LOSI XXX-4 Forum v1.0

[NitroOwnsYou]

I agree with Tarvy about the batt forward. I like my buggy's to have alot more forward bite than in the rear(easier in the corners for me to drive, and somewhat barely get the rear to break loose to come around faster). That way you get more onpower steering and less off power. The buggy shouldnt drop fast enough to lawn dart with the batts forward, but if it does, Ide look at the shock setup more so than the batts forward being the culprit. I hope to run mine anyday now. Ive been doing the xmas thing for the past few weekends and missing out on some needed track time! :(

Have a great Christmas guys!

JR

[jforkner]

Igo,

That's a negatory on the parts arrival from Losi. ':confused:'

I talked with the Post Office today and they said it could take a week to 10 days if Losi sent them "standard mail" even though I'm only 350 miles away. If Losi sent them First Class or Priority, they should be here within 5 days. I'm not sure how they were to be sent---Losi just said USPS. Since they were to have been initially sent a week and a half ago, I figure they should be here.

I called Losi this afternoon (about 4:30pm) and got no answer. I know they're moving and it's Christmas time, yadda, yadda, yadda... Anyway, I'll wait one more day for the mail before I give up. Maybe I should wait two days and hope Santa leaves some for me.

Then again I guess I shouldn't complain too much, I haven't broken a single part yet!


Jack

[NitroOwnsYou]

Theres really no harm in buying another set and having the ones coming from Losi as spares right? One less thing to buy later. I havent stocked my pit box for the XXX-4 yet, but Ill have a whole nother set of arms and towers, shock shafts, and wing mounts. Thats some of the more common things to break on a buggy.

If cash is a concern I can see waiting.

JR

[jforkner]

Nitro,

You're right. I've been considering purchasing another set, but I keep thinking the one's from Losi will be here so I procrastinate buying another set. My immediate need is to be able to complete the car, but you make a good point about having spares. I guess I'll start accumulating now.

Thanks for the advice.


Jack

[New Jack]

Yeah, right now that's the best thing you can do, is to stock up on front arms!!!! Not to mention it's a good way to win a race, buy all the arms your hobby shop has & race on!!!! J/K!!!!!;) I ran mine again yesterday & broke another arm on it AGAIN!!!!! I have plent on hand so No big deal!!!!!!:)

[tarvymoto]

I have raced mine for 3 race nights and a practice day and haven't broken an arm or tower yet. (knock on wood);)

[therealdanimal]

Well, the 10x2 powered XXX-4 was seriously fast. But the car didn't want to stay in one piece. That's my fault though, 'cause I drove it pretty hard. I'll just have to keep it cool next time. XXXer, make sure you don't put a motor in the NTC3 that's so fast your 2' long antenna tube will drag the ground.:D

[Showtime]

Well I just got my kit a few days ago and mine did come with the new A-Arms and Shock Towers. I plan on getting some graphite replacements next trip to the hobby shop. Anyone have any do's and dont's with this car? This is my first 4wd buggy so any tips are appreciated. I just got rid of my XXX-T MF Edition so I do know a little about RC. ...Happy Holidays and everyone take it easy on your new X-Mas Buggy's....


Good Luck,
Showtime

[cabbynate]

Welcome to the wonderful world of F1 off-road racing.

That said, skip the graphite and get some plastic front arms and shock towers. Lunsfords are a good idea too. Take it easy your first few laps to get the feel of it and then....................LET HER RIP!!!!!!!! Have fun.:)
Your gonna love this buggy.
Happy holidays
Cabby

[igozoom]

I got two complete sets of rims, foams and tires for the xxx-4. Got a slipper rebuild kit. Got an extra slipper wrench, and some pinions too. It's all good !

Merry Christmas everyone !

John

[Showtime]

Sounds like you got some good stuff Igo. Anyways looking for some Aluminum parts for my XXX-4. I know they have heat sinks and a few other things already out. Anyone know who makes them and what else is up for grabs?

Thanks,
Showtime

[cabbynate]

Where should I start??
Trinity makes a lot of alum parts that will fit the XXX-4. Here are some of my favorites:
Shock collars, red or blue
blue outdrive savers
Titanium outdrive savers
1dg rear hubs, "New" #tk7051 blue
you know about the heat sink.
A red motor clamp, # tmf1104
Matt F red servo mounts

MIP has Aluminum cvd's front and rear. (Use the XX-4 for the front and the XXX buggy for the rear.)

Losi has Aluminum dogbones for the XXX buggy that fit the rear.

Dynamite also has some red stuff for the XXX-S/4 too.
Hope this helps.

Cabby

[Showtime]

Thanks alot Cabby I appreciate all the info. If anyone else has anything that he missed which I doubt he did please post with them as well. I really like my XXX-4. Got a new esc from GM coming in for it as we speak. Gotta love the Orion Core Stock motor thats in it now...... :D

Thanks Again,
Showtime

[cabbynate]

No problem.
That's what I'm here for.
:)

So you like your stock motor? That's cool. Smart man.
I forgot to put in the Matt F tire balancer in the list if you don't have one yet. Balanced tires smooth out any vibration you my have from unbalanced tires. ;)

[igozoom]

You left out the Matt Francis aluminum battery strap w posts and the red aluminum bellcranks.

Cabby, I am so disappointed. I was convinced (up until today) that you knew everything ! After all, you have answered my 357 questions ! :D

[cabbynate]

I'm not a big fan of Aluminum battery straps. They bend way to easy.:(
You got me on the Posts and the bellcranks though.:D

PS, Did you get the info I posted for you on the NT forum?

[tarvymoto]

Igo , thanks for the road-side assistance tonight!!! ( I ran out of gas on the way home from our paint session... to many fumes ). I think the bodies turned out sweet.
Post us a pick of the XXX4 body:cool:

[Showtime]

LOL, Thanks again. I might have close to 357 questions but cant think of them all now. You guys running 10 degree in the front or 7.5? Thats all I have for now.

Good Luck,
Showtime

[decypher]

Ok, one quick question. I am looking to buy a XXX-4 online, but i do not know of any good online shops that have a good price on it. If you know any sites that carry it for a pricetag less than 299.99, could you please post them. Thanks. I look foward to joining all of you as a xxx-4 owner.

[cabbynate]

I ran 10dg kick up untill I got use to the buggy and ran it more smoothly (less crashs). Now that I can get around the track Ok I went down to 7.5 and it gives you a little more steering. With 10 dg kick up you can hit things with out breaking as easy. Just a tiny bit but every little bit counts.

[cabbynate]

http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/

[decypher]

Thank you so much.

One added question. Which is a good site to order some graphite replacement parts (arms, shock towers, etc.)

thanks for you assistance.

[Skribble]

Originally posted by New Jack
Yeah, right now that's the best thing you can do, is to stock up on front arms!!!! Not to mention it's a good way to win a race, buy all the arms your hobby shop has & race on!!!! J/K!!!!!;) I ran mine again yesterday & broke another arm on it AGAIN!!!!! I have plent on hand so No big deal!!!!!!:) LOL! .. I'm guessing the Arms and 'Towers are still weak as twigs? Anyone know when they're gonna fix this?

[cabbynate]

Decypher,
You can order everything from that site. I would stay away from the Graphite. The new plastic is much stronger than the original plastic and less brittle than the graphite.

Skribble,
No, they fixed the problem. If you break the new stuff, it's because you did something wrong (like hitting a wall at 35mph).

[New Jack]

Skribble: I have yet to break a shock tower, the NEW plastic is better than even Graphite, but the arms are still TOO brittle, but will keep on racing it 'til there is an absolute fix!!!!!:D :D :D Still one sweet ride though!!!!!!!

[jforkner]

While waiting for replacement parts, I painted the body of my car. The problem is the colors clash with the green wheels---something I didn't think about until it was done. I had blue and yellow in my brain and wasn't going to be denied.

Does anybody make white wheels that'll fit?


Jack

[jforkner]

Oops. Here's the photo.


Jack

[igozoom]

JFork, Losi makes wheels in white.

If you really want to get froggy , you can take a set of white Losi rims and dye them using Rit clothing dye obtained from a supermarket. THey have a multitude of colors to choose from.

Finally, many of the paint schemes I have used clash with the Losi rims. I find that white pretty much goes with everything. You can buy a set, or, go out on the buy,sale, trade board and swap the stock losi rims for someone with white ones.

That is one smokin ride !!!!!!!!!!

PS - Might I humbly suggest that you clear the use of a cooking pot with your wife first as the dye will sometimes stain the pot. Just hate to see you catch a frying pan in the side of the head.

Cabby, thanks. I did see your nt post. Still catching up on emails. I will try to use the set up this weekend.

[jforkner]

Which wheels will fit on a XXX4? I scanned Horizon?s list of Losi wheels and tires and saw nothing explicitly for the XXX4. I seem to recall someone stating something like the wheels for the XX4 fit the front and those for the XXX fit the rear (or vice versa).

Also does any other manufacturer make wheels that fit? How about pre-glued wheels & tires? Any advantage to gluing your own versus buying them already done?


Thanks,


Jack

[igozoom]

Rears are xxx Losi number A-7105. Fronts are A-7046 which are xx-4. Hope this helps.

John

[Backfire]

Originally posted by igozoom
Just hate to see you catch a frying pan in the side of the head.:D:D

[Showtime]

Thanks for the info Cabby. Yeah I plan on running it with 10 degree for awhile and then I will try at 7.5. Are you running an indoor track or outdoor? I am running indoor track that is tight and technical with 1 long straight that is about 120 ft. The track is 980 ft in length if I am correct. Alot of mid is needed to take some of the jumps. The biggest we have is a 12 foot one that launches you over another section of the track. Alot of fun, just trying to compare what I run at to what you do. Also forgot to talk about the Team Orion Core. I really like that motor. Good consistent power and works good with my XXX-4. Another guy here just got his Hellfire broke in and is flying now. I am too new to my buggy and working with it but another guy here can run side by side with him down the straight with his XXX-4 which is really good considering he is running against a XXX-KE. I would think the 2wd would go alot better than the xxx-4 down the straights. Oh I talked to my LHS and I have a nice red heatsink/motor brace on the way for my buggy. Should be nice with all that red aluminum on it :D :D

Good Luck,
Showtime

[jforkner]

Thanks for the part numbers, John.

One more stupid question, then I'll let it go. What's the difference between "natural" and "white" colors? Are they different names for the same thing?


Jack

[Backfire]

yup, white and natural are the same color wheel.

[jforkner]

Gracias, all.

Jack

[DIrTjUNkie]

Practiced at Socal raceway last nite, and ran about 5 battery packs through it (runnin 10x2) this car is da bomb! ne ways on the 5th batt. pack, there is a little double rite before the left sweep into the straightway. Landed flat sped down the straight to the left switch back and for some weird reason the rear end started to drag.... :eek: is this one of the infamous flaws that the xxx4 had other than the a-arms??? you guessed the rear shock tower split right down the center....!! :rolleyes: not pissed had a great run for the majority of the time, and didnt break any front a-arms too. Oh well, Ill just pick another one up (with the dimple of course) and send this one back to LOSI.

BTW there was about 4 xxx4 on the track, and I dont think any of them broke...hopefully we will have enough guys to set up a raceday!

word!

[SMcpot]

I was also at Socal last night "breaking" in (pun intended):p my XXX4. Two things; the kit tires don't work, and this car doesn't seem as fragile as everyone makes it out to be. While I did break a rear hub carrier and one front arm, I really thrashed the car, expecting the shock towers (old-style) to be a problem, but they held up fine.

I guess hitting almost every jump at full throttle is not the best way to get around the track :D

[RadicalRustler]

Is the losi xxx4 better than the shumacher cat 3000? It is $10 more and i have never seen any of them sept on the internet.

[UberGamer256]

Just bought a XXX4 on ebay guys :D

Click here to take a look... (http://**************/ws/*******************************3101981212)

[Slimboyfat]

just been checkin over the XXX4 and discovered that where the shock tower fits onto the chassis is cracked (chassis not tower!!) it is not a big crack but i think it is from over tightning the screws (my bad). the crack stems from the bottom hole up to the top right hole on the right hand side of the car. i have superglued the crack but should i run it like this?? or get a new chassis b4 i run it. i can't remember who said it but haven't peeps bin breaking chassis in this place already?

help!!!!!!!


Matt

[Backfire]

Originally posted by UberGamer256
Just bought a XXX4 on ebay guys :D

Click here to take a look... (http://**************/ws/*******************************3101981212)

I know that car!! I race at the same track he does:D

[Showtime]

Well looks like we all had a good nite tonight. Only one broken so far on the forums. Mine help up great. Only I popped the wall 2 times and "popped" the A Arms out of the car didnt break anything just popped out. Another guy there has one and he had a a arm break a week back but has a few changes in the front. Never seen or heard of one pop out before. They are the newer molded arms. These cars dont nescesarrily like the whoops either FYI. Atleast I am seeming to have some trouble with them.

Hey Slimboyfat . I would just go out and buy a new chassis. Not real sure on prices but I would rather buy a chassis than risk damaging something else on the car due to neglected maintnence. I would assume that that would put alot more pressure on other parts and make them fail prematurely.

Good Luck Racing this weekend guys :D
later,
Showtime

[decypher]

I think a new GRAPHITE chassis is around $42-$43.

[Showtime]

Well I finally broke my first A-Arm. Graphite A-Arms are on the way!!! I had the new a arms on it. Also I am recomending out drive savers for the front diff on this buggy. Trinity has some aluminum ones for like 20 bucks and titanium for 30 I think. Not real sure on the prices cause mine havent arrived at my LHS yet. I just chunked mine when I broke the a arm and have to rebuild the diff now which isnt a bad thing but would like to drive it a bit more.

