Losi XX4 Forum

[007yoshi]

I havent seen a forum for this buggy yet. Well here it is! :) :)

[007yoshi]

Mod 4wd is growing here, so I decided to join in. After thinkin a long time, I decided on a xx4. I should be gettin one soon from ebay, so does anyone have any tips on what hop-ups to get or what adjustments should be made? Thanks

[007yoshi]

anybody there?! :confused:

[Gutter Ball]

I have 2 XX4's now! Woohoo!!! One has a 12T2 in it and that one is pretty fast. My other one has a 9T2 in it and that one is LIGHTNING fast!!! They handle REALLY well so if you get a little sloppy on the turns, it's very forgiving :) So far, I can't complain about anything except how long it takes to work on them :cool: The only thing I can suggest is to apply a little grease to the edges of the belt covers before you put them on to seal the system up! It's a great car, you'll really enjoy it. I let my friend take my slower one out for a spin and he loved it. I bought a Street Weapon too...it's on the way, should be similar to the XX4.

[007yoshi]

Got me a xx4 from ebay! yay :) Anyway could anyone help me on suggesting a setup for an indoor hardpacked clay track? Thanks.... I thought I'd go ahead and have a setup ready before it comes in the mail.

[SirSpeedy]

Go to www.teamlosi.com, (http://www.teamlosi.com,) and get Jukka's standard setup, or even his Worlds setup. That just freakin' works everywhere. Most people use that as a starting place. Very easy to drive.

[007yoshi]

Only Todd Hodges standard setup is there, along with some ROAR setups which were used for tracks far from being like my track.

[007yoshi]

Got my xx4 finally! I cant wait to drive it this saturday. Does anyone know what the part number is for the 3 deg. pivot blocks are? I have the original 0 deg ones but I got CR hubs and I need the new WE 3 deg. blocks. Thanks

[cabbynate]

I think the we has 2 dgblocks? or are you talking about to-in? Anyway, part # A-2213 is what you need. ;)

[007yoshi]

thanks. well im trying 0 toe in right now with xxx hubs. it seems to work real well

[weasel]

I have a xx-4 worlds and when I give it full throttle, it pulls to the left, and when I hit the breaks, it spins out. Does anyone have any ideas? This is my first 4wd elec. car. Im used to 1/8 gas offroad. Thanks :)

[007yoshi]

I have no clue whats up with your xx4. Havent seen that kind of problem. Make sure your antenna is not touching the graphite.

[weasel]

I drilled a hole 1/2 inch up the mast and ran the ant. through it so that isnt the prob. It tracks straight at 1/2 throttle. Anything above it drifts. Could it be one of the diffs isnt adjusted right? Thanks for the help!

[Gutter Ball]

Weasel: One or more of your wheels might be too tight, causing those to turn slower than the more free spinning ones..if you're pulling left, I'll guess that it's your left wheel(s) that are tight. Same with the spin out...the tighter wheels are stopping first.

[weasel]

I didnt even think of that! Ill try that
Thanks Gutter Ball! :D

[007yoshi]

Ha, the xx4 I got has 2 blown bearings in the front right hub. The LHS doesnt carry those bearings. So I get to race it today with no bearings in the hub!!! I practiced all night and couldnt tell there were bearings missing.

[cabbynate]

007Yoshi
You can always get the MIP front CVD Kit for is with the 3/16" axles. Then you can use the same bearings that are in the rear. :)

[007yoshi]

got my xx4 all fixed up now. its ready to kick butt and take names :)

cabbynate- got me some 3/16 cvd's for the front. that was a good idea cuz i have lots of 3/8x3/16 bearings.

[cabbynate]

Cool, the bearings will last longer too. Did you get the Aluminum or Steel?

[007yoshi]

shiny :)

[cabbynate]

Sweet. :D

[cabbynate]

Here is a good XX-4 site.Casper's XX-4 and more (http://home.att.net/~casper04/home.htm)

[cabbynate]

I messed the first one up. Just go to home.att.net/~casper04/ sorry :(

[007yoshi]

I've already been there. Its a great site tho

[007yoshi]

I put xxx rear hubs on it now the rear seems narrower. is this bad?

[cabbynate]

Yep. Less stable. Wider is better. Less roll overs. My .02cents

[007yoshi]

yay i fixed it. i modified xxx rear pivot blocks to put on it....

[cabbynate]

Matt F did that with the Trinity Blue aluminum one. Sweet ;)

[cabbynate]

I think he also used the Trinity rear hubs on his XX-4 when he won the mod nats with it this year. Sweeter. :cool:

[007yoshi]

yeah i oughta get a pair of trinity blue xxx rear hubs for mine.... that would be tight :)

but the blue pivot block i would have to cut it to make it fit

[athowells]

Can the XX4 W.E only go fowards, not reverse?

[cabbynate]

007yoshi- Tight ain't even the word for that hook-up! Yea you would need to do some dremelin on that rear block but hay, you would have the shizznit!!!

athowells- No, they are not made to go in reverse. They were designed for serious racing for the advanced racer.

;) ;) ;) ;)

[007yoshi]

well this weekend I'm gonna try out the non-slipper shaft and see how it does. i cant seem to get my slipper clutch tight enough

[athowells]

Have any of you guys broken any parts or have had problems with your buggy?

[InspGadgt]

yeah AT...front shock towers and the front bulkhead...when the bulkhead goes then you may crack the chassis too where the screw goes in.

[cabbynate]

On my post 9-2-01 there is a website posted. go there and find the B3 front brace ad-on. you will never brake another bulkhead again. ;)

[Gutter Ball]

Man, the front end of these cars to NOT take crashing/collisions well!!! One guy's battery was dumping early, so he was going slower and trying to get out of the way. Well I didn't see him as I come around a hair pin and I just bumped him, slightly (I hit the brakes). Well, my front shock tower and bulkhead just exploded!! Then another XX4 slammed into me, broke his nitride shock shaft and graphite front tower too. I dunno what's up with these cars, they need better front bumpers or something. Or we could crash less, but I crash a lot with my XX and XXXT and they hold up much better!! I'm going to get the outdrive savers and do the B3 mod to the front to strengthen that up. Might see if Penguin makes a shock tower brace too.

[InspGadgt]

Crabby, cool idea I will definately check that out. What I've done in the mean time is use the front bumper from the truck conversion. It's a lot wider then the stock so it provides more protection. Havn't had a problem with breaking the front end since then.

[ReMeDy]

I wonder if they will ever make a dirt spec version to the xx4? Probably not.

[TC3 Benjammin]

Man! After one month, I finally got my xx-4 running right. It was an electronics problem, relating to the position of the receiver and esc.

I had the receiver on the platform over the batteries. The problem was kind of weird. there was no glitches. The buggy ran great on the car stand, but when I ran it on the ground, the throttle would stick at full speed for about 2 seconds. Not fun!

I thought the esc was defective and was about to send it back to Novak. I tried one last ditch effort. I switched the location of the esc and receiver (ran the antenna wire under the esc to the antenna tube). I can't believe it, but it worked.

I hated this car so much because I spent all this cash and labor, and it wouldn't work right. Now that it is working, I think it's one of the best RC vehicles I have ever owned. Just wanted to share my experiences.

[TC3 Benjammin]

Has anyone had any braking problems? I don't seem to have any braking power. I bought my XX-4 used, so I'm not quite sure the purpose of the one way clicker.

[TC3 Benjammin]

Nevermind! Just had to re-program my esc. :o

[sixandeightstringer]

As for the exploding bulkhead, look around - Trinity made an adonized aluminum replacement; might be worth it to strengthen that front end. They also made a brace that goes between the bumper and the bulkhead, which helps keep flex to a minimum. I have that on my Rally Weapon (same chassis as the XX-4 and Street Weapon.)

[TC3 Benjammin]

OK, this sux!!:mad:

MY front bulkhead just blew! Ordered the Losi replacement off http://www.horizonhobby.com for $6. The trinity aluminum bulkhead was $32. Not worth it for me.

By the way, it broke because my car went out of control again. Guess that realignment of the esc and receiver didn't work after all!

:o

[InspGadgt]

The Aluminium bulkead made by Trinity is for the Street weapon and has a different caster angle then the XX-4

[TC3 Benjammin]

Inspector, if that is true, what's this? http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p.pgm?Q=1&I=LXJV60&P=7

[Nairb]

Hey guys, what's up? I finally picked up my own XX4 a couple weeks ago (woohoo)! It is used, but it has a lot of nice upgrades. I can't wait to get this thing running so I can race it.

One of the problems I want to fix first is that the CVDs are all worn out and I want to replace them. I want to try using the stock Losi universals, but I didn't get them with my buggy. Do any of you have brand new Losi universals for the front (and maybe rear, too) that you aren't using? I know a lot of people automatically replace them with CVDs when they first build their cars, so I'm sure at least one of you will probably have your originals sitting around somewhere. I'd like to buy them off you if I can. I'd like to get some that are new or are in new condition. There's a good chance this could help us both out, because I need the parts and you don't need them sitting around...;) If any of you would like to help me out, please e-mail me, PM me, or whatever. Thanks!

