GS Racing Storm and Storm Pro v2.0

[Fidelio]

given the new layout of our track, i just went up to 50 front 40 rear, but i'm running kanai shocks with the 2 hole teflon pistons, and soft blue kyosho springs.

this will be the heaviest i've gone so far so the changes should be entertaining. if i can get my car all back together in time i'll be racing tomorrow for the first time on our new bigger, more complex, layout.

[Mika]

Okay, pretty close. Someone earlier posts said about blue springs (with pink and yellow on top) and 25,30 oils. I'm just about to go on track so let's see. If too hard, I'll switch to those (got oils with me). Thanks,
-Mika

[Mika]

Just returned from the track; I felt this setup was really good, I even inserted thick C-clipses to all four corners to get them even harder. The rear body post is a pain; the Storm body keeps breaking at rear..damn.

[doesgo]

I think those OFNA shocks are their low-end stuff from their Ho Bao buggies. The better shocks, from what I understand, are the ones off the Hyper cars.

I just scored a full set of Storm RTR shocks for $10.50 off eBay. I love eBay, almost as much as I love having spare parts! :)

[Fidelio]

we had a rough section on our track today which got pretty rutted out, and the heavier oil upset my car on the rough section but was definitely a plus on all other areas of the track.

since i can do any maintenance i want on the track i think i'll get the tractor out with the heavy brush and even out the rough spot rather than change my setup. :p

i finished 7 laps up on second place today. :confused: guess the other guys were having trouble. i was a too busy turning laps to pay too close attention to who was going out and who was coming back in. hope they were having regular problems like flameouts and spending time on their lids rather than breaking parts because of the new layout. :(

[doesgo]

I TQ'd with my Storm on Saturday, but by the mains, my track was pretty rough too, one section actually caused me to flip end-over-end while going in a straight line, which became rather frustrating. I learned to avoid it but that slowed me down and I ended up taking 2nd place.

Here's a shot of my nearly-stock Storm from Saturday's race:
http://www.doesgo.com/rc/storm1race3.jpg

[Mika]

Great man! Looking good!
-Mika

[Fidelio]

smokin!

[Mika]

Guys, do you use stabilizers both front and rear?

[Fidelio]

i just put my front one back on since our 'new' track has several flat turns and no designated rough section. i've always kept the rear on.

so yes, i use both swaybars.

[Gmanlusk2004]

i don't use either, i race on a very motocross style track... lots of jumps, and lots of whoops so it's pretty rough.

so no, i don't use any

[doesgo]

I don't use any either, but my track is loose and rough.

[Mika]

Okay, thanks guys. Maybe I'll try next without, too.

[Mika]

What's your opinion: Is worth putting the Pro chassis or Fioroni ? I'll install Pro braces tomorrow for the Saturday club race..but I'm thinking is the Pro chassis also one to get.. also that would propably mean Pro shocks and front knuckles, Graphite parts, hinge pins..making it full-blown Pro. Opinions?

(I've already converted Pro anti-squat, steering plate, shock towers and braces soon)

[doesgo]

I just can't get past the $210 entry fee for the Fioroni chassis conversion!

[Mika]

Sounds a bit salty to me, too. Any real benefits on average tracks compared to the Sport chassis ..?

[Gmanlusk2004]

my stock chassis holds up just fine, i just have the pro brace on the rear with the stock brace up front. it's rigid enough and inexpensive

[faustino]

I've bought the fioroni chassis the OT-GS30 i'm still waiting for the moment that i will put my storm again in our track last time i was there a guy crashed in me and broke my pro chassis, it ripped the holes that hold the rear right suspension, and bent the shock shaft.
I've seen that much people complaint about thet quality of storm shocks are you guys talking about the normal or the pro shocks?

[Mika]

ok faustino, did you find it beneficial before the crash?

yeah, are the pro ones much better? My suspension is a bit too "tight" with stock shocks..

[faustino]

i didn't understand what you meant with beneficial before the crash.

The pro shocks have a treated body and the caps are completely made of metal not like the stock ones. the refs are GS-ST123 (http://www.gsracing.com/gsracing/page.asp?pg=products&catid=73&fatherid=56&rootid=0&id=1258) for the short, GS-ST124 (http://www.gsracing.com/gsracing/page.asp?pg=products&catid=73&fatherid=56&rootid=0&id=1263) for the Medium and GS-ST125 (http://www.gsracing.com/gsracing/page.asp?pg=products&catid=73&fatherid=56&rootid=0&id=1264) for the long.

[Gmanlusk2004]

i'm talking about the stock GS Shocks. the pro's i hear are actually just fine and i think they sell for 30 bux a pair which is really nice compared to the 50 bux a pair for kanai shocks.

anyway, i like the new vehicles section. Its a lot like www.rcnitrotalk.com now.

[Mika]

i didn't understand what you meant with beneficial before the crash.


I meant, were/are you happy with the pro chassis

Well, I got the answer today I was racing today at local club, in the 3rd round I landed pretty badly one here's the result
ripped off (http://www.snrt.net/storm/crash.jpg) .. race over
Gonna get pro chassis for the next race plus a bunch of other pro parts

Btw, in 20+ cars Xray XB8 were 1st and 3rd, not bad ha
Among OFNA's, Mugens and Kyoshos (not so many Kyosho though)

cheers
-Mika

[Gmanlusk2004]

yeah.. that's a problem with the storms... that's never happened to me thank goodness. I actually have a spare chassis here at home that's still in good shape, it just has a lot of scratches on it from jumpin' too high, but it's in perfect working order. I got a new one with the diff kit. the diff kit came with all new parts for the diffs on the storm because there was a recall on them. so i installed all new diffs and got a new chassis for free. it was cool.

but now i'm in a pickle... i don't know if i should rebuild my O.S. vz-b or just get a new big-big block engine. i.e. dynamite mach .26

to rebuild my vz-b it will cost 130 about and the dynamite mach .26 makes about the same power, for the same price as a rebuild. only drawback is that it isn't roar legal. but the club races usually allow big big blocks so that's why i'm really thinking about getting it.

What do you guys think i should do?

later

[faustino]

Mika i had the pro chassis not the normal one like you.
I think the pro can get a lot more punishment than the normal like yours, now i'm waiting for the mailman to deliver my new chassis the option chassis from fioroni it has a kyosho style suspension.

[WhiteAkit]

I have a question about Airtronics 94357 and 94358 servos. I have a pro and recently purchased a set of the good Airtronics servos for it. When I went to install them it was a huge hassle. The servos are about 3.5mm taller than the JR servos that came with my radio.

I had to notch my carbon fiber servo tray to accommodate the plastic piece the sticks up between the servo bolt holes and added a 3mm thick spacer under each of seven (7) connection points between the chassis and the radio box and servo plate standoffs to get them to fit.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there an easier solution?

I have another pro and an sut to add good servos to.

What was GS thinking?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice you may be able to offer.

[Gmanlusk2004]

well, the JR servos mount below the servo plate while the Airtronics servo should mount above since they are taller. thats what i think...

[Fidelio]

gmanlusk is right, just mount it above the tray. i use the 358 for steering, mounted above the tray, no problems.

here's a pic of my radio tray at some point when it was obviously in need of a cleaning, but you can see the servo mounted above the tray.
http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046651563/StormPics/stormdirtyradiotray.jpg

[Mika]

Mika i had the pro chassis not the normal one like you.
I think the pro can get a lot more punishment than the normal like yours, now i'm waiting for the mailman to deliver my new chassis the option chassis from fioroni it has a kyosho style suspension.

Nice! Yes, getting (hopefully) the pro chassis for my next race. Let me know how the Fioroni is.
thanks,
-mika

[Fidelio]

another week, another storm victory. go gs!
http://www.tfbraceway.com/gallery/albums/userpics/07_18_04/normal_IMG_2297%20%28Small%29.JPG

[doesgo]

Congratulations!

[Mika]

Great! here's my new paint for the last race
http://www.snrt.net/storm/kisoissa.jpg
for the next gonna get the Team version with bunch of other parts
hopefully it will then last more than two first heats / rounds :-)
-Mika

[faustino]

Mika are you going to buy the pro chassis GS-STP05 (http://www.gsracing.com/gsracing/page.asp?pg=products&catid=73&fatherid=56&rootid=0&id=1430) or the fioroni OT-GS10 (http://www.gsracing.com/gsracing/page.asp?pg=products&catid=31&fatherid=8&rootid=1&id=80) that is like the pro?

[Mika]

The GS one (the whole TEAM kit with some other Pro parts along)

[Gmanlusk2004]

[QUOTE=Fidelio]gmanlusk is right, just mount it above the tray.QUOTE]

hey... what can i say... i do what i can!!!

has anyone tried the new werks .26 7 port engine? because my local track allows people to use big big block engines in the sportsman class and i think it would be cheaper just to buy a whole new engine that is .25 or above rather than replacing the piston/sleeve and conrod on my O.S. VZ-B

what do you think?

[Fidelio]

i'm not a fan of outlaw engines simply because people have a reason to point at for your winning other than your driver skill. i'm sticking with .21

[hotrodpablo]

Does anyone know what the major difference is between the rb s5, s7II, and the WS7II? I am considering getting one of them for my Storm rtr.

[faustino]

the major diference is that the s5 is a 5 port engine and the other two are 7 port, the s5 is a good engine for beginner's the s7II is for racer's and ws7II for serious racers RB has another engine the C5 that is their most powerfull engine for TT but the rb sponsorized racers say that it has to much uncontrolable power so they normally use the ws7II.

[faustino]

Mika why do you use the short spring shocks underneath the long?

[doesgo]

I'll take a "controllable" .21 over a monster block, myself. I'm not very experienced, mind you, but I've found I can drive a lot better with a decent .21 than with a high-powered .25 or larger. In my last race my main competition was against a guy in an OFNA Hyper 7 with a Picco .26 engine. I TQ'd over him by a few seconds and he ended up beating me in the main by a few seconds. We've been pretty even all season, we're pretty even drivers, and his big ol' .26 doesn't really seem to be doing that much for him. He says he likes the low-end grunt out of the corners, but a decent .21 should have enough, too.

As for buying a new engine for about the cost of rebuilding an old one....I HATE THAT! So frustrating. But that's the case with nearly everything these days, the whole is worth a LOT less than the sum of the parts. Ever get a VCR or DVD player repaired? Of course not, it's cheaper to throw it away and buy a new one. You can spend $85 on a piston/sleeve for an O.S. .12CV-R or buy an entire new engine for $105. Nice that new engines aren't that expensive, but still...

[Gmanlusk2004]

yeah it will cost me 135 dollars to rebuild my VZ-B!! And i don't do that much racing anymore... it's just very expensive, and the track is an hour away so i'm lazy w/ no money. so i just assume buying a monster block. but i dunno.... thanks for the input

[Mika]

Mika why do you use the short spring shocks underneath the long?

It so called dual rate or progressive damping; used also in real cars. Less stiff springs take the small bumps and stiffer take the bigger. It depends how want to setup, the stiff one longer or shorter travel, maybe stiffer one longer, not sure though.

[Gmanlusk2004]

i used both progressive and non-progressive springs and i didn't notice a difference... maybe i'm not a good enough driver to notice, but i dunno. I like the progressives just because they look cool
later

[faustino]

Mika i know what they are and what they do i was asking because i have the small spring above the long and you have the long above the small.

[Mika]

Mika i know what they are and what they do i was asking because i have the small spring above the long and you have the long above the small.