Is anyone else having any problems with the plastic servo mounts "stripping" out? I have pulled mine out 2 times now and it doesnt give me a warm fuzzy when I put it back in today. I am going to order some aluminum ones from trinity in the next few days. Just wondering what has been happening to everyone else. Also has anyone actually seen the graphite chassis for the xxx-4 at there hobby shops? I have heard but havent seen anything on them yet.

later,
Showtime

[Backfire]

Originally posted by Showtime
Also has anyone actually seen the graphite chassis for the xxx-4 at there hobby shops? I have heard but havent seen anything on them yet. Yeah, my lhs has had four for atleast a week now. I believe they are around $43. They are solid like the stock chassis, not cut out like the XXX-S graphite chassis.

[igozoom]

For those of you just purchasing this vehicle, I wouls like to pass on a tip.

The "SEALED" belt drive doesn't seal worth a crap. Found a good bit of sand and dirt near diffs during my pre race maint. yesterday. Go forward, I will be pulling the the diff ends ands belt tray cover off every weekend to at least hit it with a compressor. Less dirt equals less wear and fewer diff rebuilds.

Practiced Friday with Tarveymoto. We got pretty agressive with our session. Let's just say that that some paint was swapped. Not intentionally mind you, but with a loose track, it was not uncommon for the 4 to go into a four wheel slide. Talk about guarding the inside line ! The best part of the day was chasing down and passing nitro vehicles. As a nitro ho myself, I assure you.....there is nothing worse than getting passed by an electric !

I still say that this is the fastest offroad vehicle that I have ever driven !

[tarvymoto]

Igo , I experienced the same thing with dirt infiltrating the sealed chassis, I think there are a few places that a hint of silicon sealer or shoe goo would go a long way.

I'm still trying to get my "hall pass" to race today. If the race director desides to stay with the "dry" track...I will test "hole shots" and maybe some other tires as well. However , if night starts to fall and the moisture starts to cause the clay to stick to tires...Pins will be the way to go. I guese we will see.

I think our "scrimage" :D on Friday will pay off today during racing. You know what they say about practice. Besides I have a bone to pick with one of the local drivers. His name starts with a Hoop;)

If anyone needs some tuning advice...feel free to shoot!!!

Travis

[SMcpot]

I'd like to recant my previous post :o

Took the car out to practice yesterday, and broke the front shock tower coming off a tabletop jump; I didn't flip the car, it landed squarely on all fours, and the tower just snapped. Granted it was the old-style plastic, and I'm not clipping every pipe and wall in sight, but I see novice drivers out there with Losi and AE trucks and buggies that seem to take much more abuse than my car's been subjected to with only six packs put through it. And to top it off, I called about four hobby shops, none of which had the towers in stock.

On a positive note, the car's ballistic, even with six-year old SCE's and a Reedy Ultra series modified. Also, it's very responsive to small suspension changes, mine consisting of going to a slightly softer oil out back and adding the 10* pivot support up front. If I can keep the parts in one piece on this thing, I may eventually :rolleyes: get it dialed-in!

[cabbynate]

Igo,
Let me know what you think of the set up and also what tires you used.

Showtime,
I run on a tight indoor track that is well, tight. For a motor I run a 12x2. It makes it easyer to get over the triples and quads. If you broke a new plastic a-arm, than the graphite will be even more brittle. Yes, outdrive savers are a must as well. I am running the composit out drives in the rear and I use the ti covers.
As for the servo mounts I have not seen anyone with that problem.

As for the stock motor, after you get better with the buggy you will most likely want to go with something a little hotter. Maybe a 14x2 might be a good start. They have tons of tork and great top end. Orion makes great motors so you could stick with that brand and work out just fine. Are you cutting your comm every so often?
If not, and you don't have a lathe maybe someone at your track dose and can do it for you for a small fee, $2.00-$3.00. when it comes time to put new brushes on the Core you may want to try to find the Orion #41200 pro stock 10/20 run laydowns. They give good power and low ware on the comm.

And O-yea, don't sweet breaking an arm here and there. After all, you are driving the fastest car on the track and when you hit things, you hit them harder than any other electric car out there.;)
Have fun!!!!!
Cabby

[igozoom]

The xxx-4 was smokin today. Beat my previous lap record of 33.65, with a 30.89. That is absolutely incredible to me, running on a hard packed clay track with loose sand everywhere.

My set up is

Front 7.5 degrees piv block, stock pistons, 35 wt, silver springs, stock shock postion, -1 degree camber.

Rear 3 degrees piv block, stock pistons, stock oil (30wt), yellow springs, stock shock position, -1 degree camber.

Running a Francis p-94 11 Double that is insane . I also have an MF 10 Double that I haven't run yet, and a D-5 12 single that should be real interesting.

Ifmar pins, silver fronts and red rears were the ticket.

Good enough to get me into the A Main, at which point in time I got spanked and sent to bed with no dinner. (5th). It wasn't the buggies fault....it was the sorry a$$ driver's fault! :D

Tarveymoto had good luck running Holeshots, but elected to spit CVD's in both heats, at which point he got bumped to the B. During the main, he drove like a machine, murdering everybody. I think the next closest guy was 45 seconds down. Had he been in the A main, it would have been good enough for 3rd or 4th.

I am also running three seconds faster per lap than my Drake. This buggy rocks !

[tarvymoto]

Igozoom was driving the wheels off of his cars tonight!!! All that practice is paying dividends.

As mentioned above , I threw one cvd per round of qualifing(differents ones too). And when I say "threw cvds" i mean the bone was ejected from the car. I supose the lock-tight desided to let go. It was very strange because it was the rear bones...had no problem with the fronts. Oh well...:eek:

By the time I got to the main...I had to release some frustration;)

Igo is about to start the track equivalent of an arms race:D D5's 10x2's and so on and so forth:D ;) :cool: :eek: :p

[cabbynate]

You might want to think about going with dogbones in the rear.
I went with the Aluminum bones out back and they are working out great!!! I knew the factory guys use dogbones in the rear for a reason. Losi went with the CVD's up front because the bones they used for the XX-4 broke the yoke really easy in the XXX-4. I guess they wanted to match the front and rear and so they put CVD's out back too.

Igo,
Sounds like you are smokin!!!!! 3 seconds per lap is way, way, faster. And just think, you will only get faster!!!!!!! (kinda scary ain't it?) :eek: ;)

[tarvymoto]

Cabby , do you know the part# for the XXX(4) rear dogbones?
Thanks

actually I just found 3 part #'s to assemble the universala/ Does Losi sell them all together?

[Showtime]

Thanks for the info Cabby. At my track most of the guys are running stocks. Track is tight tight here which leaves mods almost out of the question. I love my XXX-4's handling. I did have the 10 degree pivot block in the front but ripped the hinge pin through it when i broke the A-Arm. I now have the 7.5 on it. It seems to disturb the car more in the whoops and on some bumps. I am putting the Ti outdrives and hinge pins on this week and plan on making a nice little billet piece to go in front of the pivot block. I am not sure if that is what you would call a dog bone or what. I am still new to this hobbie and dont know it all. Probably never will but thats ok. In the December issue of RCCA they had the XXX-4 in it. On the bottom it shows Matt Francis's car. Is the aluminum pivot block the dog bone or am I way off. I dont sound so bright now that I think of it. Oh well great racing Tarvymoto keep it up front.....

Later,
Showtime

[cabbynate]

The dogbone comes with the yoke & screw. you would need to get the axles #A-3015. If you have axles from your NT or another XXX-XX, they will work. I got my bones from greatlakes for like $6.30 each. That's a sweet deal. If you want to go for the "Bling,Bling" you can get the shiny bones from MIP #mip1192 and get the shiny CVD's for the front #mip1247. If you went this rought you would have to get the yokes from losi #A-3083.

[BikerTrash1130]

I have been reading this thread for a while now, so I decided to register because I have a question:D :p
Is it possible to RIT dye the stock yellow rims black? I figured I'd ask before I ruin them.
Here is a pic of my newest toy ;)
http://images.cardomain.com/installs/6000-6999/6552_25_full.jpg

[igozoom]

BikerTrash... I saw one failed attempt to dye the yellow wheels with a Royal Blue. The results were "icky". That's a technical term ! :D

My humble suggestion would be to swap the yellows with someone who will trade you whites, or, set them aside as back ups and start with white rims. You will probably be much more satisfied with the results.

Finally, Rit dye tends to wear off quickly if you are running the car in dirt regularly. It will last longer than paint, but will show wear quickly. Or at least at sandy tracks.

Hope this helps.

PS Nice ride !!!!!!

Which Novak receiver is that ?

[BikerTrash1130]

Thanks for the dye info, guess I'll be scraping that idea...
The reciever is a Xxtra 75MHz.

[igozoom]

I wasn't trying to 'talk you down off the ledge'. Just wanted you to know what to expect.

That's not HD yellow ? lol

[New Jack]

BikerTrash1130: If you want to dye your rims BLACK, it doesn't matter what color the rims are to start with as BLACK is as dark as you can go!!!! Just don't leave them in too long as they will warp the rims!!!! I usually leave mine in for 3-5 mins. If you want to see an example of some dyed rims (Mine), there is a Pic. of my XXX4 on Pg 16 of this very post, I have dyed my rims for over 10 yrs. & have no complaints, it is possible to scratch them, to expose the rims original color, or as mentioned above they can fade, but since you are wanting to use BLACK I don't think you'll have a problem, if it gets scratched go over it with a Sharpie!!!!!:D :D :D

[Showtime]

New Jack,

Sweet looking car man. I was wondering what you have over the springs on your shocks? Looks pretty trick. Also does anyone know if the new graphite chassis are milled out like the new XXX-S or are they solid like the plastic we have now? I dont plan on breaking mine anytime soon but when I do I plan on going to the graphite chassis. Also has anyone threaded there stock shock bodies? I had threaded a set that someone gave me awhile back but forgot the die that I used. The do looks pretty trick as they look nice with the silver threads. I could just go buy threaded shock bodies but want to have a little fun with these first.

Later
Showtime

[New Jack]

Showtime: Thanks, they are Shock-Socks you can purchase them @ www.stormerhobbies.com I believe the name in the list of Companies is Socks4shocks or something similar!!!! I have taken a brief look @ the NEW Graphite Chassis for the XXX4 and I do believe it is milled out just the same as the XXXS!!!!!:D :D :D

[tarvymoto]

I inspected one of the graphite chassis today and it is not milled out. I does come with the graphite battery strap though.

[Showtime]

Thanks for the info Jack and Tarvy. Any of you guys playing with the motor mount yet? I made some "mods" to mine and made the motor sit just a tad lower. Never hurt to have a even lower cg..... also what kind of tips do you guys have for the shocks, i am running the stock shock springs but choose to use 37.5 wt oil. The car doesnt bouce at all when it lands. Its really smooth on the landings. Wondering what I can do to just give me a little more "spring" the rear without making it twitchy. Sometimes if I over jump by a little you can hear it slap the dirt. Just wanting a bit of a extra cushion. I already have a old o-ring on the shaft to cushion it a bit when I do bottom. Just looking for a few other ideas.....

Thanks
Showtime

[cabbynate]

Showtime,
dogbones are the rear drive shafts that come stock on most standard kits. They work better than CVD's oved bumps and they are way more relyable than CVD's. (no pins to come lose).

The aluminum piviot blocks you seen on M/F's 4WD were custom made. That buggy was a proto-type. Trinity may come out with them but not as of yet. Don't worry about not sounding bright, I'm sure you could talk about something you do or know about that would stump us all. (well, at least me anyways ).
The 7.5 front block will make the buggy more responsive everywhere. The buggy won't glide over bumps as easy with it. The suspension will try to eat up the bumps. It make the front end more sensative to everything. It can be good or bad.

[AllenJO]

If you leave the rims in Rit dye too long it will warp the rims. Say what? I've used Rit dye to color rims many times and leave it in the dye for 2-4 hours minimum, and even overnight when I wanted a deep, dark color. No effect. I could understand warping if one was to keep the dye solution on the fire, i.e., at a constant boil, but you bring the water to a boil and then take it off the heat and add the dye (and then the rims). From that point on, the water can only cool.

The longer you keep the rims in the dye the darker the color. And if you're wanting to dye yellow rims to black, you better emersh the rims in for a long time; otherwise, you'll likely wind up with a putrid yellow-gray.

Also, re wear. Yes, the wheels will scuff but I've never had one wear back to white, even after several years of off-road use. If this is happening, it is a direct consequence of keeping the rims in the dye for only 3-5 minutes, i.e., not long enough for the dye to penetrate deep into the nylon.

By the way, Rit dye will color almost everything it comes into contact with, so (1) do it outside; and, (2) use a container you don't care about ruining [I cut the top off an empty gallon milk jug].

[BikerTrash1130]

Well, I guess I am un-scraping the idea. Thank you, AllenJO, for your input. Don't laugh, but I like to race as much as I like to bash, and I am going to be putting some Dirt Hawgs on the black rims for bashing. I race a TripleX-T MFE, but that truck stays a racer, my 4 is going to be double duty because it is easy to change everything on it (ie. motor, arms). I know the arms and shock towers are fragile, so I will probably be making some aluminum ones for bashing with. And of course, I'll post pics!

[BikerTrash1130]

And you thought you were just joking when you said HD yellow! lol
http://images.cardomain.com/installs/6000-6999/6552_26_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/installs/6000-6999/6552_27_full.jpg

[igozoom]

That is one sweet ride and certainly original. I like the white wheel contrast. Black rims would be cool too !

[cabbynate]

BT, Very Cool paint scheme!!!

[cabbynate]

HAVE A SAFE NEW YEAR'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!:cool:

[DIrTjUNkie]

yEAH happy new years to everyone!

=Bikertrash, Nice Ride! Ill be taken mine to Socal raceway tonite after work for practice :) can't wait! :D

Ray

[BikerTrash1130]

Well, I just finished soaking my neon yellow rims in 2/3 gallon water and 2 packs of black RIT dye for 10+ hours (from boiling to room temp), and they turned out GREAT! They even pass the Exacto knife scratch test and CA glue test! These things are DYED!
Thanks for all the comments, especially AllenJo!

[BikerTrash1130]

A basher pic w/black dyed rims
http://images.cardomain.com/installs/6000-6999/6552_30_full.jpg

[igozoom]

BT, looks killer.