[007yoshi]

Nairb- I have some brand new never used aluminum universals for the rear along with the axles. I bought them hoping I would be able to use them but never had the time to put them in, in place of my cvd's.

[TC3 Benjammin]

How often have you guys had to replace the belts?

Also, with regard to the front diff, how tight should you get it? The manual states that you should tighten it all the way, then back it off 1/8 turn. However, my diff seems like it will not tighten all the way. Its not loose, but, I'm afraid it will affect performance. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[InspGadgt]

Ok my bad...my LHS told me the bulkheads were different between the 2 cars because the Street Weapon had less of a caster angle. 10 degrees is a lot for a street car. Guess I'll have to order me one of these now :)

[SirSpeedy]

Ben-

If you look closely, there are two small holes in the upper chassis cover directly above the main slipper shaft, and the layshaft.

You remove the small screw, and insert a 1/16" allen wrench in that hole. Slowly rotate the spur gear until the wrench drops ALL the way down through the hole in the shaft, and into the the recess in the bottom of the chassis.

With the wrench in the front hole, turn both front wheels forward. The diff should NOT slip. You will hear the belt click/skip first. Next place the wrench in the rear. Again, try to rotate the BOTH of the rear tires. They should be very difficult to turn. You may even skip the rear belt. Use only this method to test the diffs. Running the front diff tighter will make the car easier to drive, while running the front diff a little looser will give a little more initial steering.

Good luck.

[SirSpeedy]

Insp-

Losi makes a bulkhead with 10 degrees of kickup, and a 0 degree.

A-1201 - 10 Degree

A-9730 - Zero-Degree

The stock caster blocks are 10 degree as well. Losi also makes 3 deg caster blocks. With all these combinations, you can get 23, 20, 17, 13, 10, 7, or 3 degrees.


Oh yeah, Trinity also has a 5 degree bulkhead. So you can have pretty much infinite caster adjustment.

Enjoy...

[TC3 Benjammin]

Thanks, SirSpeedy! So if I understand you correctly, the diff should only be tightened through the method you described (not with the thrust bearing)?

[Nairb]

No, that's not right... SirSpeedy's method is to check the tightness of the diff, only. The only way to actually tighten or loosen your diffs is STILL to turn the thrust bearing screw.

[sixandeightstringer]

Hey, anyone know where I can get the full slipper clutch set for the XX4? I'd like to try one in my Rally Weapon. Any tips are appreciated.

[SirSpeedy]

Ben-

You can only tighten a diff by the diff screw. That is how you test hte diffs tightness; which was your original question.

sixandeight-

You will have to purchase the parts seperately. You'll need the slipper shaft, front and rear slipper plates, a slipper spur gear, two slipper pads, the slipper thrust bearing, bellville washers, and nut.

Enjoy-

[InspGadgt]

Tower shows the Aluminium front bulkhead as discontinued now :mad:

[NMT_RACER_BOY]

how hard is it to convert a rally weapone to a xx4?
what parts do you need???
thanx guys!!!

[SirSpeedy]

What do you need?

Well, a shorter list would be what you can use from the Rally Weapon.

You can use the diffs, front and side belt, pulleys, layshafts, hubs and spindles, bellcranks, and motor mount.

You will need, arms, towers, driveshafts, turnbuckles, shocks, chassis, chassis covers, rear belt, and much more.

Not very cost effective.

[mnstrmdnss]

the xx4 is the best racing rc ever built:D

[TC3 Benjammin]

Where do you guys position your esc and receiver? Any interference problems? If so, what did you do to solve it? Thanks!

[sixandeightstringer]

I had some interference problems in my Street Weapon IWC graphite chassis - I solved them by repositioning the receiver and cutting a hole in the antenna tube to feed the antenna through (about 2 inches up) rather than through the bottom.

Another thing I generally do which seems to help - I make sure that the bridge wire for the battery saddle pack is twisted at least once with the battery terminal wire, and I twist the battery wires that hook to the esc as well. This can cut down on interference greatly. I also use heavy gauge (14 or 12) wire for all my saddle packs.

[NMT_RACER_BOY]

Originally posted by SirSpeedy
What do you need?

Well, a shorter list would be what you can use from the Rally Weapon.

You can use the diffs, front and side belt, pulleys, layshafts, hubs and spindles, bellcranks, and motor mount.

You will need, arms, towers, driveshafts, turnbuckles, shocks, chassis, chassis covers, rear belt, and much more.

Not very cost effective.

I thought the chassis was the same :confused:

[sixandeightstringer]

Originally posted by NMT_RACER_BOY


I thought the chassis was the same :confused:

I'm pretty sure it is... :confused:

[TC3 Benjammin]

sixandeightstringer,

Where did you relocate your receiver and esc on the chassis?

[sixandeightstringer]

Originally posted by TC3 Benjammin
sixandeightstringer,

Where did you relocate your receiver and esc on the chassis?

I didn't so much relocate them as position them carefully. I was using the big Futaba receiver that came with the radio (it's going to the backup car now, since I got a pair of Novak small ones) but while it was in the car, I actually had it standing on end, as you can see in the picture below. This got the antenna lead away from the graphite chassis, and the crystal up higher too.

[sixandeightstringer]

The esc I just did the best I could to fit it in - it's a Novak Tempest, not exactly tiny, but it just fits in the space they leave for it.

Hope this helps!

[SirSpeedy]

Originally posted by sixandeightstringer

I thought the chassis was the same?


I'm pretty sure it is... :confused:



The chassis on the SW/RW is approcimately one inch shorter. Thus the upper belt cover and rear belt are shorter as well.

[sixandeightstringer]

Hmmm... news to me. I'll be able to verify this firsthand, possibly tonight - I accidentally ordered a Chassis transmission cover for the XX4 - I'll see how it fits on my spare SW chassis and report my findings.

(not that I don't believe you, SirSpeedy - just checking!) :D

[TC3 Benjammin]

thanks for the great info and pics, sixandeightshooter! I'll let you know if I have some success.

[sixandeightstringer]

Also check out the tips on Team Losi's site that describe the antenna mod I mentioned...

http://www.teamlosi.com/techtips/general/parts.htm#interference

[sixandeightstringer]

Originally posted by TC3 Benjammin
thanks for the great info and pics, sixandeightshooter! I'll let you know if I have some success.

Oh, and by the way - it's sixandeightstringer - here's why:
http://members.home.net/mgollihur/tools.html

(Actually, now it should be sixandtwelvestringer, but...)
:D

[TC3 Benjammin]

sorry buddy!:o

[sixandeightstringer]

Originally posted by TC3 Benjammin
sorry buddy!:o

No apologies necessary! I'm just giving you a hard time, and getting in a cheap plug for my band, Second Story. :D

www.secondstorymusic.com

[TEAMTED]

Hey guys, i am getting out of nitro and getting an xx4. I am getting it used, but it is in good shape and has lots of hopups. Is there anything that i should know about this befor i get it? What are the neccesary hopups? Is the d4 12 turn double wind motor good for this car? THANKS GUYS,
Teddy

[DarkWraith]

My friends and I are looking at gettin XX4's once the Novak brushless comes out... We're not looking to race them necassarily, just have some fun...

What's this painful maintenace you talk about jeep? With regards to the motors, or the car itself?...

It looks as though most everyone is pretty happy with this car...

[PCC]

I picked up a Losi XX-4. Not exactly sure how old it is but it was beat up on by the seller. Right now it's sitting downstairs with a broken front suspension arm. The seller broke it but he says that he has replacement arms but needed time to dig them up.

I was wondering what pinion gear to run with a D4 13D?

[Casper]

visit my web site at http://home.att.net/~casper04 to get my gearing chart. There is a ton of other great info on the XX4 on the site also. As a quick answer though I gear 7 over the turn on the motor so I would gear a 13 turn at 20/84

[timberwolf211]

Not sure if I can add this here. But I will be getting a Losi rally weapon soon. Is it true that rally is kinda built off the XX 4 platform? Also can you use stick packs in a RW or XX4?

[Casper]

Actually the SW was build off the XX4 design (shorter everything!) and the RW is a wider SW with longer shocks and the same chassie. No you cannot use stick packs with any of these cars :(

[sixandeightstringer]

I don't think the RW is any "wider" than the SW - same chassis, same arms, same everything (except rear hubs, shocks, wheels, tires and body.)

And you're right - nothing but saddle packs in all three (RW, SW, XX4.)

[Casper]

The RW is 200mm which is legal width for a rally car. The SW is 190mm which was max eletric sedan width. It is just in the arms.

[PCC]

Casper, thanks for the info.

Looks like I will have to buy a pinion today. I got the suspension arms and repaired the car. Stuck in a Novak Tempest and an old Futaba servo and got the car running. I overgeared it with a 22T pinion on an old 11D motor I have laying around but will be running the correct pinion later. This thing is quick! Unfortunately (err, fortunately!) the seller sold me three Tamiyas because he was clearing out his garage and I have been playing with these as well so the Losi hasn't been run much. (The Tamiyas are a fully modified Clod Buster as well as a TB01 and he threw in a Wild Willie for my son).