OK sorry. Don't know the difference, I've seen and tried both ways. I think it just a matter of tuning them softer/harder. Currently I have pretty strong fluids, so spring setup is hard. Gonna change it though for the next race as soon as I get the TEAM version.

[WhiteAkit]

Thank you to Gmanlusk2004 and Fidelio for help with the servos.

[WhiteAkit]

By the way, Fidelio, what is the other stuff hanging off your servo tray?

Another question. I read somewhere that putting your servos inside of balloons would help to protect them from dirt and moisture. What do you guys think of this? Would it make them overheat?

[evilGearhead]

is gs going to make a storm pro conversion kit for us rtr owners?
my rtr is falling apart, and all the pro parts cost a fortune seperately

[Fidelio]

By the way, Fidelio, what is the other stuff hanging off your servo tray?

Another question. I read somewhere that putting your servos inside of balloons would help to protect them from dirt and moisture. What do you guys think of this? Would it make them overheat?
the red thing is a personal transponder, used for racing to count your laps. the other bit with the body clip is a regular transponder mount. one track i run at doesn't have the newer timing hardware to recognise the personal transponders so i have to use one of theirs, which is the only reason i have it there.

on the balloons i think it's a personal choice thing. better servos have better internal seals than a standard servo so the balloons aren't really necessary. if you were bashing in a super wet environment (big puddles, big mud holes, or deep snow) then you might want to do it if there's a chance your servos could be half submerged in liquid.

where you should definitely use a balloon in wet conditions would be over your receiver. receiver + water = bad, bad, bad!

[Mika]

is gs going to make a storm pro conversion kit for us rtr owners?
my rtr is falling apart, and all the pro parts cost a fortune seperately

Good question. After racing the RTR few times I decided to go to full option PRO. I figured it's easier to upgrade whole car at once and most of my RTR parts were worn out more or less anyway. I'm gonna rebuild my RTR as well with a new stock chassis etc but just for fun (or maybe I'll sell it), but for racing I'm gonna use the PRO. The PRO is not that much more expensive anyway.

[faustino]

WhiteAkit i know some guys that paint the servos with nailpolish or glue so that they get waterproof i personally use one airtronics ERG-VB servo that is waterproof they are expensive but great servos.
Mika my new chassis the OT-GS30 has arrived i'm still mounting all the things in the new chassis by nw i can only say that it's beautifull it looks even better than in the fotos that i've seen in the net.

[WhiteAkit]

Differential Break-In

I am just putting the finishing touches on a newly built Storm Pro. I will be using an RB Worlds S7 from another vehicle. THis engine is already fully broken in.

My question is: Do I need to be concerned with the new differentials, do they need some sort of break-in procedure? If so, what is it?

Thanks in advance.

[faustino]

i usually don't break-in normal diferentials i know that thorsen diferentials need to bebreak-in.
What i do with the normal diferentials is run one time not to long, then i open and clean them so that if there some metal parts loose they don't damage the diferential.

[Mika]

Sounds great Faustino! Put pics here if you can..thanks!
-Mika

[faustino]

i will try to make some photos when i finish to put everything in the new chassis

[doesgo]

I blew another bladder/cap on my RTR shocks recently and thought some of the "special shock caps" (GSC25069), which are one-piece aluminum rather than a 2-piece plastic/metal arrangement, would set me up right. Well, they don't thread on my RTR shocks very far at all, not even far enough to cover the bleeder hole. There's $23 down the drain, it seems.

So, are these caps designed special for the Pro shocks or something? Is there anything I can do to improve the reliability of the RTR shocks as far as the caps go? And how does this bleeder hole function? Maybe I'm just missing something really obvious here...... :rolleyes:

[doesgo]

I sucked dirt past the stock filter on my Storm RTR's engine a while ago (pictures were posted a few pages back) and the engine ran like crap after that, of course. I only had about half a gallon of fuel through it at the time.

My question is, assuming I clean out the bearings, block, ports, and carburetor, is there any reason a new piston/sleeve would NOT basically restore it to like-new condition? I can get a P/S from Stormer for $45. I've got a new engine for my Storm now, but it'd be nice to be able to use this old engine for something besides a paperweight.

[Mika]

OK just finished my Pro
http://www.snrt.net/storm/PRO/2004-07-30%20093.JPG
First race tomorrow; didn't have time to run in my new GS Pro engine, so I'll race with b01 as installed. Seems pretty good, now I'm gonna give it a try on local track and in very wet conditions :(

[doesgo]

Looks great, Mika!

[Mika]

Yeah, thanks. The car was good in the race, but after cleaning it 2 days now and fixing it, it's now even better! I went through all the plastics parts in suspension to remove all drags etc. I filled the shocks carefully with 30wt oil in front and 20wt in rear. I also installed 1.5 degr kick-up blocks at rear to avoid the limitations in arm movement with 3 degr blocks; the travel was added a bit.
Now the suspension feels exellent as the whole car. Didn't break anything in the race this time, although the engine got us some problems (like for most drivers becaus of the really muddy conditions). We weren't able to qualify in semifinals giving us final position 23/30. Not good, but it was my first national race so I'm pretty happy. Like said, the car was good and now even better. Just need to run-in the new GS race engine and get back on track soon (can't wait!). Here's an excellent video and some links to pic galleries taken in the race. Top finnish drivers weren't in the race since driving for WC in our beloved neighbour Sweden during the weekend and this week.

My car looks like this now: http://www.snrt.net/storm/PRO/2004-08-01%20003.JPG
It looked like this in the middle of the race:
http://turunua.threewee.com/salo_m8/IMG_2251.JPG

The video: http://rc-racing.info/videot/kisa/2004/salo_30.7/salo_30.7.wmv

Pic galleries:
http://turunua.threewee.com/salo_m8/page_01.htm
http://rc-racing.info/kuvat/kisa/2004/salo_30.7/
http://koti.mbnet.fi/tomsson/Salo_31.7/

[Fidelio]

now THAT'S a bridge, and WOW that's muddy!! buggy is lookin good mika. :)

[faustino]

Mika here goes the pictures
http://www.mundo.iol.pt/email.do.faustino/desporto

[Mika]

Thanks guys! BTW here's me on the left and my mechanic on the right; I'm wearing the GS cap and HPI shirt :-D
http://turunua.threewee.com/salo_m8/IMG_2295.JPG

Faustino, the Fioroni chassis is looking good! The rear screws are better positioned than in GS. I'll consider that next if GS still wrecks. I replaced the steering knuckels with machined T6 aluminium ones and the kit included addendum SUT parts for longer hinge pins front and rear. Nice.

[doesgo]

I was running my Storm this weekend on the track, all was well, and got the itch to do a little jumping with it. It was going great, flying beautifully and landing flat, but then I got TOO much air and caught some branches on the tree about ten feet up. So much for being able to control the vehicle's pitch with the throttle and brake!

It landed hard on the front-right corner. Here are the results:
http://www.doesgo.com/rc/stormchassis1.jpg

Ugh! I've got some work to do before this weekend's race.

[Mika]

Excatly the same hit I got to the rear with stock chassis :(

http://www.snrt.net/storm/crash.jpg

[doesgo]

Dang, I'm obviously not alone! Time to upgrade...but that Fioroni setup at $210US is painfully expensive! Hopefully the Pro chassis will be sufficient for me.

[Mika]

I like the pro chassis, but it is intended to be used along with the alloy hinge pin holders ..plastics holders fit but are little bit weak. Fioroni has a different setup with only 4 screws while GS uses 8. Storm setup looks stronger although screws are also in corners with Pro chassis. However, the Pro chassis is very tough and along SUT parts seems pretty strong. Let's see.

[sHiMsTeR2004]

i might get a new gs storm buggy and it needs a new shock and shock tower
what kind of shocks are best for it and about how much do they cost?

[faustino]

Doesgo how much expensive is the pro chassis ? Here in Portugal the pro chassis is 25 to 30 euros cheaper than the fioroni ot-gs30 but if you want you can get the OT-GS10 that uses the same alloy hinge pin holders that the pro uses and is about the same price or cheaper than the pro. I've broke my pro chassis just like yours another car hited me from behind and broke it and now with the fioroni chassis that uses the same suspension the kyoshos use i think they wont brake any more.

[Mika]

Faustino, let us know how it is! I agree, Storm stock suspension is vulnerable to hits behind.

[Fidelio]

i've been racing the pro chassis and hinge pin braces every weekend since early april, and so far no problems.

[doesgo]

Faustino, I got a Pro chassis off eBay for about $55. I can get the hinge pin braces for about $12 each (one brace and two pins), so that's about $80 compared to the Fioroni OT-GS30 that includes the Kyosho-style mounts and such for $210.

The thing is, I was going to save my Pro chassis for my SUT since that seems to be harder on the arm mount screw holes thanks to the larger tires (additional mass and leverage). I better start looking around for a second Pro chassis.

[Mika]

OK learning to jump is rough for my Pro; broke screws in front and bent the left hinge pin. Getting titanium screws, hope they'll last better. I was in the shopping mood so ordered the Fiornoni K-style chassis and braces plus hard steel hinge pins, too. Let's see if there's a difference, our track is rough with high jumps. The GS pro engine felt good yesterday after some painful tuning (as always).

[doesgo]

The Pro chassis held up to the abuse, Mika? You're only changing it out for the K-style mounting system?

[Mika]

Yeah, chassis is OK, gonna try the K style mounting, too. I also got Ti screws coming for the GS chassis.

[Mika]

Mika here goes the pictures
http://www.mundo.iol.pt/email.do.faustino/desporto

Faustino, did you by this from the web? I got an email order confirmation but not sure if it is completed (couldn't pay it) .. Btw, do you have a picture on the other side?

edit: I found out this:

"Alert! The Credit Card payment service is temporary out of order; please be patient just for a few days; in the meanwhile, you can use our alternative payment methods to perform your purchases. Thanks, "

So let's see.. maybe I'll commit another order and pay with VISA.. they also say they're out of office this mont, but do they still deliver orders??

[Fidelio]

Mika, afaik (as far as i know) the credit card payment on the Fioroni site has been "temporary out of order" for over six months.

[Mika]

Mika, afaik (as far as i know) the credit card payment on the Fioroni site has been "temporary out of order" for over six months.

Geez, how you suppose to pay the orders? Money transfer? Thanks for the info Fidelio. They also say that orders will be processed after "August 24." :(

[stormer]

Hi everyone! I have a GS STORM RTR,and I'm looking for a new or used GS STORM PRO!
Please let me know if anyone has one or know's someone who want's to sell Thank-You!

[faustino]

Mika i've bought mine here in Portugal and sorry i didn't take any pictures before mounting everything i wanted to put everything to get it ready to race in the weekend and after two laps in the final the throtle servo fried bad luck for me.

[Mika]

Dang, bad luck this time... I actually went all your pics through again, they look good. How do you like the new chassis? I bet it's great. Have to wait until Fioroni opens again.

For our track I feel either the Pro engine is too weak, or, more likely the car as-is is too heavy. It (I) cannot manage big jums very well and I keep breaking parts constantly because of bad landings.. more than halve of the jumps I end of upside down or something -- and the jumps are high. Not good.

I've been thinking -- I took the car apart and measured the weight for alloy Pro parts, total 130 grams or so. The Novarossi pipe is also heavier than my OS pipe. Putting all carbon and stock plastic instead of alloy along with the OS pipe I could get close to 150 grams weight savings here, which I feel would beneficial for the difficult track of ours.

I already purchased some parts from ebay (carbon shock towers) plus hinge pin braces instead of the SUT braces for the other side of the diff than SUT braces, all from holeshotracing. These along with the titanium 4Mx20 screws for the stock plastic hinge pin holders I feel would make the car equally strong but lighter.