What type of tires are those ?

FYI, you may want to cut those circles out on the front of your body. Gets more air to the car's baterry, motor, and electronics.

'Course that looked like snow in your picture, so maybe cokking something is not at the top of your list ! :D

[BikerTrash1130]

Those are ProLine Dirt Hawgs, III's up front and I's in back. I think they are going the right direction...
I have been thinking about cutting those holes out, just haven't done it yet. That is snow, but I won't be running it in the snow. I have a T-maxx for that!

[Ideal]

Originally posted by rizzod
okay guys i have a problem.....i keep breaking batteries in my XXX-4.

Try filing the slots where the battery goes down into. I had to do that with a Schumacher Bosscat I had. The slots may be angled a bit wrong, so try filing them at an angle so the battery fits more snugly down into the slots.

[Ideal]

Originally posted by rizzod
it requires a lot of maintanence to keep it in shape.

By this, what do you mean?
Are you shredding drive belt after drive belt?
Diff rebuild? Slipper clutch? What?

[Ideal]

Originally posted by NitroOwnsYou
The buggy shouldnt drop fast enough to lawn dart with the batts forward

If you're talking about doing a nose-dive, then that's possible to correct by driving skill. If you tap the brakes mid-air, you get a nose-dive, if you floor the throttle mid-air you get an ass-landing, HEHEHEHE :D

[jforkner]

Rookie question:

Do you lube any of the joints (suspension, axles, tie rods, etc.) during or after construction? The instructions do not call for it (except the CVDs), and dirt and oil/silicon/wd-40/etc don't mix. But I'm a rookie and this is my first car.

If so, what's the preferred lubricant?

Thanks.


Jack

[decypher]

lube attracts dirt and grime!

[cabbynate]

Yep, I don't even lube my CVD's.

[igozoom]

Well, the xxx-4 just gets better and better. Did some fine tuning with the suspension, specifically, went from 30wt to 27.5 in the rear, yellow springs, stock pistons. Went from Ifmar's to Hole Shots.

The buggy now handles so well, it feels like it's slow, yet I continue to improve my personal best lap times. Previous best was 30.89. I turned 4 different laps in the 29's yesterday including a 29.35. Woohoo ! The two fastest guys in the A Mains turn 28's through 30's the whole race. If I can continue to improve at this rate, I may be able to get into the Z Main at MinReg. :D I know that my buggy is ripping as the fast guys spent a bunch of time in my pit area eyeballing my set up yesterday.

Hey, Cabby. I purchased the new JR R-1 Pro radio. The thing is amazing. In FPPM mode, the buggy was responding so quickly that, during my first practice, I hit the inside pipe in turns 7 times until I got used to the speed. And all this time, I thought that a radio was a radio, was a radio. And another thing, when are you going to get down here to come to a club race with Tarveymoto and I ?

If I keep having this much fun, I may have to buy a second one !

[DIrTjUNkie]

What motor are you runnin?
Spur/pinion combo?
Batteries?


sorrry for all the q's?

TIA
Ray

[Showtime]

Igozoom sounds like your on to something. I have a XR3i and was looking at the R-1. How do you like it so far and how much did you end up paying if you dont mind me asking? I like my radio alot but would like some of the features on the R-1. I have used the M-8 and like it alot but want to know how you like the R-1. I ran my XXX-4 on a wet track this weekend for the first time. All I can say is wow!! I had the wrong tires on the front and was still flying. I ran it against a modded XX-4 WE and the difference is noticable. I was sooo much faster out of the corners than his. We have similar setups and the cars like to be driven the same way but my car jumps lower than his. Which is a good thing but the old ones like to get high off the jump I noticed. We went through some doubles side by side along with a big triple and it was interesting. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just a local thing I am seeing.

BTW Sweet ride Biker Trash, looks really good with the black wheels

Later
Showtime

[cabbynate]

You just gotta love this buggy!!!!:)
I have not touched my NT in 2 months.:(

What raido did you have before? I love my M8. The new R1-Pro is a sweet radio though.

Funny you should mention travling. I good friend of mine is getting out of a sit-u-ation that will free him up soon so don't be suprised if I come on here asking directions to your track!!!:cool:
He runs gas truck and electric truck and I just might be able to get him into 4WD. We will soon see.

You know the funny thing about tires is on a clay/hard surface track, when in doubt, run Hole-shots. You can't go wrong there.
I'm not a big fan of the standard Pro-Line foams. Trinity bomb 1 grays work great. What fronts are you running? Front hole shots give a lot of traction, sometimes to much. If the track is a little loose/dusty they work great.

Keep up the good work/fun and soon Losi will come knockin on your door.:eek:

You just gotta love this buggy. (Did I already say that?):p

[decypher]

Showtime, dont you love the single belt drive train? I have noticed the same thing. XXX-4 is faster out of the corners. IT's so effecient!

[igozoom]

DirtJunkie - I am currently running a Matt Francis P-94 11 double. 92 spur, 18 pinion. Funny thing is, I have a an MF 10 double and a D-5 12 single which I haven't ever run as I love this motor so much. Tarveymoto and I are going down to Superor so I can find 2 more 11x 2 with the exact same specs. As info, the best driver at our track (Adrian Johnson) runs a 12 triple. Batteries are Trinity Selcet Race and SMC Team 3300. ( our club doesn't jack you up for running 3300's as the fastest guys are running Panasonic Ultra 3000's.

You can ask me all of the questions you want, sir. That's what this board is all about. Sharing information.

Showtime - I love the R-1 Pro and only raced it for the first time Sunday. It's not hard to program as I set up two cars on it (electric and gas) on Sunday just prior to the race. I paid 320 plus tax which included an r200 receiver. I was running an XR 3. The new Futaba #PK, JR R-1, and M* are all fantastic radios. The R-1 has the ability to allow me to keep my other receivers so I don't have to pay 400.00 more for receivers.

Cabby - I was running the JR XR 3 so this is quite a step up. I am sure that an M8 or the new Futaba 3PK would have been just as impressive. As stated above, the r-1 was the financially sound choice to avoid receiver swap.

You need to come down and race with with us. Local club event. We welcome everyone. Not like some tracks with the motto "locals only". There is nothing worse than racing at a track and getting poor turn marshalling because you are an out of towner. Believe it or not, it happened a friend of mine at a track down south.

I was running m-3 Hole Shots in the rear, and Ifmar pins (silvers up front. I would have killed for a pair of front hole shots to eliminate the front end push. Regrettible, Tarvey reminded me that he purchased a pair for me and if I didn't have so many flippin boxes of tires, I would have seen them. How's that for a moron alert.

Sir, Losi will never call me. I will never be a player. Too old and too slow. I am just trying to reach my personal best, whatever that might be. I have been getting into the local A main and have not placed in the top three yet. Actually, now that I think about it, Losi may offer me a contract to drive someone else's vehicle !

I am however really competaive. Last night during the main, I had a guy crash into me from behind so hard that the impact cooked
my spur. I had about a 10 minute Turrets episode in the pits. The driver came up to me immediately after the race and apologized profusely so all was cool. He was just trying to go from 5th to fourth in the first two turns, regardless of traffic. Just a little impatient. Funny thing was, he broke an A arm earlier during practice and I lent him a set so he could race. Just goes to show you......no good deed goes unpunished ! hehehe

God Bless the buggies that click when you brake hard !!!!

[tarvymoto]

Igo , you are progressing so fast w/ the 4 that I think you should just take your sweet time building the XXXT MF;) ...really just take your time....don't rush into anything:p

[tarvymoto]

Igo , also ... having one more stock truck at our track would make the racing night just a bit too long..so just don't bother with stock truck now. Besides you wouldn't like how slow they go.:D

[cabbynate]

JR's are sweet radio's. As far as recivers go, JR & Airtronics are on the same shift. As long as they are the same freq, 27mhz, 75mhz you can interchange them. My buddy Jimmy had a XR3 and went to an M8 and uses his JR recivers. I feel they are the two best radio systems out there so it's nice that they share the same shift too.

As far as becomming a team driver, I have no hopes or dreams of that either. At the ripe old age of 37 I don't stand a chance. My eyes are old and tired. BUT I CAN STILL HAVE FUN!!!!!!:) :D
Yea baby!!!!http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/party/ylsuper.gif And when I lose I don't give a rats butt cuzz I'm only out for a good time. (and I always have one at the track):cool:

[igozoom]

Tarvey - like you care what I am driving. You always end up spanking me at the track anyway. :D I am just trying to make it interesting when we race.

Cabby. I am going to be 40 in 3 months. Maybe we can start our own team........we can be Team Aches and Pains, or how about Team Mid-Life Crisis. Our motto can be,"We traded our wives in for two 20 year olds"! Maybe Team NSS......Not So Spry !

I do love the JR radio. I tried to talk Tarveymoto into buying one and was showing him how quickly the thing operates in FPPM. He is hell bent on the new Futaba 3PK. Just shows you that people are as loyal to radios as they are to their nitro fuel.

[jforkner]

Fellas,

What's a good way to set up the wheel alignment on the XXX4? Are there some good, inexpensive tools? Or do you just eyeball it?


Thanks,


Jack

[DIrTjUNkie]

igozoom, Hey thanks again for the info. Im pretty much running the same combo and lovin it! :D

[cabbynate]

Igo,
Yes people are true to there brand radio systems. I know I am.
On the bright side we will soon have a class at all the big races. The "Old guy class". 40 years and over. I think we have a good chance to bring home the gold there!!!

jforkner,
You can match the links up with the photos in the owners manul like figure 34B on page 15 and figure 45B on page 19 and so on and have them all the perfect size. Just make sure the left and right are the same length front and rear.

[jforkner]

Cabby,

I did the best I could matching the drawings in the manual. But once the wheels were on, the camber and toe-in/out didn?t look right. So I made my own set-up board for the toe-in/out and used a small drafting square to check the camber. Looks better now.

Thanks,

Jack

[igozoom]

Is your ride up and running ? Is your swamp a track again ?

I wish I could see the look on your face when you decide to grab a handful of throttle. Let's just say that electrics, aint what they used to be.

[rccadude]

Are you thrill to see XXX-4 Steenari Edition? I am wondering if XXX-4 Steenari Edition would be in Chicago for show in Spring 2003. Any thoughts???

[cabbynate]

I don't think we will see a graphite XXX-4 any time soon.
They have not got all the bugs out of this one yet. Almost, but not quite. I won't be getting one if /when they do. The plastic is so much more forgiving than the graphite and in this kit you need that. My 2 cents.

jforkner,
Sound cool.

[igozoom]

Cabby, I have to agree with you. I don't think there is anything that Losi could offer (yet) to really improve the performance of this vehicle. It goes like heck right out of the box.

[cabbynate]

Yea, your right Zoomie.
It would be nice to get the Lundfords and the threaded shock bodys in the box but that is all you really need. (some of us just like to go overboard but that's what makes it so much fun!!! :D:cool: )

[igozoom]

Yes sir. And I have the receipts to prove it.

Going to practice tonight to test out the D-5 12 single running a 92 18. Also, bring rear shock wt oil back to 30 wt. I will try to stay off the pipe !

[cabbynate]

I'm running a 12x2 Peak Aurora with the same gearing you are going to try. Let me know how you like the motor. I got a pack of GP3300 and I really like them so far. I only raced them once but they kick butt. I ran them 3 times that day, 2 heats and a main. I will always charge them under a fan, I think that is why my other nimh cells went bad. They got to hot. Gotta keep these puppys cool!!!!

Good luck with the pratice session, Can't wight to here about the D-5!!!!

[cabbynate]

Are you running 1dg pro-squat? If so that is why your buggy stays lower over the jumps. Go up to 1-3dg anti-squat and you will get more air if you want it. http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/happy/xyxthumbs.gif

[igozoom]

Just got back from the track. It was bone dry clay with sand all over the surface. SLIPPERY !!!!! Ran the D-5 12 single with a 92 x18.

WHile I am in love with my Francis 11 double for it's ability to chase down the faster buggies on a strait, it was lacking some bottom squirt. I could have followed the other racers at the track and run one tooth smaller on the pinion, but I didn't want to give up my " wet the pants" top end speed.

Well, the D-5 12 single has got it goin on !!!!!!! I have a lot more low end grunt. In fact, after the first pack, I had to run the second tamest program on my GT 7. To make things even better, I think I have even more top end then with the 11 double Francis.

Turned a 28.97 tonight, but that's with my radio lap counter so not as accurate as the race computer. I can smell a 27 with a prepped track, if I can stay off of the pipes.

I brought rear shock oil from 27.5 to 30. That immediately got rid of the majority of the push in my front end.

This vehicle has really inspired confidence in my own driving. I'm still no where near the fastest guys at the track, nor can I drive with the same finesse, but I am getting there.

See your Trinity D-5 dealer today. :D

PS Tarvey, if you thought the 4 hauled before, wait until this weekend. You have got to drive this thing !

[cabbynate]

Glad to here the D-5 ran good. I think that will be the next motor I get. Are you cutting your comm's every 10 runs or so? If not it would be a good idea. You got some sweet motors there and it would be a shame to see them die before there time.

I could not race today because I was wighting on UPS.:(
O-well, I guess there's always Sunday.

[tarvymoto]

Cabby , he is cutting his coms every 10-12. D5's are a bit hard to come by , but if you can get a hold of a good one...watch out.

Igo , 28.97....you are suposed to hit that lap button at the same part of the strait...not one lap the end of the strait and the next at the beginning of the strait:D :D :D .....I'm probaly going to get smoked for that comment.

Seriously though , with all of the hard work, patience, and practice that you have shown it's no wonder that your times are dropping.;) :cool:

[UberGamer256]

Hey everyone.. got my XXX4 today! I have already ran it on the track behind my house and MAN do i LOVE this thing! Its fast as he|| with a 13turn! Im running 19tooth pinion right now on this motor but i need new brushes and a comm cut.