[adam lancia]

anyone know what performance gain the internal spring set for the xx4 give?? what do they do?? where do they go?? also, do the threaded shock bodies come with the adjustment collars?? are the trinity ones (2 piece) a better investment?? i noticed the losi ones are one piece and was wondering if they loosen at all?? any help you guys can provide would be great. i'm getting back into racing!! WOOHOO!!!! thanks in advance,

adam

[Gutter Ball]

Wow, Jeep, has your car even been RUN?!?! It looks immaculate! I was gonna get a XX4 WE...but since they might be coming out with the XXX4, I'm holding off until a bit later...I'm going to get a MF XXXT this weekend though!

[ole]

which runs faster XXX-KE or XX-4 if they have same 11 turn motor and high end esc?

[Casper]

OK Jeep you got my attention. First off good looking XX4! :)
As far as the internal springs I cannot remember what they really do. I think they do kind of the same thing as cutting front springs to make them more progressive. I was told to only use them on really smooth high bite tracks (like one you would run slicks on) but never tried them myself. I was told by some team drivers (Kinwald, Drake, etc) that they would not work on the tracks I was on so I never bothered to pick some up.
If you want to try them they go inside then shocks (thus the internal spring name) like an internal spacer.

As far as the trinity shock colors. The stock ones IMO look ugly (blue is better as LRP would say! LOL) but they were also a pain for me to adjust. The trinity ones come in a pack of 4 and you only need one trinity color per shock. I think they were only $7-9 so that is not bad. Some the team drivers (kinwald) started putting two per shock on so he could "lock" them together. I will probably do that once the o-ring wears out that keeps the alum ones in place but I have been using the trinity shock collars for about 1.5 years now and not had a problem with them. I have an extra set is my box for when they do wear out though. I would highly recommend the threaded shock bodies as them have made adjusting ride height SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier! I hope this answers your question!

[cabbynate]

Casper-

Jeep's not using your front bulkhead mod.
Help that man out! :)

[Casper]

Well he should check out my web site at http://home.att.net/~casper04! :D

That is if he would like to keep he would like to never have to replace the front bulkhead ever again!

[adam lancia]

hey everyone,

are there any "necessary" aftermarket parts that you would suggest i add to my XX4? i've got the threaded shock bodies on order as well as the machined chassis, low motor mount, HD belts, and gold shock shafts. am i missing anything? thanks for your input guys,

adam

[Casper]

I will admit I did not come up with the idea myself. I just put the info on my site so more people could benefit from this awsome mod!

[Casper]

Thanks! :o

[Casper]

Jeep-- you race at that Competition R/C place. I raced up there once about 5 years ago while visting family. That is a pretty cool place. Too bad it rains up there all the time though! :(

[divetravis]

Has anyone ever melted the end bell on their motor? I put a 9 turn double in my xx-4 for the first time today. I ran it at the local track, it was very fast but right at 5 minutes the car stopped, upon inspection the end bell was melted on the motor. I was running a 84 tooth spur with a 22 tooth pinion, could the gearing have caused this motor to melt.

[cabbynate]

Yep.

[adam lancia]

anyone know who makes the larger (above 87 tooth) spur gears for the XX4?? is it kimbrough, robinson, losi, trinity?? anyone know?? thanks guys,

adam

[cabbynate]

Adam-

Losi makes a 91 tooth if it will fit. They also make an 88 tooth too.

[Casper]

adam lancia-- I think the largest spur you can get in the XX4 is a 86. An 88 might fit but you may need to grind the chassis down a little to get it to fit. I always ran a 84 in my car. A 91 will definatly not fit unless you cut the chassis and more then likely the cover.

[adam lancia]

check in the february issue of rcca on page 154. it has matt francis' xx-4 and it says he ran a 100 tooth spur and 21 tooth pinion. any idea of who makes 'em?? thanks,

adam

[Casper]

Ok now I know were you are comming from. The 100 spur that Matt used was a BK pitch spur and pinion. The are a pitch that is between 48 and 64 pitch. I think 100 is about 84. Trinity makes the BK pitch gears under the Team Kinwald label. I hope this helps. Me personally I have a bunch of 48 pinions and spurs so I have not tried the BK pitch gears. The 84 48 pitch gear always served me well.

[adam lancia]

cool, thanks for the info casper!!

adam

[adam lancia]

hey guys, does anyone know which parts i need to convert from the orig. slipper on my XX4 to the non-slipper set up on the street weapon?? i know i need different spur gears but what about anything else?? do i need a new layshaft?? thanks in advance,

adam

[Casper]

check out my site http://home.att.net/~casper04 and I have all the details on what you need to do to conver to the non slipper setup. I think you only need the non slipper main shaft and a non slipper spur. The rest of the stuff you use from the slipper setup.

[adam lancia]

thanks casper!! i just took a look and it looks relatively simple. thanks for the info,

adam

[adam lancia]

ok, here's another question guys. does anyone know what is meant on the losi web site under setup sheets on todd hodge's standard xx4 WE when it says "7-7-0" piston for the rear shock piston?? i know that it's a drilled losi piston but which one?? also, which drill bit is used to drill it?? any info would be great, thanks in advance guys,

adam

[Casper]

7-7-0 is a 60 piston (white or natural) with two holes drilled out to 57 (black) size. The good new is that the pistions are named after the drill bit size that makes the three holes. Racers prep and trinity make good sets of finger drills for this but if you have a good small drill bit set you may be able to use those. A 57 would be very close to this if you do not want to drill.

[adam lancia]

thanks casper, that'll help a lot!!!!

adam

[adam lancia]

hey casper,

do you know which rear end parts i need to convert my xx4 from the stock rear end to the CR style?? i know that you have a description on your page but i was looking at stormers website and they have some parts listed that seem like they are made to fit the xx4WE. are these the parts that convert the original rear end to the CR-style?? if so, do i need a new rear hinge pin brace or hinge pins? thanks for your help,

adam

[Casper]

The WE kit comes with the CR rear end. All you need is a CR rear block (the WE rear pivot blocks are the same as the CR rear pivot block. If you get a XXCR rear pivot block you will need to cut the webing out of them to make them look like the stock pieces. You will need CR rear arms and CR rear hubs. You will also need a new rear brace. Trinity and Losi both make them. You existing hinge pins should work fine.

[adam lancia]

thanks for the lightning-fast response casper!! that's going to help me out a lot. happy racing,

adam

[JitsuGuy]

What's the status of Losi's XX4 car? Are they coming out with a new kit cause the only kit I can find is the xx4 WE. Let me know! I want this car!

Jits

[Gutter Ball]

Seems Losi is pulling their mid-range kits. Horizon no longers lists the regular XXX, XXX-T or XX4, only the Kinwald, Francis and WE. Makes sense to me, why not pay a little extra to get the almost fully hopped up kit? They still have the Spec versions available though.

[T/Losi]

At the Inaugural Team Losi Off Road Championships on April 12-14 2002, Matt Francis, Jukka Steenari and Brian Kinwald used a Losi Prototype buggy in the 4WD Buggy. Any news on this buggy?

[PCC]

I don't know which version XX4 this is. Can anyone ID it?

[PCC]

The car has titanium turnbuckles and it says "Graphite" on the suspension arms and the chassis. Yes, that's a Rally Weapon front bumper on it.

[Gutter Ball]

It appears to be a Street Weapon converted to a XX4.

[PCC]

Are you sure?

[Gutter Ball]

Nope, only way to be sure is to measure the chasis. The XX4 chasis is approximately 11.5 inches long, the street/rally weapon chasis is about 1/2 inch shorter. That definately is not a World's Edition, so it could even be a regular XX4 with graphite parts. Why do you ask?

[Casper]

It has some hopup parts but it looks like a stock XX4 with the graphite chassie. (they came that way orginally) It has some hopups. If the rear hubs have 5 holes for camber it still has the original rear end on it. I cannot tell from the photo for sure but this is the way it looks.

XXX-4 updates. They ran them at the worlds. I have seen some run at So Cal raceway (Jukka, and Peanut) but they did not look all that good. They need some refining. The shock travel is not all that great on them for now but it still needs some work. It should be a great car if they choose to work on it some more. I think it needs a little more tweaking though.

[Brndonp17]

Hey i have xx4 rollin chassis with servo how much should i sell it for?:rolleyes:

[Casper]

Depending on the servo and if it is a full WE edition car it should sell for 100-200 dollars. As a ruff estimate most used RC stuff sells for alround 50% of its retail value.

[Brndonp17]

it looks almost brand new i still have the box for it and i have enough parts to make another 1 and its 100% worlds edition
and the servo is just a standerd futaba servo

[Casper]

I would say 150-200 then. Sell it on Ebay. I got top dollar when i sold mine on there and have done real well selling other R/C stuff. It is not that hard either.

[Zr2]

This is my new xx4 that I got in a trade. I traded it for my tc3. The xx4 is the worlds edition running a team orion 10 turn ball bearing. http://www.ir-uk.com/crazyrc/43.jpg

hope you like.
-matt

[PCC]

Originally posted by Gutter Ball
Nope, only way to be sure is to measure the chasis. The XX4 chasis is approximately 11.5 inches long, the street/rally weapon chasis is about 1/2 inch shorter. That definately is not a World's Edition, so it could even be a regular XX4 with graphite parts. Why do you ask?