What do you guys think of all this? I think getting the car from somewhere 3600gr to 3450gr would make the car not only faster but easier to jump with less force, still equally strong (since it's also lighter).

Stormer, I have lots of RTR and PRO parts even some unused in case you are still interested. Where are you located?

[Mika]

Anyone racing the Fioroni Kyosho -style conversion in their GS? Faustino, I'm still thinking about it.. is it worth the money?

[Mika]

Excellent! I was driving yesterday couple of hours and broke nothing this time! I finally got the car dailed in and got my driving in shape including jumps and landings. The car feels GREAT!

I got the car bit lighter (no carbon towers yet, still waiting) by replacing most alloy parts with stock plastic and installed new OS femca pipe (feels better than NovaRossi EFRA). I also put 3mm wider wheel hubs at rear and titanium screws for hinge pin holders. I also used 10K oil for center diff (instead of stock 7K). Really fast, really manouverable.
Still waiting few parts from Hole Shot.

Awesome!

http://www.snrt.net/storm/Lavanko/2004-08-17%20016.JPG

(If you take a close look yo might see that I use stock blue shock towers instead of T6 alu pro towers; these are bit lighter and worked well, too. This is however because I sold my T6 towers since I have the carbon ones comin)

[doesgo]

That's awesome, Mika! It's so cool when you start to really feel comfortable with a vehicle. I've been really loving my Storm for the past couple races but just this last race for the first time my SUT just totally felt dialed into my track and my driving style. I think I'm ready for more power in both vehicles. :)

Do you currently have any HoleShot parts on your vehicle? I got some hinge pin braces for my SUT and Storm and the finished product wasn't too nice (rough edges and burrs and such), but they look pretty beefy. I think I'll probably clean them up and install them.

[Mika]

Yeah! Sounds great, too, doesgo!

I didn't yesterday but now I do. See the picture http://www.snrt.net/storm/PRO/HoleShot/2004-08-17%20044.JPG
and http://www.snrt.net/storm/PRO/HoleShot/2004-08-17%20056.JPG for example

Haven't tried out yet but I assume they're all fine. I installed carbon shock towers and braces front and rear. The rear tower needed little bit shaving off the bulk head to fit, but is was easy. I was able to reinstall also the front and rear bumpers which is nice. The quality wasn't astonishing but it will do fine.
I'm sure these parts will make the car stronger, let's see.

The car weights around 3500gr but I wanna measure it again with a better accuracy. I'm glad if it goes under but propably not. I still have some alloy there like the pro chassis stiffeners and steering plate (other pro alloy I replaced with stock plastic or carbon) and now the HS braces. To get the weight to minimum I installed only single brake disks which where totally fine yesterday; no need for double really.

Soon more testing and driving I hope. Last time was a blast!

[WhiteAkit]

A couple of questions.

First, I am going through a glow plug about every gallon of fuel. I am running an RB WS7 and O'Dpnnell 30% nitro in southern California. I have tried RB 8 (cold glow plugs), McCoy equivalents, O'Donnell equivalents, OS equivalents, all cold. Nothing seems to last. Is this normal?

Second, I am having problems with fuel tanks. I am using stock GS fuel tanks with splash guard installed. The problem is that after about 6 or 8 tanks of fuel the lid will no longer seal properly. Every time I land after a jump on the track the tank splashes fuel everywhere. Should I replace the oring with a bigger one? Should I take the splash guard off? Should I use a tank from another vehicle? Which ones will fit? Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Fidelio]

GS has a newer tank which is made of a more opaque material. I couldn't tell you what the differences are in the material or the design but I can say the newer tank seems to hold it's seal better. i went through 2 of the older tanks, but the newer one is still on my buggy and sealing properly.

[Mika]

Yeah, the tanks I've got (2 of them in my Storms) haven't leaked.

[kojak61]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5916627026&ssPageName=ADME:B:LC:US:1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5916639477&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

[kojak61]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5917237797&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Storm for sale

[stormer]

Hi everyone,Just received my long awaited GS STORM PRO!
And I have one question for now,for the brake pads assembly they mention to use rubber cement! What is that exactly? Can I use something else besides rubber cement?

[PaulH]

Rubber cement is a contact adhesive that, when dry, feels like a ball of rubber.

Every other kit that I have put together says to use CA glue on the pads, so I did the same on my Storm. It works fine.

[faustino]

mika i have a race next weekend i will post some more information about the handling of the storm with the fioroni chassis, i hope this time the bad luck stays away from my car.

[stormer]

Rubber cement is a contact adhesive that, when dry, feels like a ball of rubber.

Every other kit that I have put together says to use CA glue on the pads, so I did the same on my Storm. It works fine.

H i and thank's for your response,ok then I will use CA glue,!

[faustino]

Mika i liked very much the fioroni chassis these time i didn't had any bad luck just a lack of my mechanic but the car in my opinion handles better than with the original chassis. I've 6 laps in front of the winner and he didn't pass me until i had to refuel.

[Mika]

Faustino, sounds great! I will pass this info for the guys here.
Thanks,
-Mika

[ritchies rc10gt]

does anybody make hardened dif bevel gears for the storm?or will gears from another car or truck fit it?i bought my friends storm,hasnt been used for almost 2 years.he only ran about 2 quarts of fuel through it so its still basicly new.still has stock .21 in it.it runs and handles great,but after running it all day it blew the bevel gears.i got a new set today but they are cheap cast metal,i dont want to replace them after every run or spend the big bucks on new difs.thanx

[PaulH]

Mika i liked very much the fioroni chassis these time i didn't had any bad luck just a lack of my mechanic but the car in my opinion handles better than with the original chassis. I've 6 laps in front of the winner and he didn't pass me until i had to refuel.

So you buy a Storm Pro for about $450, the Fioroni chassis for around $200, and the Fioroni rear brace to prevent the diff housing from breaking for another $40. So for just under $700 you have a buggy that performs the same as an MBX-5 Prospec ($710), an original MBX-5 ($500) or a K3 ($600).

Why am I suddenly thinking of putting my Storm Pro on eBay? :rolleyes:

[faustino]

PaulH i know a lot of people that run Storm Pro without all these upgrades and say they are great cars and in Portuguese Cup it was a GS that won and it was basically the normal storm

[evilGearhead]

where can you get parts for these cars?
horizon doesnt have anything in stock, and i cant seem to find the parts anywhere else, either?

has gs stopped making parts?

[doesgo]

Stormer Hobbies carries lots of Storm parts, otherwise I get most of my stuff off eBay. I really like my Storm and my SUT, but it sure is frustrating that so many people have so much difficulty finding parts. Doesn't seem like a great way to keep customers, that's for sure. So many parts are listed on the GS Racing website with prices too, yet you can't buy directly. ARGHH!!

[doesgo]

GS Racing takes two more wins! Well, it's on my local track so it's not exactly national news, but after having engine problems in the qualifiers I won the B Main, bumped to the A Main, and won that by four laps with my ultra-reliable GS Storm buggy. Okay, okay, it was the Sportsman class, but my lap times were very competitive with those in the Pro class, so I'm fired up to move up to Pro next year with my Storm. In four series races this year I TQ'd three of them, won three of them, had one second-place finish, and won the series championship.

As an aside, I did nearly the same thing with my SUT with two TQs and two wins (including the TQ and the win this past weekend) to take the series championship in the Unlimited Monster Truck class. Fun stuff!

I sure do love my SUT and Storm!

[stormer]

Hi eveyone! Ok fully assembled my new GS STORM PRO.Painted my first lexan body using spry can,eventually will paint my spare body using airbrush!
I have two question's ,I know I'm in the right place,I'v read all the pages here and I must say you guy's sure know your stuff! Ok first,the rear don't seem to have any power,can't lock them up or even apply good pressure(how come?) Second do I have to sand inside the clucth bell,because it seem's to be slippng? Thank's in advance!

[stormer]

Here is my STORMPRO!

[harkz28]

Hey. Im looking at possibly getting a new storm rtr and I was wondering if there is anything I should look out for in terms of durability and stuff like that. Also, how does this buggy handle rough conditions. I wont be racing it just bashing it around with my friends with there monster trucks.

Thanks
Hello,
My friend has the gs storm and we have bashed together a bunch of times and it does real well.

[RC30]

Hey guys, got a quick question. I am putting together a set of stock shocks for a friend. In the bag that contains the shaft bushings and the pistons, there are round, crown type bushings with a small lip. What are they for? For the life of me I can't figure out what they are.
Part number 247 out of bag 7. Any help would be great!

[RC30]

Just figured it out! Feeling really stupid. Thanks any ways.

[doesgo]

Wow, this board sure died! :(

[ggfx-mikey]

will this fuel tank from kyosho for the MP7.5... from the looks of it, looks like the mounting holes would be the same on a storm pro... do you guys think this tank would work?

or got any other sugestions? i dont like the stock fuel tank, mines worn out and is got a fatty burn hole on the side, so i need a good replacemant fuel tank, something a bit more stylish though then what it comes with

[hotrodpablo]

I just bought a WS7II. I need any helpful ideas that you might have for the beak-in. Especially the first tank. I have already killed my starter box once so any tips that you might have would be appreciated.

[ggfx-mikey]

pre-heat the motor before turning it over with a heat gun or a hair dryer

and do what the manufacter says for the break in, or which ever way u prefer

[TeamDemonSpeed]

will this fuel tank from kyosho for the MP7.5... from the looks of it, looks like the mounting holes would be the same on a storm pro... do you guys think this tank would work?

or got any other sugestions? i dont like the stock fuel tank, mines worn out and is got a fatty burn hole on the side, so i need a good replacemant fuel tank, something a bit more stylish though then what it comes with

i have found that a hot bodies lightning tank fits quite well. it wont give you anymore runtime but, its a sure fix.

[ggfx-mikey]

woo FINALLY a reply :) hehe yah the mugen tank i guess is a perfect fit, considering my tank is almost shot anyways i figire i would get a nicer one that doesnt have a huge burn spot

ill have some pics of my car up soon, its a pretty sweet ride, before i start racing im going to get a fiorioni bulk brace though... oyy if only it wasnt so expensive though

[vetmxer]

will these fit a storm ? http://acehardwarehobbies.com/2.2/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2296 if they do this is a good deal they have other treads at that price too

[sugs]

Yeah, those wheels and tires will fit the storm fine and yes that is a good deal. The cheapest I've ever seen for premounted 1/8 scale buggy wheels and tires. I might have to pick up a few myself.

[hotrodpablo]

I also picked up a couple of pairs of the ofna tires. Even if I use them just for bashing I can't beat $20 for 4 wheels.

Just put some K3 shocks on the storm. Can't wait to test them out.

[Tommy Gunn]

Hey. Im looking at possibly getting a new storm rtr and I was wondering if there is anything I should look out for in terms of durability and stuff like that. Also, how does this buggy handle rough conditions. I wont be racing it just bashing it around with my friends with there monster trucks.

Thanks
I'm new to Storms but I got my son a RTR Storm. It runs like a scalded dog. He has bent a shock already and tweaked a front shock tower but thats it. The muffler header burned a hole in the back corner of the body. It was a pain to get running and break in. If you have access to a starter box so you can sit it on to start it helps. We pulled on the jerk start until we were numb. Then a buddy brought a box and we had it running in a jif.

[Tommy Gunn]

I also picked up a couple of pairs of the ofna tires. Even if I use them just for bashing I can't beat $20 for 4 wheels.

Just put some K3 shocks on the storm. Can't wait to test them out.