Im going to be getting a D5 in a month or two.. any recomendations on the type? Im thinkin 11x1. Think they will be easyer to find by then? :)

[Showtime]

Hey guys. Man it feels like a long time since I read the board. Anyways yes I am running the 1 AS in the rear. I finally put a "mild mod" in it. All I can say is WOW. This thing is like a freaking animal. I do have a decent speed control. Its a Quantum Competetion. So that helps as far as actuall letting the motor breath. I also ended up buying a 1-way for the front diff and the car is much much better in the whoops and drives alot like my XXX KE. I can actually use the brakes with the front wheels only on the ground without taking a tumble. I did break my rear shock tower after a small brain freeze when my car went inverted over a 17 ft triple. I ended up making one out of some Billet aluminum I had laying around. I dont think I will be having any rear shock tower problems anymore!!!. I did howerver use some longer screws and shim the shocks to the stock position. If any of you guys have any A-Arms laying around hold onto them tight!!! They have stopped prouction again because of quality problems again. I talked to Losi today and they expect some new ones to start shipping by the end of next week. Well I better get, need some sleep been racing at the LHs late late for the past 3 days. I fell lucky as I have only gone though 2 sets of A-Arms....too bad we cant get anymore for a week atleast lol

Later Guys and good luck racing this coming weekend !!!!
Showtime

[NitroOwnsYou]

You guys go 10-12 runs on your 11 and 12 turn motors? Man that seems a bit stretched to me.I was going about 8, but Im going to drop down and cut it every 4 runs and cut less off the comm than the slightly overdue 8 runs.

I still dont get the flatwire arm thing, it just smells like gimmack to me. I guess Ill stick to my Reedy Ti's :D

JR

[cabbynate]

Yea I go about 10 runs on mine. I have been running Peak motors and the Peak #2151 brushes are easy on the comm with really good power.

[tarvymoto]

Igozoom and I usually cut our coms on race day...run that day + a practice day.

[igozoom]

Cabby, yeah cuttin at 10-12 but will probably go 8-9 as we have seen some heavy wear at times on the p-94's. I think Nitro may have the right idea to cut more often and cut less.

Nitro, I bought the D-5 to try it. I could care less about the flat wire tech. It's either a great motor or it isn't. So far, it seems to suit my driving style well. You should try one if you get the opportunity. Live a little ! :) I haven't ran a Reedy Ti but hear great things about them. I 'll pick one up next time I'm down in Orlando.

Travy, who's talking about entire laps ? The times I have been giving are the length of time it takes me to get through the chicane ! :D

Showtime, your aluminum shock tower could be dangerous. A serious crash could cause the buggy to fail at the chassis. Not trying to bad mouth the idea......just be careful my man, lest you be shelling out 40.00+ for a new graphite chassis.


Uber, this is the first D-% I have run so I have nothing to compare it to. I will be purchasing others, so I will continue to post my thoughts and opinions (like they really matter !) as I try new motors.

[Showtime]

Igozoom - Yeah unfortunatley I could break the chassis but the tower isnt as thick as you would think. Its fairly thin. I could measure its thickness when I get home but I am guessing about 3/16. I did take a little tipsy last night and it just bent it a little. A graphite chassis would be a nice thing later on down the road and appreciate the warning. I have seen one on the front and rip off of the chassis. That was a "prototype" that couldnt get a new shock tower for a little over 3 weeks because they didnt have any made yet !!!! One of the bad runs for sure.... so he made one, but broke the chassis and really had to wait...lol

Cabbynate - What Peak Motors are you running? I have a Hellfire which is idnetical to my Core Stock and it runs great. Just wondering what you think of there milder mods like a 14x2 or maybe a little slower motor. There is no way I can run anything lower than a 12 on my track here. Way too technical run that much power and my not so experienced fingers. I was thinking a Carrera or an Aurora for starters....

Thanks
Showtime

[jforkner]

Igo,

My car is complete minus one shock. I dropped a spacer for the rear shock assambly in our shag carpet and can't find it. I'll pick up a package of them today at the LHS. But here's a photo of it so far. Yeah, I know about the wheels.

FYI. Still no parts from Losi. I'll document the saga later.

BTW, swamp's dryin' out...


Jack

[jforkner]

I did it again...

[andy497]

I've got a quick question about xxx-4 setup. I haven't gotten consistent answers at the track, and the manual doesn't really go into it, so I thought I'd try here.

What's the deal with belt tension?
The manual says something like 1/8th to 1/4th inch of stretch. Well that would only make sense if you knew how hard to push. My problem is, even when it seems quite loose, it still never slips on acceleration. Good, except it always seems to slip on hard braking, no matter how tight it is. I think the xxx-s manual says something like 2 clicks is ok, but I probably hear 6-7 if I hammer the brake all the way from a decent clip. I should mention that I run a brushless setup which has tons of braking torque. Maybe the car just isn't designed for this. I'd like to run the belt tight in any case, but how tight is too tight.

Also, one more thing while I'm at it. That is slipper adjustment. I race on an all clay track that is usually damp and sticky. Even so, my wheels spin when I hit the throttle. Should I run my slipper so loose that it still slips before the tires do? It seems like I'll lose a lot of acceleration if I do this. Slipper adjustment seemed to be a lot easier on high bite (carpet, pavement) surfaces...

P.S. About that pretty picture. Heh, my wing looked nice like that for about 2-3 runs. Now the paint is completely chipped off on the sides and it's totally clear. Not too cool.

[JonDax]

My battery strap seems awfully tight when I use it with a side-by-side 3300RC pack, is it because the new cells are bigger, or is my strap messed up? I want the batteries to stay in for sure, but I also don't want to break them. Everything seems to fit fine outside the car, but when I put the batt in and then the strap on top, it seems a little off and needs to be pushed down a lot to get the clip in. Is this normal, or should I do some grinding?

[NV529]

my babies.

[cabbynate]

Showtime,

I run the Peak Aurora mods. I had a 14x2 Aurora and it was fast as nuts!!!! Don't hesitate to get a 14x1 or a 14x2, try to find a 14x1, you won't regret it. Peak/Orion have some of the best brushes out for standard stock/mod motors. That's why I run them. I may try a
D-5 soon though.

andy497,

The belt will skip when hard breaking no matter how tight if you are running with front diff. With the one-way maybe not as much.
I tighten my belt tight enough so you can only push it down maybe 1/4th inch. Maybe less. My slipper always seems to tighten up after I set it. I don't know why? The buggy runs fine though. Try a little throttle finesse to control wheel spin.

JonDax,

Sanyo 3300 cells are a little bigger than 2400 & 3000. Just squeeze them in there, it should be fine.

[Showtime]

Cabby - Thanks alot for the info. Heres a question for you. Lets say I would usually run a 19 t pinion with a 14x1. Would it be benifit me to actually run a 17 t so I dont have sooo much low end snap? The track I race at is a long one but is very tight and technical. I can see myself really tearing up my car with a motor that has that much bottom and thats why I am asking. That is also why I was considering the 14x2 instead of the 14x1. I am just wondering if the gearing I mentioned about would remedy too much snap if I couldnt drive it with normal gearing.

Also the one way will reduce you clicking by a little. I stril get a few clicks but the cars click alot I noticed anyways.....

Showtime

[andy497]

Hey NV, are those sennheiser headphones in the background? Hehe, I think I have the same ones.

[jforkner]

Andy,

Hey, I'm a rookie. What the heck do I know about painting the wing or not? I will likely learn the lesson like you did.

Looked cool for the photo shoot though, huh?


Jack

[UberGamer256]

Hey guys.. today was the second day ive had my car and i just broke it. I was running fast and consistant on my track behind my house.. for like 15 laps (which is like impossible on my track) and i just went off a jump wierd.. and it went under on of the track borders. The chassis snapped! You guys know the flange where the front shock tower mounts too? It snapped off.... so now i have to get another charris Oh well

Car is still FUN FUN FUN to drive... loveing it so far except for the weaknesses

[cabbynate]

Showtime,

The owner's manual recommends a 22t pinion for a 14 turn motor.
I think if you went with a 19-20 you could handle it. Then when your reflex's get up to snap you could go up in gearing. I think 17 would be a little low. I ran a 13x2 today on a small indoor track and it worked out great. I ran a 20 tooth pinion on it. Ther motor was a Peak Aurora can with a speed gem 13x2 arm in it. I got the arm for $13.00 from Great lakes hobbies and it made a good small track motor. Heck, you might want to think about a Speed gem if money is tight. If not and you like Peak motors go with an Aurora or a Nebula.

As for the belt skiping, are you saying it skips the same with the one-way as it did with the diff?

O-yea, you can never have to much "snap" unless it is a part breaking!!! (he,he,he.) :D

The 17 tooth pinion may over heat your motor because it will be spinning at max rpm all the time.

[cabbynate]

jforkner,

Keep the wing for photo shoots.:cool:
Go grab a clear one for $2.50.

[Showtime]

Cabbynate - Thanks for all the info. Money isnt tight but I dont want to get something too big for my fingers lol. We have a pretty nice indoor Off Road and On Road track here. The off Road is about 900 FT or a little more long in total track distance. I stepped it out after we reconfigured it. We get about 8-10 Laps in 5 minutes. I think the track is actually pretty quick for that distance. We have alot of elevation changes and diff angles to keep you thinking. Too much motor can get you here easy...

The One-Way on the front is nice. I must have worded my post wrong but the belt skips less than it used to. The car is a treat to drive in the whoops now and I can throw the brakes on in the air when landing without rolling over on my lid. Before you had to stay on the throttle if you landed nose first and could over shoot the corners. The car seems faster down the straights. As you know the car is 2wd and 4wd at times. I really like mine and suggest one if you dont have one. It all depends on yourtrack though......

Thanks a bunch....Good Luck to all this weekend !!!!!
Showtime

[cabbynate]

Showtime

It sounds like your track is pretty big. 8-10 laps in 5 min. The track I'm running on is 17-20 laps in 5 min. If I were running on your track and (I wish I was) I would run a 10x1. I think a 14x1 0r a 14x2 would be a good start for you in mod racing.

I have the one-way and I really like it too. I like the fact you can change it out in 12 min if you want to.

As for this weekend thanks, I'm gonna ned it.:)

[Showtime]

Yeah it is pretty big. I will have to take some pictures and post them on her for you to look at. We try and switch it up every month or so. The hard thing is moving the jumps and redoing them. We ran on it wet last weekend to "break" it in. Now we are going to sugarcoat it to make it high bite again. Gotta love it when you are walking across it and you can hear and feel your feet sticking to it :D Man your track must be small !! I am relatively new to this hobby and am glad I have the facilities we have here. I am sure your track is nice though......Oh yeah 8 laps is with the Orion Core Stock in my XXX-4. Not alot of people runs mods but I am assuming about 10-12 laps.

Thanks again.....and I am sure you wont need the luck :cool:
Showtime

[wcoyote_racer]

Hey guys. Thanks for putting the info you have been on here. I'm one of those types that like to research the car before I buy. With everything you have said about this car I'm Definately looking into it. :D
My old car (YZ-10) was one of the fastest on our track. It would cover the back straight (about three car lengths) in roughly 2 seconds flat. So you can see I'm not really new to this, but if we aren't learning at this, then we never improve.
My setup on that car is about as old. Tekin 411P, Reedy 12x4, Sanyo 3000's, $50 Airtronics radio with the HSHT servo. So that's what I will probably start with. I'll upgrade in time.
One question. Since I use the one way in my Yok and love it, the first thing I plan on getting its the one way for the xxx-4. But I have been looking all over for this part even on the Losi web site with no luck. Anybody have a part number and/or a place I can find it? Is it the same one way used on the xxx-s?
Again thanks for all the setup tips from you guys. Especially Cabby and Tarvy. Run fast, fly straight, and leave the braking to your speed controls.:)

[cabbynate]

wcoyote_racer,

Yes, you use the one-way from the XXX-S.
Rember to take a little off the ends of pins that go onto the out drives. If you don't you will pull the saver ring off every time you run the car.

[jforkner]

Well, it only took 30 days, six phone calls, five promised deliveries, two lengthy emails, and one UPS truck to get my replacement arms and shock towers from Losi. If I'd received all the parts they allegedly sent, I'd have 10 front arms and 10 shock towers. As it stands, I received two of each.

Fortunately I was able to complete the car by purchasing the needed parts from an on-line hobby store. Two days after completing the car and all the aforementioned correspondence, the parts from Losi arrived---just in time to become spares.

Say what you will about Losi and they may make a great car, but this is my first experience with the company and I'm not impressed with their customer service. As a novice to this sport, I learned a lot from my first car-building experience; not the least of which is not to depend on customer service. While I haven't had a chance to run the car---still waiting for the rain in Northern California to subside---I look forward enjoying what you guys have been describing for months.

Subject closed! :rolleyes:


Jack

[NitroOwnsYou]

Jack,

Coming from a guy that owns a ton of RC's, you cant count on anybody but yourself to do you right. Yes the situation did suck, but you also called at the worst customer support time in the year. Alot of companies close down for a few weeks around the xmas and new years holiday. Also Losi did just move to a new location to better the company. No excuse is good enough IMO to not do you right, but I just dont bother to count on a company very much. I kinda buy these RC's knowing Im taking on R&D work to improve the product my own way anyways. Dont ever expect to buy a RC that needs nothing to be done somewhere. Ive only owned a few that I had to do almost nothing to. Is this thinking right? No, but it wont dissapoint you as much with this hobby. Ill list my cars, and you can see that it could happen from any company.

OFNA OB4 Nitro

I didnt get doff o rings, and had to beg for a week to get parts for it from OFNA. After that the car ran and still runs the nuts. I own two that I race

OFNA Hyper 7 Pro

It had an issue of very brittle plastic like the XXX-4, but I just bought replacements, and a backup car to make things right. Now all is fine.

TTR EK4

Almost everything was wrong with this truck. I came out with a fix of using Hyper 7 diffs and pinions to replace the soft metal geared diffs on this thing. I didnt come out with a total carb fix yet, as I got mine tuned perfect, but the carb does suck. truck came prebuilt, but no signs of thread lock anywhere. Had to disassemble/reassemble.