Thanks for the replies. I have a picture of the XX4 in front of my electric touring cars and it's noticeably larger than they are. I'd post the pic but the forums limit the photo size to 61440 bytes any the photo is about 65k. No, I cannot resize the photo on this computer.

The reason I'm asking is that I want to sell it but don't exactly know what it is so it makes it hard to tell people what I have.

[PCC]

Here's a picture I resized this morning:

[Casper]

It looks like a stock XX4 and the chassis looks normal. The front bumper is from a SW though. It is not a WE kit becuase it does not have threaded shock bodies. It looks like an orginal kit to me.

[Zr2]

doesn't the WE and the stock xx4 have slotted chassis for the battery cells?
-matt

[Gutter Ball]

Okay, so it'a a regular XX-4 with the graphite chasis, the original plastic arms were probably broken so that's why it has graphite ones and it's got a Street Weapon bumper. :) The WE does have slotted battery spots and is slotted under the motor to have a lower centre of gravity.

[PCC]

Again, thanks for the replies, guys.

The chassis and suspension arms say 'Graphite' on them. The turnbuckles are titanium, did the standard XX4 come with ti or steel turnbuckles?

[Casper]

I believe the stock kit came with steel. That is the first thing you replace on a car though! It has obviously been upgraded but it is not to WE level yet.

[Gutter Ball]

Has anybody tried the Penguin shock tower braces?? I seem to be breaking the front tower every other race and it's getting expensive! Do these braces help?? Or are they just eye candy?

[Zr2]

I wouldn't see what they would not work. I have been looking at them too. The only thing I'm really wondering is that how do they hook up to the shock tower. How many points is it attached to on the origonal tower?
BTW where abouts are you in Canada? I'm in Alberta
-matt

[Casper]

I cannot comment on the penguin tower thing from personal experience but from the looks of it I am not sure it will help all that much. I did not break too many towers after the braced ones came out. There is a guy on ebay that is selling a neat rear brace for the xx4 though. That is something I would look into.
http://abacus.sj.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/168c4cabea8e17571a68ff09d3/i-1.JPG

This looks like a better design then the trinity and losi ones as it captures the rear pins better.

[mtn bkr]

Hey guys. I just added a XX4 to my RC stable last week. They don't race 4WD very often at the track I go to, but I figured I couldn't go wrong for $40. This will be the first Losi vehicle I've owned (I'm an AE guy, my brother's a Losi guy). Any recommendations on what setup I should start with as far as shock oil, etc.? I currently race on an indoor track that's fairly smooth and has only one long straightaway. Is there a standard setup listed anywhere? I couldn't find one on Losi's site.

[Casper]

Check out my site. There is a great setup that is good for just about any track condition I have ever driven on. Just change tires to fit the conditions.

[tarvymoto]

Casper , I just bought a used XX4we in great condition. I just gave it a complete tear-down, cleaning , and rebuild. I do have a issue w/ the rear end drive train though. When I compress the rear end suspention more than half way the drive train starts to bind. I use CVD's on my other Losi cars and have honestly never used the stock Losi universals which are on this car. Do they bind when at an angle or when the suspension is compressed? Or is my problem elsewhere? Also do you personally lock down the front end clicker to get fulltime 4wd? I have been on your home page and found the gearing chart a big help for a starting ratio to use w/ the motor I'm going try w/ this car.

Thanks , Travis

Also , mnt bkr... I paid about $100 more than you!!! This thing is stacked though...full WE spec = a coulpe of extra wheels/tires. I just set mine up via MF's 2001 nats setup found in the Jan 02 RCCA. I live half the year in FL so the setup for Minnreg hit home w/ me.

[Zr2]

I'm not to sure about the binding there because I'm running CVDs in the butt end.

As for the clicker. The front clicker or "one way" Makes it so when on throttle you have all power to all 4 but on the brakes on the back stops with only a weee bit in the front. When you lock it I think it gives you 4 wheel brakes and thats really the only advantage I can see.
-matt

[Gutter Ball]

I don't lock the one way clicker. I find that having your front wheels spinning when you apply brakes gives you more steering through the sharp corners.

[Casper]

Losi universals should have a greater degree of freedom then the CVD's. The CVD's will not move beyond there bind poing though were universals will bend at greater then 90 deg where they will not spin. If the shocks are installed the rear end should not bind at any point in the suspension travel with universals. I am not sure what that problem could be. As for the clicker like others have said running it loose will give you more steering off throttle which is normally a good thing. I always ran my clicker so the lock nut was flush with the end of the screw. That way I knew the nut locking feature was engaged but that was as loose as I could make it. The reason for wanting full time 4wd is if conditions are really slick and you need more control under breaking then you can tighten that down and it will help under breaking but you will loose some steering. Congrats on your purchase and the best thing you can do to make the car more durable is to put the B3 front brace on the car. My web site gives details on how to do that.

[tarvymoto]

Hey guys , I found out what was causeing the bind. The guy I bought the car from was using some cone washers w/ a cap head screw between the rear shock-end and the screw head which pushed the screws out a bit. This caused the bind when the suspension was compressed and interfeared w/ the rim. I just replaced the cap head screw w/ a flat head wich gave me more clrearance but didn't completely fix the bind. Does anyone else have the same prob when using the outside hole on the rear a-arm to mount the shockend?

[mtn bkr]

Well, I took my XX4 out for some laps around the track and I must say that I'm unimpressed so far. It just didn't have a good feel. It sounds funny, but my modified Blazing Star feels better out on the track. I know that's definitely not how it should be, and I'll have to take some time to get the XX4 dialed into the track.

[Casper]

tarvymoto--- The XX4 was designed before the wider XXX rims so there was that interference problem. You should not need the washers on the rear shocks. I do recommend them on the front shocks though. With some button head screws holding the bottom of the shocks on you should not have this binding problem.

[tarvymoto]

Casper , thanks I'll try the buttonheads.

[Casper]

When proline first started this wider rims thing they included button head screws with the rims in order for you to have adequate clearance. Losi since fixed the problem with the XXX since it came standard with the wider rims. The XX4 though still needs the button head screws if you use the wide rims. Standard width rims would not bind in with the shocks in the outer holes.

[Burst]

I just bought a Team Losi Double-x4 worlds edition. I already added v6 LRP (duratrax blast esc for play time), D4 11 triple-high RPM motor, and bought 2 Peak racing Power Maxx 2400 batteries. What should be my next step with this car? Also, if I ever need replacement parts for the car, is there other cars I can use parts from? If you know any good websites with xx4 mod info that would also be awsome. Thanx in advance for any help you can give.

[Casper]

Check out my web site: http://home.att.net/~casper04 for some good info on this car.

[Burst]

Slick site Casper, thanx a bunch. For the stuff I already have for the car...do you feel they were good upgrades? Its been 15 years since I last run RC. Stuff I feel is awsome may be just so-so now.

[Casper]

I guess I am a little confused about the speedo you chose. I would ALLWAYS run the LRP V6. The Duratrax will not handle an 11 turn motor. Even if they say it will I would not trust it. The rest of the stuff sounds good. I would look into the 3000 cells that are out now. They have inproved run time and the good ones have the same or better voltage. The 2400's are still great batteries though. They are the last of the NiCd batteries. I STRONGLY recommend the B3 front brace conversion I describe on my web site. It will save you a TON of heartache. Good luck and have fun!

[Burst]

Well, What I was going to do is use the V6 for racing but when I'm playing in the back yard I like the option of reverse. But if you feel it might be hard on that motor or the system when using the 11 turn/blast esc I'll buy a second motor. Like I said, Its been a long long time since I have RC'd. They didn't have all these flashy motors when I was playing with them. Or if they did they were out of the price range of a 11 year old kid. :p Thanx for all your help Casper, your great.

[Casper]

Ok I and appreciate wanting reverse for play time but I would get a play motor. Get one of the Speedgems series of motor. They are cheaper since they are machine wound instead of hand wound. They are still VERY fast but cost about 1/2 as much. I would get something in the 14-15 turn range. It will still be fast will not heat up your "play speedo" as much and you will get longer run times.

[TRX250]

Hey Guys, Im going to be in this forum alot. I am getting a Losi XX4 Worlds Edition very soon (In the mail) The guy said it needs belts. Can you tell me what belts I need ? I also heard that theres a belt in the front and in the transmission but a shaft drive is connected to the transmission to drive the rear wheels. Is this true ?

[Casper]

If you need belts then get the green rear high performance belt and one green belt for the side and get a blue one for the front. This will help to free up the drive train a little. There are two shafts in the drive train but they are just to connect pullies for the belts. There are no shafts like in a TC3 in this car. I hope this helps. Check out the team losi web site for part numbers if you need them. If you need place to order them on-line check out www.stormerhobbies.com or www.horizonhobby.com. Both carry losi parts.

[TRX250]

Well, what are the part numbers ? And is there cheaper belts ? Im looking to spend under $20 for all the belts.