Let me know how those shocks do. My boy has bent the shocks on the front end of his Storm RTR and I'm looking to upgrade. Anyone got any suggestions.

[hotrodpablo]

Let me know how those shocks do. My boy has bent the shocks on the front end of his Storm RTR and I'm looking to upgrade. Anyone got any suggestions.


The Kanai 3 shocks work perfectly. I also bent a front shock shaft on the rtr, so that is why I bought the K3 shocks. The only extra thing I had to buy was the kyosho shock accessory kit. The top of the K3 shocks required an insert to mount on the storm. I also upgraded the shock towers to the titanium from hardcore racing. If you look on Ebay, there was someone selling both shock towers for a decent price.

[mwahaha91]

Can i use the 7.5 diff bevel gear set on the storm? I ran no silicone oil and my diffs blew

[hotrodpablo]

Can i use the 7.5 diff bevel gear set on the storm? I ran no silicone oil and my diffs blew

I'm not sure. I know that some of the 7.5 parts fit the storm but I don't know about the diffs.

[sugs]

If you're not in a hurry, you could try ebay. There is stuff coming up for the storm all the time.

[RCBASHERFREAK50]

im selling mine... anyone want to buy

[DarkstaR1st]

I just bought the Storm RTR plus last saturday. And i'm still busy braking the engine in due to snowfall and a busy work schedule.

I bought this little puppy after everything i've read on this board and everywhere else on the net for that matter. But when i got home i was a little dissapointed. It didn't include the jr-xr3 radio :( . I got the Futaba 2phka MJ instead... Dunno if it's any good. The options it gives are nice though.

But, i got dissapointed even more when i saw the speed of the steering servo, it is really slow. So slow even, that i thought my batteries were drained or something was wrong with the signal. I even wen't through the manuals to see if i could adjust servo speed. Nope. I looked the servo up on the internet. It's a GWS s03t std. It's a high torque servo with 8.00kg/cm (111oz/in) and speed is 0.27 sec/60degrees.

Okay, the high torque is good. But why so slow?? It gives a very strange driving sensation. Like driving after drinking a ton of beer :eek: .

These are different because i bought it in the Netherlands, i think.. European content could be different.

And all i read is that the rtr comes with the GS-21B01 engine (hope that's correct, i'm not sure now), i got the GS-21B02. Atleast that's what the coolinghead says (B02). The manual states that i have the GS-21B01.
Can't find info on that. :confused:

It has a very thick front shock tower... so i guess they replaced that feeble part allready on the RTR Plus. The rear shocktower is still very thin though

Well anyways, i can't wait till i finish break-in. So i can let her rip!!! So coool....

Dennis Teusink

[Tommy Gunn]

You can contact me. We don't have the plus we have the standard RTR. The deal is Sheldon hobbies I believe it was made the package deal up and supplied the JR radio for the package. it is a good radio and we haven't seen the servo issue. It rips. We have bent a shock and busted the front end once and a turn buckle also. Check the greese in the diff cases. I putt 10000 in the middle 5000 in the rear and 3000 in the front. If you don't do it you'll find it unloading and spinning the right side tire slick, like ours did. The oil gives it a little more positraction feel. The car is fast though. Yours has some beefier parts on it that our stock RTR. We've had to do very little tuning to ours, guess we were lucky. Not like our T-Maxx....Pain in the rear. I'd bet you'll love it though. Let me know how it turns out. I'm in North Carolina, USA.

[DarkstaR1st]

I love it allready... only because i had a 1/10th scale buggy that sucked big time for about 3 weeks.

The engine was a little troublesome when breakin in. I could barely get it to start and when it did start it wouldn't idle. It only idled for a few seconds and only with the glowstarter still attached. The factory default was WAY to rich. I could pour the fuel out the pipe and it wasn't a little bit of fuel.
I leaned it all a bit so i could break it in. Still very smokey and very oily (more like fuelly).
Tomorrow, when it doesn't snow, i will tune the engine so it runs smooth and what i can tell from the little driving that i did with the car it won't be a problem.

The only things that i will change/upgrade soon is the pipe and steering servo. The pipe is LOUD!!!! I LIKE IT. But, i think the ppl in the street will soon be complaining. And the servo... Well, it sucks!!!
And the diff oils... I will be replacing the grease with diff oil at the same time.

Any tips on what to replace instantly or on what part i should take a subscription? Some things i read are allready replaced on the RTR plus...

Oh, u know some good but cheap rims with on-road tires. I race frequently with a friend that has only an on-road car. He'll be joining the Storm clan soon!!!

Dennis

ps.. here's another pic

[doesgo]

The RTR Plus is supposed to come with the B02 and the GS FM radio system. Sounds like you got a regular RTR Plus but maybe the European version comes with AM instead? Not sure. The old Storm RTR came with the JR XR3i, but it also cost around $500US as compared to the price of the Plus, which is around $340, I believe. You get what you pay for, I guess.

Good luck with it!

[DarkstaR1st]

Well, they've put a nice sticker of the futuba over the GS radio on the box i saw just yet.... But, that's ok. This radio is WAY better than the one i had with the 1/10th scale buggy. That was an Acoms crap one :).

Just the servo... how fast is your steering servo, doesgo? 0.3 sec/60degrees is bad yes?

Dennis

[doesgo]

Yeah, I'd rather have the PH2KA or whatever it is you have than the GS FM system.

My Storm RTR came with the JR electronics so I've got the decent servos. I think it's 85 in/oz and .15 sec. .3 sec is really slow! I'd consider buying a Hitec 625MG for it, it's got 95 oz/in and .15 transit time for $40US off Tower Hobbies. There are other options as well, I think Futaba has a comparable servo at a comparable price.

[gotspeed_2000]

Yeah, I'd rather have the PH2KA or whatever it is you have than the GS FM system.

My Storm RTR came with the JR electronics so I've got the decent servos. I think it's 85 in/oz and .15 sec. .3 sec is really slow! I'd consider buying a Hitec 625MG for it, it's got 95 oz/in and .15 transit time for $40US off Tower Hobbies. There are other options as well, I think Futaba has a comparable servo at a comparable price.

For a few more dollars, you could get Hitec's digital servo which puts out about 130 oz's of torque and has three times the holding power. I think they 5625 which is their speed economy digital servo has the specs I mentioned and it sells for a little over 50 dollars. If you're already going to spend the 40 dollars to upgrade only 10 more oz's than you already have in your buggy, why not go a little more. I'm running the 5625 in my Hyper 7 and it works well. They have a torque version, it's a little slower but has about 30oz's more torque. I also recently bought a back up servo from the local hobby store. It's JR non-digital servo that puts out 140 oz's of torque with a transit time around .14. It was only 50 bucks also. Hope this helps and good luck.

[DarkstaR1st]

i'll talk to my lhs so that he contacts GS-Racing asking them how they can put such a slow servo in it for steering?? Simply insane...

Maybe they can send me another servo..

High hopes :) Otherwise i'll have to buy a decent servo...

talk to u all later

[gotspeed_2000]

You're lucky, most rtr's only give standard servos with around 50 oz's of torque. You could pick up a digital servo, and then move the steering servo you already have that came the rtr with 80 oz's of torque to control the throttle and brake functions. Good luck, but I wouldn't ask the lhs to call gs for an upgraded servo. That's part of the way they keep the costs down. They include lesser parts to help keep the costs down. Good luck and best wishes.

[DarkstaR1st]

throttle servo doesn't have to be that strong does it? There are no forces working on the throttle. On the brakes a little. Even now the brakes lock up easely. So it's not necessary to have that sloooooow servo on the throttle/brake.

I like to have everything respond very quickly. Gives me the feeling i'm in control :) .

Oh well... let's dish out another 50 euro's for the servo. After that i still need the chassis braces, diff oils, two extra sets of wheels with on-road tyres and off-road tyres. Hmmmm, that's about it actually. Or is there something i HAVE to have in stock?

Otherwise i'm going to wait on what breaks first. :) and then read about it to see if i need it in stock

[doesgo]

I wouldn't drop that slow servo into the throttle/brake position, it's just too slow! More power is always nice, but it sounds like it's not necessary for you and that slow speed would be frustrating.

As for upgrades....there are a few I strongly recommend for Storm RTRs that I don't believe have been addressed in the Plus.

First, put four 6mm x 10mm bearings in the steering posts to replace the four bushings that are in there. Much smoother steering action will result.

Replace the thin shims in the shocks (under the pistons) with Yokomo #ZS-507 diff thrust bearing washers (two per Yokomo pack, so buy two packs). They're cheap and VERY strong. The stock shims will cup after a short time if you do any jumping at all and will slide down the shock shaft, rendering your shock useless.

Get the Storm Pro/SUT Pro steering plate (#GSCSTP04) or get another RTR plate (#GSCST035) and stack two together. The stock single RTR plate is too weak and will bend after a couple nose-down landings. If you stack two plates together You'll need to countersink the holes and use flat-head screws to clear the upper arm hinge pin holder. The Pro plate (with bearings) is around $23, an RTR plate is $8.

Buy some high-grade 4mm x 20mm flathead screws to use to replace the stock screws that hold the arm mounts to the chassis. The stock ones break too easily. I've broke a bunch on my Storm buggy and SUT.

I'd also suggest buying a GS shock rebuild kit (comes with o-rings and bladders) (GSCSH8) and some extra shock pistons (GSC10063) to have on hand. They're cheap.

I'd strongly suggest shimming the stock servo saver spring to make it tighter. It's too weak stock. I used a nylon washer that's about 1/8" thick, maybe slightly thicker. You have to take apart the steering to do it, so while you're in there definitely replace the steering post bushings with bearings. An alternative to adding a washer to stiffen the servo saver spring is to buy the Pro servo saver setup. It's like a threaded shock, you just turn the knurled ring to adjust the tension.

Hinge pin braces are nice to have but not really necessary if you're not too hard on your buggy. Same with the Pro shock towers. An alternative to that is to double-up the stock shock towers, just run two stockers in front and two in back. Definitely helps with the strength.

I think I've got the 4mm x 20mm screws and 6mm x 10mm bearings on hand I can sell you, otherwise just search around via your normal means.

[DarkstaR1st]

wow... nice. Thnx doesgo. But, i live in the Netherlands. And selling it to me would be rather cumbersome i think.

I'll just buy it here.

But, i have a few translation problems for ya (my technical-english isn't that great). I heard you ppl talk about hex screws and flathead screws. Now, i can't figure out what they look like... We call them totally different over here. Like imbus... ( think that's the hex one but not sure). :confused:
http://www.dennist.nl/hexscrew.jpg
i need the flat head, countersunk version of it..

So for a real dumb question.... have u got pictures of the screws and nuts u use?

Silly really....

The servo saver is fine as it is...

I have a problem with the radio box... It is too tight. I can barely fit the 4cell block in it with the receiver and a failsafe and a bunch of wires. Quite a strain on the wires, i fear i will break them soon.
http://www.dennist.nl/Radiobox.jpg

Post a picture of ur radioboxes

Dennis

[DarkstaR1st]

OK....!!! Finished breaking in the Storm... And wow...!!! Nice one!!

When it goes it GOES!!! :eek:

I need to tune the engine a bit more... it swallows fuel like an alcoholic drinking at a party. I empty a tank a bit too quick i think.

I got one tyre to grind a groove on one side... Fixed it by adjusting camber and toe in.

I only wish i had a nice off-road track in the neighbourhood. Well... there is this BMX track i could try out, hmmmmm. :D

[hotrodpablo]

OK....!!! Finished breaking in the Storm... And wow...!!! Nice one!!

