Team Losi XXXT Forum v1.0

[losifreak2004]

Wow, didn't realize how much of this thread I've missed! It somehow was removed from my list of subscribed threads....

Oh well, I'm back! Anyone got any questions, feel free to e-mail me or fire away!

pudder - I think the XXXT is easier to drive, it is more stable when diving into corners, and a little more forgiving when jumping. It's also not as twitchy when exiting corners. It doesn't feel as fast, but most of the time, your lap times will show you otherwise ;)

I've never broken my truck, but I've never hit anything hard enough either. Make sure your LHS stocks parts for it, or that you know a place to get them, be it on the net or otherwise. After that, go for it!

WHITESTER - Any setup from the Losi website should be good place to start. You might even find a setup from the track....

Anything else?
Aaron

[makaluch]

I've seen a few guys use liquid wax and liquid graphite on their tranny gears and spur. Is this a good idea to gain that little edge in stock ?

I'm aware that driving, batts, and motor are the biggest edge, but there's a point where I think a combination of little tricks really does help. What do ya think Aaron ? Do you have any tricks to share ?:)

;) Mark

[rczonexxnt]

Never mix wet and dry lubes. Ever seen mud? Thats what will end up in your bearings if you put dry graphite inside your tranny. If you have your spur gear mesh set right, you don't need to lube the spur/ pinion. If anything it will add drag.

[rczonexxnt]

start with the kit setup. Go to the losi sight and download all the xxxt setups. look for track types similar to yours. Now you have a starting point and where to go.

The handling between T3 and xxxt are similar so what you would do to your old truck will still apply to the xxxt. ie, spring / oil changes. The xxxt works very well from the box. I haven't changed anything but springs / oil/ pistons in the last year. Ok tires, and toe angles. Losi really did their homework on this truck, hooks up anywhere.

[LEADFOOT]

As well as the things you mentioned, don't forget about weight! Every little thing here counts. Lighter pins, buckles, gears, chassis, even less paint. When it comes to speed, power:weight ratio says it all!

Look at full scale race cars. My Camaro with 350 hp won't hold a candle to a Honda w/ 350 hp. When you take into consideration the small amount of variation in today's stock motor outputs, we need all the weight savings possible. That's why the MF edition is so cool. Everything is already pretty much as light as possible. However, there is always something you can do to put her on a diet!

[makaluch]

I definately agree LeadFoot ! That's why I own the MFE.

Balance is the other giant advantage. If you have the weight distributed evenly across the right and left side with bias where you like it, ( front, rear, or center) I think you're ahead of the game too. Then, there's the suspension and weight transfer...lol. NOW it gets fun because traction gets involved in there. And then your positional setup directly effects ther car's traction characteristics...and on...and on...and on...hehehe.

:rolleyes: I think I'll just learn how to be consistent and deal with traffic first. I'm a better-than-average driver, but not a very experienced racer.;)

Mark

[WHITESTER1]

What tooth is the MFE red spur gear? 88 or 86?

[makaluch]

Red-86

Green -88

[losifreak2004]

Mark - You think I can give up ALL my secrets? LOL

Graphite+bearings= LOCK UP. (Teflon? Maaaaybe, I'll have to check on that)

Just a little Losi lube on the tranny gears. No lube on the outside gears. To set the mesh, put on a pinion one tooth bigger than what you want to run, and tighten the motor down so the two gears are snug, then put the pinion you want to use on, and you're set. No guessing, and it's the same thing every time.

Also, loosen the screws that hold the tranny case together. This will loosen up everything in the tranny and allow the gears to spin slightly freer. Don't use the dust seals. (Only if you race on clay, do this next trick) Take your bearings apart, clean them out really well with motor spray, and put them back together with a small amount of thin lube, and if you're using rubber seals, forget about it!

As far as weight......stop after the 30th coat of paint on that body! LOL. Small electronics, such as the C2 ESC and the Airtronics Micro Reciever shave a tiny bit of weight, and to help the car turn faster, mount them as close to the battery/centerline of the car as possible, and use double-sided tape unless your track has really big jumps, then Velcro is OK. Rotating weight is a HUGE factor. In stock class, aluminum CVD's are the ticket, aluminum dogbones if the track doesn't need CVD's. Use a thin string through the front buggy body post and the triangle hole in the rear shock tower (tie the ends of the string around these points, so you can hold the car up) to check side-side balance, and add/trim weight accordingly. It is probably smart to do this without tires on, as they can change from set to set.

Which brings me to another tip: don't submerge your tires in water! I don't care how many holes you have in your rim or tire or whatever, don't do it.

Stock class it is a BIG plus to have the wires as short as possible! Deans plugs do not lose any power compared to hard-wiring, so they are OK to use.

Now go away! No more speed secrets tonight!

Aaron

[pudder]

Anyone here have pics to share?

-mike

[DJ BlendeR]

ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! To add to all my friggin problems my entire post just got erased! AHHHHHH! Well I had an entire post explaining why I am so mad. Basically I am on the verge of throwing my XXXT spec into a volcano and blowing the volcano up just to make sure this POC is destroyed.

Heres the situation:
It has been on my shelf collecting dust for the last two months with no tires to run on it. I finally spend $60 to get tires and it back up and running and after one run my diff comes loose... no biggy. Tighten it up and go out again. Two runs later its loose again! Ok......! Tighten it up again. Two more runs and its loose again!, and now my gearbox is making a grinding noise as well! Tighten up the diff and figured out that loosening the top right screw would stop the grinding noise my top shaft was making. I run it two more times that night. THe next day, today, after one run the diff comes loose. I tighten it and then run it to see how it is, 5 feet later it starts chattering and is loose again. Tighten it, 5 feet later more chattering. I take apart my gearbox and try to tighten the diff by hand. Doesn't work. I take out the nut and thread it by hand on the threads themself (meaning my other hald of the diff is not attached) and then some more to make sure its not stripped. Its not. So I put it back in the left diff half and try threading it again. Now its acting like its stripped! I just rebuilt the friggin thing before I shelved it. I had a new nut on there and had only run it for one day, which consisted of some practice and a 4 total races (3 qualifiers and a main). Now I guess I wouldn't be so mad except that I have spent so much money on this thing I could buy an EMaxx and invest another $200 in accessories. It wouldnt be so bad but the diff has blown or stripped like 5 times, I can't keep spending money on this one component, I am supposed to be on a budget, thats what I bought this particular truck for. Obviously its going way off budget. Oh and I am only running a stock motor. I run the stock setup with the exception of silver springs all around and follow the directions to the T.

What's going wrong? Why is this happening to me? I am not that ill experienced, I've been RCing for nearly 3 years now, not a really long time, but long enough to know the basics and then some. I have a quick question, it might be part of my problem, when the diff has been tightened, the slipper spring is still fully compressed and your test the tightness and all that, if you hold the truck in the air and spin say the right tire forward without holding the spur or anything, will the left tire rotate forward or backward?

Thank you for the help/sympathy/ or just reading this never ending post. I've calmed down a bit now that I have gotten that off my chest.

[rczonexxnt]

DJ BlendeR,
If you don't keep a good eye on your diff, expect that to happen again to you. The manual heavily stesses to ensure the diff isn't loose, however, it doesn't tell you that too tight is also bad. If you crank your diff too tight, you will reduce the capability of the lock nut to hold your diff tight. And then it will loosen as you have described.

It's time for a diff rebuild (new nut). Make sure you haven't damaged any other parts of the tranny (diff gear, ball, rings, etc).

when you reasseble your diff, set it up like the manual says and you shouldn't have any problems. If you ever get the slightest hint that your diff is slipping, immediately stop driving and tend to the truck. If it continues, rebuild it and you will be good.

[rczonexxnt]

With no motor or pinion you wheels should spin the same way. Depending on the torque of your motor will determine if your diff will spin the wheels in opposite directions.

[Nutter]

Blender: It does sound like you need a new diff nut and possibly washers (same part #, A-3078), even if you have only recently replaced it. You might've installed the diff backwards also, or be running the slipper too tight.

When you have the diff tightened and the motor installed with pinion, when you rotate one wheel, the other wheel should easily & smoothly rotate in the opposite direction. If the other wheel is rotating in the same direction the wheel is, the diff's far, far too tight (either that, or your motor isn't actually installed :p).


-Nutter

[DJ BlendeR]

I took apart my diff 10 min after that post. One of my washers, the one just above the blue seal was shattered. There was more dirt and grime than I expected in there so I went ahead and installed new balls and bevelled washers, I had them left over from my last rebuild since I never used them. My nut is stripped but it is the only thing I need to replace so I have it on there for now and tomorrow I am heading to the LHS since it's right by my job. I have it together so that it no grime will get in between today and tomorrow. I am gonna go and buy like 5 of them and extra washers. I was soo mad before, Im sorry. The truck was moving real fast and performing like I never have seen it before, and for it to break, again, just made me soo mad. Thanks for the help.

I still need a little more clarification. So when no motor is installed (or atleast the pinion) the wheels will spin in the same direction? Now when the pinion is on and I spin it the wheels will spin in opposite directions? Thanks.

[pudder]

When the motor and pinion and everything is installed and you turn a wheel, the one on the other side should turn the OPPOSITE direction as the one you are turning, that is the differential action.

-mike

[Nutter]

woah, if you're shattering washers and stripping the diff nut, you're doing it up FAR FAR FAR too tight!! Follow the instructions for tightening the diff.


-Nutter

[DJ BlendeR]

I follow the directions. When it says it should be hard to turn the wheel, what's hard for one may be easy for another. So I don't know exactly how far to turn it. So is there a reaction that takes place in the diff that I can watch for and know that I have to stop turning the tire? I was tightening it too much cause my tires were turning the same direction, but like I said, that was when it difficult to turn the tire and therefore I thought that was the correct tightness. I really hate opinion oriented directions. Like I said, what's difficult or one may not be for another.

[pudder]

You shouldn't have it so it is "hard" to turn a wheel, afterall you don't want your diff to be "locked". Have it so it is not easy to turn, or hard, but just okay, make sure it is not slipping when you drive it too. If it slips when you drive it it will make a loud grinding sound, I know, it happens a lot to me. Maybe it is time I look at my diff too.

-mike

[Nutter]

I'm not sure what the Spec instructions say on the matter of the diff's tightness, but from what you're saying, it sounds like the instructions say something like "tighten the diff until while holding the spur it's hard to turn a rear wheel".. which is so wrong I'm 100% sure it can't be saying that, so either I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, or you're misunderstanding the instructions. When holding the spur, it should be easy to rotate one wheel & the other wheel should smoothly rotate in the opposite direction.
The part of the instructions that you're misunderstanding I think are where it says with the slipper locked, hold one wheel so it can't move and try to turn the other wheel, it should be very hard to turn it. This definately does NOT mean to use your whole strength to try to turn it, it is just a small truck remember. Basically what you want to do is adjust the diff so it's not slipping before the slipper clutch is, and is still smooth.


-Nutter

[DJ BlendeR]

Ok I just rebuilt it yesterday and I didn't crank it as far as normal, and it seems smoother but when I hold the spur or have the motor/pinion installed and turn the right wheel forward, when the left goes the opposite way the diff feels "gritty" like I have small pebbles in there or something, does that mean I didn't use enough grease?

Also, I am having trouble getting my screw that holds the gear box onto the chassis back in. Its the long 4-40 screw that goes in just behind the shock tower. I haven't had this much trouble since the first time I put it together. Whats the secret to getting that back in? Thanks

[bassdog]

Sorry to get off topic here...

Any chance I could get any of you fine gentlemen to scan and email me a XXXT user manual? Mine is coming today or tomorrow and being a used one, doesn't have a manual. This is my first Losi truck and I think I'm gonna need it :D

Thanks guys

[losifreak2004]

Bassdog - Check e-mail!

Blender - Loosen all other screws, and work the parts around until you can line them up. That seems to be the easiest way.

Also, on the diff, the BEST way to check it for tightness is how it says to do so in the manual, with the diff OUT of the truck. Put an allen wrench through each outdrive, and try to turn the diff gear. If you can AT ALL, your diff is too loose. That's all there is to it. If this means taking your tranny apart in between your first couple of runs after a rebuild, then that might be what it takes.

Also, replace the diff screw. They will stretch over time.

Anything else? Let me know!
Aaron

[Sike]

hey guys. I'm just wondering. what pivot block do you guys use? I'm thinking of buying the aluminum one but they have the 0 degree and 2 degree. I have the matt francis edition and it seems ok I guess. had a blast with this truck since I got it. I broke the one that came with it when my neighbor tried to jumped it off a ramp using my p-94 10t D. flew 35 feet and 7ft high though when I was driving it.

oh yea, is the alum. worth it?


( http://community.webshots.com/album/35196712UUQmDp if somebody wants to check out some shots)

[LosiMan3456]

I think the Aluminum Pivot plate is definatly worth it. Especially if you are running mod. I am not sure on the degrees though. Look in the manual or go to your LHS and ask for the aluminum Pivot plate in stock degree.

[losifreak2004]

I'm going to assume you're talking in inside rear pivot, the block, right?

If so, stock is two degrees anti-squat, and that's what they're talking about when they say degrees. All pivot blocks are three degrees toe-in.

You can change anti-squat with the black washers that come with the kit. Put them under the front of the block to get 4 degrees, under the rear to get zero.