Mugen MRX3

No problems as of yet, and I possibly dont think I will see any.

Tamiya Terra Crusher

FRAT transmission slipped like a pig in mud. Tamiya denied it was thier error, and I had to come up with a forward only conversion to fix. I bought the truck the day it started to ship. I wish I didnt. I also had to throw on a 2 needle carb to make the truck accelerate decently from a dead stop.

OFNA Monster Pirate

Diff issues that results in buying their 75 dollar CNC'd diffs. Other than that it was great.

Losi XXX-T MF

So far so good. I havent ran it much, but cant forsee any problems.

Losi XXX-S GP

Have yet to run, but looks like a nice build and finish.

Losi XXX-4

Havent ran mine yet, but the issue with brillte parts tells me what Im in for. I bought it even wih the problems, cuz I knew I could remedy it even if Losi couldnt.

Well theres a few, but I think you get the point. :D

If you do the research ahead of time, you know what your in for. :D

I bought the EK4 knowing what I was in for also, and having the largest engine out there made me know I would fix whatevr that TTR couldnt fix to run this beast! Driving isnt the only part of this hobby! :D

JR

[jforkner]

JR,

Thanks for the comments. I'll be more prepared next time.


Jack

[NitroOwnsYou]

Jack,

Dont take that in the wrong context. You should of had everything squared away for you, hell it shouldnt of had any problems from the start, but in reality we end up being the test dummies for these rc's. Is it fair? NO, but more like the way of life in the RC industry. I hope you enjoy the buggy as much as the others, and Im dying to drive mene also. Best of luck, and try not to let the aggrivating annoying crap that you went through pull you down from this great hobby! :D

JR

[cabbynate]

We hound these companys to hurry up and get the new products
To the market. I know I was calling and e-mailing Losi to find out a relase date. ;)

[Backfire]

My kit was missing the front bearing spacers and the hex drive for the front drive shafts. After a call to Losi on a Friday, I had two sets of replacement parts arrive in Texas the following Thursday. Pretty good results!. I am not suggesting your stories are false, just that not all experienced with Losi are negative. I am sending in a JR servo for warranty replacement so we shall see how some of Horizon's other divisions handle customer service:D :D

[BikerTrash1130]

My kit was missing the front bearing spacer and hex adaptor too! Strange...

[igozoom]

What's a hex adapter ?

Pro Line Hole Shots vs Hole Shot LP's - Low Profile - Would be interested in anyone opinions of the HS's vs HS LP's. Has anyone done a back to back test ?

I am currently running the LP's front and rear; however, I heard some opinions stated that I might get a little better forward bite with the standards. (Tarvey....stay out of this ! :D) Heck, until yesterday, I didn't even know there were two different options (setting aside compound) for this tire.

JForkner/ Nitro. I do agree with Nitro's outlook on not expecting anything from the Mfgr; however, I concur wholeheartedly with JForkner in his assessment of his situation. Had Losi told him to GTH, he would have gotten over it and moved on with his life. Losi made multiple promises to resolve and took forever to do so.

Guess it's a lesson in Sales and Service. Never promise what you can not deliver.

Broke rear shock tower # 2 while testing Wednesday night. ( I hate when that happens !) My fault as I looped the buggy out trying to triple a section that hasn't been tripled yet at the track.
Interestingly, The PRP Carbon Fiber brace held everything together. Best 40.00 I ever spent (two sets). Dare I mention that I have yet to break an A-Arm ? Guess I am saving that for the main today ! :D

Cabby ! How'd you / your vehicles do at the race ? Also, Are you going to MinReg ?

[BikerTrash1130]

LOL, how 'bout a front wheel hex drive. It was late...

[cabbynate]

Igo,

I have a pair of HS standards mounted and a pair of HS LP's.
The standards have more rim protection and change the gear ratio and also have more side wall flex. If you use the LP fronts and the standards in the rear it would be like running the 41t diff gear up front (I think). I like the Lp's all the way around the best for the 4WD.

As for my race, I did, Well 4th in the main out of 6. :(
I get to race with all the fast on-road guys out here that have 4WD. These guys are fast. I did get TQ how ever. There is a trick to getting it here. You let the local Peak/Orion team guy that has not got his 4WD yet run one of your heats. Badda-Bing!!!!
TQ.:D Works every time. LOL!!!! ;)

The buggy is working great. the track I run on changes in traction week to week and the XXX-4 is so fast and easy to make changes to, it great. I have not broken any front arms in awhile either.

What is MinReg? :confused:

[tarvymoto]

Cabby , Minnreg is where they hold the "Losi Offroad Champs" every year in Clearwater FL. Igozoom and I are planning the trip down to run the "Sportsman" classes...I don't think we are ready for "Factory":p .

Igozoom , congrats on your First Amain Nitro truck win!!! You deserved it.PERIOD. We had a great night tonight!!! After 2 unlucky round of qualifing...Igozoom also won the 4wd Bmain. The man is on a roll!!!:cool:

[cabbynate]

Tarvy,

My buddy wants to go to that race but I don't think we will be able to make it this year "think" being a very big word. It's really up to him. If not this year than next year for sure.:)

So Igo is down there spankin butts, beatin em like red-headed step children!!!!! http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/happy/xyxthumbs.gif http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/rough/zzwhip.gif

Go Igo!!! Go Igo!!! Get your groove on, it's your birthday!!!! http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/party/dance2.gif
HALLA!!!

[igozoom]

Thanks Cabby, I laughed so hard when I read your post that I almost woke up my wife !

I had a rough day of qualifying. Couldn't get the NT or the xxx-4 to hook up to save my life and was overdriving horribly. The 4 was especially loose in the back. After 2 heats I qualified 10th out of 11 guys. Tarvey and I ended up yanking out the d-5 12 single and putting the 11 double back in. Too much hit on the bottom for a slipper track.

I was third in the B Main for all but the last lap, and finally passed the last two guys. It ain't the A but I will take it, considering how badly I drove.

THe NT was also sliding everywhere with the Trinity Picco. I ended up turning down my throttle to 80% for the main. I had given up racing and relegated my self to driving as smoothly as possible. Lap times were 32's but consistent and I didn't crash for most of the race.

1st place was close to a gift. I managed to hold off everyone and led for almost the entire race. We had one crazy a$$ driver that would not let you pass even though he was being lapped. I know he took out 3 different drivers, including Tarvey at one point.

During the last lap, one of the fastest guys ( Tarvey's nemisis) caught me and Mr. Blue Truck ( Crazy Driver) took both of us out. Turn Marshall cleared his truck first and he actually waited until my truck was cleared. I yelled him to drive because I didn't want any handouts. Two turns later, I drifted to the outside and he put it on me on the inside line. Three turns before the finish, he put it in the pipe and I got the lead back for the win.

I talked to the driver after the race and asked him why he waited. He explained that he couldn't catch me during the whole race and didn't want to take it just because of Crazy Driver. He wanted to outdrive me, which he almost did.

Talk about a sportsman! That coupled with the fact that my pit partner moved over for me, as I was passing, made it quite a day. Since Tarvey can drive circles around me, I guess that's the only time that 'll ever happen ! :D

Tarvey is the true Spank Daddy! He drove incredibly all day. First in Stock Truck and Second in 4 WD A main against some the fastest guys in town and in the state. :D :eek: I was giving him crap about taking so long to get to the line and I had to shut up because it was paying off !

[igozoom]

For those of you who care, I continued to fine tune my set up. I had some problems this weekend and thought I would share to help other's learn the impact of set up changes good or bad. Prior to this weekend I was running:

7.5 in the front. Stock shock locations and pistons. 30 wt oil, with silver springs.

3 in the rear. Stock shock location and pistons. 27.5 wt with yellow springs.

Running Hole shot M-3 Low Profiles all the way around and a 12 single d-5 at 19/ 92. Battery in front position.

The car was pushing in the front. I elected to bring the rear shock oil up to 30 wt and move to a lighter front shock spring, from silver to orange. Bad move. It got rid of the front end push but loosened up the back end, especially with the low end hit of the 12 single. I couldn't take the rear end oil back to 27.5 because the track was just too rough and I didn't want the chassis bottoming any more than it already was.

End ed up changing back to silver springs in the front and move back to the 11 double which helped.

As slick as the track was, I will definitely be adding an 11 triple to the motor stable.

Hope this helps someone.

[cabbynate]

We gotta keep this fun!!!!

I am going to search to find a sorce for quality armatures. I seen Trinity advertise them but most hobby shops don't carry them.
I know Great Lakes hobbies carries some old D3.5 and Speed Gems arms, I think I am going to call them and see if he can get the D5 arms. It seem like such a waist to have to buy a hole motor when all you really need is an armature slection. (you also intimidate the competition when they see that tray with fresh arms sitting on your pit table)

Igo,
Are you running the one-way? Some say it not that great on a slippery track. I have been running mine and I like it alot.
Have you ever tried to run the battery in the back to help with rear traction and and maybe going with 1 dg anti-squat for more rear traction?
Heck, I can't tell you nothin, Your out there layin it down!!! ;)
Keep it up!!!
I can't weight to run this thing on a full size track.
Should be soon, very soon.

[jforkner]

Fellas,

I ran my car for the first time yesterday, and it seemed to run well. My track at home was a little damp from recent rains; but for a first drive (and being a newbe), I was impressed. But I have a couple of questions?

What's the best way to adjust the slipper clutch? The manual states "When properly adjusted, the slipper should slip for about 2 feet on a carpet or high traction surface." Being new to the hobby, I'm not sure I can tell if it's slipping or not. I placed the car on my driveway (seemed to have a fair amount of traction), and then nailed the throttle. The car immediately took off and it sounded like it may have been slipping. However, maybe what I heard was just the drivetrain ---I'm just not sure. I'm running a Reedy MVP stock motor, if that matters.

Also, what's the best way to clean the tires? As I stated, my track was a little damp and the tires accumulated a lot of damp dirt. I tried placing each tire in a small container of water to soften and loosen the stuff, but that only removed about half the sticky dirt.



Thanks.


Jack

[DIrTjUNkie]

JFORKNER, You dont want to submerse the tires in water! best thing to do is grab a small bucket and and a scrub brush. Fill the bucket so that you can submerse the scrub brush into it. Dip brush in water and start scrubbing the tires until clean. If you submerse tires in water, moisture will be trapped in tires, and will remain heavy.....:eek: Not Good!

Hope this helps

Ray

[jforkner]

Thanks for the tip, Ray. FYI---I didn't submerse the tire, just the tread. Nevertheless I appreaciate the warning.


Jack

[Showtime]

Sounds like you guys had a good time this weekend. Congrats to Igozoom and Tarvey. Cabby I guess it just wasnt your weekend. Thanks for the setup notes as well. Any input is good input. I would have to say my weekend went alright. I went all weekend without breaking anything until I went back to the track Sunday to have a little fun. I ended up breaking one of my bellcranks. Talk about odd break. Its the first time I have heard of one breaking. I am sure all the 2 wheeling I had been doing Saturday didnt help any. I have some nice red aluminum ones on the way now that will match my servo mounts. Has anyone had any problems besides me with there plastic servo mounts?? Mine were a little funny fitting and didnt stay put very well. I thought for sure my modified front A-Arms would have bit the dust. You can use the XX-4 A-Arms if you have the right dogbones for the front. I am using a set from a old Losi GTX bones that were laying around. The new nitro trucks arms are the wrong length. I called horizon and the have discxontinued those parts. MIP Might make them still. If anyone has a arm shortage in there area and has some of the above mentioned dogbones I can email them some pics of my car with the arms on it. You have to drill a hole and use a spacer on the hinge pin but other than that all is well.......

Later
Showtime

[igozoom]

Cabby, please keep making suggestions. You, Tarvy and the board are the reason my xxx-4 is running so well. I have been improving , but I am nowhere near fast. Heck Tarvey didn't drive for two weeks, then comes and picks up a set of front tires on the pit table that I had removed from my truck for not hooking up, and beats me in the first and second heats with them. Beats me with my own tires that I couldn't get to work !

I have not run the one-way yet. Was saving it for a track that really grooves. I have have my trusty sway bar set ready and waiting for a blue groove track.

Showtime - A bellcrank ? Well congrats, sir. You are the first person I have ever heard of that broke a bellcrank. At least you utilized the opprtunity to purchase a more durable set in aluminum.......it's only a coinkydink that they they are red and shiny and look very cool with the servo mounts ! :D

JForkner - I dip my tires in the bucket as well, I just avoid submerging the rim itself. You can also dump a little Simple Green in there for a poor man's tire conditioner. Plus, your vehicle will maintain that "new car smell". :p

[Showtime]

Sounds like alot of the people on this board have alot to contribute. The diffs are super easy to change like Cabby said. 4 small bolts and its out for the front or the rear.

I do have small question. I have been using the 7.5* and 10* for front kickup. In everyones expierence which is better for the whoops? I am having a hard time telling which is better here locally. The one way is definatley the ticket with whoops and things of that nature. I have been playing with chassis roll the past few days and it seems the more the better is the case with this particular car. I do run on a semi-blue groove track that is hard packed. The car is way way more responsive to subtle movement of the wheels and doesnt get crazy with abrupt movements. Just rolls over nice and carves through the corners.

As far as tires go I actually use furniture polish on them after i wash them. They dont like to muck up easily afterwards and stay cleaner longer. I have used good ol WD40 on ocassion but found that furniture polish works best.

Cabby- I just noticed your in las Vegas. Hows the racing scene over in that area? I was there this past summer for a few weeks and plan on making a trip over later this coming summer. I would most likely bring my XXX and XXX-4 with. I am no where near pro status of racing and might be able to quialify Stock 2wd Buggy A-Main. Is there alot of people that race those classes and what sanctioning bodies would I need to be a part of. If I were to come donw I would like to be there for 2 weekends.

Thanks Alot Guys and hope to hear about some more good results soon......
Showtime

I plan on posting my setup in a little while for review and some suggestions.