When it goes it GOES!!! :eek:

I need to tune the engine a bit more... it swallows fuel like an alcoholic drinking at a party. I empty a tank a bit too quick i think.

I got one tyre to grind a groove on one side... Fixed it by adjusting camber and toe in.

I only wish i had a nice off-road track in the neighbourhood. Well... there is this BMX track i could try out, hmmmmm. :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34063&item=5958522019&rd=1

these make a nice addition to the storm. I've added them with the aluminum lower suspension mounts and so far it seems indestrucable.

[DarkstaR1st]

THNX... now i know what hinge pin braces are!! thnx... These are mounted as an extra to the mounts and how many do i need... 2 in the back and 2 in the front?

Yesterday i had quite a lot of fun. We went to this soccerstadiums parkinglot. It has been snowing and thawing and after that it froze solid!! We had the biggest ice skate park ever!!!

And man!!! the STORM GOES FAST!!!! Even when i'm only burning up 10% nitro fuel..

Only one problem... the pull-starter. I think it's busted. After running it for an hour or so we were cold and decided to warm up in the car. AFterwards i couldn't start the car because the pullstarter didn't pull. I was pulling air. I shook the car and the pullstarted got a little more friction... Guess i have to take apart the pull starter :( Bummer.

[DarkstaR1st]

Those tires on the other page u ppl talked about are the cheapest i've ever saw... I'd like to get my hands on those tires! But, shipping cost more then i would buy 4 packs. 52 dollars ?!?!? c'mon!!

It has to be shipped to the netherlands!!

[hotrodpablo]

when you order the set it comes with the hardware to do the front and the rear. You have to mod the front bumper a little as well as the rear. I ordered directly from holeshot engineering and saved a buck.

[doesgo]

I was pretty disappointed by my Holeshot Engineering hinge pin braces. The pins were all different lengths, none are really long enough to use braces both in front and behind the diffs, the pins aren't notched nor do they have provisions for e-clips, and when I tighten the mounting screws (not provided, by the way) the arms bind up from friction between the arms and braces. Very poor quality control, in my opinion.

Here's what mine looked like:

http://www.doesgo.com/rc/board/pinlength.jpg

http://www.doesgo.com/rc/board/qcqa.jpg

http://www.doesgo.com/rc/board/roughfinish.jpg

http://www.doesgo.com/rc/board/roughfinish2.jpg

I did contact Holeshot and to their credit they offered to "fix" the braces but offered nothing on the hinge pins (they wouldn't notch them or set them up for e-clips and pretty much blew off the inconsistent length issue), so I didn't bother with the expense or hassle of returning them. They're cheaper than GS Pro parts, but I guess you get what you pay for.

[DarkstaR1st]

Are there any good hingepin braces around then?

[doesgo]

From what I've seen, the GS's own "Pro" stuff is good.

[DarkstaR1st]

Do u have a part number(s) for me for what i need for the hingepin braces... ?

[doesgo]

Rear is GS-STP38: https://www.ssl-stormerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/seekpart.pl?pn=GSSTP38

Front is GS-STP37: https://www.ssl-stormerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/seekpart.pl?pn=GSSTP37

Those links are for Stormer Hobbies which has the stuff for $12 each. Hobby People and Horizon also carry them.

[DarkstaR1st]

Great thnx!!

Just found out you drive your Storm with the Slapmafro guys. Great movies... Especially the races. Buggys are way cooler then monster truck. Though they take a lot of beating!!

What do u do against bottoming out while jumping??

[doesgo]

Thanks DarkstaR1st! I don't bash WITH the SlapMaFro guys, I AM a SlapMaFro guy! :p

What do we do against bottoming out? Nothing, it can't be helped. With "proper" air even monster trucks frequently bottom out. Buggies and truggies are designed to slap the ground when landing anyway.

Yeah, buggies are tough, and I'm doing everything I can to make mine tougher! Gotta keep it in shape for racing this summer.

[doesgo]

Anyone know how to obtain a steel 50-tooth (or 49 or 51 tooth) spur that'll bolt onto the Storm center diff? Any idea if an OFNA or Hot Bodies spur will bolt on?

[DarkstaR1st]

Sorry doesgo... haven't got a clue. :(

But i have a question. these hingepin braces from GS pro (partnumbers you gave me) do i need 1 or 2 of each? I really don't know. There is one machined bit in a pack... That's why i ask

[doesgo]

Depends what you want to do. Generally people put one brace on the front diff and one on the rear diff. In my opinion, for ultimate strength (especially for bashing), you need two on each diff (one in front of the diff and one behind).

Unfortunately the hinge pins included with these braces aren't long enough to fit two braces on each diff. Pins from other vehicles might be long enough to work because many others don't use the arm mount blocks, their arms mount only with the hinge pin braces (they're designed differently, but the pins might work).

I'm hoping to make my own hinge pins next week and if it works out I'll make them long enough for hinge pin braces in front of and behind each diff.

[doesgo]

To answer my own question...

I don't know if it matters to anyone, but if you're looking for more gearing options I just bolted a Hot Bodies Lightning Stadium Pro spur gear to my GS Storm diff and it fit perfectly. The LSP has 50 teeth which is smack dab in the middle of the SUT's 54-tooth spur and the Storm buggy's 46-tooth spur.

[DarkstaR1st]

we had a lot of snowfall here in the netherlands... it only snowed this much 10 years ago. And it still freezes. So the snow stays.!!!

I took the Storm out for some snow bashing... Great fun!!! Only the deep snow is too much for it. So driving in a parkinglot where most of the snow is cleared proofs to be hilarious. We've build some snow ramps and made them hard with water.

Only one thing... that damn one way bearing!!!! After a small break the oneway bearing was slipping again. So, i couldn't get the damn thing started again... :(

The one way bearing gets to wet. Anybody else have this problem... And what can i do about it???

I was thinking of buying a starterbox but i find that a rather expensive solution.
Same thing about a rotostarter and then i still would have the problem with one way bearing.

[doesgo]

I hate to say it, but.....buy a starter box. You'll be glad you did.

[DarkstaR1st]

Then i'll buy an starterbox... it'll set me back a 140 euro's. about 170 dollars. For the starter and 2 batterypacks.. This SUCKS... :( i needed the money for a better servo and those hingepin braces.

But why do i need that stuff if i can't drive the car... hmmmm... starterbox it is

And another thing.... 2 days ago i started the car and it ran backwards. Never had that before. Probably due to the crappy pullstarter. Engine fired up on the kick back...

[doesgo]

Don't get stick packs, get a gel cell. They last MUCH longer!

If your engine starts backwards don't run it that way, from what I understand it's not good for it, although I'm not sure why.

[DarkstaR1st]

Do you use a 6volt pack in your storm? Í want to use a 6volt pack. But, i'm hesitant to buy one because i can hardly fit the 4cell pack in de radiobox... How do u do it?

[doesgo]

Yes, in both my Storm and SUT I run five-cell rechargeable packs. They're a snug fit, but they fit.

Is someone still looking for longer hinge pins? I have some hardened steel rod that fits the Storm arms and arm mounts very nicely. I can cut it to basically any length. I'll be using it so I can put hinge pin braces on the both sides of each diff. Let me know if anyone wants any and the exact length you need.

I haven't had a chance to actually test this material in a bashing or racing situation, but it is hardened steel so I'm quite confident it'll be tough enough.

[DarkstaR1st]

Yes, I would like to have a few of those pins... And what i really like to have are the dimensions of the front and rear hingepin brace. I'm going to let a friend of mine build 4 of them. His dad has a machine shop.

[doesgo]

I can measure mine tonight and get back to you with the dimensions.

[doesgo]

From what I (and my calipers) can decipher, the dimensions of the braces are as follows:

overall length: 2.766"
overall height: 0.377"
overall thickness: 0.377"
thickness where the pins go through: 0.225"
length of the thick part in the center: 1.880"
center-to-center hole spacing of the inner holes: 1.535"
bottom of brace to center of inner holes: 0.228"
center-to-center hole spacing of the outer holes: 2.375"
bottom of brace to center of outer holes: 0.148"

The overall thickness and the thickness of the part where the hinge pins go through can be whatever you want as long as you accomodate that thickness with hinge pin length and screw length.

As for the hinge pins, let me know what length you want and whether you want them notched for the set screw (Holeshot's aren't notched) and we can work something out.

[DarkstaR1st]

are the dimensions of the braces, front and back, the same as this one?

[doesgo]

I'm not sure what you mean. What I measured was the brace....all the Holeshot braces are the same (more or less) whether they're on the front or back.

That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, to be honest, since the hinge pin blocks are supposed to have some angle to them, but that's how the Holeshots measure.

I guess I could try to find out what the angle is supposed to be from the pivot block things and account for that angle when locating the hinge pin holes in the braces....hmmmmm....

One more thing: the thickness of the braces where the hinge pins go through is different on every single one of my braces. If you're making some make sure you make them all the same so one hinge pin length fits all of them properly. A couple thousanths here and there is no big deal, but a little consistency would be nice.

[DarkstaR1st]

Doesgo, when can we expect a new slapmafro movie... These are the best to be found on the internet.

[doesgo]

Thanks DarkstaR! Unfortunately our schedules have not been kind to our RC habits lately and we haven't had a chance to get out and run our trucks in a few weeks. Hopefully we will soon, but I can't promise anything.

[DarkstaR1st]

Hmmmm... i think no one drives the GSracing Storm anymore...:( It's so quiet in here.

So.... Here is an update from me!! Yesterday was a GREAT day... We had a LOT of fun at a skatepark. It has two downhill slopes, one is snakelike and the other steep (this park was built in the time when skateboarding was considered streetsurfing. It looks like those concrete pools.

We jumped alot!! And i thought i didn't break anything. But i did, unfortunately. I broke a hingepinn mount screw. And it broke very early in the day i gues. The round hole in the chasis is now a giant elips. This sucks... But, i did it in style!!! only wish i had brought the camera!!! :(

I haven't took the time yet to build these hingpin braces. Stupid, stupid,stupid!!!!

I'm building them now!!! What metal should i build them of. Aluminium or stainless steel

Also i got tired of taking the pullstarter apart to clean the oneway bearing... It still was slipping constantly. So, i got a starterbox.!! Do i need to do anything special for with the pullstarter for the use of the starterbox?

I also got a faster steering servo.. the Hitec 5625MG digital servo. 9.6 kg of torque and 0.13 sec for 60 degrees of travel... nice one i guess... havent tested it out yet..

I've build myself 6volt packs out of 5 2300mAh AA NimH batteries. They barely fit in the radiobox... i Had to cut away half of the edges where the radiobox lid lies on to fit them.

I'll probably be buying the SUT conversion kit next month.. Doesgo, is it easy (quick) to build the storm into the SUT and back again?

[doesgo]

I'd be driving mine if it weren't for the weather! Hoping to get out bashing in two weeks and I should have my Picco Comp-powered Storm and Fantom 27-powered SUT along for fun.

I've got the arm mount screws you need if you're interested, they're VERY strong. I used to break the stock screws every time I'd go out, but have never broken these high-strength ones, even on my SUT.

As for the hinge pin braces, aluminum would be best. It's light and plenty strong for what you need.

Nothing needs to be done with the pullstarter to run a starter box, you can leave it installed if you wish.

I switched my Storm over to a truggy for a weekend, but only partially, so I can't really tell you how long it'll take. To totally do it you need to swap the shock towers, center diff (or actually the spur gear and top plate, but the diff needs to come out), add the wheel extenders, and you might need to swap the radio tray, but I can't remember for sure. If you want the truck bumpers you'll obviously have to add those, too. I think that's it! I'm not sure about front shock length though, whether you can run stock front buggy shocks or not.