In case you are talking about the aluminum hubs (the outside pivots) I don't think the Trinity ones are worth the money. I've never broken a plastic one, and the only time I would run anything other than the stock zero degree (toe-in only) hubs, I would use the Losi one degree units.

Aaron

[Sike]

the part number is A-4126. it's the front and rear pivot block set.

I put the black washers under the block on the two rear screws. When I jumped it was roof first. the day before it was excellent landing. Is it suppose to be like that? I think we got a good shot of it landing top first.
I removed it after 7-10 jumps.

Also, I bought an extra XXXT body and it's from losi. I didn't notice that it doesn't come with decal XXXT or Losi ones. not even headlight/tail light. I guess I'm sticking to pro-line :(

[Nutter]

Originally posted by Sike
Also, I bought an extra XXXT body and it's from losi. I didn't notice that it doesn't come with decal XXXT or Losi ones. not even headlight/tail light. I guess I'm sticking to pro-line :(I've got 5 Losi XXXT & XXX-NT bodies here (still in their packets), all come with window masks and headlight/etc decals (not Losi decals though).. what body did you get? These are XXXT Fury's and XXX-NT Triton's.


-Nutter

[Sike]

I just searched horizon hobby for an xxxt body and all they have was
TRUCK BODY W/MASK:XXXT (LOSA8023)
$19.00 each

[WHITESTER1]

I have the GMC Sierra LP body for the XXXT. And the Crowd Pleazer for the XXXNT. I haven't run either body yet. They are being painted.

Here is my XXXT in action. Nevermind the girl commitating... It was her first time filiming... LOL!!!!

Whitester's XXXT (http://members.wnyip.net/whitester/videos/whitesterxxxt.wmv)

[Railman]

Cool clip Whitester! CRCRC. That's from a 4-07-02 qualifiing heat for 19 trn mod truck...right? I had hoped to make it that weekend, but it just seems impossible to get there any more. Why didn't you run you XXXNT on sat?
Joe

[cburk]

Sweet Video- you were kicking some butt! How long have you been racing?

Cburk

[WHITESTER1]

Actually, that is Stock class! LOL. I had plan on running mod, but didn't know it was 19 turn only. All I brought were 10's and 11's! LOL.

I didn't run my XXXNT, because I was having some problems, and I didn't want to chance breaking a brand new truck. So I just ran 1/8th scale.

Thanks for the compliments!

[losifreak2004]

That track reminds me of the old MnM!

Looked like carnage there though LOL.

[rczonexxnt]

I was looking through my manuals (raining out, nothing better to do) and noticed that the MFE addendum additional tips from matt contradict what is the XXXT manual.

Whats the deal with this? Has anyone noticed this? Do I have a goofed manual?

[makaluch]

I doubt the manual is goofed. The standard manuals were made with the first generation XXXT's. There have been several changes (addendums) to the manual AND the parts...thanks to input from us...the people that buy them and drive them most ! We all live and learn,...and so does Losi;)

I'm wondering if anyone has any lightening tips. I'm interested in the type of tips that don't involve buying lightened parts...just plain old drilling and dremel work.

Also, any input on Fantom stock motors for both the truck and the buggy ?

[LosiMan3456]

I run a Fantom GM3 in my XXX Buggy. I really like it a lot. It is one of the fastest cars out on the track. For a truck I run a Fantom P2K. It gives the truck plenty of torque. I havent yet tried the P2K2 but I just ordered one, so i will tell you guys how it is. I have tried the MVP's and I dont really like them. I can't tune them right at all. They also run hot and the end of the race and get flat. When this guy I know gets back from florida next week I will get some help from him on tuning it. I hope this info helps!

Oh BTW, I have tried a GM3 in my truck to but they get really hot and dont have much punch.

[losifreak2004]

LosiMan - Good stuff!

Mark - On Fantom motors, you're on your own...I run Trinity stuff LOL. Just kidding, I got tricks for those too :D

rczonexxnt - What tips contradict?

[makaluch]

Fantom motors are actually of all three cans-Epic, Yokomo, and Top. The particular motor that I have is a Fantom P2K2.

I was just wondering if Fantom has pulled enough torque out of it to use it in a truck, or is it best suited in my buggy ?

I'm thinking of modifying my own stock with a P2K2 arm in a P2K can. Would that mod still qualify as ROAR legal ? I would not change hoods (I've seen P-94 hoods on stockers).

Can anyone direct me to a site that clearly lists the ROAR rules regarding stock motors ? What about a site that teaches about setup and handling ? I have a pretty good grasp, but there's always more to learn:) I'm really starting to feel small changes now.

[Exterminator]

Hi Mak.
I found this site had some good info on all around tips for Electric racing.
http://www.recycle.co.za

The best all around setup guide I have found is at this site. It covers every part of setting up a car and what affect it should have.
http://gallery.uunet.be/heremanss/

Tim W.
TRCR Indoor Offroad Champion
2002 Novice

[BobWilliams]

Are you the gentleman that works for PSE? I think I saw you at the races on Friday.

[BobWilliams]

Mark, I'll look up the Roar Site and e-mail you.

[Sike]

Do you guys put any lubricant on your trans? I've read before in RCCA that you should put aerocar lube the pink stuff but I don't have it nor have enough items to order it from tower.

Also, to those who owns a P2K2, how do you gear yours with a 86 spur (I believe that's the red one that came in MFE)?
What's a good starting point?

[makaluch]

I just bought a Fantom P2K2 but I don't plan on using it in the truck. Our track requires pretty good torque out of the corners and the P2K Pro fits the bill better. The P2K2 is more of an RPM motor and suits buggy better.

However, if I were to give it a shot in the truck I would go with green(88)/19 to start...or red(86)/18.

[losifreak2004]

Sike - Other than the mag, I've NEVER heard anyone using the Aerocar stuff. I use a light amount of the Losi diff lube. A

Mark - I just looked through the ROAR rulebook that is on the site, and it doesn't say anything about it. But in the actual rulebook sent to members, it says that motor companies cannot mix and match parts from different motors, so I'd imagine it'd go the same for drivers?

[makaluch]

See, that rule's a head scratcher. I'm pretty sure the aftermarket motor companies mix parts from different motors. When they list their motors they are called "blah blah blah-based". I'm speaking of Fantom, Paradigm and the likes. These companies are well known sponsors at the National level.

Are my assumptions correct ?

[makaluch]

See, that rule's a head scratcher. I'm pretty sure the aftermarket motor companies mix parts from different motors. When they list their motors they are called "blah blah blah-based". I'm speaking of Fantom, Paradigm and the likes. These companies are well known sponsors at the National level.

Are my assumptions correct ?

[Sike]

I just filled my assembly (the one connected to the motor mount)half way with a mugen 10,000wt lube (same thing I use on the rear diff of my nitro). I have yet to see what's going to happen.

This ball diff, when you hold the car up and turn the wheel, does the other wheel should turn the opposite?
after I put that lube, it now turns like that. I remember when I first had the car, it turns in the same direction as the other wheel. But then again, I didn't hear any roughness when turning unlike before.

I just bought the odd and even sets of robinson pinions. I have a stampede anyway so I can also use the other gears. Somebody told me that when running stock, you should start with a 21. but then again, they never mentioned on what the spur gears might be and if it's for a sedan or truck.

I'll put the P2K on my next order @tower since everybody mention that it's for tight track, atleast I have them both just incase.

[Exterminator]

Bob Williams,

Yes that was My PSE truck in the parking lot. 24hr callout duty. would have sucked if I had gotten called during the races. That was me wearing the Earnhart jacket. I'm going to the races tuesday to test the stock class action. Stop by and say Hi.

Tim:D

[losifreak2004]

Sike - Whoa wait, you filled the tranny case with 10,000 wt? Oh no!

Don't run it like that. Clean it ALL out. If the two wheels spin the same way (when you hold the spur gear) then your diff is too tight. They should spin opposite ways.

Take your diff apart, clean everything real well with motor spray and a clean rag, and check the rings for grooves, the balls for scratches or flat spots, that kinda stuff. Then put it back together like the manual shows. When you tighten the diff, go until you think it is JUST tight enough. Then hold the two outdrives (helps to put an allen wrench through the slots to hold it still) and try to turn the diff gear. Tighten the diff until you can't turn the gear.

That should be perfect.

Mark - They can take an Epic based can and put their own brush hoods or whatever on it, but they can't use an Epic armature with a Yokomo can and some odd endbell.

[makaluch]

Aaron - Right on then !! So I'd like to build a P2k with a P2K2 arm and P-94 hoods/brushes...would that be legal ?

[Night_Brood]

i bet it would be fast, especially in a triple-x... ;)

[tarvymoto]

that combo would be legal.

:cool:

[makaluch]

Well alrighty then:) I'm gonna build one ! I feel like a cheater already ! I guarantee you that this motor will compete with a 19T Chamelion.

If that combo's legal then I can see why the Indoor Championship times were two laps up on my best. I was running 14 5:06 and stock champ was at 16 laps ! The mod winner(Scott Brown I believe) was only running 18 laps. Hmmm. I think it's time to start building my own motors !

[losifreak2004]

Mark - As long as all the parts say "EPIC 27" then you're in the clear!

(That is straight out of the rulebook, page 23, rule 5-10)

There's also a rule in here that allows for a two degree tolerance on the brush hoods.....if you REALLY wanna get technical, advance the brush hoods to 26 degrees, but the endbell must be locked at 24

Oh wow, you could take slightly thicker wire, smash it, and use that to wrap your armatures with. The more wire, the more power.....

Oh man, this is gonna get tricky! LOL

Aaron

(Editor's note: don't do any of this illegal stuff at a real race!)

[WHITESTER1]

Originally posted by losifreak2004
(Editor's note: don't do any of this illegal stuff at a real race!)
Good statement!



I'm not sure any of you have experienced cheaters, but I have. And I laugh at them when they cheat to get a faster motor, and I STILL BEAT THEM!!!! Funny stuff. That has to be a pretty low feeling knowing you are cheating to make your motors faster, but yet you STILL get beat by a NON cheater. LOL!!!!

[losifreak2004]

WHITESTER - You bring up a good point as well. Cheaters suck!

None of the tips in my last posts would be considered "cheating" (except the smashing the wire LOL), but probably would not be worth the effort to gain that tiny edge, with all the trouble you'd have explaining yourself to the race official if someone did think you were cheating.

Sure, I've tried a LOT of funny things in stock motors. I had a comm flake in one motor, and magnets crack in another one (these were the old fixed endbell motors), so I took the good armature, put it in the good can, and put bearings in the endbell. I was at my old local track on a Saturday, and signed up for Expert Stock, told the race director my motor had bearings in it, and ran it in my first qualifier just for fun.

I got smoked!

The fastest stock motors I've ever had were the ones that come out of the package. Gearing is what it all boils down to!

[Sike]

this might be a little delayed post but thanx for the tip Aaron. Mark helped me out alot and gave me a warning before I run the truck.

I did try to run it just for the heck of it and yea, the battery and motor was very hot alright. I have now a better understanding on how this works.

thank you

[LosiMan3456]

So it is legal to put P-94 brushes on a stock motor and use mod brushes and run it legally in stock class!!! Whoa! Maybe I should try that, that would be friggin awesome!

[losifreak2004]

Sike - That's why I'm here!

LosiMan - It's not as beneficial as you would think. The amp draw a stock motor requires isn't nearly that of a low-turn mod, so the P-94 brushes don't provide much of an advantage in the aspect. Also, because there is more material on the comm, there's more drag, and that just flat out kills when RPM and the power to get to that RPM quickly is the way to win.

[makaluch]

I wish I had a dyno. I have some ideas on how to build this motor. The key to the drag on the comm is to use the red(+) and the green(-) springs instead of the stock P-94 purples. But then again...what do I know...lol. I will have to get back to this forum after I get it done right. It is kinda off topic though.

I definately agree with the cheater statement. The only difference is that I lost ! I think I'm an okay driver, but there comes a point where your equipment definately can take you to the next level. No matter what it's just plain ole fun to me though.

[losifreak2004]

Well, almost all big Trinity tuners are using the red and green spring idea, with the stock-size springs. The same tension on a brush with a larger surface area, and there's still going to be more drag. The P-94 idea was not meant for stock, and it doesn't really work.

Aaron

[Exterminator]

Makaluch let me know how that motor does.

I think the motor wont make much difference. The driving skills make more of a difference. When I was in Novice I used a p2k2 that motor was good for my driving style and I dominated the class. When I moved to stock truck class I tried using that and was 2 laps behind the field. So driving skills will make up whatever advantage the motor will give you.
Good luck
Tim W.

[losifreak2004]

Tim - That is true, to a certain extent. But if he's at or near the same level as the drivers that are beating him (which sounds like it, if he's finishing on the podium :D) then a motor with a little more pop out of the corners might be what he needs to keep up.

He does bring up a good point. No motor can take the place of practice! :D

Aaron

[Exterminator]

Makaluch, You try that motor parts mixing yet?
I'm planning on going to TRCR this friday 4-26. If you have tried it let me know I'll make one for friday.
Tim W.

[makaluch]

Tim - No, I haven't been spending much time in the hobby room lately. Work's just been crazy lately.

I think I'm just going to try some diferent break-in techniques with my motors and modifying brushes instead of mixing parts.