[cabbynate]

Showtime,

Right now off-road is kinda weak here in Vegas. The good racing somewhat close is in Lake Havasu, AZ. We should have two new tracks here in the next few mounths. I will keep you posted.

So the track you run on is blue-groove? Must be nice. Have you tried a rear sway-bar yet? Maybe a .50 or .55? You say you like the body roll but on a blue-groove track keeping your rear end flat in turns may get you through faster. Also have you tried Pro-line's Evil twins on you XXX-4 yet? They say they are the tire to run on a blue-groove track. By the way, where do you race?
I'm thinking the 10dg kick up may work better through the woops because the extra kick up will keep you gliding over them instead of trying to suck them up. If your track has tons of traction than I would say go with 10dg kick up. If you need more front traction/stearing go with the 7.5.

Igo,

O-no, I will never stop throughing in my 2 cents. That is what I live for :) .
Have you ever tried your one-way? Most of the time I'm faster with it than with out it. If you have not maybe on a pratice day?

[jforkner]

What's the best way to adjust the slipper clutch? The manual states "When properly adjusted, the slipper should slip for about 2 feet on a carpet or high traction surface." Being new to the hobby, I'm not sure I can tell if it's slipping or not. I placed the car on my driveway (seemed to have a fair amount of traction), and then nailed the throttle. The car immediately took off and it sounded like it may have been slipping. However, maybe what I heard was just the drivetrain ---I'm just not sure. I'm running a Reedy MVP stock motor, if that matters.

And thanks for all the tire cleaning tips.

Jack

[cabbynate]

jforkner,

The way I ajust mine is I loosen it up and Put in a fresh battery and put the car on the carpet and hold is back while I give it full throttle in a quick burst. If the care just pushs on my hand and the slipper's not slipping, I loosen it up more. I loosen it until it slips while pushing hard aginst my hand. This can burn up your motor if you are not careful!!!! Make sure the slipper is loose enough and tighten it up until you feel it is pushing hard enough on your hand and the slipper is slipping.
Be careful!!! Don't smoke that motor.

[UberGamer256]

jforkner: Go to walmart and grab some Simple Green house cleaner and a spray bottle. Mix it to about 5 parts water/1 part simple green and stick it in the bottle. Spray that stuff on the tires.. and scrub them in that water. It will take 99% of the dirt off.. it works wonderfully. :)

[NitroOwnsYou]

I clean all my rc's with straight simple green, and then power wash it(using a heated power washer or from a hot water line from your house). tires get perfectly clean, and everything else. Then blow off with air compressor.

Absolutely the best method out there. They look as good as new when they are done.

JR

[NitroOwnsYou]

Works great with gas cars also, and no scrubbing!

JR

[AllenJO]

For my past RC off-road vehicles I've usually used Pro-Line tires and I'm used to their M2 and M3 classifications. I'm not familiar with Losi's classification re tires -- "silver", "pink", and "red." Which of the 3 is Losi's firmer/harder rubber compound tire?

Thanking you in advance for replies.

[rccadude]

Hello XXX-4 owners,

I am glad that I got XXX-4 but I am disappointed that I got missing two large ball bearings, missing stickers, and missing window masking. I just got free parts from hobby shop to solve my problem. I am really want to update my XXX-4 to graphite XXX-4. Which one you rather to get updated graphite parts from horizon or stormerhobbies? By the way at www.jsbodies.com is awesome. Guys at my track got painted bodies from jsbodies. I would get bodies from them.:cool:

[UberGamer256]

Travy, I see your paint jobs on Ebay.. nice work man! Looks very pro... Nice car too! :D What tires are you running? Step pin rear and Ifmar stud front? If so.. its the SAME exact combo' i just picked up today at my LHS. Hehe

What have you guys broke so far on your XXX4's? I've broke and front pivot block and a chassis (hehe).

[cabbynate]

AllanJO,

Silver is the hardest. Pink is med, and red is soft.

[tarvymoto]

Uber , we have been running Ifmar studs and pins at our track , but recently the club officials desided to not water the track and keep it dry. So now alot of us have switched to Holeshots and some are even running X2000s and Blockhead fronts. The dry try calls for a softer setup but it is very fast.

I have a couple of cool bodies on ebay right now and will have even more this weekend. Thanks

Travy

[wcoyote_racer]

Nice lookin body there on Ebay Tarvy. I've been looking all over there for a radio (Mx-3) but most aren't coming with the reciever. No need for the servos. Oh well. :rolleyes: I'll keep looking.

Thank you for the info on that one way. Saw someone selling some of the new XXX-4 front arms and shock towers on there too. Couldn't get a close enough look at the pic to verify they were the new type though.

My XXX-4 should be arrive in two weeks. Finally! :cool: My local track doesn't do the blue groove setup, it's usually a bit dusty like your track recently did. Let me know what hook up seems to do best for you. I'll probably try it over here in Idaho.

I'm also looking into getting a track set up here. One of the local electronics businesses shut down, so I'm thinking of partnering in buying the factory and turning it into a 100,000 sq ft of tracks, hobby shops and concessions and parking. It's ambitous I know. But it would be the perfect set up for hosting events. Even has it's own upstairs view and wall dividing the two sections of the building. Think of it as one side carpet, other side dirt. Imagine a place that kids could race even on a couple of "tyco tracks". Just have to make sure that the interest is there.

[Backfire]

Losi now has the rear sway bar (http://www.teamlosi.com/newprod/2003prods/xxx4_swaybar.htm) and aluminum CVD's (http://www.teamlosi.com/newprod/2003prods/alum_cvds.htm) listed as new products. So hopefully they will be at our LHS's soon.

I have never been fond of the aluminum CVD's just from a durability/wear standpoint. How do you guys think they will hold up in this car?? The holes for the roll pin just wear out to quick.

Also, a question about running the one-way with the outdrive rings. How much of the drive pins need to filed down in order to prevent binding? I ask because as the angle of the shaft changes, it seems that the amount to file changes as well. I don't want file them too much so that there isn't a decent contact point between the outdrive and the drive shaft.

[cabbynate]

Backfire,

I have had the same thing happen to the Aluminum CVD's as well.
I never bent them, they just ovaled out where the pins go in.
I think they may have lasted 30 runs or so on my XX-4. Rears too.
If you just save them for big races they would be ok.

As for the one-way and the pins, file a tinny bit off each side and try to slide it through the one-way outdrive with the saver ring on it. It should not go. Keep doing that until you can slide it in without touching the rings. Try to keep the pins as long as you can without hitting the rings. If the pins are to short they will dig into the out drives and wear them out really fast. (been there, done that)

[andy497]

Does anyone know what's going on with the a-arms/rear shock towers?

I ask this because my LHS goes through them at a pretty good clip, and the new shipments coming in no longer have NEW in the part number.

At the same time as this, my breakage rate seems to have skyrocketed. I just tried a graphite a-arm pair and had both snapped in less than one pack. :-(. I'm also going through rear shock towers at the early high rate again. Something is wrong when you hit a big launch, catch a lot of air and come down hard but land squarely on all 4 wheels, and the shock tower snaps. This is compounded by the fact that I mention the "NEW" losi parts and the attendant just gives me a blank stare. I love my LHS and consider them pretty knowledgable, but they apparently don't talk to losi much.

I was fooling around tonight and some traxxas bandit kids were just beating the hell out of their stuff, doing fine, and laughing at me when I'd ever so slightly nip a tube and watch an a-arm go flying. Hehe, I don't like getting laughed at, and I definetly don't like seeing a xxx-4 get beat by a traxxas.

Also, along the same lines, my LHS said you can return your junked parts to losi and they will replace them. Is this true for all parts? If so, I will have to investigate the shipping costs for sending them the freaking 55 gallon drum full of arms and towers I've got saved up. And that's only after I recently stopped throwing them away.

[Backfire]

Check the arms to see if there is a 1 or 2 on them. If not, your shop has received a shipment of old arms. A HS near me (not the track I normally run at), had a similar situation. After everyone was receiving 'NEW' arms, he got a number of packages without the label or numbers. I don't know if that was Horizon trying to get rid of them or what, but I would have your HS send them back and get new ones. There isn't much point to buying the old ones as you have found out that hard way:( I have had pretty much flawless performance from the 'new' parts over the past three weeks, and that includes many rolls, flips, tumbles, and board taps.

[NitroOwnsYou]

Hrmm only reason Ide see a tower snap with landing on all fours would be if the shocks were using limiters and the chassis couldnt bottom out. Running 1/8th scale buggy, you use the chassis to bottom out on the large jumps so you dont kill your arms, shafts, or towers. Check to see if your buggy will bottom out, if not then theres your reason for breaking towers.

JR

[Showtime]

Sounds like someone has been breaking a few A-Arms. Ouch that must hurt.

Tarvey - I am looking on Ebay and am in the market for a few bodies myself. Do you paint all kinds of bodies?? I am in the need for 3 myself. 1 for my XXX-4, XXX and one for my old school AE T2/T. Not real sure which on it is!!! Anyways give me a hollar or let me know what they are listed under on ebay.

Thanks
Showtime

btw I plan on spanking a few of the locals with my T2/T this weeked. Just got back from dialing it in. Man that old truck is sick!!!!

[AllenJO]

I just recently ordered backup sets of front suspension arms, front and rear shock towers, and diff covers. The front shock tower was out-of-stock when I ordered and was put on back-order. The suspension arms and the rear shock tower shipped immediately, and when received I found that they were "new." The front shock tower arrived 4 days later and I found it was not labeled "new." I plan to call about that. However, ...

a few pages back, I mentioned that I had contacted Losi about my kit including the defective parts, even though it was shipped after posting of their "update", and Losi indicated that they would ship me "new" parts at no cost. True to their word: on Monday, I received a package with 3 sets of front suspension arms and 3 sets of front and rear shock towers!

When I wrote Losi requesting replacements, I mentioned a similar issue with HPI: the diff gears for HPI's Nitro MT weren't holding up and clearly were defective. HPI announced a free replacement policy: send it broken gears and get free replacements. And for the heck of it, I mentioned Intel doing the same thing when they discovered that calculation error in their early 486 chips. Maybe Andy497 is right and Losi decided on a similar policy. May be worth our while to save those broken parts.

[JonDax]

Are there any spoked wheels that will fit the xxx-4? I'd like to stay the same size/offset as stock, and Losi brand if possible. Part #s most appreciated!:D
Thanks!
--JD

[NitroOwnsYou]

Yes the XX-4 5 spoke rims fit. I dont have the pt# handy ATM. I have them on my car. Ill post pics of mine tonight.

JR

[Moo-Shoe]

Hi all... I just got my XXX-4 up and running last night. I've never driven a 4 wheel off road vehicle before so I'm a bit new to this... I can't seem to get my car to rotate to take a 180 turn. I'm used to being able to snap the brakes in a 2-wheel and fling the tail end around a tight turn, but that doesnt seem to do anything in this car.

Short of getting a one-way for the front, any other thoughts on how to get the rear end to come around quicker? Any of you experiment with the under-drive pulley up front?

[cabbynate]

LOS7044 Losi, RIMS-Fr XX4 5-spoke, natural
LOS7140 Losi, RIMS-Rear XX/XX4 2.2" 5-spoke, natural (2)

Here ya go. These thing break very easy. Keep that in mind.

[cabbynate]

The one-way would be the way to go. That said, you could try going with 3dg anti-squat in the rear, a rear sway-bar and run a tighhter front diff than the rear one.
Good luck. The small track I run on is full of 180's and the only car to turn 20 laps in 5min, was a XXX-4 with a one-way.

[NitroOwnsYou]

Honestly, Ive never had a one way do well in tight turns. A gear/ball diff will rotate the front tires better than the one way will. The one way is like a solid axle on power, but off power its neutral. Remember what happens in a tight 180 degree turn. The inside wheel has to turn less than the outside wheel around the curve. Granted dirt you can spin the inside tire at the same speed as the outside tire with the one way, but you loose traction and power doing that. I dont know this guys driving style, and maybe he brakes in the turns and rotates the rear like a 2wd car(also with the oneway, its easier to rotate the buggy because of no brakes on the front wheels), but in 4wd you want to stay into the power as much as possible. Im seeing this theory from running my TC's and 1/8th buggy. My 1/8th onroad runs a fulltime oneway, but the tracks are alot larger on the 1/8th onroad than most 1/10th tc's run on. lots of sweepers would be alot faster with the oneway, but the tight turns are better IMO with the grar/ball diff.

Anyone elses view on this?

JR

[wcoyote_racer]

My experience with one ways consist of driving them on a tight turn smaller track. The one thing I have noticed is that you have a tendency to understeer on power more so with the full time vs the one way. I would get out turned by other cars and be able to accellerate faster than me before i got the one way. If you want to get technical, braking or even decelleration allows you to keep up more speed with the one way because as soon as you lift off the gas, your rotational drag on the drive system is less. That enables you to actually carry more speed into the turn. If you do have to "blip the brake" to turn the corner, the rear is breaking only and you should have more control over the two wheels that are steering (less front end traction slide). This is why you don't see anyone doing a four wheel slide with one ways. The one way also tends to make the car have a tendency to oversteer because of the off power control. It can make the car touchy until you get used to it. Overall it makes the car more controllable in the turns on off power or less power manuvers. Now anything that makes the car easier control is a good thing. It usually equals faster more consistent driving, but it does take a minor change in driving style to compensate for the oversteering tendency. But the factor that does the main change is the track, whether it's high bite or low bite. And that is another story within itself.

[tarvymoto]

The oneway is for high grip tracks and will give you more onpower and offpower steering. If you are on a loose track....doen't put it in. If you are on a high grip track and you need more steering give it a try.

[igozoom]

From what I have read, the one way helps with high bite tracks. On slippery tracks, it can cause under steer off power in turns. (imagaine that). Prior to Tarvy running his mouth, he used to run a one way at our track. I could put an inside move on him during turns being entered at speed. He is a much better driver than I am so it irritated him to no end. He yanked his one way and hasn't run it since. He has gone back to spanking me regurly during practice or a race.

