heads for .21 engines.I saw you result for the race-Nice work man!!!. I couldn't find Aarron's(Losifreak) name in the standings at all.

Aarron where you been ? Hope everthing is cool w/ you
Travis

[losifreak2004]

Where have I been? Dealing with the painful outside reality called "life". It gets quite complicated LOL. Especially with GIRLS!

Anyway, that's for another time. Silver State was a mess. The two rounds they ran in the morning would have put me in the B, but then they scratched those two and tried to fix the computers, only to run three more that night with nothing fixed. The track got cold and beat up, I was upset (to say the least) that they scratched two rounds for no reason and didn't fix anything, and I ended up in the F, where I broke at the 7 minute mark.

It was my first ever race outside of CA, and my fifth big gas race ever, so I have time to improve LOL.

StadiumJ - The Ready-To-Race, if that is the one that comes with the Picco, has the stock pipe. And yes, it is a good pipe. The new black one, however, might be a little easier to control. I'll have to test one.

For the Picco, the Trinity blue pipe, the AE pipe, and the old Losi GTX pipe are probably your best bets.

ragamuffin - The new gear and hub are off-white. The old ones were black. If you have these, send them into Losi and they will send you a free replacement. Make sure you have no washers above/below the engine mounts, and that you have the stock flywheel (if you got the kit used). That should be all there is to it.

Check to make sure there are no leaks, and that your engine isn't too rich. "Clean the engine out" by applying half throttle before you shut the car off (and any other time it sounds plugged up) for about three seconds, or until it cleans out.

Hold the right rear tire and spur gear in one hand and turn the left hand. If this is easy, your diff needs to be tightened or rebuilt. If it makes a crunching noise then you stripped a gear.

No use waiting a couple more months (the Mugen doesn't exist yet) for a Losi-clone......

Nate - quick note: most factory drivers will drill 60's out to 556's or whatever, instead of starting with a 56. Send me an e-mail about your CV-R, my address is in my profile. I'll see what I can do about keeping your O.S. running

M2's when the track is wet will be fine, but if the track is rough, stick with M3's. Also, when the track is dry, run M3's all the time.

Losirtr - The RB is a NovaRossi based motor. Yes, they make plenty of power, but to be anywhere close to user-friendly they need the OS carb, which can be fitted with an adapter, one of which is made by Lunsford.

Whew! That was long!
Aaron

[purplerides]

ragamuffin - no harm no foul , you must have got an oddball , the early kits had black idler compound gears , the improved version is an off whiteish/beige color some guys did have problems with the black ones i didn't mine are still in service , well actually i guess they aint i just built a whole new truck in dec. so now there still in service on my back-up truck..lol. i may have been on edge a little last night when i made that post , i'm spending 300k on a new house and the realitor has poor customer focused communication skills and don't seem to compelled to call when she has new info , she just kinda waits until you talk to her even if it's a day or so later , in the mean time your walking around wondering if your offer was accepted or not.

[winning edge designs]

Ragamuffin,see my post from 03-09-2002 01:11 AM,thread number 67,2nd post on it.


Jim

[tarvymoto]

I hear ya on the girlfreind issue. Keep your chin up though , the girlfriend of mine that once broke my heart is now my wife and mother of my 2 kids:D . Don't sweat it though cause you are still young. Also , it sounds like you will have your time on the podeum soon enough so keep at it:cool:

[cabbynate]

Tarvymoto

I did get that Picco. It is not the rear exhaust motor though.
I started to break it in today and so far so good. I have friends that have them and they love them. I will still try to get the OS going to. I took it to hobby town and they said to send it to OS and see what they say. The bearing bits went through the motor and the rest is history. We will see.
Aaron,

That is a good idea about the skock pistons. I am going to start doing my own so I know for sure they are the right size. YEA!!!
:)

[igozoom]

Jim, Purple, Thanks !

Aaron - It is nice to see you back to posting. I have learned a lot from you, sir. The board is not the same without you around!

Cabbynate - I am running the Picco with the OS 10 er on one of my trucks. I don't think you will be disappointed sir. I was looking at my options for my 2nd truck which has a Dynamite SPD.