In stock truck the P2K Pro is the motor of choice for Tacoma. Red/20 or 19 is the way to go depending on how good your batteries are. I think any advantage...or equalizer...will help me. My skills are pretty good for running top of the A-Main. I'll be out on Sunday with a few local guys...Bob, Steve, and hopefully Matt.

[losifreak2004]

Break-in? 4 cell for two minutes with a few drops of light comm fluid. Lube bushings, good to go.

Modifying brushes? Well, there's that one brush set that JSP Racing made, the silver serrated with a vent hole and the smashed face to increase area.......:D

Aaron

[makaluch]

Vent hole and smashed face ? LOL...there's that erea vs. drag thing...hehehe. I was thinking 767's with a vertical slot. Similar idea I guess ;) And polishing bushings using dremel and no brushes...not just lubing them.

[tarvymoto]

love to read this stuf:D

[T/Losi]

I may be getting the XXX-T M.F Edition soon and I am thinking about going 40 wt. all around aswell as green springs. What set-up do you use?

[tarvymoto]

that sounds like a good asphault set-up lol . What kind of track will you be running on? Green and 40wt all the way around isn't a good idea for most dirt/clay tracks.

[Exterminator]

Athowells,
Check the teamlosi.com for set-up sheets. find one that matches your intended running as close as possable and set it up to match. Then make adjustments from there to match your driving style.

Mark,
Let me know if you find a speed secret that works on TRCR.
I'll try to head out there sunday too, I'll look for ya there.

Tim W.

[jesse370]

I'm using a gm3 and have been getting pretty fast, but I'm still learning this offroad thing. Been driving touring for years and wanted to see what offroad was like. BEst move I made this is a blast. The big reason I'm using a gm3 is because it just flat out makes alot more power than my p2k2. I may try a p2k if I can find one soon.

[losifreak2004]

Mark - HAHA. They weren't anywhere near the size of the P-94 brushes. They were the trickest brushes in the world, but silver serrateds took so much less time to get! HAHA. John (JSP Racing) has come up with the coolest stuff, been my sponsor since forever (one of my dad's best friends HAHA. He lives about ten minutes from my house)

You're actually chucking the motor in a Dremel to break in the bushings? I just put in three packs on the track before I race a motor, after the original break-in.

Jesse - The P2K is the only stock motor I will use from now until there's one that is consistently faster. I've had four of these motors and they all SCREAM. Trinity 4499nt's with a red spring on the + side and a green one on the - side.

athowells - That is definitely WAY too stiff! Here is the page with all of the setups for the XXX-T on the Losi site, http://www.teamlosi.com/setups/triple-xt/index.htm and this is the particular one I'm using.
http://www.teamlosi.com/pictures/jpegsetups/xxxt/xxxtstd_adam.jpg
I have found all of Adam's setups fit my driving style very well, even though we drive very differently.

Did I miss anything?
Aaron

[makaluch]

I'm gonna start polishing the bearings to match the shafts with Mother's Polish. Then clean the heck out of 'em and break in comm/brushes as usual (with whatever techniques you prefer). There are several different schools of break-in. Whichever way you chose to do it, just be sure to clean the motor before you go full bore with it.

[losifreak2004]

What do you clean your motors with?

Aaron

[T/Losi]

Which do use think would be more durable/strong? XXX-T Regular w/titanium turnbuckles or XXX-T M.F?

[Exterminator]

I use dynamite motor spray to clean my motor's.

My question is,
Is it better to remove the brushes and spray the motor out?
Or leave them in and spray it out while hooked to a 4-cell pack?
Just wondering if motor spray has a bad affect on brushes.
thanks
Tim W.

[AssociatedRacer]

i had the same question...my motor's box said to run it and spray it...while the spray said to remove the brushes and springs...so i just played it safe and took out the brushes...

[Gutter Ball]

After every heat (our track is dusty), I spray out the motor. I'm lazy, so I leave the brushes and springs on. Since I change the brushes every 10 or so races, I'm not sure if it hurts them or not.

[jesse370]

As far as durability goes, the ti turnbuckles are stronger, I bent on of my front ones so far. The biggest difference between the francis and normal xxxt is all the graphite parts, and the threaded shocks are a REAL big plus. I would go with the francis. I ran touring cars for a few seasons and while I can drive pretty good there was a learning curve for offroad, this truck is a tank. I've had a few real bad crashes and only broke one suspension arm and it was because I overshot a jump and landed on one of the front arms. The truck works great! I'm getting ready to slap a mod in the truck for racing now...The track I race at is really hard to get around with a stock motor in it.

[racer13]

would any body trade there xxxt matt francis w/o motor, electrics for a pretty much brand new paintball gun shot about 3 times in back yard? worth about 350 with the extra's i have.

[losifreak2004]

athowells - In cold weather, the stock kit. In warm weather the MF kit would probably hold up better due to the stiffer graphite.

I've always taken the motor out of the car, took the brushes out and disassembled the motor, and sprayed the crap out of it with Trinity motor spray. Then put it back together and run the motor for two minutes with a 4-cell, then lube the bushings.

racer13 - No more paintball for me LOL.

[racer13]

would any body be interested in trading their xxxt for a xxx-nt sport.. pretty much brand new, i'd like to keep remote, i JUST want a xxxt maybe with some battery packs.. i have every thing else.. gas's are to expensive for me, i need something easier to work/ use... thanks alot, if you have a GOOD deal, i will trade the gun, with the xxx-nt for it.. email me at Blasto_man2@hotmail.com or PM me. thnx alot!

[makaluch]

I'm proud so I have to show it off :D

[LEADFOOT]

Wow! ...great drips! That's an awesome job.


Did you post in the body forum?

[makaluch]

No I haven't. Once it's mounted on the truck I will.

[losifreak2004]

That's almost too pretty to run! LOL

[makaluch]

No body is above a good tail flippin !:D

[losifreak2004]

Tell that to antique car owners :p

Aaron

[saabcaptain]

I recently purchased a MF XXX-T as my first real RC car (yep, I went for the gold on day one.) I have it setup and running now (great building tips in the forum saved me huge problems as I bought a tap and high quality drivers) and am about to go to the track but I have some really basic questions I hope someone might help me with...

1. I understand the concept of all the setups and setup sheets... but how do I accurately set things like 1 degree of camber etc. Eyeballing it seems nearly impossible...?

2. I purchased 2 really, really cheap 1500 unmatched battery packs ($15 each). Considering I want to eventually race I know I will needs at least 2000 or 2400s but am so clueless I didn't want to waste the money yet. Since I know very little about batteries is their a good site explaining proper care etc. and how long each battery should last in terms of run time etc.? Right now I have a Vision Peak charger (not the Pro version, the cheap $40 version) and don't use bulb dischargers or anything like that. Can I recharge packs right after I use them if they are the junk 1500s that I will use as practice packs?

3. What is the proper care of the motor? I have motor cleaner and have read some basic articles but brushes, comms etc. but I don't know a really good technique. Ie. should I after every run spray cleaner into the motor? While it is mounted? While it is running? Where do I even shoot the stuff in? If I need to replace the brushes etc. how often should I do it? What about paying someone to cut the comm? How often and how much $$$? I figure I have run the car in the parking lot 10 times or so and have never even touched or looked at the motor (it runs cool).

SOOOO.... I feel pretty good about going out to the track as I have taken like a duck to water with the driving and have no problems controlling the truck around cones both moving side to side and to and away from me. I just have no real clue about how to properly setup the truck based on the setup sheets, and have no clue what to buy and how to treat motors and batteries.

HELP! God I love this truck, I fly airplanes for a living which is darn fun but putting this little thing together and now running it makes me smile like I haven't since I was a kid.

Thanks so much! :confused:

[saabcaptain]

One more question...

What pinion would you recommend for the MFE's 86 tooth spur considering I am racing on a smaller indoor track that is quite technical with few open straights but several large jumps followed by turns? As summer gets into swing the move will be outdoors to a larger track about 3/4 technical with some decent straights... I am running a P2K2 Pro.

[losifreak2004]

Nice to hear you're into the hobby! And welcome to the forum!

To check camber and toe-in, RPM makes a universal gauge for each that are really easy to use, and are about 10$ a piece. Until then, make sure both steering links are the same length (to help the truck track straight with the servo centered) and adjust them evenly on each side. Camber can be eyeballed with a soda can until you get the RPM gauges.

The setup sheets available from the Losi website, along with the tips in the back of your manual, should help you understand camber, toe-in, anti-squat, etc. The setup sheets are pretty much self explanatory, and all the necessary tuning parts (shock oil, pistons, springs, etc.) are available at your LHS.

1500's should last about 6-7 minutes. Charge them at 4-5 amps, and run them in the car until the car doesn't move (until you get lightbulbs). The Ni-CD batteries must be discharged completely to not develop a memory. Don't store them with a charge in them, and never charge them half-way. Keep them cool and dry, and you'll be fine. As long as they cool down you can recharge them that day. They will not last as long runtime-wise (or life-wise, for that matter) but should have slightly higher voltage the second run of the day.

If you race on a prepared track, you should only need to clean the motor out every 4-5 races, although 2-3 is preferred. Take the motor out of the car, take the endbell off, the armature out (be on the lookout for shims!), the brush springs off and the brushes out of the endbell, and spray the entire thing until the liquid dripping out of the motor is clear. Allow it to air dry, put it all back together the way it came apart, and run the motor half throttle for about two minutes.

Cutting the comm on a stock motor should be done every 30-35 runs. If you can find someone with a lathe, they'll probably charge you $2 or so. I always replace brushes when I get my motors cut.

A P2K2 can be safely geared with a 20-22 tooth pinion. The 20 will give you better acceleration ("more punch") while the 22 will give you higher top speed.


Did I get everything?
Aaron

[saabcaptain]

Couple more questions (and thanks for your great answers by the way...)

Since cleaning the motor seems to be somewhat involved and take time (for the motor to air dry etc.) do most folks at the track come with 2 motors so they can run the car more than 4 times or so? When you say 4 races I assume that means 4 runs not 4 days of racing right?

Also with batteries, how many batteries do most people come prepared with and what level, ie. 1500, 2000, 2400, 3000? I have 2 unmatched no name brand 1500 packs, but I am to purchase enough batteries to be able to get through a night of novice class racing eventually... not necessarily to win with matched packs or anything. How many and what type should I get to not break the bank right now?

Thanks again (I am going to do my best to eyeball the setups this weekend and run the truck at the practice night coming up next Tuesday... I just figure I won't have much run time with only the two 1500 packs unless I quickly recharge them which I know isn't good for them... even if they were only $15.)

Dave

[BobWilliams]

Hey guys, when you clean you motor with motor spray, try not to spray directly at the brushes. There is a lubricant in the brush makeup and washing the brushes with motor spray will remove the lubricant.:)

With the rebuildable motors, take off the springs and pull the brushes out of the endbell, Take off the endbell and remove the arm from the can. don't loose any of the spacing washers and remember where they go. Spray the can out and spray the endbell out. Remember that you sprayed the bushings and will need to relube them once you put everything back together.

If you don't turn the comm while you have everything apart, at least clean the comm. You can do this with a little Crocus cloth (very fine) Rip a piece of the Crocus cloth about the same width as the comm. Spin the comm while holding the strip of Crocus cloth around the comm. Don't do too much, just enough to bring back some of the shine. Don't use any type of sandpaper no matter how fine it is. The sand will come off on the comm and stick in the surface.

Put everything back together, lube the bushings and you're ready to go again. One drop of comm drops on one of the brushes won't hurt, don't use too much or the brush will stick to the comm. Spin the motor by hand to spread the comm drop around the whole comm surface.

One more tip, when you are spinning your motor by hand, always turn it in the direction that it would normally turn, don't turn it backwards, you can chip a brush face. Looking at the shaft end, turn it counter clockwise and all will be cool.

[BobWilliams]

When I go the race I try to manage my batteries so that I don't run any of the good Nicad more that once a day. We have 3 qualifiers and a main so it takes 4 batteries per class. I run 2000 or 2400 matched packs in stock buggy or stock truck. If I have time to practice I have some older matched packs that I just use for practice.

In modified I use 3000 packs for the races and I only have 2 packs. I run the first pack in the first and third qualifier and the second pack in the second qualifier and the main. You must let the pack cool before you recharge. Try to time it so that the pack peaks just before you have to race. At our track the gives the pack about 1 1/2 hours to cool before I recharge it. Suprisenly, the second run has more punch than the first one.

So on race day, stock buggy and mod truck
4 nicads for practice
4 nicads for stock buggy
2 3000 for mod truck

[BobWilliams]

When I go the race I try to manage my batteries so that I don't run any of the good Nicad more that once a day. We have 3 qualifiers and a main so it takes 4 batteries per class. I run 2000 or 2400 matched packs in stock buggy or stock truck. If I have time to practice I have some older matched packs that I just use for practice.

In modified I use 3000 packs for the races and I only have 2 packs. I run the first pack in the first and third qualifier and the second pack in the second qualifier and the main. You must let the pack cool before you recharge. Try to time it so that the pack peaks just before you have to race. At our track the gives the pack about 1 1/2 hours to cool before I recharge it. Suprisenly, the second run has more punch than the first one.