Have fun!

[doesgo]

Hey, if you do make hinge pin braces, measure the pin spacing on your Storm before making the holes in the braces. DO NOT use the measurements I gave you! THEY DON'T WORK! My Holeshot Engineering braces are completely WORTHLESS! If you install them on the front and back of the diffs, you CAN'T mount the arm mounting blocks! You might get them to work only on one end of the diff, but that'd mean since the holes are off the pins would always be under stress.

I can't even describe how frustrated I am with these Holeshot braces, they're making me not like my Storm and SUT! AAAAARGGHHHHHHHHH!

[Tommy Gunn]

Had a glitch with the JR Radio. I wonder if the batteries jiggled out of the holders because the fail safe didn't engage at all. It's amazing how far a buggy will skip on water at full bore... ;) NEway, after we got it out, I took all of the electronics out and took the apart. I sprayed them down with WD40 and then hair dryed them. reassembled it and waalaa....it all still works. Engine didn't warp on me either. afraid that cold water on a hot head would have did it in.

[doesgo]

Wow, that's awesome it survived the dunking! That's something I'd like to see....with someone else's RC, of course. :)

[Tommy Gunn]

Wow, that's awesome it survived the dunking! That's something I'd like to see....with someone else's RC, of course. :)

Scared the Poo nanney out of me... :D

[DarkstaR1st]

I can believe that!!! Tough cookie to crack i guess

[DarkstaR1st]

Thnx for the advice Doesgo... out the measurements go. I'll measure it myself. And thanx for the offer of sending those screws. But, i've allready bought tougher screws. Just need to install them. But, i won't bash without those braces anymore!!. Let the building start!!!

[RespirologyRC]

I have a question for anyone here that can answer this really well.
What oil are you using in your shocks? I currently am using OFNA 40 weight; now my suspension feels too stiff. If I drop my buggy it doesn't bottom out at all. The suspension does move through its' range of motion but it seems todo this rather slowly. Nothing is binding so I'm curious if this is how I want my suspension?

I race a Pro GS Storm, but up until this year I was messing around with a RTR Storm until I blew all the shocks out. So I'm at a loss as to how a buggies suspension is supposed to feel like.

I know from experience that MT's generally are a little bouncy and TC are really stiff so I figured that something inbetween might be just right, but I'm not sure. Can someone help me?

So for clarification: When the shock is pushed in this is called: compression
and when the shock is coming back out this is called : rebound ?

[RespirologyRC]

PS in TC I use 50-80 weight oils, while for my MT's I use 35-40 weight
On my Pro Storm I have the F shocks set to what the factory recommends.

Does anyone know what the difference is with the shiny blocks , the one labeled A, B--that hold the lower suspension hinge pins, do? Does it make a difference how they are positioned?

[doesgo]

Yes, those terms will work.

Sounds like the oil is a bit too thick, although 30-35 weight seems to be the norm for buggies and it doesn't seem like lowering it to that from 40-weight would make that much difference.

From how high are you dropping it? Does the suspension feel smooth and linear? The suspension should absorb the landings smoothly and without bouncing, and it should take a pretty good drop for it to bottom out.

[doesgo]

"Does anyone know what the difference is with the shiny blocks , the one labeled A, B--that hold the lower suspension hinge pins, do? Does it make a difference how they are positioned?"

I tried to get that info a month ago or so but failed, unfortunately. To confuse the matter, the billet Pro blocks are marked A and B, the plastic RTR blocks are marked 1 and 2, and the cast SUT RTR blocks are marked with both letters AND numbers! And naturally I've got all three on hand and don't know what to do. Very frustrating.

[RespirologyRC]

Well first if I drop the Storm from 2feet on a flat surface (concrete), it will land plushly and not bottom out. It will not return to it's full ride height either; which I think is called droop(sp)--I find this alot with MT's

[RespirologyRC]

Basically I don't know what a buggys proper setup should feel like and don't know anyone that does. So if someone could explain this maybe I can have a clue as to what to look for.

My buggy doesn't feel bounce at all, but it does feel smooth and linear. On the other hand my RTR STorm does feel very very bounce.

[doesgo]

Generally you should be able to fully compress the suspension (front and rear at the same time), release it, and it should return to a point where the arms are about level. From two feet up, it should land plushly and shouldn't bottom out.

It shouldn't be bouncy, it should resist movement but not TOO stiffly, and above all it should be smooth. Those are all quite subjective terms, unfortunately!

[doesgo]

I took all of my hinge pin blocks and lined them up. I still can't tell what (if any) difference there is in the angles, but it seems that the A and B (or 1 and 2 or A1 and B1 or A2 and B2, respectively, depending on what you have) are mirror images of each other so the A blocks should be on one side of the car and the B blocks should be on the other side.

I didn't do any comparisons of how they affect toe, at least not yet, but here's what I found.

All blocks were oriented like this when the pictures were taken:
http://www.2quicknovas.com/bruce/blocks.jpg

Here are the Pro billet A and B blocks (A on the left):
http://www.2quicknovas.com/bruce/abblocks.jpg

Here are the stock plastic Storm RTR blocks numbered 1 and 2 (1 on the left):
http://www.2quicknovas.com/bruce/12blocks.jpg

Here are the cast aluminum A1 and B1 blocks from the SUT RTR (A1 on the left):
http://www.2quicknovas.com/bruce/a1b1blocks.jpg

And here are the cast A2 and B2 blocks from the SUT RTR (A2 on the left):
http://www.2quicknovas.com/bruce/a2b2blocks.jpg

What does this tell me? Not much. Seems they're all the same angle, so they're probably interchangeable in that respect. I know you can flip them from one side to the other if you want a different amount of kick-up (front) or anti-squat (rear). I'm not experienced enough to really be able to tell the difference on the track, though. All I know is you want more kick-up on rough tracks.

[RespirologyRC]

What exactly is kickup and anti squat?
I definetly don't know the difference let alone tell if it even makes a difference:)

Well all I can see from the photos is that they all look pretty similar. I've tried reading many of the posts on here and it seems like many people have wanted more from the Pro storm. Maybe I'm missing something but it seems like a complete kit to me. The only mod that I can think about adding would be a hinge support brace to these cast blocks from ruining my chassis, but aside from this nothing else.

On my RTR, because I didn't buy hinge braces, from constant bashing, the screws caused the holes in the chassis to widen.

[RespirologyRC]

On my springs I found that the stock springs were a little too light for my taste. The stock T-Maxx red springs are a little more stiff. So I took one of the black Storm springs and split it in to 2's then put it at the top at the shock shaft with the entire T-Maxx spring below it. Similar to a dual rate spring with red on the bottom and black on top. It looks like this just might do the trick.

[DarkstaR1st]

Well... i looked it up for u guys... I have a theory. And i think it's the correct one...

U can switch sides with these block, meaning 1 left and 2 right or 2 left and 1 right. what this does is give u 2 angle variations on your lower suspension arm. One is angled more and the other is more perpendicular.

If u look in the setupsheet u can see it. There you have setup row A and B and look at the numbers that switch sides in the different setups. Both setup rows give different angles.

Doesgo, the three version u have are all the same but stronger types, i think.

[DarkstaR1st]

OOPs... i've only read the last post on the previous page. Didn't think there were this much posts. And u guys thought up my theory allready

[RespirologyRC]

i'm going to agree with you on the toughness of the materials

Doesgo, on the suspension arms there is a screw that adjusts the ride height, at what level do you have this set? Are your arms set so that the wheel lock nut is below the chassis, even with the chassis, or above the chassis? I can't see anyone wanting to set the wheel nuts so that the center of the chassis is really close to the ground, but you never know.

[DarkstaR1st]

On a rough track set it so that is has the most suspensiontravel... Suspension travel is your friend in rough conditions... If the track is smooth you can set it lower for more stability..

[doesgo]

The shock spacers (or adjusting nuts on threaded shocks) control your static ride height. The screws in the arms are called "droop screws" and you can use them to limit the down travel of your arms. Most people want the max droop possible but it's good to use the droop screws to make all the arms even (have the same amount of droop). To do that, set the chassis on level blocks and let the arms hang with the droop screws not protruding from the arms at all. Find the highest arm (the one that droops the least) and adjust the rest to match that one by threading in the droop screws. By NOT doing this the buggy can act funny when jumping and landing.

I have mine set so that when I fully compress and release the suspension, the arms end up level with the ground.

As for the springs, I'm surprised you actually want STIFFER springs! Most people go softer with the buggies. The most popular are the light blue springs made by OFNA and Kyosho.

[doesgo]

I also agree with the toughness of materials and the differing markings is fine with me since they are different pieces, but why does the SUT come with both A1/B1 blocks AND A2/B2? I wonder what the difference is?

I put all four sets of blocks side-by-side last night and looked at them from above and found no apparent difference in the pin angles, either. The back ends of the pins are all the same distance apart as the front ends of the pins. So what controls the rear toe on the Storm/SUT?

[doesgo]

Most buggies and truggies have hinge pin braces/holders on the front and rear of the diffs and no hinge pin blocks. I wonder....could I do the same thing on the Storm? Just install front and rear hinge pin braces and eliminate the A/B blocks? Sure would make installation easier and I'd stop tearing out my chassis, too. But would that put too much load on the four diff mounting screws? Seems like it might, but if that's how all the other buggies/truggies are, perhaps it'd be okay after all. Hmmmmm....

[Tommy Gunn]

"Does anyone know what the difference is with the shiny blocks , the one labeled A, B--that hold the lower suspension hinge pins, do? Does it make a difference how they are positioned?"

I tried to get that info a month ago or so but failed, unfortunately. To confuse the matter, the billet Pro blocks are marked A and B, the plastic RTR blocks are marked 1 and 2, and the cast SUT RTR blocks are marked with both letters AND numbers! And naturally I've got all three on hand and don't know what to do. Very frustrating.

Yes it does. make sure you pay attention to them when you take them out. It's hard to explain but the hole where the pin goes through is not square or perpendicular to the blocks outer edge. If you look at it from one of the ends, you'll notice it angles up or down depending on which end you're looking at. I believe the letters are in the back and the A is on the left front but i'm not positive. I replaced my blocks with metal ones last night and rebuild the shocks. If you don't get a definit answer I'll look at them when i get home from work tonight and let you know tomorrow.

[Tommy Gunn]

I take it you're using the aftermarket aluminum blocks. compare them to the ones you took out and also make sure you put the shaft in with the groove to the front of the buggy. That is where the allen screw locks in at. If you position the stock blocks bike like they were and compare the angle of the stock to the new you should be able to figure out which way the new ones go.

[doesgo]

The blocks we're referring to are all GS units, but GS makes three different versions. The plastic ones come on Storm RTRs, the cast aluminum ones are on SUT RTRs, and the smooth billet aluminum ones come on the Storm Pro.

Are are "movable" for adjusting the kickup/anti-squat on the vehicle and all have the same hinge pin angle built in.

[Tommy Gunn]

I wasn't sure which buggy he was running. I upgraded the RTR blocks to the Pro so thats what I was comparing it to.

[doesgo]

Respirology, you're right in that the Storm Pro is a pretty complete kit out of the box. Add the hinge pin braces (if it doesn't come with them) and you should be set.

Kickup is the angle between the front arms' hinge pin and the ground. More kick-up means a greater angle. Check out the 2WD stadium trucks (like the RC10GT), they typically have 23 degrees of kickup, which is a lot, most of it is built into the chassis.