Tarvey - Check your private mail. I am running reds in front, pinks in rear, 56's, .012 limiters, 30 wt, and ITZ racing seals all the way around. Moving to 35 wt as I am driving more aggressively and the jumps got bigger. Still don't have it quite right (My driving or my suspension). Bring what you are running now. I have the extra oils, pistons etc.

Good news, going down to change the track again today. Club voted to get rid of the stank a$$ oval which surrounds track. The new track will be twice as big. WOOOHOOO!!!!!! Can you say 19 teeth?

Dirt is 70 % clay, 30 % sand. A little loose in places but packs hard. Bring Ifmars, Ifmars, some of those Ifmars, and, if you have any laying around, Ifmars. Razor Blades for the front. Also, throw in a rear set of stock step pins just in case.

I am taking Friday off from work so we can go down and play !!!!!
Don't worry about the racing part. You will have a blast sir. It's just some really good hearted local guys that bleed nitro. lol.

You can pit with/near me on Sunday if your brother isn't going to race. I have compress.,table and shade !!!!!!!!!

Looking forward to seeing you.

[tarvymoto]

Is it Friday yet!!! lol . I'll bring the Ifmar Pins and the Razor pins/ribs ect. It would be great to pit w/ you cause "I ain't bringing a table from up North"hehe.I've got my fingers crossed that mother nature is going to be kind to us. I'm bringing my Bro down an engine so he should be racing if he doesn't have to work.
Travis

You may want to email me again cause I not sure where my mail goes from this site:confused:
travymoto@aol.com

[igozoom]

Tarvey, better bring spare parts. The track is huge. Made a jump cross over, double triple into a berm, double double, and a Mac Daddy 30 foot triple. The start is a 100 foot straight into a nasty hairpin. Can you say mayhem?

Haven't driven it yet. Watched a guy with a xxx nt come up a foot short three times.

Racing tomorrow. I will let you know. Pray for me, but more importantly, pray for my trucks !

[tarvymoto]

I love it. I've got plenty of spare parts so thats not a prob. I guese I'll bring the body w/ the wings on it.lol . Let me know how it goes.

[dkj-M3]

:D Hey fella's had my 1st ever race at http://www.crcrc.com/ I signed up as a novice & being my 1st race, I started (8th) last in the last heat. So the 1st Qualifing round I was just riding behind the other trucks waiting for them to make a mistake. They did & I made my way up to the lead (best time). We had 5 minute heats, so about the 3:30 mark I went over a jump wrong landed upside down, then smack, I'm hit & out the race(broken ball cup).:mad: So I fix it for the next round. I was 2nd fastest then, would've been 1st but I kept getting caught up in traffic. 3rd round I was 1st. So I ended up starting 2nd in the D-main(I should've been in the C-main, Oh-well). We had a clean start down the straight & around the 1st turn, but I couldn't get past the #1 truck & the pack was gaining on me & wound up bumping me off the track(I'm the 1st causulty) so I'm dead last:eek: I keep my cool & work my way through the field til I'm in 3rd then 2nd & 6sec behind the #1 truck. So I'm gaining every lap until I'm right on his tail with 2min remaining, I wasn't going to try to pass him until about 30sec til the end. But riding on his tail must have been too much pressure for him, he slowed going down the table top, which made me rear end him. We both got a little out of wack, he got turned around & I was just side-ways. So I took the lead & didn't look back. I finished 1st with about a lap lead over 2nd. http://www.plauder-smilies.de/laugh2.gif



Move over sponsored drivers The One is risinghttp://www.blackgoku.com/Knightmare.gif

[igozoom]

Congrats on your race. I too have just started racing the last two months or so. There is nothing quite like it! I am surprised more folks don't race.

Race on !!!!!

[tarvymoto]

How did the truck hold up to the new layout. My brother saud the track is balisitic. I'm packing up my gear to leave Tuesday.
Travis

[igozoom]

The track is sick, mad, phat, huge !!! ( See all the words I learned hanging out with the youngsters today! hehehe)

The track is incredible. I drove like a goon in practice. Cost me an a arm. Settled down some prior to the heats. Took 1st in the first heat, 2nd the second, and got bumped to the B main. :mad:
So many people in B main had torn up trucks that they bumped the remainder of us to the A Main. First time in the A main for me.