So on race day, stock buggy and mod truck
4 nicads for practice
4 nicads for stock buggy
2 3000 for mod truck

[saabcaptain]

Starting to make a lot more sense... couple of follow ups to Bob's responses...

1. I have motor cleaner and I know where to get or how to make comm drops, but you refer to lubing the bushings after cleaning the motor and I was wondering what you use to do it?

2. Considering most races are under 5 minutes what is the advantage in STOCK racing for using longer life batt packs like 2400 (Ni-cd) or 3000 (Ni-mh) vs. 2000 packs? Obviously for playing around or testing it sure would be fun to get 10 minute plus run times but if the races are short anyway and I would just be discharging unused energy in packs why not get some 2000s and save money? Yes-no? I don't intend to run mod for a while and could maybe afford matched 2000's

3. Do you use multiple motors on a given day or is this motor cleaning process quick enough to use one motor and clean it once or twice between heats on a given night?

Thanks so much... in all honest it seems the easiest part is building the kit and frankly it drives pretty nice... I think my biggest challange will be learning to drive the moguls and jumps and figuring out how to manage the motor and batteries.

Dave

[Gutter Ball]

The motor cleaner will wash away the lubricant. I always lube the bushings/bearings after cleaning them. I use Fantom bushing/bearing drops. Other people use regular oil, but I prefer to use stuff that's made for RC. Motor spray dries very quickly so you won't have to worry about switching motors. Battery MAH would depend on what kind of "stock" you are racing. Stock offroad could probably get by on a 2000 pack since you'll be on and off your throttle. Stock oval might not get by with a 2000 pack since you are always on the throttle. I also use a larger pinion than suggested, we need all the speed we can get! Hope this helps.

[makaluch]

Good 2400 batteries have a higher peak voltage than comparable 2000's giving them more punch.

I just clean the comm and brushes with comm sticks and spray with motor spray with the brushes and springs out. I cut the comm and replace brushes (you can have someone do it) about every 4-8 runs depending on it's shape. Don't forget to add a drop of bearing oil after cleaning ! Hopefully your Local Hobby Shop can help with most of these maintenance tips.

The more motors you have the easier maintenance becomes...lol. I have a practice motor that didn't have very good numbers so I neglect it a little. Then come race time I use another motor (or two...hehehe) that's tuned, freshly broken in, and powerful !

Doing this will not only give you better power, but it will also make your motor last longer by running cooler and more efficient. I know it seems overwhelming right now...but it will become second nature in no time. It's just money saving maintenance...just so happens it keeps your motor fast too !

[losifreak2004]

Bob - Good stuff! I agree with just about everything, except the Crocus cloth. The point of cleaning it is to restore some shine back in the comm. This, no doubt, will change the way the brush face meets the comm, and the motor will have to be run longer for the brushes to break back in. As it is, I run my motors for two minutes on a four cell pack after cleaning them just to re-seat everything at a higher RPM than is possible when turning the motor with your hands LOL.

saabcaptain - That's why I'm here!

Larger MaH numbers will cause the pack to stay consistent throughout the five minutes. Even really good 1700 or 2000 packs will begin to tail off around the 4:00-4:30 mark.

That said, I have run 2000 batteries at club races (at SoCal Raceway, home of the big boys) and did a fair share of keeping up :p

Gutterball - At full throttle even stock motors pull plenty of amps, much more so than a smooth throttle finger when going from gas to braking, etc.

Also, the suggested gearing in the Losi XXX/XXXT manual is pretty stout...I wouldn't gear over what they recommend by much more than one or two teeth on the pinion (three to six teeth on the spur).

Mark - NO COMM STICKS! I hate those things! No matter how steady you hold them, a comm stick will force the comm to "un-round" itself. Also, when cleaning the brushes with the stick, you take some curve out of the brush, which requires MORE break-in time, and more wear.

Also, 8-10 runs is way too often to be cutting the comm. There's no need, stock motors can run up to 35 times with no loss in power.

Did I get everything?

Aaron

[makaluch]

I'M SO CONFUSED !!! TOO MANY OPINIONS !;) ;)

Eventually I'll learn to just keep it simple...but I'm having fun trying new things. Track time is the best thing you can do to be fast. I'm a Test Driver right now, but maybe someday I'll be a Dyno Racer too...lmao...:D

[Gutter Ball]

Gutterball - At full throttle even stock motors pull plenty of amps, much more so than a smooth throttle finger when going from gas to braking, etc.
LOL, isn't that what I said? If it isn't, that's what I meant to say :)

[racer13]

hey every body... im getting a matt francis edition xxxt and i will be racing. i need to know what electrics i should get? i have plenty enough money, just not sure whats the best for what i need.. my track is pretty small, lots of turns, not really any straights except 1 long corner that leads to a jump. I need a motor, speed control, reciever (am), and battery packs.. im not sure at all what i should get

[saabcaptain]

For bearing oil, should I be lubing ALL the bearings in the car like in the wheels etc. or just the bearings in the motor after cleaning the car? Also do any of you use like Mobil 1 or something (I heard some do) or is everything an RC specific lube?

One other STUPID question, with the bearings in the rims, should the colored side of the bearing face toward the INSIDE of the rim, ie. when both are installed the colored sides face each other and you can't see them? The manual wording is confusing here and I think I might have done it wrong. Well this weekend I just got home and will setup the car and make sure the diff is right, that and I have to paint the Fury (Metalic Red and Flor. Orange).

Thanks again,

Dave

[racer13]

you want the colored part of the bearing facing outward of the rim.. so the two bearing will be opposite

[LEADFOOT]

This may have been covered like 20 pages ago, but I didn't want to look at a million threads...

My truch handles every part of our track perfectly, except one...the big triple. As soon as it leaves the face of the jump the front end starts diving. It's so bad I have to take the triple one small jump at a time...killing lap times. I thought maybe the shock oil was too stiff so I went to a lighter one. This helped a little. I don't think the shock was packing, either. I have the stock pistons in there w/ 25 wt. oil. I had pink springs up front and yellow in the rear. Most other losi's were running the same springs. Please advise!?!?:confused:

[makaluch]

Go with a heavier spring to increase your rebound rate. What pistons are you running ? Any limiters inside ?

[losifreak2004]

LEADFOOT - Before you start adjusting your truck setup, try adjusting the way you hit the jump. Charge up to the face of the jump, then let off at the base of it to let the suspension settle, then accelerate up the face of the jump. Also, when in the air, apply throttle to bring the front end up if you need to. If the front end is too high, tap the brakes.

saab - Racer13 got the seal question right, seals to the outside. If your track is dusty, then use Mobil One. If your track is neatly swept and kept dust-free, try cleaning everything out of your bearings and using a much lighter lube, such as that used for motor bearings.

racer - For stock, a P2K is the motor to have. For Mod, a P-94, somewhere in the 10x2 to 12x2 range. I'm a Novak fan, and would spring for the C2 if money isn't an issue LOL. For an AM reciever, Novak makes a few to choose from, but I use recievers from the same brand as the transmitter.

Gutter Ball - LOL. I must have read your post wrong. Sorry!

Mark - All in time grasshopper LOL!

Did I get everyone?

Aaron

[pippy]

Saabcaptain - I'm a little concerned about all the advice everyone is giving. Not that its wrong - its good advice. But since you are just getting into the hobby, you're probably trying not to spend to much $ right now. I'm used to being on a budget, and I find it makes me a better driver. I still use 1700 mAH batteries and they work fine for me. I just started running off-road, and it will take a while for my driving skills to warrant better batteries. I say keep your 1500s for a while and see how you do. If you think you're not winning for lack of speed rather than lack of skill, upgrade your batteries. If you find you're becomming serious about racing then get a couple of really good packs as well as some cheaper practice packs.

I use this philosophy on every piece of equipment. There's no point in owning all the best stuff if you're just going to slam it into the wall all the time. Also, if you hang around the track long enough, you'll probably find someone getting rid of some 2400s cheap 'cos they just upgraded to 3000s. I get most of my stuff that way.

Also, I agree with Losifreak - don't cut the comm too often. Just keep the motor clean. I'm used to on-road racing where I clean the motor after a whole day of racing, but maybe running off-road I should be cleaning it more often (like between runs) since it gets dirtier.

And most importantly, don't foget to have fun.

[losifreak2004]

Pippy - You bring about a good point. However, I firmly believe in getting the good equipment right away, as electronics and batteries don't have much resale value, and when the time comes to upgrade to the newer, better gear, you will find yourself spending just as much money as you would have earlier, yet you had already spent the money on the lower quality gear.

Also, what is top-of-the-line now will still be competitive later. What is just borderline-competitive now, will be laughed at later.

Aaron

[pippy]

Losifreak - I understand completely what you mean. I used to kick myself for buying a TA02 instead of a YR4 (this was a few years ago :D ). But now I firmly believe that I am a better driver for having to compete against people with better stuff. When I finally broke down and bought a YR4M (and traded my sport packs for some matched 1700s) I was kicking some serious butt.

Nevertheless, perhaps I should "refine" my earlier comments: If you already have some cheap equipment, don't upgrade it until you know it's your weakness (until then, you will be learning some very good driving skills). If you are starting from scratch, get good stuff the first time (if you're sure you'll be in the hobby for a while).

How's that? Do I sound like a politician?

[makaluch]

Another point I totally agree with...Aaron and I were just speaking about it... discretion.

Some of the advice given is biased...mine included. We all have our own ideas and we all develop our own methods of achieving what it is we are after. And some have a little more money to achieve these things quicker or easier.

When someone asks a motor or battery question you will mosty likely get 10 different people with ten different ideas

[makaluch]

I just buy my way out of spending money...lol.

1. - Buy the best and you'll save in the long run. Resale on top shelf stuff is almost always good too.(original cyclone esc's still sell for 75 plus)

2. - You'll save in the long run because you'll break less, not NEED to upgrade to be fast, and you WILL learn faster.

If you're on a budget just buy used top shelf equipment.

[saabcaptain]

While I am truly trying not to break the bank I have the luxury of being an adult with a decent amount of discretionary income to use on hobbies and other such things. I did save when purchasing my new truck by going with a simple ESC, the Novak Explorer II, and a stock motor a P2K2. I also saved on the charger which is a Vision Peak with obviously Peak detection but no LCD screen or ability to use Ni-Mh batteries. My radio is an AM Futuaba Magnum Jr, one of the new ones and it does have EPA and TPA which is nice, but it certainly didn't break the bank and doesn't have multiple car memory.

When it came to the truck itself I went all out, a MF XXX-T because darn it looked cool and part of me just wanted the best. I went quality with all my allen wrenches, a complete line up of Trinity drivers. I have purchased some RPM calibration guages for camber and toe in, purchased some motor cleaner and bushing lube, 2-1500 packs and just today a SMC 2400 Matched Pack, my first decent battery.

Things I need now, well I need some type of light bar or something for discharging, for now I run my truck dead. I also need some sort of 0.5 volt active discharger for a trickle down. Light bars and the Orion product seem good but maybe in a month I'll get 'em. In the meanwhile enough is enough, I have been to my local off-road track to watch the fun many times now, but just tonight I finshed tweaking my truck to Matt Francis's stock setup, finished the body, have the engine and batteries ready to go, my kit packed... I have to go and run the truck at the track... not my parking lot.

On Wednesday I'll let you know how it went. Thanks for all the good advice and kind words,

Dave

[saabcaptain]

Again a big thanks everyone with their help on my new truck... here are some photos...

[saabcaptain]

(PS: the orange is lighter in real life and the decals stand out better. also the red is much darker disappointingly, i wished it looked like in the pics of the body. in general for my first painted body i like it.)

and the inside:

[pippy]

Looking good Saab. now GET SOME DIRT ON IT !!!:D:D

[makaluch]

LOL...and an RPM gear cover...those stock ones are crap !

Lookin good !

Oh yeah, it's better to coil all of the wires to avoid interference and glitching. Roll 'em around a pencil and heat evenly with a blow dryer or heat gun.

[saabcaptain]

In regards to the RPM gear cover, I heard it doesn't fit the spur right and grinds? Also do they make a red or clear version of the RPM cover, all I see is blue.

Coil the wires... I will have to do that, but here is a question... how do you keep the battery clip to the ESC (assuming you don't hardwire) controlled in the truck or from unclipping in a hard landing?

Oh well, TONIGHT is the first night at the track for me. Intimidating because everyone there seems to know so much about what they are doing and I will be the poor fool with the weak batteries but nice truck crashing into everything. It isn't race night, just practice so at least I have that going for me.

:D

[makaluch]

Use Deans plugs and keep the leads short...just over the battery strap.

I think they only make blue and yellow gear covers. I haven't seen them in red, but they might make 'em.

The 86(red) is fine in the RPM cover, but the 88(lime green) does rub. I just grind the gear cover thinner with a cylinder shaped stone on the dremel. They're just better because you can actually get the button out and in without breaking it. Plus, when it comes race time, you can hide what gears you're runnin...lol.

Don't worry about being inexperienced. The name of the game is having fun ! Every one of us had to start somewhere. Go slow and stay in control at first...easy when throttling on and off...and you'll be ahead of most novices already...lol.