[Gutter Ball]

I'd pay the extra and get the heavy duty belts (they're green). I skimped out to save a few bucks and bought the black ones. Two race days later, all 3 belts were green....I broke all the cheaper ones :/

[TRX250]

Ok, I will buy the HD ones. Whats the part numbers for all three belts? I could only find two belts a 366mm, and a 196mm. You said there was three ? Where is that one at ?

[Gutter Ball]

You need 1 366mm (main belt) and 2 196mm (front and middle belt).

[TRX250]

So I need to order 2 packages of the 196 mm belts and only 1 366mm belt.

Or does 2 belts come in the 196 package ?

[Gutter Ball]

Originally posted by TRX250
So I need to order 2 packages of the 196 mm belts and only 1 366mm belt.
Yup :)

[TRX250]

Edit

[Uptonw567]

Please only use the Buy/Sell/Trade forums. Thanks - Troy

[annunaki]

not sure if any of you race at scottsdale AZ with your XX4, but I will ask a ? anyway. What gearing are ya using, and what type of suspension setup, I can't seem to find the right one. I'm pushing in the corners a lot. And the nose seems to want to dive when hittin jumps. Please let me know about your tracks and your set-ups, thanks a bunch.

[Casper]

annunaki-- I have reaced at SRS but not with my XX4. I would start with the setup you can find on my web site under the FAQ section. (http://home.att.net/~casper04) That setup has worked really well for me at every track I went to. If it gets hot you will want to increase the rear oil by 5 wt. As for nose diving this car does that ovef the small jumps. Your driving style needs to adapt to compensate for this. Because of the limited rake angle in the front of the car and the 4wd this car tends to want to nose dive off the smaller jumps/bumps. Try approching the jumps differently. Accelerate up the jump and roll it ... roll up to it and acclerate over it ... and just run through it. One of these methods will usually get you over the jump. One of the keys to winning 4wd is to get through these types of sections. You will learn the XX4 does not like whoops sections either. The XX4 does much better then the rest of the 4wd cars out there in whoops and with small jump/bumps but it does not do as well as it's truck and 2wd counterparts do. I hope this helps some. Also at SRS I would try red blockheads in the front for steering. IF it gets dry then red tapers but I think blockheads are the ticket out there.

[annunaki]

what do you think about the suggested WE setup that comes with the car. Should I try that? what do you suggest on gearing?

[Casper]

I am not sure what the WE setup is but I think it is close to what I had. The setup I was running was really similar to the MF std setup from about 2 years ago. Like I said it worked really well under a lot of different conditions. As for gearing I have a gear chart on my web site also to check out and you can print it out for your pit box. The gear chart is under the info sheets section of the web site.

[annunaki]

ya, I think your right about the WE setup being like yours , I just compared the two. On the gearing chart there wasn't a listing for the xx4 for a stock motor. what do ya think on that? I am currently using a purple spur(84?) and a 20 pinion.

[Casper]

I never ran a stock motor with my xx4 so I cannot really say for certian. Looking at my chart some though 20/84 looks like it would be a good starting point. Depending on the motor you are using you may need to go up on or down one though.

[annunaki]

I was using the P2k2, on my first race this week, then it started smoking on about lap 5, its toast, some guy told me prior to that , that I should use a 23t, i switch to another stock motor and put the 20 on. I'm not sure what motor it is now. But I'll most likely go back to a p2k2. thanks for all your help BTW

[Casper]

A p2k2 at 23 is too tall. I would error on the smaller size for this car. Since it is heavier then a 2wd and there is more drag in the drive train gearing down a little would not hurt. Good luck. A p2k2 should be a great motor for the XX4 by the way.

[tl_ke_racer]

im gettign a xx4 we woudl you gusy recommend doing the bulkhead mod for it?

[tl_ke_racer]

would a xx4 do good on dunes?

[Casper]

Yes the front end B3 brace mod is a necessary mod for any version of the XX4. It will keep the front end together.

The XX4 should be good in the dunes. You might want to get some paddles for the rear and some ifmar studs for the front though if it is loose sand dunes.

[tl_ke_racer]

can you guys sell me this front modification liek everythign i will need i dotn have a a sadnign bit or no how to maek a dremel please sell me everything to where i can just install i dont haev the tools to make this modification,

[w007yoshi]

Havent been here in ages :rolleyes: :mad: ;) :)
Heres my xx4 after alllllll this time
I havent needed that front end mod YET!!! HAHAAHAHAH
http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Sep/2002913378504717284441.jpg

[w007yoshi]

Pic is a little ruff :p and camera died shortly afterwards :( but its a worlds kit. Has blue outdrive savers, rear swaybar made by me :) cvds all around and Skip Gear body!!! :D :D :D

[CalmCyclone]

I was thinking about getting an XX-4, but now that the hoopla over the XXX-4 has started, I don't know.

I already have a DuraTrax Evader ST and a new 'Matt Francis' XXX-T in my stable and wanted to go for a different class this time.

Oh well ... I'll probably wait for a while now that there is another option to consider.


CalmCyclone
R/C veteran, R/C racing newbie

[w007yoshi]

You could take a cheaper route- get a XXXKE :D


4WD is still the best! :p :p

[CalmCyclone]

Originally posted by w007yoshi
4WD is still the best! :p :p

I agree with you and I don't even have a 4WD car :eek: . I've been jonesing for one since a friend of mine let me drive his Yokomo YZ-10 a few years ago. I've been holding off on getting a 4WD to wait for some competition from other companies in that class. Since there isn't any competition, I'll just have to wait to see which of the two Losi 4WDs will be a better deal for me.


CalmCyclone
R/C veteran, R/C racing newbie

[New Jack]

:D :D :D According to Horizon Hobby @ www.horizonhobby.com the XXX-4 is currently on back-order for $269. & will be available on Oct. 30th!!!!! :D :D :D

[Luckyman4]

Maybe I'm like others out there ... I just bought a used XX-4 WE and wanted a thread to get some tips from. Seems the debut of the XXX-4 has many XX-4 owners looking to trade up, I can't afford a new XXX-4 (I wish!) so this was a great chance for me to own my first 4WD buggy. Our local club seems to be having a revival of 4WD due to the new Losi release. Going through the thread I've already picked up a ton of helpful info (Casper's sight is great! Thanks!). My 'new to me' used XX-4 should arrive early next week and I'm ready to dive in and go through it totally.

I'm running on a tight indoor clay/dirt track, any tire suggestions, esp for the fronts? Later, John

[CalmCyclone]

Our XXX-4 guys are running Evil Twins on the rear and Blockheads on the front. This is on a tight indoor track with hard-packed black dirt.


CalmCyclone
R/C veteran, R/C racing newbie

[Luckyman4]

"Evil Twins"?? LOL ... never heard of them but great name, who makes 'em? Is that their nickname or actual tag name? ... oh brother, I wonder if someone is actually making a living in Marketing coming up with names like that? I want their job if they do! :rolleyes:

[Casper]

Pro-line makes the evil twins. They are a knock off of the losi taper pin. They are like square fuzzies but they have a taper pin like bar in the middle. They do not have the outer rib like the tapers though. It is prolines attempt to make a tire that works on a blue groove track.

[Casper]

Luckyman-- If you have questions about your XX4 we will be glad to answer them. The XX4 is still a great car. It won the worlds after all beating a prototype XXX4!

[CalmCyclone]

Just go to the Pro-Line site (http://www.pro-lineracing.com/flash/plhome.html). They're about 3/4ths the way down the page.


CalmCyclone
R/C veteran, R/C racing newbie

[Luckyman4]

THANK YOU Casper & CalmCyclone! Really appreciate the quick & helpful replies! My used XX-4 comes with some nice hopups and some basic spares, but no extra tires. I sold my XXX last fall and with it 85% of my buggy tires (d'oh!), so I'm needing to get a few basic sets. If you could only afford two styles of fronts, would they be taper pins & blockheads? Or ??? For the rears I've got new square fuzzies, X-2000s, & taper pins, so I think I'm okay, at least for starters until I see how this bad boy performs on my local track.

Casper, I'm with you on the XX-4 still being competitive, Jukka showed that big time! If 15 years of organized club racing has taught me anything, it's that driving skill beats 'the latest hardware' everytime ... at least at the club level where I compete ... can't tell you the number of times a better driver has beat me with 'old' technology, lol. I have no doubt this car will take me as far as my driving skills will allow. ;)

Thanks again, John

[New Jack]

Luckyman4: As far as Front tires by Losi, the Sprints work great as well on a Hard Packed Blue Groove track, they work well at my track the Part # is A-7284, look on Losi's web-site, they have an excellent tire guide on there!!!!:D :D :D

[Casper]

Tires depend on the track. For a rule of thumb I tended to run blockheads when X-2000 work and Tapers when tapers worked. Compounds will depend on the track you run on.

[Casper]

Oh I used to run Tapers fronts with BK bars on the rear also.

[New Jack]

This question is for anyone who has owned a XX-4 & now a XXX-4, "Are the Turnbuckles & Hinge Pins the same length on both?" I want to buy some Titanium ones (Lundsford), but am not sure if they are the same!!!!!:confused: :confused: :confused:

[tarvymoto]

for the turnbuckles just buy the XXX lunsford set. That's what I did....same size.