I let everyone take off then got on it. There was a four car pile up over the cross over jump. I just buried the throttle and luckily got over everyone. Took 3rd in the main. :D It was a cheesy way to make the A main, but I will take it.

At least I got a chance to see how flippin slow I drive compared to the fast guys. Second place passed me with 2 minutes left. First place was turning 8-10 seconds a lap faster times. He placed top 10 oa in a Nats race so I don't feel too bad. A lot of guys went home with broke vehicles.

The 30 foot triple is amazing. Trucks are about 12 feet off the ground. You have days to adjust the altitude. Did you know that if you leave the throttle buried off of the face of a jump, you can do a back flip? lol

My truck held up great. The A arm was my fault. Picco ran like a dream, thanks the OS 10 er carb) although a touch rich. Without sounding like a commercial, the punnishment I put my truck through today shows that the xxx nt can take it, and still dish it out.

Racing this weekend is Saturday night, not Sunday, due to the heat.

Drive safe on the way down. Get ready for some serious air time!

[tarvymoto]

Congrats on the making the A. What time do the festivities start on Saturday night? Might be tight due to a previous engagement(a friend's kid's B-day party at 2pm) but I'll be able to make it.
Did you buy the 10 er carb in town there? I may put one on my Picco 12 rr cause I'm not fully satisfied w/ the slide carb's idle while braking(carb wants to close all the way while appling brakes). As is , I use just a hint of drag brake to get around the corners w/out to much brake input. I don't think the slide carb can be limited to stay open a tad during braking.
Anyway if anyone on here uses a slide carb and has a suggestion let me know;)
I'm bringing my Rossi RS 12 w/ rotary to so if I'm not happy w/ the Picco , I'll throw in the Rossi:D .

[tarvymoto]

Jville pics courtisy of my brother

[tarvymoto]

check out the buggy over the marshal's head.

[purplerides]

tarvymoto - the slide carb. does have a idle screw on it , it works the same as the one on the barrel carb. preventing it to close fully , it should be on the same side of the carb. as the main needle , just below main needle and to the side a little , it sticks out at an angle , and the low end needle is on the opposite end of carb. , it's right were the linkage connects to slide.

[dkj-M3]

tarvymoto-That track is foolin,big airhttp://www.plauder-smilies.de/angel3.gifWhere's it located:confused:I'm guessing Jacksonville,Florida.

[tarvymoto]

If it was a snake , it would have bit me. Thanks. See you at Vineland in 3 weeks.

djk , yeah good ole Jacksonville. A year ago I dropped by this old track and it was in serious neglect.Now it is in full bloom.:D

[Nutter]

wow.. that track scares me! :p I'd be too scared to drive there, seriously.. I wouldn't want to hurt by baby like that!! ;)


-Nutter

[igozoom]

Tarvey, racing is gonna start at 5. Sign in deadline is 4:30 I think. We will work it our when you get here. I bought the os 10 er brand new off ebay for 25.00 from some road freak that converted to slide. I am looking for another one but it appears that I got a great deal. Is it friday yet ?

The track scares me and I help build it! lol

Seriously, I have only been doing this seriously for about 4 months, and I am a no talented, 39 year old (as of today),non driving hack. If an old man can clear the triple, so can all you young pups!

The track is changed to remove cross over double (in upper left hand corner of 1st picture) for novice. They all did great. As for the triple, you can always ease up to double it when you get out of whack.

That's A.J. Johnsons Mod Buggy. As info, fastest lap time was 43 seconds in Nitro GT truck. AJ was turning 40's regularly and turned 39's three laps. Pretty fast for a flash light !

If anyone is around jacksonville, Florida, email me. THis track will be gone 12-31-02. We are building a new one.

Can you say Quad option? hehehe

W.E.D. Jim - This track has got to be calling your name!

[dkj-M3]

http://www.plauder-smilies.de/party/torte.gif

[tarvymoto]

my brother said it best in the RC10GT forum"This track could be a racers wet dream or worst nightmare":D
All I can say is that I'm bringing ALL my spare parts just in case.;)

YEAH JOHN- HAPPY B-DAY

[igozoom]

Tarvey, between the two of us, we will have spare parts covered. I also have an extra xxx nt with only 10 tanks of gas through it, not including engine break in. We will raise heck until they all break ! lol

[winning edge designs]

igozoom,it sure is,i'm sure i'll be there for the state series race. There is one there I beleive. see you then...:)........Jim

[steves91]

Hey guys!! I just wanted to show you the xxxnt i bought on ebay at the end of last week. I cant wait til i get it, hopefully by the end of this week, and i cant wait til the snow melts up here. All you guys in florida are making me jealous.. lol.