[Casper]

saabcaptain -- The truck is looking good. I would spend a couple bucks and upgrade the connectors. The stock "tamiya" style connectors are a huge waste of valuable power. I personally like the Dean's Ultra connectors. They are a little pricy at about $3.50 a pair but well worth it. They also sell connectors with wire already attached for motors and stuff but you will pay extra for that. They also sell 5 packs of female connectors only for extra batteries. These are the best ones I have used and never had one go bad on me in 10 years of racing. I hardwire my motor but use connectors on my batteries for convience. Something to look into . The RPM covers come in Yellow, Blue, and black. To get it to fit with the 86 spur you need to grind the bottom of the cover down. You do not need to cut it out completly. I put an old 88 spur on my truck and ran it until it wore a groove in the cover. I then use my dremel to grind the surrounding area down to were the 88 rubed to and put a 86 back on and it has worked great since.

[LosiMan3456]

Isn't the stock spur red? Well I got an RPM gear cover and it didnt fit the stock spur. Like Makaluch said jst grind it down. I think they make it in black too.


Edit: Oops, casper just answered it. I think I posted just after u:D

[pippy]

Saabcaptain - listen to Casper: get Deans plugs (not only for the efficiency but also because Tamyia plugs look goofy). Also, I just started racing off-road too and the only way I could keep the truck on the track was to turn down the EPA on my throttle, so do that if you're making too many truck-shaped holes in the wall :D. The RPM gear cover fits over my 86 tooth (red) spur with no problems.

[Skribble]

Isn't the stock spur red? Well I got an RPM gear cover and it didnt fit the stock spur. Like Makaluch said jst grind it down. I think they make it in black too. The MFE includes red, the XXX-T includes green, I think. And they do make black RPM gear covers.

Deans plugs (not only for the efficiency but also because Tamyia plugs look goofy).Not to mention they barely come loose disconnecting the power from point A to point B. Deans plugs rule. :D

Edit: Stupid typos. :mad:

[saabcaptain]

Well in 20 minutes I leave for the track, wish me some luck at not breaking everything my first night. Next projects will be Dean connectors, light bar, active discharger plus more 2400's.

Oh yeah... learn how to drive.

Dave

[Skribble]

Lol .. Good luck! And don't forget to have fun!! :D

[Casper]

I have tried pretty hard to break my truck a couple of times (not intentionally of course) so I would not worry too much. This truck will take a pretty good beating before you will have to fix it. Have fun and remember you will always go faster with the wheels on the dirt. The #1 rule to win Novice is to not crash. It almost does not matter how fast you go as long as you do not crash you should get a top 3! ;)

[losifreak2004]

Stock gear covers are crap? Since when? LOL! I still have both of my cars equipped with the stock gear covers, and they're in one piece!

Mark - Good stuff!

Casper - You too! LOL

I took the day off yesterday, but I'm back. Leave me a message!

Aaron

[Skribble]

Stock gear covers are crap? Since when? LOL! I still have both of my cars equipped with the stock gear covers, and they're in one piece!LMAO, same here on my XXX. :)

[Railman]

Well, My new MFE will be here in a few days. I guess I'll be checking in more often for some good advice!:D
I've barely raced for the last couple years, but that's about to change.:)
Later,
Joe

[makaluch]

I tried to pop the button out when adjusting the slipper on the track...got ticked cuz I couldn't get it out without tools...just knocked on it, and off it came :rolleyes: hehehe

[saabcaptain]

Just got back...

First off... they couldn't be nicer. The track owner Jim is a good guy who helped me out with several problems and steered me to some regulars who did the same.

Second, my first run on the huge outdoor track went pretty well. Ran it pretty clean with only a few problems for a 5 minute period and handled the large jump and the several double jumps well. Even the moguls etc. went well.

After the run I brought my car in and wanted to check the status of the diff, to see if it was getting loose. It seemed looser than I started with so I tightened it. And tightened it. And over tightened it. BAMN, just like I said I would, I broke my truck. I stripped the diff nut and then spent the next 1 1/2 hours changing it out and taking apart and reassembling the rear end. Then I discovered when I built the truck using a 4-40 tap I stripped the outer holes of the rear shock mounts and I couldn't re-screw them in (after I had taken the screw out to allow the CVDs to get out of the outdrives). As I quick fix I screwed the shocks into the middle hole of the mounts. Then I found out I didn't tighten my pinion down all the way (I switched to a 19 tooth since I was about to run the indoor track) and when I went to run the truck of course it didn't work. Fixed that after a few questions to the locals turned up the obvious.

I ran the indoor track which is still the "April Fools" design I believe which is just INSANE. I should have run the outdoor again under the lights. The indoor track is SUPER technical with almost no straights, constant turns, and constant MONSTER, MONSTER jumps followed by turns. The jumps are 3x's the size of the large outdoor track, really insane and a good "make money for the track LHS" system. I ran it for a while constantly wiping out the truck. Oh well, I will learn better driving on the outdoor track first then maybe by fall I will be ready for the more technical driving.

As I was leaving I was going to buy some shock mounts and a 10 year kid said "don't do that, on my truck I just put longer screws and a nut on the end and it fixes the problem." Makes sense to me and I had the screws and nuts. The point is... I have a thousand things to learn, a truck getting beaten up... but I had a blast and everyone was so helpful it just makes you want to go back tommorow. I will really need to clean the motor now since it has run 12 or so times, 2 times now in the dirt (the others in a parking lot.) It will be a solid week and a half until I can go back (I am going to Vegas for a bachelor party on my only free time in the next few weeks... but well worth missing the track don't you think?) and I can't wait.

Thanks all...

Dave

[pippy]

Hehe. Sounds alot like my first time. I stripped the diff nut too. Broke a ball stud on the next run, then a turnbuckle, then stripped my servo gears. All this, of course, had nothing to do with my driving. Not. Now I have super duty turnbuckes and ball studs, and a metal gear servo. I haven't broken anything in a while, which again has nothing to do with any improvement in my driving.

[Casper]

saabcaptain -- Glad to hear you had fun. That is the most importnat thing! :D Also glad to here there are locals around that are willing to help. That is what the hobby is all about. Ask questions before you get frustrated and try and do everything yourself the first time. This is how you learn but it looks like you had a good first experience and want to come back. Give the technical driving some time. You will get the hang of it in no time.

[makaluch]

Definately a good day out ! Glad to hear that your track's got some great people there. That's what makes this hobby so much fun. I've learned a few things from youngsters as well. I've even been beat pretty bad by an 8 year old !! It's funny...all that talent and experience packed into such a little person. Hehehe.

A good rule of thumb when tightening a diff is to only turn 1 hr at a time when picturing the face of a clock (30 degrees). Then test and adjust again if necessary.

[losifreak2004]

Mark - Getting beaten by kids? Now you know how I feel when Tebo and Ryan Cavalieri beat me....:p

saabcaptain - Why not take it with you to Vegas? There's a track there :D

Aaron

[XXXER]

Hey Aaron, are you going to go to any national races this year that are not in Calfornia? You should totally come race the Stock Nationals here in Utah! I figured you sound like a good racer who could do well at that kind of race, and someone who has the cash flow(dad: ding ding ding ding ;) )

If you are not planning to, the, start planning to.

-Steve

[makaluch]

Confusious say : Man who drive keyboard still crash into pipes.

:D

Wish my track was closer than 2 hrs.:rolleyes:

[Exterminator]

Makaluch you racing at TRCR this friday?

I see our Local track owner Scott Brown got 2nd in the B main at the worlds last weekend.

So far my Racing is getting better each time I go. I got TQ on friday. and I won the A-main on sunday, finally beat Allan Mason. So now I just have to Link them together and get TQ and win the main. Still searching for that elusive 15 lap run.
Thanks to all the tips I have picked up here in the forums.

Tim W.

[makaluch]

Jeez man ! Wait for meeeeeee !...lol

Wish I was closer. I might actually get some radio time in.:rolleyes: Looks like I'd have a hard time hangin with ya even on a good day. I've been close to the 15 laps as well, but that was a flawless run and in the presence of other experienced racers. Alan was running stock ? Hmmm...wish I could've seen him...lol.

Congrats on the TQ and the A-Main win ! I'll be out on Sunday...too far to make it on Fridays.

[makaluch]

hehehe...Hey Tim...did those few degrees help ?:D

[racer13]

I am going to be getting my xxxt mfe either monday or tuesday.. i have $400 extra to buy some electronics, etc.. this is what i have so far:

ICP V7.1 Digital
Sanyo RC2400HV batterys
HS-605BB high speed 91 oz. in at 13 sec.
Lunsford titianium hinge + turnbuckle set
Trinity P2k pro motor

i Already have a xr2 remote and reciever... and not wanting to buy another.. the battery's are by SMC batteries.. so i was wondering if thats a good start for stock racing? :)

[Gutter Ball]

HS-605BB high speed 91 oz. in at 13 sec.
Lunsford titianium hinge + turnbuckle set
Trinity P2k pro motor
I would get a metal gear servo instead of the 605BB. I bought that one instead of the 605MG and stripped gears regularly :) I put the 605MG set in instead, but the center gear is still plastic so more stripped gears. I have a 645MG now (all metal gears) and I haven't broke it yet! Oh, the MFE already has Titanium hinge/turnbuckles.

[racer13]

thanx for saving me money!!!! hehe



here's my new list:


ICP V7.1 Digital
HS-645MG ultra Torque
XXXT body
Sanyo RC2400HV 1.119 volts 280+ (3-4 of them)
Trinity P2K Pro

[Gutter Ball]

You don't like the new Fury body? I think it's pretty cool. The only thing I didn't like was how far down the windows came down. I ended up cutting the window masks to make the truck look more realistic. Compared to my Proline body, the Fury body is kind of thin though. Good luck with your truck, you'll like it plenty!

[Nutter]

Gutter: Close.. no ti hinge pins though. ;) I love the Fury body too, but the windows are a little wacky.. there's 2 things you can do to make them look nicer: 1) do as Gutter Ball did and cut the masks so they don't go down as far, then paint the remainder of the window (where the mask you cut off would've gone) black, or 2) just tint the whole window and use the "www.teamlosi.com" stickers and the flaming TL logo stickers to cover the bottom of the windows up a little. :p Personally I did #2, and it turned out quite well.


-Nutter

[Gutter Ball]

Really? Man, all this time I thought I already ti hinges!! Oops, sorry Racer :)

[losifreak2004]

Steve - I've really seriously been thinking about it, but I don't know how we could get around the plane flight up there, car to use while we were there, my dad taking that amount of time off (especially if we drove up), all sorts of various problems. But if the oppurtunity arises, heck yeah I'll be there!

racer - From personal experience, I really don't care for Hitec products. With that kind of $$$, I'd spring for the Futaba S9402 or S9450 (the digital 9402). I have four of them in my race cars, and wouldn't use another servo!

You Washington boys....LOL

OK, now for the big question I have to ask YOU guys. I'm going to start running electric again to get ready for some bigger races this summer, the first of which is at Hot Rod Hobbies, an outdoor, blue groove track. The only problem is, I really don't feel like driving 5 hour round trip tomorrow just to practice. So, my choices have been narrowed down to SoCal (indoor and sticky clay, high competition) and Extreme RPM (outdoor, but more loamy-style dirt and local racers). What should I do? LOL!

Aaron

[makaluch]

Even I could get setup for SoCal here in Wa...there's so much info online about the track. Plus, you always learn something when you're challenged.

[losifreak2004]

My dad brought up a good point last night. We will be heading to Extreme RPM today, with hopes that they are NOT racing. This will allow me to get in as many laps as possible without having to worry about over-competitve people on the track with me!

Aaron

[Casper]

I would race at So cal. The better competition will let you prepare more for what you will see at HRH. Also I have run very similar setups from So Cal at HRH with good success. I usually change a couple of things to get dialed it but tires get you close. I have not raced at extreme in a long time but the advantage there would be the track layouts are closer to that of HRH. The loomy conditions are soo different from HRH though that I would go to So Cal. That is just my opinion. If you can race there and win you will be in good shape for the Shootout. (granted this is sportsman but I think it there where 15-17 of the A main drivers were So Cal locals (buggy and truck)) Most of us will run Expert this year so we will see how it goes. If you race at So Cal you will want some Pink X-2000 and Pink and silver fronts for buggy and for truck Silver and Red 8-rows for the front and Pink T-2000's and M3 Holeshots in the rear. If you only want to have one set of front and rears for the truck I would have Red 8-rows and Holeshots as that would be your best bet most of the time. I can give you some good setup starting points also if you would like.

[losifreak2004]

Well, I ran at Extreme yesterday, got five packs in with each car. They kept the track dry and well swept, even though it was just a practice day, and the track grooved up really well until some guy thought it would be cool to water it.....

I'm not really concerned with the competition I will see there, I have driven against most of them anyone, and it might be better to not show them what I have up my sleeve. Besides that, you can't get in a good clean five minutes at SoCal. It's impossible.

Aaron

[racer13]

i got my mfe xxxt today!!! its sweet! only thing wrong is the servo plug is to big for my reciever... all well, ill get a mg one soon enough. I LOVE THIS THING!!!! and i will never go back to nitro! :D

[losifreak2004]

Never go back to nitro? Are you nuts? I would never stop racing nitro!

What servo do you have? There SHOULD be one in there. Check the manual.