[New Jack]

Tarveymoto: SWEEEEET!!! Thanks again!!!:D :D :D

[Luckyman4]

:) Yippee! My used XX4we came yesterday and it seems to be in great shape, smooth diffs, more spare parts and tires than were listed in the auction, and it was super clean! It even had the front bulkhead brace modification that Casper listed already done to it. It is set up with the slipper, and I'll drive it that way first, but I got the non-slipper shaft and some spurs at my lhs so I'll probably try that mod soon. I plan on racing it for the first time Wed. night, me vs. a bunch of XXX-4's, it looks like all the new XXX-4 owners want to run Stock for starters, for some reason they're worried about breaking front arms and shock towers, lol! Well, we're all experienced racers, just newbies to 4WD offroad buggies, so hopefully the carnage can be held to a minimum tomorrow night. However, we're all feeling "the need for speed" so by the next week I expect some serious mod racing and XXX-4 parts flying everywhere! :rolleyes:

Later, John

[Casper]

Lucky-- Try the setup I have on my web site. That should get you close to be where you want. Also I would check to see if you have a blue front belt on the car and if you are running stock you will really want the non slipper on the car. The XXX-4 will show its colors in stock a lot more then in mod because it will be a much more efficient car. In mod it should be a little more even!

[Casper]

The blue belt is a little looser then the green or black ones so it will help to free up the drive train a little. Do not run a blue belt on the side though because that one gets too much load in offroad and needs the green heavy duty belt. Run a Green belt in the rear also. If you do find a red rear belt this is the same as the stock black belt and is NOT recomended. IF you do ever skip a belt and you can tell which one it is REPLACE the pullies and the belt in that locations. All the pullies in this car come in one bag and are only $8. Once a belt skips it rounds the pully and you will risk prematurely skipping new belts if you use the old pully.

[Luckyman4]

Casper,

Man, I'm gonna have to start paying you for all this technical advice; you're saving me time & money big time! My seller said he replaced all the belts and pulleys just a few months ago, I can see it has a green belt in the rear, but I haven't popped the top yet to see what else there. When I change out the slipper shaft I'll see what I have then. I can see that changing out that slipper shaft (and maintenance in general on the XX4) will not be a 1/2 hour quick fix, lol, but once I get more familiar with the car I should be able to make flat-rate! :rolleyes:

And yeah on the stock motor/drive train efficiency thing, my drive train seems real stiff compared my other 4WD belted cars (xxx-s and ofna OB4 pro), I think the mid belt is green too and it seems to have little or no deflection. I'll dive into next week (wife's B-day is this weekend and we're heading out of town for a getaway, think she'd mind if I brought it along?) and give a thorough going over. For tomorrow night I just have time to get my electrics into it and paint up the new body that came with it, I'll be running my seller's setup, whatever it is. Thanks again ... where do I send the check? :D

[Casper]

No checks required! :p Once you get the car down you can get a spur changed in about 30min! LOL :cool: One thing about this car is that once you do have to take it apart do all the maintence you can while it is apart. I always rebuilt the diffs when I needed to get into the car but if I did not break anything for a while the diffs suffered! Also leave the car at home. From personal experience the wife already thinks you love your cars more then you love her! Wether it is true or not you need show her you love her more LOL :rolleyes:

[Luckyman4]

Casper,

ROTFLMAO!! More sage advice, thanks!!! :D

[Hairball]

I recently just picked up my first XX4.

Its pretty much bone stock right now. I'm wondering about future product support though.

How long is it going to be before I can't get parts for it? Any ideas?

thanks

-Andy

[CalmCyclone]

Hairball -

Start stocking up on parts now, especially the front bulkhead. Grab everything you can find. They have already discontinued all the parts that can't be used on the XXX-4.


CalmCyclone
R/C veteran, R/C racing newbie
Losi World (http://www.action-rc.com/losiworld/index2.htm)

[Luckyman4]

Yeehaw!! I got to drive my XX-4we for the first time last night and it's a blast! I only broke one front a-arm the whole night, lol, and finished at the back of the pack, but what fun! It was our first night of 4wd at our club and we decided to run Stock (the new XXX-4 owners wanted to avoid unnecessary breakage that Mod might cause while they got used to their cars) ... Stock is NOT the way to go with XX-4, simply underpowered imho.

Maybe it's my car? I got this used and it's my first 4wd buggy, it seems like the drive train is awfully 'snug' .. like if I pull the motor out and give it a good shove across the floor, it only rolls a foot or two .. a lot of inertia to overcome in the belt/cross shaft system? I'm gonna go through it totally and see if I can free it up some (just got it in on Monday so I had to run it 'as is' last night) ... is that much belt drag normal on the XX-4? Next week, MOD! :D

-John

[Luckyman4]

Yep, it was my car ... the right rear outdrive bearing was dry and feels pretty notchy, but I did find that I have new green belts all around and the diffs themselves feel fine. The rear belt seemed a little tight but I'm not sure how to adjust the tension, guess I'll have to resort to reading the manual. That sure would explain why my stock motor(s) got so hot racing last night, lol!!

[Casper]

The rear bearing supports can be adjusted to fix the belt tension. There are acutally A and B blocks that can be used to adjust the tension of the belt. With the Green belt you should be able to run the loosest setting. If you do not have both sets of block at least run the blocks you have with the arrow on the block pointing fwd. Also you might want to try and find a blue belt to put in the front will will help to free up the car some. A bad bearing does not help at all tough. Do not expect this car to be free spinning. on the table. The belts will expand at speed and run more efficiently then.

[Luckyman4]

Casper,

With the green rear belt, should I use the A or B blocks (if I have both, I'm not at home at the moment)? Is the blue belt an early or late model front belt, ie am I likely to find one out there?

Yea, I don't expect it will ever roll as free as say a TC3, but I'm hopeful now about getting it freed up quite a bit, ALL the bearings need a good cleaning and light lube in addition to the funky rear outdrive brg. Thanks!

-John

[Hairball]

Originally posted by CalmCyclone
Hairball -

Start stocking up on parts now, especially the front bulkhead. Grab everything you can find. They have already discontinued all the parts that can't be used on the XXX-4.


CalmCyclone
R/C veteran, R/C racing newbie
Losi World (http://www.action-rc.com/losiworld/index2.htm)

Serious? I can't believe how Losi drops product lines so quickly!

AE is STILL supporting the original RC10!! Yet, Losi can't support a buggy that got replaced like 6 or 7 months ago? Thats ridiculous....

thanks Calm.

[Casper]

I do not think parts support is going to drop that bad. You can still get XX parts support. A lot of the after market stuff for the XX4 has been dropped a long time ago like the trinity alum motor clamp but XX4 stuff should not really be that hard to come by. After all the XXX4 stuff is harder to get right now!

[CalmCyclone]

What I mean is that they no longer produce the parts that aren't able to be used on the XXX-4. They may still have warehouses full of parts, but it would still be wise to stock up ASAP anyway - especially the front bulkhead.

[Casper]

Calm-- With the B3 front brace modification you will never need a new front bulkhead!

[Luckyman4]

What a difference! Yesterday I cleaned and lubed all the outdrive bearings (they were all just horribly crudded up, including the one I thought was scrad), and replaced the front green belt with a blue, now the car is a lot freer. When I repeated the "no motor installed" push test, instead of going 1-2 feet as before it now rolls 5-6 feet! Oh yeah! :D

[Casper]

There are other tricks if you really want this car to roll but it will require some more freq maintance.

[Luckyman4]

Casper,

I'm all ears! My outdrive bearings were all metal shields on one side and teflon/fiber seal on the other, I removed the fiber seals and put the metal shielded sides facing out ... what other tricks do you have up your sleeve for me? btw, I found I got shorted somewhat on my Worlds Ed. ... the rear outdrives are steel, only the fronts are plastic (but the front did come with the Trinity outdrive savers). LMK, thanks! -John

[Casper]

Yeah it goes something like what you have already done. The trick is to put the metal shield on the exposed side and no shield on the other side! Since the drive train is sealed then you do not need to worry about a lot of conamination. That sonic bearing cleaner is pretty cool stuff. Clean your bearings with that and then put a single drop of come good bearing oil in the bearing and then install them again. On the outdrive bearings I would leave the inner shield off but a fiber, teflon, or rubber seal is best on the outside. For what it is worth I ran steel outdrives in the front of the XX4. You will notice you will break off the nipple on the composite outdrive when you run them up front. I have known guys who mod the composite outdrives to use the nipple from the steel outdrives to solve this problem but that was too much effort for me at the time.

[Luckyman4]

Thanks Casper! Hmmm, sounds like I should swap frt/Rr positions with my plastic and steel outdrives ... and I'm stuck with the metal-shielded (facing out) outdrive bearings until I can afford some good after market bearings (Boca? Blue shield? got any recommendations there?). And yeah, cleaned and lubed like you said, I used to think more oil was better ... NOT! ... one and only one drop of a high quality bearing oil is much better ... come to think of it, I bet that's what happened to these outdrive bearings - over-oiled and as a result instant crud magnets.