Our Storm chassis have some kickup built into them and the hinge pin blocks add even more kickup.

Adding kickup will allow the vehicle to cope with bumps more smoothly at the expense of steering (more kickup makes the front tires contact the ground differently). The key is to balance steering and kickup for your track or driving ability, just like toe and camber.

I believe anti-squat is the same thing, but refers to the rear of the truck. I'm not sure what the trade-off is when you change the anti-squat (like the kickup/steering relationship in front). If I find out I'll post it, but someone else probably will soon, too.

[doesgo]

"I wasn't sure which buggy he was running. I upgraded the RTR blocks to the Pro so thats what I was comparing it to."

Gotcha. Yeah, he's running a Storm Pro.

[doesgo]

Just found this:
"Less anti-squat will make the car handle a rough track better and can give better rear traction. More anti-squat will keep the car from transfering so much weight to the rear. Look at the arm from the side as it's mounted on the car, if the front of the arm is higher than the rear that is ant-squat."

[Tommy Gunn]

While we're talking about that part of the car, make sure to check your CVD joints. My right front wheel would turn about 1/4 turn and lock up. Everyone at the track, including myself thought it was a stripped diff. I bought the parts and started pulling it down last night. The grub screw holding the CVD joint together had backed out and allowed the shaft to slide out binding the joint up. Do you guys try to put the heat shrink tubing around the joint along with locktite to keep the pin in? I do that on my trucks and it works well.

[doesgo]

From Garen (factory GS driver) referring, I believe, to the Pro blocks:
"The front 'A' Blocks are 1 degree against the chassis (8 degrees chassis kickup - 1 degree blocks = 7 degrees). Front 'B' Blocks are 1 degree the other way (8 degrees chassis kickup + 1 degree blocks = 9 degrees)."

[doesgo]

Definitely Loctite, but I've rarely had good luck with the shrink tubing staying put. When it does, however, it works great. I've notched the pin with a Dremel to give the grub screw something to grip and that has worked great.

[Tommy Gunn]

Definitely Loctite, but I've rarely had good luck with the shrink tubing staying put. When it does, however, it works great. I've notched the pin with a Dremel to give the grub screw something to grip and that has worked great.

Have not thought of that but it would work. Thanks

[RespirologyRC]

Doesgo when you say the front/rear A and B blocks, do you mean to place/put the hinge holders with the marking "A" solely on the front? The instruction manual shows "A" on the left and "B" on the right.

Correct me if I'm wrong; but when talking about left and right I always put myself in the drivers seat (USA is on the Left). Some people confuse this by talking left and right while looking at the vehichle head on (from my nose to the nose of the buggy).
So when I talk about the buggy I place my self inside it and call the drivers side the left and the passenger side the right-- doesgo are you doing the same?

Boy this instruction manual really leaves a lot to be desired!
I'll be posting pics of my shocks in a second:)

[RespirologyRC]

So at the front of the buggy I have on the left a "B" block and the on the right front I have the "A" block. the rear in the same manner. The instruction manual tells you to do this in that manner BUT then turns around and uses the stock RTR plastic ones as an example:---kinda shitey if you ask me

[doesgo]

My thinking is the same as yours with both the A/B blocks and the left/right thing, Respirology. You can flip-flop the A and B blocks from side to side to adjust the kickup and anti-squat, but you should have an A on one side and a B on the other no matter what.

The instructions are VERY unclear on this!

[doesgo]

Thanks to my local track closing down it looks like 2005 will be nothing but bashing for me. As a result, I think I'll remove the A/B blocks and just run front and rear hinge pin holders like the Kyoshos and Mugens and see what happens. I'm not terribly concerned about the angles and all that for bashing, so if it's a degree or two off here and there it doesn't really matter.

[RespirologyRC]

here are the pics for the shock mod i made last night

[RespirologyRC]

Sorry wrong pic! Lets try this again

[RespirologyRC]

Here you can clearly see the traxxas shocks on the bottom and the black stock shock springs on the top

Like i mentioned earlier, I used a dremel to cut the spring in to 2 halfs then measured each to make sure that they are of equal lengths

[doesgo]

Looks good! Are those Pro shocks? It's good to play with spring rates and shock oil to suit your driving style and track.

What tires are those?

[RespirologyRC]

they are proline roadrage, they are new and untested.
The shocks are from a kanai setup. I kept on hearing people complain about how quinkly the pro shocks blowout, so I bought this set due to good reviews.

[doesgo]

The Pro shocks blow out too? I thought that was just the RTRs. Dang. I think you made the right choice, I've heard great things about the Kyosho shocks.

[RespirologyRC]

I haven't tried them yet but they seem to be doing just fine sitting on my work bench:)

The RTR uses 2 plastic bushings of different sizes and an o-ring rubber bushing. The reason why the shocks blowout is because the plastic bushings lose their seal due to the repetitive motion of the shock shaft moving back and forth (no pun intended). The the bushing proceeds to open or widen over time causing a major leak! There is no remedy that I have found. I have a box full of blown shocks and am trying to figure out what to do with them. I am seeking some mend or something?

Doesgo- have you made any repairs to the wing stay? I've read that this part of the chassis is the only part that is most vulnerable to snapping off. I've only broken the back bulk but this was a result of my trying to put a longer screw in to secure the wing stay.

[sugs]

Great conversation you guys are having, especially the discussion about the hinge pin blocks. I've been rebuilding my Storm and was getting a little confused about the blocks. I understand what they are meant to do, just not sure how they should be mounted to get the desired effect since the manual isn't exactly clear on this. I think you guys have helped me sort it out.

Anyway, one part of the rebuilding process was to add the Fioroni rear bulkhead brace. This is supposed to stop the rear bulkhead from breaking, even though I never broke mine. Seems solid though and it also replaces the stock rear chassis brace holder.

Here's the link: http://www.gsracing.com/web/page.asp?pgs=product&catid=31&id=85

[DarkstaR1st]

RespirologyRC I wouldn't loose those hingepin blocks... I think the combination of hingpins braces and blocks are a winner... It'll be unbreakable.

Especially when bashing!!

What i'm unclear about is why those hingepin braces aren't standard. It seems they are necessary, a must!!! I drove the buggy on a gras field and in a turn it flipped over due to traction. Even then i noticed that the blocks skewed a little.

And what should i buy? 1 x GSSTP37 and 1x GSSTP38. And then i'm set? or do i need two of each? I'm still very unclear about that. If i only have to buy 1 of each it won't be worth it to build them myself.. I could use the time a lot better then!

[doesgo]

Respirology:
I've never blown the lower seals of my RTR shocks on my Storm or SUT, just the bladders in the caps and the shims under the pistons. Maybe I haven't run my vehicles enough to wear them out. As for a repair, if you really want to try to run them again, rebuild kits are pretty cheap. If you're looking to clear some space in your toolbox, feel free to send them my way! :)

As for the wing stay, mine was loosening up frequently so I ended up running longer screws all the way through the wing mount, shock tower, and bulkhead with nuts on the backside. That was last summer and it's still nice and tight.


Sugs:
That Fioroni brace sure does look like it'd do the job! They really are proud of their parts though, aren't they? $48 for that thing? Wow.


DarkstaR:
I agree that the combination of aluminum blocks and braces on both ends is the way to go and that the braces should be standard! I think with my cruddy Holeshot braces I think it's going to be impossible to do that. The blocks mount the pins at an angle, right? Right. That means the front end of the pins is at a certain height above the chassis and the rear end of the pins is at a different height. Unfortunately my Holeshot brace pin holes are all the same height so installing the braces on both the front and rear will eliminate the hinge pin angle, which won't work with the pin blocks. Something has to give. I was able to mount braces on both ends, but then the blocks won't sit down properly on the chassis because of the angle issue.

GS has two different numbers for the front and rear braces as you stated, and I'm not sure why. I think GS intends for each brace to mount in front of their respective differential, so the hole position could certainly be different in the GSSTP37 compared to the GSSTP38. I'm tempted to buy them and find out, but at this point I'm not prepared to spend $48 on four GS braces for my Storm, and then another $48 for my SUT. Besides, I'm so friggin' sick of taking apart that portion of my vehicles I could scream!

If you were to only run one brace on each end of the vehicle, I'd strongly suggest putting it on the outer end (front of the front diff, rear of the rear diff) because that's generally where most of your extreme loading is going to occur. One on each end of each diff housing is ideal, but I think you might have to fab at least two of the braces to do that, although I'm not absolutely sure. Man, now I'm tempted to buy the GS braces just to satisfy my curiosity! Oh, and don't forget you'll need longer hinge pins to run the braces.

Another option would be to fab the braces with just the hinge pin holes and drill-and-tap them for grub screws to secure to the hinge pin. That way you could bypass their attachment to the diff housings which could eliminate the alignment/angle issue. You'd lose some of the benefit to having them because they'd only tie the two pins together rather than tying them together AND securing to the diff housing.

If I had time, energy, and the belief that the current design was going to be out for another couple years, I'd dig deep into this issue and try to produce some proper bolt-on pin braces that work PROPERLY and go hand-in-hand with the stock blocks. But with GS selling the Avenger now and showing the CL-1 on the Expo circuit, I'm not sure the Storm will be around long enough to bother making more parts for it. And with the monstrous success of the Hot Bodies Lightning Stadium, I'm guessing GS will release a SUT kit to replace the chassis and arms with longer units for better handling in order to stay competitive.

[DarkstaR1st]

Wow... again thanx Doesgo... Massive reply.

You know what... yesterday i ordered 2 front and 2 back braces. So, i'll let u know how this works when i get them. I think i can only use 1 of each :( .

Just hoping i made the right choice. 48 bucks is a lot of money for those hingpin braces excluding shipping. But i'm thinking of all the chassis i'll break if i don't buy them.

And doesn't the SUT conversion kit come with those braces? The SUT needs it way more then the buggy with those bigger wheels.

[doesgo]

If you can only use two of the braces let me know, I might buy the other two off ya! Don't forget about the longer hinge pins you'll need with the braces.

I'm not sure if the SUT conversion comes with them or not. My SUT was bought as an RTR, not a conversion. The SUT definitely needs the braces, but I've ripped the arm mount screws out of my buggy's chassis twice and my SUT's only once!

[DarkstaR1st]

hmmmm.... you get longer hingpins with braces in the set. I guess they are longer.. but i'm guessing they'll not be long enough for two braces... That's why i think i can only use one brace in front and one in the rear. And as u stated earlier, the hingpins are angled. And the angle of the front hingepin is different then the rear angle.

So... if u still want them let me know :) Or i'll cancel 2 of them. I think they're allready shipped... cancelling is out of the question.

And no they do not come with the conversionkit i just found out... That REALLY bugs me.. Something as ESSENTIAL as those braces... Not even in the kit. baffels me.

[doesgo]

For what it's worth, I got this back on a different forum when asking what the difference is between the front and rear chassis braces:

"its widths that make them diff.

best thing is 2 buy the fioroni chassis upgrade kit.

i have a bear of a time enuff gettin those pro braces on that i leave em
off. if i bend a pin or loose an arm. there's no way i'm gettin that
brace back on after the change/surgery. so i either run the sto98 pins
for the brace w/o the brace, or if dont have any spares than i'll throw
in a sto51 stock pin to get me thru.

personally i'd rather an arm let go or a pin bend then hurt the kingpin
holder or oblong another chassis hole."

[doesgo]

Cancel them if you can, but if you can't I might buy the two if you can't make them work.