He ended the auction early cuz i gave him a good offer. I was watching the auction the whole week and i knew i wanted it. It was at 365 with 2 1/2 days left so i offered him 425 and he accepted. Do you guys think this is a good deal or no?

Heres the link to it:
Ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1712561917)

[purplerides]

steve - if everything is as fresh as he claims you made out ok , it would be a good deal , not a great deal , but a good deal , you didn't get ripped , usually used or even slightly used r/c equipment doesn't have good resale value , for the stuff you purchased you did save a good chunk compared too if you paid retail. have fun you'll have a blast.

[drdirt]

Hi guys; Just wondering if any of you guys ever tried the 3 pc wheels from losi so you can change tires without messing with glue, unglue,glue,unglue...ect ect. How did they work and where did you get them. Thanks, Jim P.S. racin season is right around the corner in Jersey and I gotta put the whupp on my kid!!!..........LOL:D

[StadiumJ]

I can't speak for the 3 pc wheels, but I can highly recommend the pre-glued tires from Losi. I just received my sets of pre-glued silver directionals and step-pins to go with the reds that came with my RTR. In comparing the two, the packaged pre-glued tires are MUCH better. They look machine-assembled with perfect edges and virtually no excess glue. The tires that came with my RTR look decidedly hand-glued. The packaged tires are also consistently round whereas the RTR's wobble. At less than $25 per pair (at Horizon), they are a good value as well.

In case you'd like to see the part #s for all of the pre-glued Losi tires, go to the Complete Parts List at teamlosi.com. Search by Description for the word "glued". I couldn't find them any other way.

[drdirt]

Thanks stadiumj ; I was hoping someone had experience with losi tires. I've only had pro line tires and in the horizon big book I see losi markets there own tires. The sneaky dogs. Bow ties and fuzzies and step pins I've seen but what are the losi tires like. I assume the different colors are compounds, but I can't get a picture of the tread patterns. Thanks again, and a cold beer is on me, Jim:cool:

[lositeamdriver]

ok back from silver state it was fun adam drake had fun as soon as the xxxmain video comes out buy it becuse there is going to be a part about a bum it was so funny just get the new video or ask adam drake about the bum named adam drake well i justed picked up a mars ex1 and i was wandering if any one has one and likes it

[fdisker]

Wow!! You should think about using some punctuation when posting on this board. A period here or there would make your posts much easier to read and understand.

[purplerides]

Dr.Dirt , i don't think losi ever made 3 pc. wheels atleast i've never saw or heard of them , i know AE used to but i don't know if they still do. They weren't very good , the tires would eventually slip out. Losi work good on some tracks and the proline tires work better on some tracks , here's i link to losi's tire chart/guide http://www.teamlosi.com/newprod/tirechart/tirechart.htm

[winning edge designs]

TeamLosi did have 3 peice wheels available,but they are in a offset to fit the Junior T,also possibly not available.

As far as tire choices go,it has been my experience that TeamLosi tires work on a very broad range of surfaces. But the Proline tires seem to only be good on harder packed,sandy surfaces,imo. I like Ifmar pins/bigshots on firm,but not packed wet tracks. Step-pins on loamy tracks,wet or dry and Tapers or sprints on Bluegroove tracks,or for hardpacked/grooved tracks in gas truck,T-Bones are great. On a sandy fairly hard track surface I go to the Holeshots usually.......Jim

[losirtr]

StadiumJ: Your original tires/wheels probably wobble because they have been used. Jumps will bend the wheel a little and the foams will start to wear creating a "wobble" (how do you spell wobble?)

[StadiumJ]

Hey guys, I was wondering what I would get with the "anodized shock sets", part #s A-5033 and A-5034. They cost $27.55. I am assuming that each would come with everything that you'd need to build 2 complete shocks (minus springs). Someone please fill me in. Thanks.