I don't know why I keep forgetting the lessons I've thought I already learned ... like taking the seller's word about the XX-4 being "well-maintained" ... I got faked out cuz he replaced all the belts and pulleys shortly before he sold it, which he did, he just didn't do a dang thing with the OD bearings and put a green belt on the front (contrary to the Worlds Ed instructions). The lesson I should have remembered is "the only person's preventive maintenance program I can trust is my own!" LOL

[Casper]

I have learned though buying a "New" truck (it was never run) that you have to go through it to make sure it is built right. The diff was built wrong and some of the screws were loose on a kit I got on e-bay. You are the only one that can build and maintain a car to your liking!:p I have learned that over and over. I like the losi bearings but I just got some rubber sealed bearings from team blue star on e-bay. They were a good price. You might want to check them out. They sell kits for cars also. I have not tried them yet but have them for when I blow wheel bearings. As far as the outdrive bearings go as long as the shield is out you should be fine. Dynamite bearings were also pretty good to me.

[Luckyman4]

I race with a guy who's been racing for 25+ years (counting his days in 'pro' slot car racing), and he really likes the team blue star bearings a LOT (and he's tried 'em all thru the years)! I'll have to give them a try ... I see from their website they offer the 1/2" X 3/4" Losi outdrive bearings in a 10-pack for $24; I could replace all the O/D brgs in my XX-4, XXX-S, and my XXX-T at a really decent price.

Please post your comments on them when you've had a chance to try them out. The $45 complete set for the XX4/SW is more than my wallet can handle until after Xmas. :cool:

http://teambluestar.com/bearings.htm

[Casper]

Look for the sets on e-bay. They are selling them for less on there. I will not try them for a while since I bought them as spares. Sorry.

[New Jack]

Hey guys, I will concur!!!! Team Blue Star bearings are Great, I bought a set for my MP 7.5 & another set for my T-Maxx, they will work with you as well on any support, Excellent Bearings & Excellent company!!!!:D :D :D

[fastzach]

Does anyone here have a xx4 for sale? No body, electronics, or tires are needed. Please e-mail me at fastzach@maxxtraxx.com if you have one. I want a list of what is included and a price please.
Thanks:)

[twinturbo3000gt]

does anyone know if u can put a 6 cell stick pack in the xx4 instead of saddle packs? if so how do u do it? is there any modifications needed? if u know how then email me at nitrorustler10@aol.com and i would like pics of it too if ya go tthem. Im gettin a xx4 soon so i would like to know! thanks guys!

[Luckyman4]

twinturbo,

The answer is basically "No, you can't put a stick pack in the XX-4" ... of course, you could ducktape a stickpak to the outside of the body, but you'd lose a little handling ... :rolleyes: ... "for best results" you'll have to use saddle packs, lol! Happy soldering! :D

[makaluch]

Just figured I'd introduce myself. I'm a new 4-wd electric owner. I have every other Losi so I figured.....why not :rolleyes: The Kanai is fun fun fun...nuttin like bein HOOKED UP all the time

I know about the B3 front brace mod (thanks Casper - arms are quicker than bulkheads to replace ), but I'm wondering if there are any other "necessary" mods ?

It's the Worlds Edition so I'm thinking it's pretty much got almost everything. I need to go through it really good when I get it...just for schlitz and giggles. It looked like it was in new condition(no wear in the battery tray, outdrives not worn, stock ball cups), but ya never know with Ebay.

:D Mark

[Luckyman4]

see next message ...

[Luckyman4]

Does anybody run one of the Monster Heat Sinks, by Trinity or Peak (Team Hommies), does it really help? Casper, I know you recommend them, I can't seem to find one> Just looking for one and looking for other opinions? :)

Makaluck,

Welcome to the XX-4 thread, I got my XX-4 WE off ebay too, it was in pretty good shape, but needed a good going over (that I neglected at first, d'oh!). With the mods Casper has on his website, you'll have a definite contender on your hands!

[makaluch]

Hey guys ! I received the buggy today and it looks pretty good...diffs feel nice, but I need to open the drivetrain and really go through it. The guy's been great...advice, extra parts, MANUALS !!! I've already noticed that there's no limiters in one side of the front shocks...or spring.

I'll hit Casper's site for some setup advice. I think it'll have to wait till after the holidays though. I also need to split a few packs.

HEY...I'm wondering where a transponder goes ? It looks kinda tight in there .

[Casper]

This is where the transponder's go. If you do not mind putting a hole in your body then I always mounted my in the drivers side window. Kinwald always ran his batteries in the left side all the way forward position and ran his transponder in the rear area of the battery tray on the left side of the car. You can mount it to the roof of your car also. I like the drivers window because I put it toward the back were I put the number stickers so I could cover up the hole when not running transponders.

[New Jack]

Makaluch (Mark): Hey, it's me (Matt) the guy that talked to ya the last two weekends online (IM) it's good to hear that you finally got your XX4, man let me know how it works out, I might be in the market for one until they can figure out a way to fix this Front A-arm problem with the XXX4!!!!! Did your wife know about the XX4 before you got it or did she find out when it wound up in the Mail???:D If you get one of those Battery conditioners as well let me know how that works!!!!! Take it easy!!!!!:D

[New Jack]

Makaluch: Hey that AE Diff. Spring you told me about to put in the XXX-NT diff, is the Part # 6582 by any chance, that's the only diff. spring I could find on the web site (AE), it actually is called a diff. thrust spring. Let me know, if that's it I'll order it & give it a try!!!! :D :D :D

[makaluch]

Yup, that's it ! You'll be pleasantly surprised with it's "action" and durability. It's called that because it performs a pushing action. I'm not saying Losi's beveled washer stack isn't a functional design, but I am saying that the spring works better IMO. The added bonus is that the spring will not contaminate your diff like the washers will.

I told my wife as soon as the mail came in reporting that I won...:) . I didn't think I would because my bid (on Ebay) was at a respectable low. I was bored, but like to see people get a fair price for good equipment...that'll teach me ;) It's a great buggy. I'm in the process of going through it right now. So far I've only found a hairlin fracture in the chassis to the outside near the driver's side batt tray, and one incorrect length shock shaft in the front. It's nitride so it's ok though...lol...it'll work in the rear.

Ok,...enuf babbling...hope that trick works out New Jack ! Lemme know what you think of it when you run it. Lata

:) Mark

[New Jack]

Makaluch: I'll be sure to give it a try, I also bought that light weight Alum. slipper shaft/gear, but can't get my tranny off my chassis, Dang that Loc-tite works good!!!!! :D :D :D

[adam lancia]

New Jack: i've heard some complaints about the aluminum slipper shaft. some guys that were running low turn mods were breaking them. i never tried one for that reason. one thing i did like though is the non-slipper layshaft. it gets rid of the whole slipper assembly, works well if you run on a high traction surface where you would crank the slipper down anyways. first time i tried it, i never switched back.

adam

[New Jack]

adam lancia: Yeah, I hope I like it. Supposedly you get more RPM's out of your Engine, I don't know if that's just a sales gimmick, but I'll find out soon enough, hope it works well. If I get a Hole Shot everytime, it'll stay in mine permanantly as well!!!!!:D :D :D

[Casper]

The aluminum shafts to snap and that is a gurantee! It is just a matter of time. The non slipper shaft is the way to go. I have instructions and the parts you need to convert on my web site http://home.att.net/~casper04. The aluminum shaft should just give you more bottom end and the tranny will spool up faster but I doubt you will notice a big change.

[New Jack]

Casper: I tried to go to the Web page you listed above, but it says URL page not found when I got to that site!!!!!:confused: :confused: :confused: Yeah I need info on that so I don't screw something up, especially since it's Nitro (XXX-NT):D

[Casper]

http://home.att.net/~casper04/ is the web site. Sorry it included the period at the end of my sentence which screwed up the hyper link. The info on my site has to do with the XX4 non slipper conversion. For the spring installation on the XXXnt diff just put the AE spring where the belvelle washers go and you are fine.

[New Jack]

Casper: Cool man, Thanx!!!!!!!!;) :D ;)

[Luckyman4]

Hey Casper!

Couple of questions ... I just did the non-slipper conversion to my XX-4 and the brand new spur gear seems to have some 'quality control' issues; ie when I spin the spur gear the outer edge of the spur 'shimmies/wobbles' - like the spur was drilled slightly off angle from 90 degrees or is warped - if you look at it from above (shaft & gear mounted in chassis), the outer edge (teeth) of the gear moves left to right about 1/8" to 3/16" - new shaft, new spur pin, new spur - as the pinion meets the spur, the spur teeth move from the outer edge of the pinion to the inner edge - It's like the shaft hole in the spur was drilled at about a 88 degree angle to the shaft instead of 90 degree? Is this normal production tolerance or did I get a bad gear (or shaft)? Have you run into this before?

Also, I went looking for a used Monster heatsink and found a nice deal on a Team Hommies ... are the Trinity and Team Hommies heatsinks identical or different styles? Tough to find pics online ...

LMK, thanks!