[DarkstaR1st]

are we talking about chassis braces or hingepin braces here? The chassisbraces that i use are the stock ones... Only i ran longer screws through the balljoint and used a washer for it to stop popping the braces off.

Couldn't cancel the braces... i'll ask again about if u want them when i actually get them.

Ow... BTW... U GUYS ARE SICK!!!! :) just saw the preview of the big jump slapmafro style. Insane

[doesgo]

I've been talking hinge pin braces the whole time. Chassis braces are important as well, but there haven't been the problems with those.

We're sick? Well, thanks for saying so! :) It's what we strive for, man. Always bigger and better!

[RespirologyRC]

Bigger the better ? What are we talking about, I think I may have missed a thread somewhere?

Well I've seen a company on ebay named www.Holeshotengineering.com , that make after market hinge braces. They also supply the extra long pin, but IMO I too would rather loose an arm or pin than to oblong a chassis hole.

On my RTR the holes are much wider than the screws and the hinge pin holders move around causing me to have increased or decreasse toe in/out. Makes racing it a little unpredictable.

What I do to fix this; is use some JP weld and cement the pin brace to the chassis. This is a little extreme but nothing will move them after they've dried. The only time I had one of the braces break was during a landing from 10 feet or so--(this explains why my shocks suck):)

[Mika]

Yes, numbering is a bit weird. Here's an interesting article for Storm and SUT owners, hope this helps! http://www.gsracing.com/gsracing/teamgs/SUT%20team%20building.htm
BTW I recommend using titanium screws here on rough tracks
http://www.gsracing.com/gsracing/TeamGS/pix/Picture-034-front-hinge-pin.jpg
Cheers,
Mika

[Mika]

Sorry guys, I think I answered to a very old posting.. for some reason I got notified of an post pages back.. weird. Didn't realize that it was a couple of pages back.

I had braces from HoleShot in my GS, I modified those a bit to countersunk the stock screws. I also had the shock towers from HoleShot; they needed fitting to get installed at rear. Eventually it became a nice car before I sold it last summer. Here's a few pics if you don't mind.

Cheers,
Mika

http://www.snrt.net/storm/PRO/HoleShot/2004-08-17%20044.JPG
http://www.snrt.net/storm/PRO/HoleShot/2004-08-17%20035.JPG
http://www.snrt.net/storm/PRO/HoleShot/2004-08-17%20030.JPG

[doesgo]

Regarding Holeshot Engineering's hinge pin braces, here's my experience I posted a few pages back. Draw your own conclusion:
=============================
I was pretty disappointed by my Holeshot Engineering hinge pin braces. The pins were all different lengths, none are really long enough to use braces both in front and behind the diffs, the pins aren't notched nor do they have provisions for e-clips, and when I tighten the mounting screws (not provided, by the way) the arms bind up from friction between the arms and braces. Very poor quality control, in my opinion.

Here's what mine looked like:
http://www.2quicknovas.com/bruce/pinlength.jpg

http://www.2quicknovas.com/bruce/qcqa.jpg

http://www.2quicknovas.com/bruce/roughfinish.jpg

http://www.2quicknovas.com/bruce/roughfinish2.jpg

I did contact Holeshot and to their credit they offered to "fix" the braces but offered nothing on the hinge pins (they wouldn't notch them or set them up for e-clips and pretty much blew off the inconsistent length issue), so I didn't bother with the expense or hassle of returning them. They're cheaper than GS Pro parts, but I guess you get what you pay for.

[doesgo]

Regarding the bigger and better thing, he's referring to the DVD teaser we've got out of our upcoming RC DVD. You can find it on our message board here: SlapMaFro DVD Teaser (http://slapmafro.suddenlaunch.com/index.cgi?board=VideoPost&action=display&num=1109130734)

[Mika]

Yeah, I read your post earlier and in fact I was not surprised. Bad quality and poor craftmanship from HoleShot - too bad.

In the latest RC Car Action there's a review of the new GS buggy, Avenger (CL-1 here in europe) and it got pretty good rating. Looks cool, too!

However, my experiences with GS was not so great that I would their newest buggy. I'm a Kyosho owner these days (heavily hopped up).

[pbgoped04]

Hello everyone im new to the forum...Just wondering what would be a good replacement clutch bell for the storm..stock one got chewed up badly.

Thanks

[RespirologyRC]

This is something that just happened today: The temp today was 55 degrees so I decided to start my RTR Storm (Omega/Picco .21 3 port, with PBR Pirate tuned header and pipe) the engine ran then stalled; then ran really well only to have the pipe come off and me go deaf. My buggy started to smoke--not because of the pipe, but rather something onboard was burning. To my surprise my center diff some how became stuck and the clutch shoes started to smoke really bad due to the strain. I tried rolling the front wheels only and they would not move. Then I tried rolling the rear wheels and those felt fine. Something inside the center diff would not allow me to move the front wheels. I took the diff out and inspected it. The gears appeared worn but nothing different. I replaced it with a set of pro diff gears and put everthing back together. All seems fine now. Not sure what the problem was; does anyone have any idea?

[t9dragon]

What weight of diff fluids are you guys running in your Stroms?

[Tommy Gunn]

What weight of diff fluids are you guys running in your Stroms?
5 in front 7 in middle and 2 or 3 in rear. thousand that is.

[sugs]

pbgoped04,

Most 1/8 scale .21 class motors are all pretty standard so you should be able to use a clutch bell from just about any of the 1/8 manufacturers like Ofna, Mugen, Kyosho, etc. It doesn't have to be made by GS. I would just take the motor and chewed up bell to your LHS and let them try and match it. They should have something.

[DarkstaR1st]

Hey doesgo... i'm a wee bit dissapointed in the hingpin braces. The braces have only holes for the hingpins.no holes for attaching it to the bulkhead. Actually i don't know if i need to be dissapointed. But, i'm guessing that fastening it to the bulkhead makes it stronger. That way the hingpins will definitely go nowhere.

hmmm... guys.. any comments???

[RespirologyRC]

can you show us pics of the braces? I just was looking at some fioroni ones that appear to use the chassis for support. Not only this but the pics that I was looking at it appears that you no longer need the hinge pin holders if your using the hinge pin braces. Weird!

[doesgo]

That's true, but you need a new Fioroni chassis to use the braces. Expensive proposition!

[RespirologyRC]

No doubt! I knew I was forgetting something. I would buy the titanium chassis from Hardcoreracing before I bought the Fioroni one.

[hotrodpablo]

5 in front 7 in middle and 2 or 3 in rear. thousand that is.
3 front 5 middle 1 in rear. tried the 7 in the middle, made mine feel slugish.

[RespirologyRC]

I use (Pro version) mixed 3K+7K f, 7K mid, and 3K r. Seems OK, I'll let you know once I start racing her. I'm still holding out for a B7 collari engine. I've heard that this engine once ported is very potent and extremely fast. One racer I speak to on these boards claims that it causes the front wheels on his Mugen to lift off the ground while going down the straight at his track. He is currently using Ofna clone pipe, 1.0 Mugen clutch springs, stock storm clutch shoes, 14 tooth bell, and ported B7 with 30% nitro. I intend on using a McCoy #9 (they never fail) with 40% nitro and a reshimmed head:)

Can't wait!!

[DarkstaR1st]

GS Hingepin brace ... Here's the pic!

What should i do... drill 2 extra holes?

[RespirologyRC]

Well now I'm not sure what braces to buy.

[DarkstaR1st]

The quality is excellent... but why only 2 holes... I know that the hingpins will work together in making it all tougher... But it is still up to the screws in the chassis.

But now four screws. :)

I'll try them like this... If the suspension arms still move after a day of heavy bashing i'm going to drill some extra holes. But, i think this will do the trick.

As for only 1 hingpinbrace per diff. The skewing forces only work on the rear and front side.. I guess that's why they don't make 2 braces per diff

[doesgo]

Dark: Sounds like a good plan. I think even with only two holes they'll help out a lot. I'd like to see braces on both sides of both diffs, but one on each is WAY better than none!

Respiro: DO NOT BUY HOLESHOT ENGINEERING BRACES!!!! They're terrible! There are SO many things wrong with them! I'm not sure if Dynamite (or anyone else) makes braces, but for the price and quality, it seems the GS ones would be tough to beat.

[RespirologyRC]

Doesgo, don't worry. I'm sure that the screws I bought from you will take care of any type of movement from the hinge pin holders that are currently on their.

[doesgo]

That's true, the screws and blocks won't move unless the chassis gives. I'd still add the braces if I were you, but they're not AS necessary as before.

[RespirologyRC]

Well I don't bash with my buggies. Although I went to your web site and saw some serious shite flying around. Sweet vids!!

Tell me something: That Genesis that is in your first vid, with the 11 trucks, is it slow? It looks like the Cen doesn't move or jump all that well. What is your impression? Then when you guys jumped it a couple of time a wheel broke, do you think this was because of a week part or did it really go high then come down and break?

Just curious

[DarkstaR1st]

Well... from what i know and have seen it's NOT a durable truck. Nor fast. Nor well balanced. Nor balanced at all. And has no torqy power. In short... it sucks

Looks nice and massive though.. But that's about it

[doesgo]

I didn't really bash my buggy or truggy until my local track closed down. Now probably all I'll be doing is bashing.

We broke the Genesis' upper arm in the "11" video. So far it's not terribly durable, nor fast, nor powerful... It's been rather frustrating, overall. It's so fun driving the Savage after the Genesis because they're on opposite ends of the durability spectrum! You wouldn't believe what we put the Savage through yesterday, yet the Genesis didn't even survive one lap around the track. Very disappointing. The spur screws backed out or the engine slid forward, or both. Admittedly, that's probably not the truck's fault, so it's hard to blame it. But little stupid things have been happening to it a lot, which start to take away the fun.

The LST is a bit brittle, but it's just so much fun to drive that makes up for a lot. The Genesis doesn't have the fun-to-drive part yet, which makes the problems that much more annoying.

[RespirologyRC]

Doesgo I like the way you stated your opinion--" The LST is a bit brittle, but it's just so much fun to drive that makes up for a lot. The Genesis doesn't have the fun-to-drive part yet, which makes the problems that much more annoying."

Honest and true.
Well I guess the Genesis is at the very bottom of my wish list. Currently (not to deviate from the GS forum), I am contemplating buying an FG MT5 1/6 truck. What's holding me back from purchasing one; is--when I go to buy an R/C vehicle I pretend to need to fix something then try to find the part online. If I have difficulty in doing so then chances are that I'll stay away from it. Who wants to buy something that you can't find parts for? Well as it turns out the FG 1/6 scale is falling into this hard-to-find-parts category. I was trying to find a new chassis and this is turning up negative, and other parts as well; let alone option pieces.

[doesgo]

The proponents of the FG would probably say, "But you won't need spare parts because it's so tough out of the box!", which we know is never quite true. Even the toughest trucks need replacement parts now and then. Besides, we some of the 1/6-scalers on our local track last year and a couple broke within just a few minutes trying to take jumps that are somewhat normal for 1/8-scale buggies and MTs.

[RespirologyRC]

"Besides, we some of the 1/6-scalers on our local track last year and a couple broke within just a few minutes trying to take jumps that are somewhat normal for 1/8-scale buggies and MTs."

That's what I thought!
I have spoken to some guys about 1/6 scale and they say that the truck is plenty fun without having to go flying around. In my oppinion; if your spending 1200.00 on one of these I would hope that it could handle a small jump. What if I wanted to jump off a curb or something?

[RespirologyRC]

does anyone hava an extra diff bulkhead? I need it for my wing stay. I'll pay