[drdirt]

Thanks purplerides for the info. What's the track like in vineland? What day do they run? Have you been to American Raceway? Just wondering!! My son and I are gonna travel around a little bit this year. Maybe we can kick up a little dust.:p

[drdirt]

Thanks again winning edge design. If my buddies keep running over my truck, I'm gonna need a body quick. :D Forgive me but I forgot your web site. I will be in touch. ssshhhh dont tell my kid!!:D :D

[winning edge designs]

drdirt,its at www.jconcepts.net

Stadium,the "shock set" comes with everything except springs,even bolts,shock ends,etc. But keep in mind the "sets" aren't threaded shock bodies!.......Jim

[purplerides]

dr.dirt - Vineland runs all of the electric classes and gas truck and hpi 4wd gas trucks as a second gas class , i race in both gas classes , we usually get around 35 gas trucks out , that's the biggest single class most weeks , A-main 15 mins. B-main is usually 10 mins. all others 5 , i have race at American raceway i usually make it up 4 - 6 times a year , they run a good program they get more electric guys then gas , there under new ownership but i'm sure from what i hear the new guy should still run a good show , as always there'll be a hiccup or two along the way. i think you'll like Vineland come on down i there every week , i run tech there , there's only a couple of weeks i won't be there , 1 if i go to my 20 year reunion , and the weekend of the gas offroad regionals in Virginia.

[cabbynate]

StadiumJ and every one else.

If you don't balance your tires they will wabble.
I had tires that were not ballanced and they shook my car like mad. I balanced them and they smooth as glass.;)

[lositeamdriver]

you go nate!! nate see you for the point series i wont be there tilll next weekend. i had to order a remote the mars ex 1!

[cabbynate]

Yea Bubba, I don't think I will make it out this week either.

[PJCruz]

I was wondering what had happened here. I was getting email updates on posts here on this thread and they stopped coming.. so I thought it died. Glad to see everyone jamming away...

I haven't been offroading lately...hopefully my next weekend off. That Picco is going to lay waste to all in it's path =)

Pete

[winning edge designs]

pj,do you have e mail notification disabled or enabled?


cabbynate,i usually balance my tires for bigger races,but not club races. It's just too much work for the limited performance gains at smaller races. Not to mention the dirt that can get in the wheel and throw off the balance as well! It seems to make the best improvement on blue grooved smooth tracks,where it can be felt and seen the most............Jim

[StadiumJ]

1. On Drake's standard setup he has "2 dg pivots" on the rear end. Is this the hub?
2. Do the internal limiters go on inside of the shock cartridge or on the outside on the shaft?
3. I have the shock spacer set. What are the two different sizes I have?

Thanks alot.

[WHITESTER1]

StadiumJ

The internal limiters go on the inside of the shock. Underneath the shock piston, and e clip.

[WHITESTER1]

For the most part is everyone happy with the stock clutch?
Has anyone seen a need to install an MIP clutch kit?

Thanks... almost done with my XXXNT. Installing the TR right now!

[purplerides]

Whitester1 - the stock clutch and the mip clutch are the same design , they are different materials , i haven't noticed any performance gains/or loses between the two clutches.

[StadiumJ]

Ok, got it. But what are "2 dg pivots". Is that the same thing as a 2 degree hub?

[tarvymoto]

Igozoom(background) and Tarvymoto(forground) mixing it up

[tarvymoto]

This track will make you pay for a mistake. A few broken parts from the morning session. After we settled down though it was smooth sailling.

[WHITESTER1]

How did you break the shock towers? Landing on your lid??

[winning edge designs]

Stadiumj,by "pivot" adam means the arm mount,or block on the chassis. the standard setting is 2 degrees,no shim ft or rear of the block.


travymoto,looks like one old design tower and one new design.............Also looks like someone was trying too hard over the jump,staying in the gas and flipping over backwards...right?....Jim,LOL

[tarvymoto]

the only thing I personally broke was a shock tower. the top of the shock mount part chipped off. Other than that I was ok. This track is very challenging w/ alot more air than your average track:eek:

[cabbynate]

W.E.D.

I just notice a lot less vibration from wheel spin with them balanced. The track I run on has a long stright (150ft) blue grove and my truck really tracks much strighter with the tires balanced.