:)

[Casper]

The gear will wobble some and it will be a little noisey because of that but this is pretty normal. The pinned spur gear attachement does not allow a lot of control over the spur so it will wobble a little but it should not affect performance a ton. Can you rock the spur back and forth or is it tight and canted? I imagine you can push on the top or bottom and get it to shift some. If this is the case it will right itself when you drive. I would not worry about that. As for heatsinks. I ran the Team Hommies one. Team hommies was a division of Peak and they were parts designed by Derek Furatini. He is a long time pro driver (over 15 years) and a friend of mine. That one will work great for you!

[Luckyman4]

:) Thanks Casper!

I figured it might be like that, well, I'm gonna run it this Sunday so we'll see how it does. Going to the non-slipper setup sure cuts down on rotating mass, I think(and hope, lol) it'll work without eating up the teeth on the spur. One good run should tell! It seems fine in my hallway ... :rolleyes:

And I'm glad to hear I stumbled onto, er, wisely chose the right heatsink. It should get here in the next couple of days. BTW, I just love my XX-4 WE, the blessed thing seems to be "almost" (knock on stiffzel) indestructable. Recent club races have shown the XXX-4 to be relatively fragile unless upgraded to graphite. The only XXX-4 guys not breaking arms are the ones with 5-6 pairs of spare arms in their pit boxes ... kinda of a voodoo charm against breakage it seems. But my XX-4, like two weeks ago a corner marshall was trying to dodge me to get to a wreck when he stepped full weight on my front shock tower ... I swear you coulda heard a pin drop after the crowd's initial "GASP", waiting for that "Krrraaaaccckkkk" sound to snap the air ... but it never came, my heart started beating again so I just drove the rest of the heat out. Talk about a sturdy car! ... now if the driver could just find some consistency :D Thanks again Casper!

[Casper]

Sounds GREAT! As long as the motor does not move you should not need to worry about stripping a spur! Good luck and fun racing!

[Luckyman4]

Casper,

What kind of tire foams do you use, especially in the fronts? My 2WD experience tells me to use a firm or two-stage insert in the rear, and a medium/stock losi insert up front, but I noticed in the WE manual that they used firm in front & medium in the rear. I'm especially confused when mounting Holeshots on the front rims - the sidewalls balloon over the outer rim edge and look like the sidewall flex will be excessive ... I can see using a firm insert to compensate there, but it seems like I'd want to use a soft or medium insert up front to gain steering. Should I use a really firm insert up front with Holeshots and a soft/med insert with front taper pins. Or should I just go with stock losi inserts all around? [I generally throw away my stock Proline inserts, they deteriorate quickly in my experience and fail long before the rubber goes]. What do you run? Your advice would be appreciated, thanks! :)

[Casper]

Luckyman4-- I normally run bomb one (grey) foam in all of my tires. I have been running the losi firm foam on occation in rear tires also. I like the trinity bomb one because it seems to last the longest for me and it is cut a little wider then the losi foam. Now losi has recently changed there front foam and it is now a little taller which is GREAT! I now run losi stock foam in my 2wd front tires. For 4wd I cut down bomb foam (about a 1/4 inch or 25% of the foam) off and put it in the fronts. I used to do this for 2wd fronts also. The rear foam is a little taller then the front foams most everyone sells and it seems to support the tire the best. Bomb one seems to work just about everywhere. On really high bite tracks I would consider 2 stage foam or a harder foam but that would be an exception. Bomb one grey has always worked for me. I am hoping that losi updates there rear foams like there fronts by making the foam a little taller and if this happens I will more then likely just use it. For now though I like that the trinity foam is a little taller and a little wider then the stock. As for front and rear. I would run bomb one all the way around. For proline tires (M3 holeshots) You might want to experiment with some firmer foam though. I found that the prolines tires do not have a lot of sidewall stiffness which can be solved by 2 stage foams. I hope this kind of answers you question.

[Casper]

For the record I normally run losi tires. I do run holeshots on occation but tend to find losi tires work better and last longer in most of the applications I run them in. What type of track are you running on?

[Luckyman4]

Thanks Casper! :)

What timely information! Last night I was driving myself crazy trying to get a set a Holeshots mounted because I had Bomb 1's in the rear and (older) Losi firms up front ... and the front tires were coming out about 1/4" less in diameter ... I went through a pile of Losi inserts and finally opened up a brand new pack and "voila", they were the same diameter as the rears. I lost some time, but got to thinking ... are my current tires like this too? Sure enough, all the fronts I got in the deal when I bought my used XX-4 are about 1/4" smaller OD than my rears. No wonder my car has been handling a little squirrely at times, that in effect gives me different gear ratios front & rear, like the overdrive/underdrive option on the XXX-4 & S. Revelation!

Your advice seems to tell me not to worry about mixing foams front and rear, ie soft fronts/firm rears or vice versa, and just go with a good firm foam all around. That works for me. On my fronts I'd been cramming a full width Losi buggy rear in to get the sidewalls to stiffen up, going with cut down Bomb 1's sounds better. Luckily, I haven't glued anything yet and I can go back and make 'em right.

I have two tracks I run at, my local club track where I run 95% of the time is hard packed clay that is scaled and broken, overall in a 36' X 50' area, the "main straight" is about 43' long when driving "the groove". It's often wet when we start, and dries out quickly to dry/dusty by the Mains - depends on how cold it is and how much the heater runs and dries out the track. Several tires changes a day are normal to keep hooked up. I'd call it more of a "dry groove" than blue groove track. No rubber gets laid down in "the line" because it's constantly drying out and getting abraided down into dust ... off the line is dust and dirt clods, don't go there! The other track is about 2 hours away and is a premier track, it often hosts the Region 8 ROAR offroad champs. It's about 45' X 100' and is definitely blue groove. Slicks when it's new and wet work well, taper pins as the heats progress. It's very smooth compared to our "Baja" club track, our track has 2" scaled potholes at spots in the straight, just keeping the car pointed in the right direction after hitting the holes takes a lot of setup and driving skill. :rolleyes:

[Casper]

It sounds like blockheads and x-2000's would work well on your home track. I would try them. I would guess reds would be the best to try. On wet clay type tracks pink works really well also. Ask around with the fast buggy guys and see if any of them have tryed the pink tires there.

[Luckyman4]

Casper, your good advice paid off for me today! The non-slipper setup worked like a champ - especially running Stock, the new set of M3 Holeshots hooked up nicely, the new set of Team Blue Star outdrive bearings I put in were super smooth, and with my tires all equal in size the car was a lot more predictable! lol :D

Blockheads and Holeshots are almost the same design aren't they? Losi vs Proline? & I've been running X-2000's with fairly good results too. I'll try a set of Holeshots up front and some X-2000s in back ... I tractioned rolled several times today with the Holeshots, they were that hooked up!

I finished second in the A today, and my lap times were consistently better. Setup and practice, Practice and setup. THANKS!!

Oh, almost forgot ... that Team Hommies heatsink is awesome! Not only did it turn a lot a heads, "Hey, where did ya get THAT?", but it really cooled my P2K down a bunch. Before my motor would come off the track almost too hot to touch even for a second, but at the end of today's heats I could keep my finger on it forever. WOW! :cool:

[Casper]

Glad to hear that things worked out for you! The blockhead has a square jug like the holeshot but they are smaller and the outer edge of the tire is quite a bit different. It might be a little less agressive for you and reduce the traction rolling issue but still give you lots of fwd bite. I think the Sprint front would be a lot more like the holeshot but again a little smaller pin and a little lower porfile.

[decypher]

Ok. Real quick stupid question!

Am I supposed to use Buggy rear tires as XX-4 rear tires? After searching through a losi distributor, I found specific fronts for the XX-4, but not for the rear. Help is greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time!

[Casper]

2.2 buggy rear tires work on the XX4. The spec tires are a horrible blue rubber that does not work all that well. They do sell 4wd front tires. Do not get 2wd (ribbed) front tires for your XX-4. Any buggy rear tire will work on this car as long as you use Losi rear rims.

[Luckyman4]

Casper :cool:

I found out where the torque stress goes when you run the non-slipper set up ... in Wednesday nights race I landed a little too hard I guess and broke both the front and rear axle/wheel pins on the right side! I think it possibly 'legacy' problems since I got this XX-4 second hand, but I didn't check all the pins when I got the car and they've worked fine for a month or more now, but I'll wait and see if I shear any new pins before I change back to a slipper set up. I really like the added punch the non-slipper set up gives, and my diffs and belts have been fine. Just a 'heads up' for anyone else converting to the non-slipper ... I recommend just replacing all the wheel pins as part of the upgrade. [or at least be smarter than me and pull 'em out and check them for wear when you switch, lol]

btw, I've had no problems with the spur gear I was concerned about earlier, not an issue at all.

[Casper]

Wheel pins do shear on there own. I break those all the time on my 2wd running mod. I am not sure this is a result of the non slipper. Out of the things that are stressed by this mod I think that is one of the lesser. If you could get wheel spin before the mod then you are not adding any stress it did not see before. It sounds like it was there time. I hope you do not have any more pins break in the near future. That is one of the more frustrating things to happen IMO.