Aaron

[racer13]

It's a Futaba S3003 servo.. and a JR racing R125 receiver... and yes, nitro has givin me the worst impression on its kind, i dont even like the looks.. but i've always been in electric, and im back :)

[Nutter]

I'm not even sure if a Futaba servo will work in a JR reciever.. at the very least you'll have to change the order the wires are in the plug, and also get a new plug or cut some of the Futaba plug off so it'll fit in the JR reciever.

Also, speaking of servos.. you really have to get rid of that standard servo, it's way too slow, way too weak, and the gears will break very quickly. Get a metal gear servo, I recommend any of the Hitec servos, personally I use top of the line HS-5925MG's, but I've heard a lot of people say good things about the 645MG's.


-Nutter

[Gutter Ball]

A Futaba servo will work in a JR receiver. You just have to trim the plug a bit and make sure you plug it in the right way.

[losifreak2004]

racer13 - Use servo arm 25, pin location 2.

I personally like the Futaba servos. Something along the lines of a S9304 should do the trick (or for more $$$, and S9402 :D)

I didn't like nitro either....(now I'm top ten in CA LOL). It can be a pain though, especially when you truck breaks 5 minutes before the end of a 30 minute main....

Keep it coming guys!

Aaron

[racer13]

Here's my NEW xxxt matt francis edition. :D :D

[racer13]

Last one.:)

[Railman]

Well I've finished my new MFE with the exception of the body, & my son is doing that. I only had one problem with the kit, & it was rather strange one. Whoever ran the rear shock bodies on the boring machine, rifeled the bore on the way out of the shock. :eek: There are deep cuts spaced about 1/8" to 3/16 the length of the bore on both of them. They then hard anodized then to make it near imposible to clean up. The fronts were perfect though. It must have been the graveyard shift that did it. They are always to blame for such problems. :rolleyes: Has anyone else heard of problems with the rear shock bores?

I'm going to race it tomorrow night at a small indoor track with crazy (velcro) traction. Slicks are run by all the locals.
Do you guys run the std ball stud/ball cup setup, or do you run captured ends (Rocket City type) on the rear bulkhead? It would suck to snap of a stud in the bulkhead. Thanks,
Joe

[makaluch]

I use the captured ends on my NT but I've never seen any need for them on the electric trucks. Electrics are much lighter and seem to be less prone to popping off or breaking.

I'm pretty sure standard Losi titanium ballstuds are the weapon of choice on rougher or faster tracks.

[Losiracer]

either one will work it depends on the track. Titanium will work the best for materail. but since you hace a mfe you would know that it comes with titanium. so as you are eqiupt with the best truck on the market you are rdy to race. i too have mfe and i didnt have any problem with biuld up. so if anyone needs help i am the one to ask. Peace.

[Losiracer]

i tired nitro once it made me mad every time i went to start it up it didnt work. so i put it away till rccar action's start on first pull article buit that still didnt work. this bad experiences took me away form nitro and i will stick with electric. much better will lest mulaa. puls electric is faster. Peace

[makaluch]

The Matt Francis XXXT doesn't come with Titanium Ballstuds.

That's one of the few hop-ups it doesn't come with because it's not absolutely necessary for most tracks and drivers.

[Casper]

I use ti in two places. In the front bulkhead and the rear shock tower. Reason is if these break you have to replace fairly expensive parts. If you use long enough steel ones in the outside locations you can back out the ball stud from the other end if it snaps off flush. To me it has been an $18 well spent.

[Casper]

Also although this is a personal preference thing I feel I have had better luck with the RPM ball cups then the losi ones. The losi ones can break on you and the RPM ones will not. They both tend to pop off about the same frequency though.

[makaluch]

Ti is definately money well spent. I have the longest shank studs in those areas just in case. I use RPM too...they flex a little before popping off.

Great advice Casper ! If you have the coin, spend it there !

[Exterminator]

Dang I'm stuck in a rut, I keep qualifying 4th and finishing 4th in the main.
Has anyone tried the tribocom drops as recomend by Big Jim?
If so do you know of any online places that carry it. or a LHS in the western washington area?
Thanks
Tim W.

[Casper]

You can get them trough Big Jim's web site http://bigjimracing.topcities.com/ I hate to say this but I doubt this is the problem. One of the reasons I do not use these things is you need to clean the motor more when you use drops. If I was to use them they would be for the main or a big race only. Other then that I do not feel the small performance is worth the effort. Clean driving will win you a LOT more races then a slight increase in speed from comm drops. I lost two races last weekend because crashed on my own. I was leading a race with about 4-5 car lengths cushion (does not sound like much but where I race that is a comfortable lead! ;) ) and I tagged a pipe comming around a corner and never made it back up to the front. Comm drops would not have helped me do that. The only time Comm drops would be worth it to me would be if I could run a fully clean race and I could use the power. This is not to say all this stuff does not help (ie. "Team" batteries and fast motors) I believe that a good setup and a clean race will win more then a ballistic car. I won a race the other day where the guy behind me had a faster car but I held my line and he screwed up hit a couple pipes and I won. What I am trying to get at you rut is probably just you. Once I learned to relax more during racing I got smoother and made less mistakes. It is when I try to push it I make mistakes and that is the difference between 1-3 and 7-10.

[Exterminator]

I agree that most of my problem is ME.

But in my last race I was running down the back strech at full throttle and a guy came up behind me and proceeded to climb up my back and pushed me down the straight.

I'm running a p2k motor that has been polished and hoods aligned. with high silver brushes and tuned springs. and it was a fresh motor and team batteries.

So I'm just looking for a slight edge in the motor dept.
According to Big Jim the comm drops in question don't have as much of a problem with gumming as previous comm drops.

And when he recomends something that highly it WORKS.

But Big Jim doesn't have online ordering yet. only money orders. So I was wondering if anyone knew of another site that did have online ordering for Tribtech motor drops.

[makaluch]

Hey Tim ! Try talking to the guy that has so much speed.

I've been scratching my head racing at Tacoma as well. I watch the top runners and see the trucks pulling lines that I can't see would work in stock. I've tried them with a Fantom Limited motor and one tooth lower than I usually run. They're at a whole new level with driving, setup, and motors/batts...or they're cheating.
I mentioned cheating to Scott last time out and he said he'd check motors and that it's silly to do...but then he never did. I also noticed the top runners being very secretive about their rides. It's suspicious to me...but I'm just there to have fun. I can always do better, but I've ruled out winning there. I watched the TQ from last Sunday tag two pipes, hang up, and still pull 15 laps. Go figure.

[Casper]

What are you gearing your P2K at? Also that motor is a torque motor so you may want to try going up a tooth. Another thing is how much speed you carry onto the straight can be a big factor also. You may want to try some different lines. I know this is advice not really related to you question on drops. The tribo drops he uses are not straight tribo tech. You can buy this stuff at an auto parts store. Pep Boys here in Southern California has. He mixes it with something or it is supposed to be a varient of the same stuff if I remember right from past discussions on this. I know it that stuff is not supposed to gum up be he still recommends more cleaning and adding then I am willing to put up with. I am also not suffering from lack of power most of the time so I am not too worried about it. Here is the tribo web site ordering page. http://www.tribotech.com/order.htm Also I found a place online quickly that sells it. www.pointshop.com/Mall/Catalog/Product/ASP/product-id/84591/store-id/1000016998.html

Looking at the old RCV site they say to mix it with mineral spirits with a ratio of 60% Tribo and 40% spirits and to clean the motor after every run. Anyway I hope that helps out.

[Exterminator]

Thanks for the info on the online sites for tribotech.
I believe I'm geared as high as I can go due to the fact of the small tight infield and large doubles.
More practice wouldn't hurt either. I've only been racing a few months.
I'll give the tribo a try and let ya know if it works.
Thanks
Tim W.
:)

[losifreak2004]

Exterminator - What brushes/springs are you running?

I NEVER use comm drops. I don't think they're worth it. I've never seen one increase power noticeably, where it made enough of a difference for it to matter.

Besides, the only time when that little bit of extra performance would cut down lap times is if you can't go any faster without it, such as having perfect lines and hitting your marks every lap. I would spend $100 on practice fees before I spent $5 on comm drops.

I use Losi's yellow ball cups exclusively. I've never had a problem with them breaking or popping off. I always find a way to break something else before they go LOL. Make sure you pick up 3's (on the tree they are molded to is a number, either 1, 2, or 3. Three's are the tightest-fitting).

losiracer - Nitro racing with a properly tuned engine and a great handling truck is the funnest thing in RC!

Anything else?

Aaron

[Casper]

Tim-- I recommend gearing a P2K in a truck at 19/86. Also like Aaron is hinting running red spring on positive and green spring on negative with 4499 e brushes or Reedy 767 brushes will help. Also if you need a little more top end you might want to try some slotted brushes.

[makaluch]

Ok, I'm done ranting. Nobody wants to hear it anyway. I'll just shut up and practice...hehehehe.;)

I've also seen on the About.Com site that Prolong engine treatment is a great substitute for comm drops. That's also from Big Jim.:)

[Exterminator]

Reedy 676 brushes red/green springs. 18/86 or 20/86 depending on track conditions.
I can run a tighter line in the technical sections and make up some time there but I'm getting blown away on the straights. My lap times are about .5 off .
I run pretty clean most of the time. when I run a completly error free race and I'm still getting lapped by the fast runners I"m looking for any angle I can find to make time.
I have thought about slotting or drilling the brushes but not sure what affect that would have on the torque. I like to run a really tight line and need torque to make the jumps clean.

"Scotty gimmy more power!"
:D

Tim W.

[Casper]

Maybe running the tight line is what is costing you. The goal in racing is to carry as much speed as you can through the corners. If you need a lot of torque to get back up to speed to clear jumps and others are taking a wider line to keep speed up then maybe you should try that. Just a thought. You usually do not loose much time on the straights. The guy who is going to win will do it in the turns. To drive this point home we had a series race with those AWFUL 5D motors. Lap times were less then a second off the pace for the fast guys even though you felt like you could fall asleep on the straight. The reason was you had plenty of power in the infield if you could carry your speed. Just a thought.

[makaluch]

I think what he's trying to do is follow the lines of the top runners there. They have excellent straight speed AND the torque to pull the inside line.

Exterminator's a good driver, but we're all missing something that's costing us at least a half second a lap. There are the usual hackers there too that will take you out if you take the smoothest stock lines.

Exterminator - I thought about mod, but decided against it because I don't have any 3K packs. I'm going to just build a "race" motor ;) that will compete in the power/speed department. If I lose time because of my driving that's one thing...but a motor shouldn't be that much of an issue in stock, especially when we tune them and buy aftermarket tuned motors. P2K gearing is best at 19/86 or 20/86 with Worlds packs.

[Toiffel]

I just got a MFE xxxt, and I having some trouble, when I was testing it to see if everything was ok, for the first couple of minutes it ran smoothly, but I start to hear this weird noise, like a tac..tac..tac.. when the wheels started to turn, I thought that maybe something got stuck behind the wheels but nothing, I took the motor off, spined the wheels, and no noise, spined the spur gear, and nothing, I installed the motor and again that noise, I double checked differential, and slipper, they're ok, what could it be?? should I open the transmission box to check?? I woul appreciate some help.... thanks

[Exterminator]

I'm researching motor's to try and find something faster and comparable torque to the P2K.
Also going to hit the track for some intense practice sessions.
I got to break out of this 4th place blues.

Mark,
what do you think about getting Scott to have a 19turn mod class?
Something that is inbetween stock and open mod.

Thanks for all the ideas.
Casper
Losifreak
Makaluch

Tim W.

[pippy]

Toiffel - I had the exact same problem a few weeks ago. I thought maybe the spur gear was warped or something. I ended up replacing the pinion and spur and the problem went away. Still don't know exactly which one was the problem (the pinion or spur). Neither looked stripped or had rocks in them :confused:. Anyway, try replacing them and see what happens

[Casper]

Originally posted by Exterminator
I'm researching motor's to try and find something faster and comparable torque to the P2K.
Also going to hit the track for some intense practice sessions.
I got to break out of this 4th place blues.

I would try the new CORE/Hellfire and a P2K2 to look for more speed. Some of these motors are very fast.

[makaluch]

Casper - I've tried a P2K2 arm in a P2K can at 18/86. I tuned the motor soooo nice...aligned hoods, polished bushings, shimmed, diamond trued the comm, ball peened the comm gaps, 767 brushes, and broke in correctly.

Moral of the story is that the speed/less torque actually hinders your times and lines in the infield so much that I don't think it would be worth it in a racing situation. I really need to use the computer to time laps, but the M8 showed that it doesn't really help. Maybe with more practice and a few setup adjustments I could improve the lines I had to take though. Maybe even gear to 19/88.

Tim - I think that would be an AWESOME idea ! The only limitation is the winds on the arm ! I'll mention it to Scott next time out. Maybe if enough of us bug him about it he'll go for it. I'll buy a spec motor just in case he springs it on us one day...lol.

Do you know if you can run the Specs effectively with 2400's. I don't have any 3k's. I came into electric planning to only run stock.

[Nutter]

hehe ;) My girlfriend hasn't broken my MFE yet.. yet :p Admittedly, she has only driven it for about 1 min, at a slooow speed cos she was too scared of its speed. :cool: But it *is* still in one piece, and that's what counts, right?

The web site looks cool btw :)


-Nutter

[makaluch]

Will UNDER-gearing a motor one tooth on the pinion cause a motor to heat up ?