I look at balancing tires like cutting comms. I don't enjoy doing either of them but I like the performance gains.

[losifreak2004]

There's NO WAY the straight at Western R/C is 150 feet......

Either that, or my truck was just really fast LOL.

I balance my rear tires, the fronts for bigger races, and I always glue the foam to the rim with 3M Spray Glue, then mount the tire over it.

Aaron

[Nutter]

Great tip about the 3M spray glue Aaron, I think I'll try that for my next set of tires and see if it makes it any less painful.. thanks! :)


-Nutter

[iondsky]

Listening to y'all talk about your adventures has me in knots! I live in the Southeast and we have gotten a lot of rain over the past couple of weeks. When it is nice enough to get out and run, the track is way too muddy. With nice days (but cold!) yesterday and today, I'm hoping I get to run tomorrow. It's supposed to warm up a bit too. Wish me luck!

Thom

[winning edge designs]

HEH HEH HEEEEeee

Travy,you didn't think I was implying you drove the jumops too hard,did you?............Not that I haven't done so myself though,haha!

I've seen the old towers break,even saw the shock mount area break off a friends XXX buggy,he had it set up so he bottomed out the shock before the chassis. I haven't seen a broken rear arm until those pics though,hmmmmm?............Jim

[cabbynate]

OK, maybe 100ft?????:D

[igozoom]

Jim, Tarvey got off cheap with a shock tower. Today cost me two rear A arms. Tarvey is real smooth driving and fast too !. Every once in a while I could put it on him; however, I spent most of the day looking at the a$$ end of his truck,or worse, finally catching him only to put my truck in the pipe. :D

We are going to test some more tomorrow and race tomorrow night.

We did have a blast, though. I almost drove like I knew what I was doing. hehehe

[tarvymoto]

One thing I learned today is that Igozoom "talks softly and drives a fast truck". He may talk modest but he can throw it down!!!Seriously Igo is a class act all the way. We had an absolute blast today. Can't wait till tommorrow.

[purplerides]

you know i actually had better luck with the old shock tower , never broke one on the track , the truck was over a year old last summer , and at a race at another track , after a practice session my buddy ask me to get a couple temps. on his motor when he practiced so i set my truck up on the tech table and was standing with another friend bsing and my truck rolled off the tech table and broke the shock tower $^%T , i broke two of the new ones on my new truck in Ohio , one would have broken no matter what , ran out of fuel a little past halfway down the straight during open practice maybe the guy with that 1/8th scale didn't hear me and the annoucer yelling watch the straight multiple times before he hit me while WFO as$^*(@ he broke the batt. box , shock tower and rear A-arm , then during warm ups for one of the quals there was a crash in front of me at a relatively slow section of the track i stopped the three trucks pretty much had the track blocked so there was no where to go , and someother guy came in the corner so fast there was no way he could have possibly made it through the corner and hit me and broke another shock tower as$%^$( , it's warm up's people it's for your motor not you! you won't lose any positions on the grid if you don't as fast as you can , if the track is clear great go for it grrrr.

unfortunately his truck didn't break during the crash just mine , it took a lot for me not to tune him up , but it is just r/c racing.

hmm that's weird i noticed when i posted that my post count , i lost like 40 post , no big deal.

[purplerides]

only 2 more weeks from today my race season starts ... yahooo! sure hope it warms up , 70degs. one day , down in the 20's and windy for next 4, been like this for 2-3weeks now....grrrr

or i guess i should say brrrr.....LOL

[Racin Rev]

'bout time you all had winter. :p

[winning edge designs]

Purplerides,It's cool to see your getting back into your season!...I won't tease you about racing in Florida.............:),Jim

[tarvymoto]

I'm going to try and make it to the opening Saturday at Vinelands.

Igozoom and I had a great night at the races tonight. I won my first qually (a dnf for the fastest guy in the heat helped:D ). I ended up quallifiying 3rd for the A and Igozoom a very close 4th. We ended up finishing that way in the 10minute A as well.

The guys in Jacksonville have a GREAT track.