Tarvy, the next time you pop off on this thread I will call your wife. She will whip your a$$ and I will take pictures. Oh wait......., I got an even better one. I will tell her what you REALLY spend on this hobby ! HAHAHA :eek:

[tarvymoto]

Sorry guys...I broke my golden rule of not posting after a I've put a few;) down

[jforkner]

You guys probably know about this; but in case not, checkout: http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=111983

[NV529]

anyone had any problems with the rear CVDs coming loose or snaping? I snap one of my CVDs today in my 3 qualifier. a buddy of my sold me some losi uni's off a xxx. they seem to hold up better to the power then the CVDs.

[Backfire]

Originally posted by jforkner
You guys probably know about this; but in case not, checkout: http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/for...threadid=111983


I did:p ;) :D

Originally posted by Backfire
Losi now has the rear sway bar (http://www.teamlosi.com/newprod/2003prods/xxx4_swaybar.htm) and aluminum CVD's (http://www.teamlosi.com/newprod/2003prods/alum_cvds.htm) listed as new products. So hopefully they will be at our LHS's soon.

[JonDax]

Is there a bearing kit for the steering on the xxx4? Will the one for the xxxs fit?

[igozoom]

I believe the xxx-s kit works. I just bought 4 3x5 mm bearings from my lhs.

[Moo-Shoe]

A couple of things...

The bearing kit from the XXX-S is the same. I stopped building my kit when I got to that step because of the stupid bushings. Heck, I sprung for the the threaded shock bodies, and a graphite chasis when I bought the kit, I'm not going to build it with bushings in the steering. :)

I went out this weekend (Friday night and Sunday) and raced the XXX-4. I put in the 41 tooth diff pulley up front, did a few minor tweaks to the suspension and the car is now incredibly fun to drive! It actually turns! When I went out on Wednesday for the first practice pack with it, I thought I was going to throw the beast in the trash because I couldn't make the darn thing turn to save my life. With a few tweaks here and ther (no one-way installed since I can't find one), the car is working wonderfully.

3rd qualifier and finished 2nd on Friday, TQ'd and ran away with it on Sunday. Ok, so on Sunday I was one of 3 cars out of 7 to finish every heat... But at least my car is working well enough to finish 3 races in one day without breaking anything right now. :)

[igozoom]

So what if you were one of three out of seven. You won. End of story.

The biggest thing I have noticed when racing in the xxx-4 class is that many try to drive theirs like it's an 1/8th buggy. The vehicle can't take those kinds of hits. If you focus on being "smooth" versus "yanking it here and throwing it there", you can avoid most DNF's due to breakage. In other words, it ain't a truck !

Sir, a win is a win. Congrats. Enjoy it while you can. Everyone will be gunning for you next weekend. hehehe :D

[Keyz]

Hey guys, been reading this thread with interest.
Have built my XXX4 recently and absolutely loved the process, easy as pie!!!

I did notice those cooling holes in the shell are precariously close to where the rooster tail from the front tyres will spray on turning. Has anyone noticed an unusual amount of dust/dirt/stones coming through those holes?

If I ream them out I will put mesh across them, but am still worried about dust..

Any thoughts??

And please, no "stick to onroad" comments, I've been racing off road for a while, I just take pride in my equipment so any way to prevent maintenance is a plus in my book!!
Thanks

[igozoom]

Keys, there are two trains of thought. You can worry about dirt, or worry about cooling those expensive packs and motor. With the holes cut, you will see some dirt build up in the front of the chassis. Short of racing on a muddy track, the dirt collects there and I use my compressor to to blow it out after each run. I cant speak for rocks as I live in Florida.

The summers get so hot here, I prefer to worry about air passing though. Screen mesh is a great idea for larger particulate matter. I don't think I can inhibit the sand without inhibiting air.

Looks like I will have to continue to do my cleaning. :D Please let us know what you decide and how it works.

[Showtime]

Well here is my old ugly body that I had modified to get some more air in. If you look close you can see I used a xacto knife to to cut some areas and raise them. Sorry for it being ugly but maybe someone else could use this idea or maybe modify it to fit there needs.

Good Luck,
Showtime

[Showtime]

well here is the other pic of it showing the other area.

[cabbynate]

Keyz,

I'm with Igo, better to have come cool air and some dirt than a really hot motor and batteries any day. Heck, the chassis has holes on the bottom and if you run on a muddy track they will let in more dirt than the air holes. (I think?);)
I don't think I would run my XXX-4 on a track so loose that dirt would be a concern. I would leave it at home and run the old XXX-NT or XXXT.

[Showtime]

Oh yeah. Does anyone else cut out the holes in the front of the body?? I did on mine and noticed a change in tempature but dont have any screen on it like you had suggested. Sorry about the last 2 pics. I dont have a digital camera but have a nice scanner. Its not easy holding the body on the side and scanning!!!! :D

Later
Showtime

[NitroOwnsYou]

Hrmm the xxx-4 is actually able to put down some decent track times vs a 2wd ST on loose dirt. The indoor track I run at isnt super loose, but it isnt a blue grove in any way.

JR

[kvn xxx-nt]

I'm going to go pick mine up in about an hour. Any hop ups I should get. Thinking about the ball bearing steering. Anything else?:D

[NitroOwnsYou]

Tires! The ones included are basically bluegroove tires only. Also Ti turnbuckles. Thats about all I really could see you needing. There isnt anything that you "need" to run this buggy, just things that are extra precaution and performance upgrade enhancements IMO.

JR

[wcoyote_racer]

I agree with Nitro. Tires will help. Also when you get your kit check on the shock towers and a-arms. See if they are the new type. The losi website www.teamlosi.com will have the parts described so you can tell old from new. Just look in the updates page for it. If you do have the old style, see if you can get some new compound ones either through Losi or your hobby shop. It may be a "just in case thing" your option. Usually Losi will replace the old style with little to no charge if they break.

Other than that, I might go for the rear anti sway bar. All of these are fairly cheap so you don't need to spend a lot on extras.

Good Racing :)

[redneck]

got my xxx-4 today it came with the new arms and towers all i have to do is the shocks and away i go

[Keyz]

Thanks guys,

I guess you're right, there are those big holes under everything anyway, huh?!? :)

Cheers

[kvn xxx-nt]

Got my xxx-4 put together. Got the steering kit, threaded shock bodies. Wanted to get titanium turnbuckles but there were all out. I'm new to electric. Wan't to get some opions on the set up I got. I'm thinking about getting GT7 ESC. Got a Team Birdman condor 11x2 motor and 18 tooth pinion. Also GP 3300 birdman batteries.
Anybod know of any good sites or post about motors, battiers etc...?? ;)

[andy497]

After swearing that was going to be the last race-ending break of my rear shock tower, I did what most folks are doing at my track and doubled them up. You basically grab some longer 4-40 cap screws (like the two going into the shocks) and run them through two towers sandwiched together. It's a clean fix, and it ended my problems for several weeks. Well, you know what was coming next... ;-). One particularly bad crash onto a pipe the other day, and I saw my rear suspension hanging limp again. I got a close look, and all four screws holding the tower on had ripped through the chassis. Ouch!

Well I guess that calls for an upgrade to graphite. $43 and a whole lot of screw turning later, and I'm the proud owner of a brand-new looking xxx-4! One thing I saw as I was stripping and rebuilding everything, the two stearing swivel-arms that connect the servo to the wheels, they have one side slightly shorter than the other. I checked my manual, and sure enough, they mention this, but I missed it the first time through and had them flipped. I switched the short ends over to the servo side, and boy does that make a difference. Huge steering now.

While I'm at it, I saw somebody doing this at my track the other day and it finally clicked. After each car fix, he would take a roll of clear packing tape and run a fresh strip length-wise along the bottom of the chassis. I run on a clay track, and every damn screw on the bottom packs full of grit after a couple runs, and you have to dig them out with something pointy before you have a chance of removing them. Anyway, the tape is hardly noticable, and it keeps everything clean for when you need to make repairs. Maybe everyone in the world is already doing this, but I thought it was a great idea.

[kvn xxx-nt]

Maybe that is my problem with the stearing. Noticed that the stearing swivel-arms on the left was hitting the middle of the chassis at full turn. Thanks for the info:cool:

[decypher]

Hey! Quick question...

For threaded shock bodies, what length do i get? Also, part numbers?

Any info is greatly appreciated!

[tarvymoto]

Decypher , I believe it's the .6 and 1.2 sizes.

Igozoom , post some pics of that "cat daddy" ride of yours. Also put a few pics of your 3XT MF on the 3XT board!!! Those things are sweet.

When I had a dang camera that would post pics...I was stoked to show'm off.
My current camera(sony) doesn't alow me to post pics on here :eek: ..even after I reduce the size using Adobe. anyone have any suggestions??

[JonDax]

Tarv,

The camera shouldn't have anything to do with being able to post pics or not. Just make sure to save them as .jpg after you resize them, and they should be fine. A picture is a picture as long as it's in the right format.
--JD

[RadicalRustler]

anyone ever tried xxx tires on a xxx4? a 4x4 truck!

[kvn xxx-nt]

Originally posted by tarvymoto
Decypher , I believe it's the .6 and 1.2 sizes.

You are correct:)

[tarvymoto]

JonDax , I do resize the pic to the correct size before trying to post it but I still get the "file too big" message. Also I do save it as a jpg in Photoshop. Like I said with my old camera I had no problem...I've posted dozens of pics on these boards( XXXNT,XXXT,XXX) ect.:(

[decypher]

Hrm, what size springs do I get?

I see some as 2.0, some as 2.5, some as 2.75....I am confused.
I just want to stock up on a few different weights, but I am unsure about the length!

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks.

[tarvymoto]

decypher , 2.0 are for the fronts......2.5 and 2.75 are for the rear.

Don't worry about the differance between 2.5 and 2.75...it's just to compensate for ride height... basically you have to compress the lighter spring a little more to get them to the same ride height , but the amount a spring is compressed doesn't alter it's rate. ;)

hope that helped.

[cartmen34]

Tarvy,
I don't think the system is complaining about the dimensions of your photo, it is complaining about the size of the file. When you say you resized it, did you resize the length and width of the photo, or did you reduce the actual size of the file?

Sounds like your new camera is taking a much higher resolution of picture. Thus, the file size is much larger, and the message board can't can't post pictures that large due to server space constraints.

I'm not sure what the size limit is on this board's attachments. Find out what that limit is, then use photoshop to make your picture file the correct size for posting.

[JonDax]

Tarv,

That is very strange. Maybe call Sony and see what the deal is. If they can help, that is. :rolleyes:

One other thing to check: make sure your dpi setting is at 72dpi as well as making the image small enough to upload. Like 360 x 288 at 72dpi. If you already did all that, then that's a mystery. Seems like once it's at that point it should be like any other pic you can upload. If it still doesn't work I'd try and get Sony to take that camera back, cuz it should work just fine.
--JD

[cartmen34]

Jon,
I'm 99.9% sure there is nothing wrong with his camera. There is no need to call Sony...unless he is unclear on how to set this functionality on his camera. As long as he can import the images into photoshop, then the data the camera is capturing is uncorrupt and perfectly fine.

If there was something wrong with the camera, the digital images it was creating would be generating an error within Photoshop.

I think he just needs to sort out his resolution and file size with his new camera.

[tarvymoto]

Thanks for the input guys.

I have the camera set to the lowest dpi setting....and when I reduce the dimensions of the pics in Photo Delux it aslo reduces the file size. Obviously I'm missing something. I'm goig to try and get this thing licked tonight so that I can start posting pics again.

Travis

[JonDax]

One other thing I thought of is to make sure the image is in RGB mode before you save it. Some cameras capture in a different colorspace than what can be used on the web. Maybe the Sony is different that way from your old camera?
Just a thought--now, back to the XXX-4!:D
--JD

[cartmen34]

A very good point JonDax. It needs to be RGB color for use on the web.

And another good point! Let's get back to the XXX-4!

Did anybody reading this post happen to attend the Missouri State champs as NMR-C this past weekend? I had to miss it due to work, but I am curious as to what you guys thought of the XXX-4 on the new track? What setups changes did you make and what tires did you use?... Anybody?...

[Backfire]

Well, I have had a couple of free days here this week to put some practice time in with the XXX-4. Probably the most fun I have had driving RC.....ever:D After a few attempts at creating my own setup, I decided to try one from the experts. I used the Adam Drake standard setup with a few alterations. I didn't use the drilled rear pistons, I just ran 56's. And I am using the 41 tooth pulley up front to help compensate for using Holeshot LP's up front and Holeshots in the rear( fronts are smaller diameter). Seems to work quite well on a small, damp indoor track. It's funny that even with the slightly softer damping/spring, the car seems to bottom less than the stock setup?? Maybe my driving has just improved to where I am landing jumps better??? I tried removing the rear sway bar one run, and immediately noticed less steering because of the added rear traction. Has anyone else had good luck with the sway bar? Seems that the team setups are running the bar with a softer rear. Maybe to keep is planted in the corners but to allow for the weight transfer during acceleration?The one-way aslo seems to be the best setup for this track. There is noticably more push when I put the diff back in front.

A couple of questions for anyone with the oneway in front. What kind of maintanence are you doing, if any?? Are you putting any one-way oil in there. I am tempted, but don't know if dirt would be come more of a problem with oil in there.

I have also been trying out a XXX-S spur gear. The slipper seemed to be tightening itself during runs, so I figured I would give the solid setup a try. It required running different bearings in the spur, but other than that is goes right in. After 8 runs, I noticed no wear on the rear diff, and didn't hear any belt slippage. It seems to be working fine. I got the idea from a XX-4 driver who was running with solid layshaft from the street weapon. Said his car felt more responsive and didn't abuse the diffs, so I tried it. It feels a bit lighter than the spur/slipper assembly, which is also advantageous. So far so good. Keep in mind the internal ratio will change from 2.10 to 1.83, so gearing a really low turn mod might be difficult. The largest Losi 48p spur for the XXX-s is 90t. I was geared at 17/90 for a final drive of 9.69. Seems to fit my small track pretty well. That was for a 13x2 Reedy. It came of the track quite warm, but nothing I couldn't hold my hand on for a bit. One problem I did notice, when I tried to run the 42t pulley up front with the diff, proper belt tension was impossible with the new spur. Because the XXX-S spur gears have a larger belt pulley on them, it takes a longer belt to run properly. When I was running the 41t pulley on the one-way, I could set the belt tension fine.