[Casper]

No it should not cause the motor to over heat. Running a motor hard for more then 8 minutes at just about any gearing will over heat your motor though. My rule of thumb most of the time is to gear so your motor does not fade bad at the end of a 5 min race which is usually about 6 min of run with some warm up laps. MVP's and Cores get really hot at 6 min and Core's seem to fade less and P2k2 and P2k seem to run longer more consistant without getting as hot. The old Chrome motors used to get hot but never seemed to fade much.

[makaluch]

Thanks Casper ! I appreciate the info !

I was asking just because I have a few P2K Pro's that I've tuned a little better than the factory and they seem to run cooler than my Fantom motors. All motors are setup very close as far as brushes compounds and springs.

The Fantom I was concerned with is the P2K2. I geared it at 18/86 to see if I could pull off some different lines. It didn't perform like I was hoping. I pulled it in and it was pretty hot compared to my standard Pro P2k's at 19/86. I geared down to a 17...still couldn't pull the lines and it still came in pretty hot after 5 or 6 minutes. It wasn't sizzling or anything...but I just wanted to be sure that it's pretty normal for these motors. My Chrome and MVP are typically pretty hot comin in too.

I've been told that if you can't hold the motor between your fingers for 3 seconds or more, it's definately too hot.

[Casper]

If you way undergear you can get the motor hotter. I usually gear a p2k2 at 18/86. I wonder if the motor is binding at all or not shimmed right. I crushed a can in a P2K2 once (I have not idea how) but it misaligned the arm and the motor did not work right (go figure:rolleyes: ) Anyway you might have a bushing out of alignment on the P2K2. They say to seat the bushings properly you should do one of a couple of things. LITELY tap the motor on the table on both ends. Others say to get a small dia wooden dowel to hammer the bushings in to seat them. Other then that gear mesh can over heat a motor but I would not think this is the case since this is not happening to all the motors. P2k2's in my experience do not get any hotter then P2K's so I find this a little odd. You are not under geared at all at 17/86 though.

[makaluch]

Thanks for the solid advice Casper.

I did check the seat with a light tap, but maybe I'll give it a real tap with a dowel. I forgot to mention that I did hear a tick somewhere in my driveline with the 18 pinion. I think it's time for a new 18 anyway. I'm also gonna swap the spur/slipper pad just because they've got three races on em too. It's probably time to go through the tranny as well. Everything's tight, but I'm sure it can use a good cleaning at the very least. The dust from the wear can cause a tiny bit of binding or drag.

Does anyone have a good source for ultra-light pinions ? I'm still running standard Robinsons. I'm also considering the lightened slipper discs.

[Casper]

A worn out spur and pinion should not be the problem. They usually just make a lot of noise. I have been running the same spur on my buggy for well over a year now. That does not mean I should not replace it:p but it works just fine. Lite slipper plates are a good idea. Lite pinons are usually alum and they wear out afer a couple runs and get really noisey. I still run the Kinwald Hard ones (48 pitch) and have had really good luck with them. Robinson Makes some really good pinons also but I would stick with steel. If you are running a big race and looking for any advatage you can get then I would look into them but they just do not last very long. If there is a catch in your pinion or spur REPLACE them. Also if your tranny is not spining free you need to track down the problem but that just does not seem to be the case since your P2K is staying cool. Good luck! :)

[Toiffel]

Does anyone know where I can find the color code for the losi springs??

[Gutter Ball]

Gray --> Softest
White
Yellow
Pink
Red
Orange
Silver
Green
Blue --> Hardest

[LosiMan3456]

hey guys,
I am currently running BK gears. I like them a lot but not many of my racing pals use them so i always have to convert. So now i am switching back to regular 48 pitch pinions. I am still going to keep the BK tho. Which pinions do u recommend? I will stick with losi spur but what pinion? I was using RRP, which are the quietist and smoothest pinions that wont where out? Thanks

[Casper]

Originally posted by Toiffel
Does anyone know where I can find the color code for the losi springs??

If you check out my web site (http://home.att.net/~casper04) under the info sheets I have a spring chart that covers the colors and there spring rates that you can print out and keep in your tool box so you will always have a reference.

[MacII]

Hello,

I'll admit I'm just getting back into RC. I had a bunch of Tamiya trucks ages ago and a few weeks ago I purchased a XXXT MFE. Great truck, set it up and it ran well, had some serious traction problems on my track, very loose and rough, rocky - really only 1/2 finished. Anyway I wasn't using the stock tires from the first run, I had old hard tires on the front and small pins on the back. The truck was constantly spinning out, I was getting dusted because my truck was fishtailing everywhere. Anyway I replaced those tires, made some adjustments to the camber and went with the stock tires and foam on the front and some real big "Trac-ta-Gator's" on the rear.

Now the truck hooks up good and goes fairly straight. One problem solved but another introduced, now it tends to Endo on jumps. OFTEN it noses into the second jump or third on a triple. With this setup the front seems to want to stay down, I'm thinking it is b/c the stock fronts w/foam are real soft.

ANYWAY, this is a long way to ask, how do suspension changes affect how the truck jumps? I've read the tips in the manual but it doesn't really talk about front end dips or anything besides side bite and traction. What changes can I make to the truck to pickup the front end?

Thanks in advance.

[makaluch]

I see three possible reasons:
1. You're severely over-geared with those bigger diameter tires, and don't have the drive to keep the nose pushing through the jump.

2. Rebound is too light. Meaning: damping action is too slow on the return stroke.

3. You have your esc set with too much drag brake.

Fixes:
1. Go to standard 2.2 step-pins with the proper gearing for your motor and exercise throttle control through the corners.

2. Got up one rate on your spring and/or lighten your shock oil in the front.

3. Stay on the throttle a little in the air...in fact, getting on it a little more will keep the nose up.

[Casper]

Originally posted by losifreak2004
Casper - Wow! Good stuff! I did notice, however, that you say to gear a stock motor with the same gearing you would a 14 turn mod motor......:p


I know I hate it when I have to gear up to run mod!:rolleyes:

That is just how these new stockers like to be run. I miss the days of origninal GM's geared at 25/84! :eek: (that is in a buggy)

I had a quick question about Panther tires. Have you tired the Med compound yet? Is it close to a Losi Pink or more like a Gold or HT? Also are they going to make front tires in there Med compound? I am looking fwd to trying some wookies in Med-soft at socal but have not seen any for sale yet. I will be trying them at HRH for the shootout if I get to go this year though! :D

[racer13]

i drove my mfe xxxt today for the FIRST TIME!!! GESH, i LOVE this truck.. and for a stock MVP motor is hauls ass! my turning is near perfect. every thing is awesome. my battery pack lasted 10 + minutes easily.. I LOVE IT!!! only thing is i need new tires now, front/back and i need some street tires for sure. :D :p

[racer13]

It's a high bite clay track.. sticks to your tires like glue. It's not dusty at all...



http://www.amainraceway.com/track.htm

[makaluch]

Speaking of new tires ;)

I'm wondering which balancers you guys use. I've been borrowing a buddies Matt Francis Balancer, because I just can't see spending 50 bucks on it. I'm also not a fan of those sliding tapers. Any less expensive ones out there that work well ?

Or should I just make one ? I think a rod with the proper diameter (axle) and some bearings would work well on a v-block type setup. Buggy fronts might be a problem though. Hmmm :rolleyes:

[tarvymoto]

the buggy fronts can be balanced while on the car.

[Casper]

Originally posted by makaluch
Speaking of new tires ;)

I'm wondering which balancers you guys use. I've been borrowing a buddies Matt Francis Balancer, because I just can't see spending 50 bucks on it. I'm also not a fan of those sliding tapers. Any less expensive ones out there that work well ?

Or should I just make one ? I think a rod with the proper diameter (axle) and some bearings would work well on a v-block type setup. Buggy fronts might be a problem though. Hmmm :rolleyes:

Just get the Top Flight magnetic prop balancer. It is only $20 and works great! (Yes it will support truck tires:) ) Also instead of lead tape go to your local Target or Kmart or Walmart type store and pick up some poster puddy. It has different names but it is cheap and works really well. You get a bunch, 10 sticks good for about 40-50 tires (20-25 sets) and it only costs a buck!

[racer13]

So, what kind of tires should i get for a high bite clay track like mine?? i need fronts/rears.

[Casper]

See what the locals are using but without knowing more about the track I would guess Silver or red 8 row fronts or silver directionals and Pink T-2000 or M3 holeshots in the rear would be safe bets but ask around the track. Most people usualy do not have a problem telling you what they are running.

[Toiffel]

What kind of tires would be good for a very dusty track, has a 100ft straight and the rest is tight and full of jumps?? When the track has been sprinkled my ifmar stud (red) work great, but once it's dry, I'm all over the place....

[makaluch]

Give the silver Ifmar Pins a shot,...or red with firm inserts.

[Casper]

Originally posted by Toiffel
What kind of tires would be good for a very dusty track, has a 100ft straight and the rest is tight and full of jumps?? When the track has been sprinkled my ifmar stud (red) work great, but once it's dry, I'm all over the place....

When it gets dry is it still dusty?

If it is still dusty you migh want to try a M3 holeshot or maybe some Red T-2000. Supposedly the new Panther diamond backs are good in the dust also but I do not have any experience with them. A lot of the time in dusty conditions there just is not any taction since the top layer is so loose. If the track gets a hard groove then I would definately say Red t-2000. If the dust is really gone and the track gets hard then taper pins will work for you but they will not last very long. The Panther stinger tires might be a good choice also as the track dries out. I would use soft-soft if the track is hard but if it is just dry I would stay with the med-soft.

[makaluch]

Any of you guys know who will be distributing the Panther line ?

I checked out there line of tires and I'm impressed with their tread patterns. I'm not sure of their compounds and inserts, but I'm sure with the help of Aaron they'll be right in there in no time.

[MacII]

Hello,

Thanks to those who replied to my first post.

I'm not overgeared (I geared down 19Tw/15tooth). I put normal 2.2 racing tires on (Pro-line) and I approch the jump at about 3/5ths throttle and gun it and hold while on the face of the jump and in the air. I also have moved the battery all the way back (both foams in the front) and I have my speed control and reciever all the way back too.

Still every time I nose down and either nose into the ground or the next jump. Most of the time flipping over and getting passed. My buddy (who has a Traxxas Rustler) is way slower in the corners and striaghts but hits the jumps perfect. I would be lapping him were it not for my "nose problem".

So I think it is a suspension setting.

I'm happy to buy different springs (which?) but I will have to order them and wait. Is there anything I can do now? Tweaking the suspension with what comes in the box? There are so many combinations of holes, I would think moving x to position y makes the change I need right? (maybe not, wishful thinking) Anyway I'm about to take it out and I'm going to try moving the shock location - where - I'll just try anything. I also am going to crank the hell out of the pre-load adjustment...maybe that will help.

Any tips apprectiated.

Thanks,

[racer13]

GO to teamlosi and find "setups" find the setup that most sounds like your track. that will tell you were to put your suspension, etc..

[Casper]

Be careful with the preload setting. Your car should sit with a battery in it so that the arms in the front are level and the arms in the rear should be just a little below level. Do not worry about the car bottoming out. This is normal when landing off a jump the only time this is a problem is when the car actually "bounces" after the landing and this can make the car hard to control after it lands. Some jumps just kick you one way. This is part of learning how to deal with different layouts and jumps. Is there another place that you can jump off this jump that will give you diffferent results. A lot of the time the jump will do different things to you car depending on where you launch off it. If you can have someone at the track drive your car and see if they can get over the jump. If they can it is just you and with some practice and trying different lines and approches you will learn how to clear different jumps but if others cannot control the car someone at the track should be able to help you with setup. It if VERY rear when I need to tune my car to get over a jump. It is usully driving changes that get me over jumps. I think your ride hight may be a off but using a kit setup or one that you get off the losi web site should allow your truck to fly level since others can jump. Also Traxxas cars are not known for there jumping! ;)

[MacII]

Casper,

Excellent comments. The more I think about it I wonder if the real problem is the jump itself. (It's not me, it is the rest of the herd right?) It is on a track my friend and I have built in my back yard. The jump is made of sand, the track is ultra rocky (not good) and it is all on a downslope. I have a feeling that the jump is too steep, there is no gradual build up, just a large pile of sand.

All together we have 7 jumps on this track. 4 of them are no problem for me. Matt sails over them and lands great. The particular jump (actually a triple) I'm talking about is on the downward slope, it is far enough down that I have top speed (if I wanted it) the first jump is farily large, very steep and if you hit it perfectly you will land on the top or better yet downside of the second jump, a table top. The third and final jump of this triple is also big and steep, the idea being that we have extra speed coming off the tabletop. Most of the time I nose off the first and slam into the tabletop, sometimes I have enough pure speed to make it to the backside and actually hit the third but I always nose off that one.

Now I will say, I have a "beater" truck too, a Tamiya F-150 which has been heavily modified. It can take the Traxxas to lunch mainly because it lands these triples about 80-90% of the time! And I'm driving that (which is why I don't think it is me) But I will swap with my friend for a battery and see how he does over the jump with Matt.

Is is just frustrating to me that there isn't a thing one can change on the car to make the front pop up more.