Starts with a meaty crossover doulble into a 280* left hand sweeper that goes under the crossover.Then its into a nice chicane thats leeds into the dble & tpl . A 90* left w/ a burm leads into an infield strit that has a 2" speeds bumbs 2/3rds the way down.Another 90* left leeds into a nice left to right doulbe doulble timing jump section w/ a left at the end. A small stait leeds into a chicane that leads into a right hand sweeper then down a nice infield strait. That leads into a slight right hander w/ a corner mogul table top thingy. Finally this leads the the right hander before the HUGE triple and high speed sweepers that come back around to the start finish. whheeeew!!! it's a huge track.Speacial thanks to Igo- you da man brother!!!

[purplerides]

tarvymoto - i hope you can make it , and i hope it warms up some , i'm sure you'll make down sometime during the season if something comes up and can't make the opener.

Jim - i'll be down your way in Nov. for the gas nats. right now i can't wait until the season starts haven't raced since Ohio , and it was the week before thanksgiving when i raced last before going to Ohio.

this winter sucked for me , it really wasn't that cold for the most part , but i didn't even get out to do some sking just no time.

[igozoom]

Tarveymoto - Now that I met you, I see how you are. I take 3rd and 2nd in my heats, you take 1st and 2nd in yours. It takes me 6 minutes to catch up to you in the main, and you put a half lap on me in that last four minutes !!!!!!!! :D One of these days I am going to learn to drive as smooth as you do !

Seriously, I had a great time. If you can squeeze in some time when you are down here next, let me know. The offer still stands to stay at the house when you are back in town.

Send me your address and I will send you some limiters. Also, email me with email address for those trinity bags. They are awesome !

PS - Good luck trying to get that clay off of your tires !

[tarvymoto]

I may take you up on that offer.That track is the mack. At the rate you're going by the time I come back you will be dominating that place.
PS I gotta post a pic of our cars after the main(when my bro sends pics to me). Can you say "caked on baked on" lmao

Travis

[drdirt]

purplerides; Some of my buddies want to come down vineland, but none of us have ever run an offroad track before. Do they have a practice session before the 6th? How close do they follow ROAR rules? Could you give me brief layout of the track. Thanks again, Jim

[losifreak2004]

Nutter - The foam doesn't shift around and keeps the tires in balance a lot longer. Also, when you hold your truck up and gas it, there's no shake from the foams wobbling. Good stuff!

All you poor East Coast guys...LOL. I'll stay in Sunny CA thank you very much!

[tarvymoto]

Tarvy & Igozoom's after the race

[big_worm]

hey guys, i own several play cars including a t-maxx and i want a racing car so i chose a xxx-nt and i was wondering if you guys could help me, i want a os .12 cv-r engine for it and i need to know, do you guys know how fast it'll be?? and are there any other hop ups i need??? thanks

[brknwheel]

big_worm... The cvr will be plenty fast to win races. Get yourself some lunsford turnbuckles. That's probably all you need right away.

[losifreak2004]

Good stuff Brknwheel!

[DaLoSiGuYWiTdAxXxNt]

Hey guys...i havent been here in a while...me and my dad went to da park and drove our cars....

I brought my xxxnt.

He brought his classic buggy: the Ofna Tempo. everything was going good but da battery pack came off. den it just went straight off about 100 feet full throttle and hit a wall. lots of things broke...heres a picture of the car

[DaLoSiGuYWiTdAxXxNt]

how come it didnt show up? wut type of files do u guys attach?

[Nutter]

JPG, less than 60kb in size. It would be a good idea to use a throttle return spring.. it'd save you a lot of pain like this.. :p


-Nutter

[big_worm]

do you guys know, does the xxxnt handles just like the xxxt, only it's nitrous???

[igozoom]

Big - I had a xxxt (stock) prior to purchasing my xxx nt's.

They handle similar but different. Best I can explain it, the motor in the xxx nt seems to place much more force on the suspension and truck. More yank, more roll, etc. It took me a little while to make the adjustment.

Now that I think about it, DUH, more powerful motor = suspension set up criticality.

Can anyone else help with the explanation?

[Nutter]

I noticed in a thread in the nitro forum that Losi have FINALLY released a signature edition XXX-NT.. the Drake XXX-NT. I can't find any info on it on the Losi site.. Horizons site list it, but have no information on it. Aparently it's got all the graphite goodies of course, but in the thread there was no mention of titanium parts (I'm guessing it'd have ti turnbuckles though).

Anyone have any more info on the Drake XXX-NT? What colour will it be? What comes with it? How much? How soon? How can I justify its purchase to my girlfriend? ;) :D

*edit: oh yea, it's part #A-0845 - "XXX-NT Graphite Drake Edition", listed on Horizons site for $319.99. My bet's on it'll be green.. perhaps yellow though. :)
*edit again: Stormer has it listed, 4c cheaper! hehe.. it must be top secret though, cos the description for it there is only half a sentence, as if it was censored, lol :p "All of the race winning features of the " :(


-Nutter

[purplerides]

Dr.Dirt - sorry there's no practice during the week , the only practice is on sats. for 1 hour prior to racing , the track has been there since 1982 and he is set in his ways , he works on the track during the week and puts a lot of work in it he don't want the track all torn up for race day.

the layout hmm i'm not real good with desciptive words but i'll give it my best shot , the track has a starting grid that merges with the track at the end of the straight ok , were off the grid into a sharp lefthander a blip or two of the throttle to a jump we call the camel back , it's about 2-1/2 to 3 feet high but you hit it kinda slow to land the downside perferable front wheels first and turned hard to the right because at the base of the jump is the appex of the turn it's easy to overjump if you do someone will pass you on the inside, ok around the righthander a blip of the throttle to a hill turning left as you go up the hill and hard left at the top 180 down the hill over a jump then into a lefthander (more then 90deg less then 180 deg.)? wasn't very good in geometry...hehe a quick blip to a similiar righthander hard on the throttle to a set of small double table tops note: traction 90% of the time is good enough to lauch the first one and land on the top of the second table after the table into a 90 righthander a couple little timing type jumps , over another small table and a slight curve right to a 180 to a large jump ( it's pretty easy to make) you don't have to hit 100mph though looking a it appears that way i ain't gonna hazard a guess as to how high or for it is , after jump back into the throttle for a second to a left hander , down the main straight 120ft-130ft long left at the end of the straight.

i told you i can't put it in words well , Matt Francis was interveiwed at the chicago show by a mag. question whats your favorite track? ans. i don't have 1 favorite so i'll give my top five and Vineland was one of them.

[purplerides]

oh yea the times , during the month of April practice and registration is 12:30 - 1:30 then radio impound , racing starts 2:00 , after April 1:30- 2:30 prac. & reg. racing at 3:00 , there's a complete hobby shop. We follow the rules pretty close but not buttheads about it , .12's motors except RTR's they can run the motor that came with the car. most of the time as long as it isn't a super advantage you'll be let go and told to make it right next time. for the mains if your in the "A" it's normally 15 mins. with one mandatory pit stop , due to unequal size of talks from manufacture to manufacture , that way we don't have to tech. tanks etc.

Also bring an alternate freq. or two if you can, you should have a least three it does make things easier , and right them down on your reg. that way the heats are easier to set up , can't tell you how many times it has become a problem , esp. for the mains.

[iondsky]

Hey y'all :)

Anyone have any suggestions on finding carb restrictors to fit a picco carb? Thanks! :)

Thom

[cabbynate]

Thom,

I think Trinity make them. They have three sizes.

[winning edge designs]

Big_worm,The Electric XXXT and the Gas XXX-NT handle similar,but not the same. The Gas truck feels top heavy in comparison,but if you drove an older Gas truck it feels MUCH closer to an electric. The difference between the two is closer then it's ever been with earlier models. You''ll obviously also notice more power,even with mild engines,but slower lap times,since electric is more forgiving thru the power band.......btw,they don't run on "Nitrous",they run on Nitromethane and alcohol. The main difference being on thier own Nitromethane is flamable,Nitrous is not.



iondsky,If you have a higher end radio,you should have high and low end point adjustments. Use your radio to limit the high end point throttle opening. Set it to whatever you feel is the least you can get away with down the straight away...This way when traction is higher and fuel mileage is no problem it's only a twist of the transmitter controls and a little more high end enrichment and off you go...........Jim

[cabbynate]

Thom

Trinity part no,TRI8118 for three carb restrictors That fit Picco and Nova Rossi carbs.

[tarvymoto]

my favorate carb restricter is my index finger:D

[cabbynate]

W.E.D has a good idea and a lot cheaper than carb restrictors.
;)