What effect do springs have? Which is springy-er more or less ratio? It is so confusing I've never replaced springs in any of my vehicles...never understood them.

[Casper]

Now do not get me wrong. There are things you can do to make the car handle jumps better but like I said I usually learn how to drive over the jump rather then tune my car for one obsticle. If you put a heavier spring up front the front end will rebound quicker and that should help to keep the front end up. If the jump is more of a big bump then this seems to be a problem regarless of what you really do. If you hit a bump at full speed the front end dumps (compresses) and leaves the jump before it can rebound and then when the rear end hits it gets kicked up and then you really cannot do too much about that. "bump" jumps are one of the hardest things to do consitantly at high speeds because it is hard to tune for them. The reason your tamiya probably works better is that it does not have the travel to take the hit so the front end gets kicked up when it hits the jump where the Losi will absorbe the impact just to have the rear end hit as it passes and that pushes the nose down. I would try some small holes pistons up front with some stiffer springs to increase the pack and this might help more with this problem as the front end will not want to collapse as much. Other then that just keep on the throttle the whole time until it lands. Another thing would be to work to try and smoothen out the face of the jump since it is you track. Bumps are easier to negotiate if there are in slower portions of the track. Even big bumps. Smooth transitions and jump faces allow the cars to flight better and with more consistancy.

[MacII]

I did it!

Actually before I read your reply I hit the track with a rake and some dirt. I kept the height of the jump the same but changed the face of it, making it a more gradual build up. In reality I don't think it is such a big jump the thing is, because of the downhill you get extra height and what seems like a lot of distance. I think it was more of a "bump" as you said. Anyway I changed these two jumps and I couldn't belive the difference. Matt really flies down this side of the track. Speed isn't lost, it flows now. One right into the next. While my friend hasn't tried it yet, I'm sure he will enjoy the smoother jumps which allow you to have more speed. Of course he won't like being LAPPED but such is life.

Now if I can just get rid of the rocks...

Thanks!

[Casper]

Glad to hear you got it figured out. ! :) :D :cool: ;)

[racer13]

OMG!!! today i decided to make some jumps... i made one about 4-5 ft. high at about a 60 degree angle or so.. ( pretty steep ) i was praticing leveling out my truck.. well after about 15 jumps i said ill do one more then ill go inside ( since i haven't broken a thing yet! ) so i jumped it.. and broke a rear turnbuckle.. i said ok. not that bad.. my luck just ran out. soo i started to head inside. i droped my remote!!! and snaped my attena :mad: gesh.. my luck got worse! sooo i go up stairs.. its pretty hot. found out my dog chewed threw my computer cables!!! :( oh well.. and also. today i was running my truck.. makaluch said it was undergeared so i geared up to a 17/86 and my motor is STILL burning hot. it even melted my gear cover.. i have a Novak tempest pro II speed control. with a stock motor.. when i had a mod motor is never did this? any help? :confused:

[Exterminator]

MVP's run hot unless they are tuned.
have you aligned the brush hoods?
also you can trim the brushes some to reduce the overlap and that should increase your torque and reduce the heat produced.
check out Big Jim's black book. It will have a lot of good tuning tips for the mvp and general motor tips.
I don't have the web site handy but there is a ask big jim forum that covers the exact way to tune a MPV.
Check it out there is a new motor coming from Reedy that is due out in July. that is reported to blow the P2k away.
I can't wait.
See ya at the track.

aah found the web page. check out the top 10 motor tips.
http://bigjimracing.topcities.com/

Also check out the following forum for the most complete straight answers on motors on the net.http://hobbytalk.com/bbs1/forumdisplay.php?forumid=12

that's the ASK Big Jim Forum. hope ya have a few days to catch up on the 120 pages of motor talk.

;)

[Nutter]

Originally posted by racer13
makaluch said it was undergeared so i geared up to a 17/86 and my motor is STILL burning hot. it even melted my gear cover..uhh.. you geared UP because your motor was running too hot? You gear down to make the motor run cooler.. :p If you were undergeared, your motor wouldn't be running too hot, it runs too hot if you're over geared.. and gearing up further will only make the situation worse, as you found out.


-Nutter

[racer13]

well... i was running 15/86 and it was still the same...

[Exterminator]

Racer

Are you using the stock motor for bashing?
If you are it might be better to get a mild modified.
Slightly faster, cooler running, longer run time. and a machine wound mod is less expensive than a top of the line stock motor.
A 19 turn motor can be had for less than $20.
Just a Idea.

Tim W.

[tarvymoto]

Racer , Extermonator had a good idea. Try another motor if you have one or can afford a cheap mod. Running your motors for the full runtime of your batteries(6-10 minutes) can get your motor hot.
Most of the time when a racer gives you a gear ratio it is for a 4 or 5 minute heat race.

[makaluch]

Tim - It's good to see ya back man ! It looks like I won't be heading out to the races anytime soon. We're closing on a house at the end of the month and all my spare time will go into new carpets, paint and hangin doors. :rolleyes: It's lookin like a local indoor track is in the works for our little town too. Maybe now I can get some radio time in before I come out to Tacoma. Can you shoot me your e-mail address again ? It's gas season and I'm hoping to get out to your track sometime after we're moved into the new house.

Racer13 - Check out Big Jim's site for some tuning advice on that MVP or just get yourself a Chamelion 2 Pro for kickin around. Even a less expensive mod would suit your needs a little better.

[racer13]

umm.. a full battery lasting 6-10 minutes? well.. maybe yours.. but mine are lasted 15-20 + minutes. well.. ill be getting a novak c2 soon.. and a p-94 so ill try that out. also, makaluch.. are u interested in buying a xxx ke?

[tarvymoto]

You are running you motor for 15 to 20 minutes and then asking why it's getting hot. Dude I hate to be rude but get a clue!!!

[makaluch]

Racer13 - Try catching me on AIM...I'll talk to ya about the KE. And, I didn't know you were running that motor for so long Bro...5 or 6 minutes is all you want to run a motor

[losifreak2004]

Good stuff Mark....good stuff :p

Aaron Waldron
Panther Tire Team Driver

[Exterminator]

I don't know if you all have heard this yet.
Here is a Quote from Big Jims web site.

INFO ON THE NEW REEDY CO-BALT STOCK MOTOR

SCHEDULED RELEASE DATE: Late July

I have posted all this info and testing of the prototypes on my forums. If you missed any of it, here it is. IMO, this motor is destined to be the fastest, easiest to tune, coolest running 24 degree stock class racing motor ever produced. Because of this, I will no longer be stocking any EPIC motors either stock or modified. I will be making D4 and P94 replacement armatures for awhile until I run out of blanks.

The Reedy CO-balt stock motor, due to be released in July has recorded the highest numbers ever on my CE dyno. The brush hoods will not have to be aligned because there will be no brush shifting. How we accomplished that I can't say at this time. But it is an industry first.

It will come from the factory in Japan with the #766 brush and the right spring tension for 6 cell use and of course, those marvelous C4 high-grade magnets that never need remagnetizing.

It will have lots more torque than the MVP and require no cut down brushes. And it will run cool.

Every problem you or anyone normally has with stock motors will be eliminated with the Reedy CO-balt. This motor is so good, I am not going to stock any Epic motors after it's release and we have some great changes we're making to the Ti after we get done with the CO and the Spec 19T (that motor will be really trick if the factory can do what we planned).

I don't think Mike would mind me sharing this much with my readers here (I hope). Between Mike and myself, we have a combined 48 years of r/c motor experience to rely on. I don't mean to make myself sound equal to him in any way. He is the master. I am just a hired consultant but we are on a mission to bring you the best motors ever made and I am grateful for the opportunity to help do that.

More info on this motor at. http://bigjimracing.topcities.com/weeklytuningtips.html

Tim W.

[racer13]

ehhhhh... sounds pretty good, wonder what people think when they test it out. Well, today i bought new front/rear bumpers, and ball cups.. because they just needed to be replaced. i also got my titianium turnbuckle from Lunsford racing. the only thing i forgot to buy was an Atenna for my remote!!! gesh. cant believe i did that

[makaluch]

Tim - I think it'll be nice to have a motor that could compete with the P2K's on a tight track in the truck class. I'm hoping the Cobalt is all that it claims to be. But then again, I've heard that the MVP's a great motor if tuned and aligned...it just doesn't work at Tacoma. I like the word torque :D ...Mark

[Exterminator]

Mark,
I tuned a MVP to Big Jim's Spec's and ran a 14/5.02 so to me it's working. I was also using Panther switch's. So far they seem to last longer than taper pins. More testing tomorrow.
See ya soon
Tim W.

[WHITESTER1]

Haven't been here in awhile, just been rippin up some local tracks.
File is kinda big..... sorry. Hope you enjoy the video of me racing my MFE XXXT.
I got tangled with slower traffic alot. No biggie.

XXX-T race video (http://members.wnyip.net/whitester/videos/modtruck623.wmv)

I was running a Fantom 14x2. Track is a loose silty loamy surface.

[racer13]

DANG whistler your awesome! you passed up like 6 guys :D and i liked that triple you were clearing. very clean... SO?! did you win that race or what :p

[Exterminator]

Wow this forum has gone dead.

Anyone taking their Losi to the stock nat's in Utah?

Tim W.

[MacII]

Whitester1 - you are amazing! I especially like how you had the guts to go for the triple! Swweeett!

Do you have any more video? Very nice stuff.

Had my first race (in 10 years) yesterday.Took 2nd in the B-Main, I was actually quite happy, drove a fast, clean race.

Thanks,

[WHITESTER1]

WOW! Thanks for your kind words guys. I do have more videos. I will upload some soon.

Thanks again!

[racer13]

Hrmm.. whistler, just send me all the racing videos you have:D i learn from those! blasto_man2@hotmail.com

[Nutter]

In an attempt to bring some life back to this thread, I thought we could all post our favorite hop-ups/upgrades/cool mods that we have on our XXXT's. :)

For me it's a very simple one - a flourescent red (ok, slightly pink :p) antenna tube.. it goes great with the whole red theme of my MFE truck (also a reason that it's my favorite - not much left to upgrade as it's a MFE).

Practically speaking, my favorite upgrade was the RPM molded gear cover, even though I rarely run it (hey, I've gotta use up all these stock gear covers that I've somehow accumulated :p).

So what's everyone elses? (I'm expecting lots of answers of 'captured rod ends' btw, hehe)


-Nutter

[Gutter Ball]

I actually paid $7 for the Trinity BK transponder holder....what a rip off, I was expecting better quality :/ The thing is starting to rip from the bending I have to do to get the transponder in/out. So I took the holder, traced out about 10 of them on scrap pieces of lexan, cut them out, dremelled out the holes, painted them with whatever leftover paint I had, installed a foam thing and sold them for $0.25, the cost of the foam thing. I kept 2 for myself and they work great.

[racer13]

gutter ball.. can i have one for free? or i dunno.. i have $1.00 if u can paint it a dark red for me?


um... my favorite hopups, etc.. i have for my mfe xxxt, is probably my RPM molded cover... hrmm, and nutter.. i've never had a problem with my ball cups, i snaped a titanium rod thing.. and it broke off right at the ball cup! :( atleast i got another for free :D well.. hrm, next time i go to the hobby shop i guess ill have to buy one of those red attena's also. add a special touch to my car.

[MacII]

Hello,

I picked up one of those RPM molded covers and one of thier wrenches too. Personally I think they are both junk. The cover lets more dirt in that the stock clear one - way more. On my "practice" track which has lots of sand and rocks I have to clean my spur after each run when I use the RPM, maybe every 4th run with the stock one. And the wrench can't turn the wheel nuts, too much play in there. I'm using a Duratrax 4 way wrench that works like a champ.

On the postive side I replaced the stock MFE tires with some Losi Silver Step Pins and they really hook up.

[Gutter Ball]

Racer: They're insanely easy to make. Most people I know don't keep their lexan scraps though.

For the RPM gear cover, if you've got the patience, all you have to do is line the edge with some servo tape cut really thin, or use the foam that you stick under your battery holder. When you put the gear cover back on, the tape/foam acts like a sealer.

[WHITESTER1]

MacII

check your private messages. I sent you some more videos.

[WHITESTER1]

Originally posted by Gutter Ball
Racer: They're insanely easy to make. Most people I know don't keep their lexan scraps though.

For the RPM gear cover, if you've got the patience, all you have to do is line the edge with some servo tape cut really thin, or use the foam that you stick under your battery holder. When you put the gear cover back on, the tape/foam acts like a sealer.


That's exactly what I did Gutter. It works great.

Nutter, that is the only "hop up" I did to my MFE XXXT... RPM gear cover. That is all!

[Gutter Ball]

I also have the Trinity aluminum rear pivots, hub carriers, shock collars and shock bushings. I might get the aluminum battery holder since I heard it acts like a heatsink pulling heat away from your battery. I was going to get some RPM ballcups, but the Losi ones seem to be holding up pretty good.

[racer13]

gutterball.. i have no lexan at all... but would u make me one for free?

[Gutter Ball]

Lol, I'm out of lexan. I'll see if my racing buds have any extra lying around. If I had a digicam, I'd take a pic and show you how simple the thing really is :)

[Exterminator]

You can also use parts of a soda bottle. It's a little tougher than lexan and holds lexan type paint well if you want to paint it to match your body color.

Tim W.