[cabbynate]

Backfire,
Great post. Lots of info in it.:)

I also feel that the slipper tightens up so why even have it.
As far as the sway bar I run mine all the time. The car seems more consistent with it. I also run the one way as well. I don't think it needs any maintanence at all. The bearings stay clean. I have had mine in for 2 months now and it still works great. I also balance my tires and this will help your bearings last much longer.

I run a composit out drives in the rear and they seem to hold the diff together longer than the steel out drives.

I have never tried the 41 tooth pully up front.

Are you running anti-squat or pro-squat? I run the stock set up on a small indoor med bite/ slick track with the addition of the sway bar .50 and the one way and 1dg anti-squat. Seem to work good for me. I also run a 13x2 motor as well.

[Backfire]

I have been running 3 deg anti-squat in back, with the .55 sway bar. I am also running the 1 degree hubs for a total of 3 degrees rear toe.

I like the solid spur setup, but the limited gearing may require me to go back to the slipper. You could buy the Trinity M Francis spur adapter and run larger spurs, but it isn't worth $30 to me!! Besides, it is more the pulley size than the spur size that causes the problems.

Are you running outdrive savers on the molded diff halves? I too feel like the molded outdrives not only keep the diff feeling smooth longer, but feel even better right after a rebuild. I actually tried running the old school slider shafts in the rear with some pretty good results too:D :D Much lighter than a CVD or universal setup and they seem to hold up pretty well too. AAHHH:eek:, so many options to choose from!!

[cabbynate]

Yea, I run the Ti out drive savers in the rear. I also run the 1dg rear hubs. Trinity has just released there 1dg aluminum hubs #TK5071. I'm not sure if I will spring for them. $35.00 is a bit much for some hubs but they are cool.

I run the Losi aluminum dog bones in the rear. They are holding up well. With the molded out drives they should last a really long time. Your right, to many options!!!:eek:

[decypher]

Hey all,

I was wondering If I could ask any of you for a setup recommendation for my track?

Here is a pic...
http://www.rcdirttrack.com/images/2001_Tumbleweed/P9230052.JPG

Its changed a little since that picture was taken.
I am thinking of running a one-way because it is relatively tight. But I need some setup info. The track is high bite, practically blue groove with just a tad bit of dust on it, if not any at all.

I need a full setup..( tires, shocks, limiters, etc...you get the idea!)

Thanks a bunch for any help. it is greatly appreciated.

[wcoyote_racer]

Whoohoo! Finally got mine! Now I just have to build it. I would have figured that the sway bar would be the best addition of all next to the one way if you need one. I'm going to get one before I put it through it's paces.
Hey Backfire, slider shafts? I know I have some of those around from my Losi 2wd. That was an interesting thought. Was it very difficult to switch to them? (modifications etc) I'm trying to get as much info as I can, so when I start really going at it I can fine tune this thing right. I do like the CVDs but not the lack of longevity they can have.
Cabby I haven't tried out some of the new tire designs lately (my yok setup had spikes/or xpattern fronts and xpattern rears) and since your track seems like mine I would be interested to know what type of hole shots seem to work best? I'm not sure the losi stock tires would work for my track setup. Minipins don't seem to cut through the fluff enough.
I'll keep you guys up on how your ideas work here.

[wcoyote_racer]

decypher

Have you looked on Losi's online setup sheets? I haven't drove mine yet of course but looking around, it seems that Todd Hodge's setup may work as a good starting point. It's for Blue Groove, tight and tracks that are smooth. It seems like the pics convey that it is a smooth track. There might be some minor changes on the shock oil and dampening because of the jumps. I'm not sure how many big jumps his setup went for.
Looks like you want acceleration over a high top end. What are the motor setups most use? (10/2, 12/2, 12/4) Go with what the fast guys are on motors. I would think on that track, a sway bar is a must. And checking Todd's setup he did have one. Hope that gets you in the ballpark.

[cabbynate]

decypher,
You could run the stock out of the box set up & a one way and .55 sway bar and be on the money. Maybe try 1dg or 3dg anti-squat but start there. Tires and all. You should be fine.

wcoyote_racer,
M3 Lp's in the rear and M2 hole shots (if you can find them) up front. other wise get the M3's.
Losi red X-2000 in the rear and red tapers up front work well too.

[Moo-Shoe]

I've been running sliders in the rear of my XXX-4 since the day I got it. Works like a charm. No mods needed since the rear end is basically exactly like the 2wd. :)

Lighter, quicker acceleration, and best of all... CHEAP! Sliders are way cheaper to repair if you break them (can you break them? :)) than CVD's or universals... And they are very smooth to boot!

[decypher]

Thanks for the help...

By the way..what is the part number for the one way?

[wcoyote_racer]

Thanks cabby. Will do.

[cabbynate]

one-way #los A-3245
1dg hub set # los A-9807
rear sway bar set # los A-4257

[NitroOwnsYou]

Tarvymoto,

Interested in splashing some paint around for me? Im talking a good size paint order, but not all at once. :D Looks to me like you do real nice work.

Heres what Ide like to get painted over time.

XXX-T fury body
something for an XXX-S, and Xray T1
XXX-4 body
Proline F-350 body for an MP, and a EK4
a Lola/Porsche body for an MRX-3
Probally a 200mm body for a MTX-3(soon to purchase :D)
1/8th buggy body
Possibly a 1/12th onroad body. (looking to buy one of those)

Put it this way, I need some quality paint done, and I need them relatively cheap. As we all know bodys dont last long, expecially offroad, and gas ones. Are you possibly interested?

-JR

[NitroOwnsYou]

Bah I should of sent an email! sorry guys for going OT!

JR

[igozoom]

Nitro, I will let Tarvey know this morning. He is my pit partner and we race today. I am sure you guys can work something out.

I have my xxx-4 all dialed in and this is the first time I am racing stock stock truck. Let the mayhem begin !

[cabbynate]

Igo,
I also race stock truck!!!:) Let us know how you do. I think you will like it. It is very competative as most of the trucks go about the same speed. It's all about skill & tuning. (and batteries & motors):D

[tarvymoto]

NitroOwnsYou , I'd be happy to paint some bodies for you. Give me an email: travymoto@aol.com

Igozoom , If you drive your new XXXT anything like you do your NT and XXX4 , you'll be A main material.:cool:

[NitroOwnsYou]

I figured Ide post a few pics of my xxx-4.

[NitroOwnsYou]

xxx-4

[NitroOwnsYou]

And heres her bare naked with a few other chicks!

The Cyclone C2 is missing on her though!

[igozoom]

Well, stock truck was absolutely horrfying. Couldn't hook up to save my life. I tried everything. I will post over on the xxx-t board to spare everyone here.

My faithful xxx-4 did much better. The A-Main was insane. 8 guys. If you even breathed wrong, you lost 4 spots. I eeked up into third after some serious focus. Actually passed my boy Tarvy, which doesn't happen often. During the last lap, I decided to get into a pipe, and Tarv passed me for third. I swear.... when that guy is behind you, he is like a bad fungus.......he just won't go away. :D . Enjoy my third place magnet Travy ! Great driving !!

During my second heat and the main, I had 5 consecutive 30 second laps. I need to find some minor tweek for the car to get me to 29 land regularly. The suspension is dialed. Tires are working well. I love my 11 X 2 MF. Dare I mess with a 10 X 2 ?
Guys have played with the one way, but they actually seem to lose time on this track. The track was really slippery. No moisture. Sand over hard clay.

I still haven't gone to the aluminum CVD's, ALuminum bones, or the plastic outdrives in the rear. Anyone have any thoughts ?

[tarvymoto]

NitroOwnsYou , sweet rides!!! Add a XXXKE and a XXXNT AD to that stable and you have my current inventory. I paint Losi's all the time so don't hesitate to give me a try. Look's great.

Igozoom , "YOUR" 3rd place magnet? j/k

You drove great tonight in 4wd...like you said , with that level of comp and that many cars....it gets hairy!!!

I think your XXXT expiriance tonight was 90% setup and 10% getting used to 2wd electric truck. You'll have it licked in no time!!!

[NitroOwnsYou]

Man 2wd Truck! I found out I sucked really bad! I just wasnt used to in flight driving with them damn trucks. 4wd is where I was farmiliar with in the air, so I lawn darted enough times for me to say HOLY S! Still didnt break her. My body took a beating though. You really have to watch your approach, and in flight throttle response. 2wd just doesnt get the traction like the buggy's do. IGo, how was the speed difference with stock truck? I know when I drive my 1/8th onroad, and then go to my 1/10th TC Im like is this little TC running off of batteries? :D

JR

[ronniemac68]

has anyone tried to make and use a rear sway bar on their xxx-4 yet. i just retrofitted my xx-4 sway bar to fit my xxx-4 and was wondering if anyone else has done the same and what the results were

[igozoom]

Going from the xxx-4 to stock truck is like driving a Zipp Zapp !!!

I am used to airing out 2 wd trucks so jumps didn't give me a problem. The lack of traction in the rear was horrific. It was hitting way too hard early in the power curve. I know, I know.....hitting hard on the power in stock truck ? Sounds pretty funny.

Tarvy - Yes "my" magnet. You took it right out of my pocket as you passed me ! hehehe

[kvn xxx-nt]

Finally got my xxx-4 finished up on Friday. Ran it at the track and broke the chassis on a quad. The part of the chasis where the front shock tower mounts ripped off. Also blew the engine on my xxx-nt. It got stuck wide open for some reason. Think somebody might of fired up their controller in the pits :mad:

[igozoom]

Kevin, after saying my "there but for the grace of God go I" prayer, I must say....it sucks to be you, guy ! Talk about a rough day at the track ! Each event in itself is enough to bring an rc nut to tears.

If you are going to be busting (no pun intended) quads, you may want to consider PRP Racing's xxx-4 Backbones. In addition to the shock tower braces, they also send you chassis supports.

Finally, you may want to consider double doubling or triple singling to preserve the vehicle.

I know, I know, it's there, therefore I must pull the trigger !!!! :D

[JonDax]

Yeah, the xxx-4 can air it out pretty good, but it really shines with finesse. I don't know what that quad was like, but it does seem like a quick double double in that situation can be quicker with the xxx4 than flying it. It does fly like a champ though--until that oh my god moment when it destructs on the oh not so good landing. I do love this thing though--most fun car I've ever had for sure. I've just stocked up on parts. :D
--JD

[wcoyote_racer]

Got it all put together and ran a trail run on the outdoor track. One word: Awesome! The track was slightly damp so I used as close a setup I could to my Yok. (pins on front and some extra x patterns I had in the rear) Using the stock valving and 35wt oil It had pretty good dampening. I might go up a little. Arms level all the way. Tried battery positioning fore and aft, I seem to prefer battery aft. The sway bar is a big plus on my track. I still have to make sure my reactions are on par with this car. :D Caught me off guard a couple of times and went wider than I wished on a turn. Part of that could be because of the no one way on it like my Yok. I'll fix that later.

[Moo-Shoe]

Wcoyote... Instead of running the one-way up front, try running the 41tooth pulley up front. It will make the car turn better than the stock setup and won't cost you an extra $60. :)

[banditwing]

The xxx-4 lookes pretty sweet and sounds like it handles terifically! I don't race that much, but I have a track in my backyard that I made. That is mainly where I run my rc's too. So far my rustler and xxx-nt have handled the track very well. I will spend more time to signifigantly smooth it out too (Its not finished).

I am interested in possibly getting a xxx-4 as a next rc sometime in the future, but I am concerned about a few things:

Durability-My track isn't that rough (in fact I haven't broken any parts on it yet (about a 1/2 gallon on the xnt and numerous packs through the rustler) but I am still concerned. I hear the a-arms break frequently.

Ground clearance- How much ground clearance is there? Similar to a 2wd buggy? Or less? My jumps aren't huge, but In case I ever want to go off any big jumps of my own-can it handle it?

So, would you recamend the xxx-4 for a person who mainly race/bashes in their homade track that is looking for a nicely performing car? If not, then I am maybe thinking about the b4 instead....


-Thanks

[wcoyote_racer]

Thanks for the idea. I've tried that too. Just to see how overdrive vs underdrive works with this car. I like the overdrive better for this track.
Just to let you know. My old Yok setup was quite modified. Dual bearing one way center pully, combination fine/coarse pitch setup (for front overdrive) Rear bulkhead, motor mount, and chassis modification for adjusting wheelbase/rear belt tension by a 1/8" to a 1/4" rearward or 1/8" forward. Stole the idea straight off of Masami's old ride. I found with the Yok there was a slight different final drive ratio between the two types of belts/pulleys, so you could change the front/rear drive bias just by switching belts and pullys (coarse and fine pitch). Nice to see Losi thought of this too but made it easier with the different toothed pulleys. Good insight by designers. :) Talk about a breeze of a setup and adjustment!
For now I'm still using the stock springs. Luckily racing season hasn't started yet so I have time to adjust this baby without worrying about if a certain setup will really adversly effect my track times in any heats. Next up for me is playing with anti/pro squat. Something I have never really looked into before.
If anyone is interested in seeing my Yok wheelbase modification let me know. I'll try and post the pics of it for you.

[igozoom]

Should you elect to get the xxx 4 for your backyard track, you will have the fastest and quickest car in your neighborhood...that is unless one of your buddies jumps on one. THis buggy can put it on anything but an A Main driver with an 1/8th scale buggy. Our track record is currently held by the xxx-4, and we have a pretty decent sized track.

While you may not have the room to tap out the vehicles top end speed in your backyard, this is easily the quickest offroad vehicle that I have ever driven. It can go from a dead stop and in 4-5 feet, jump a 12-15 foot double. Your buds wont stand a chance ! hehehe

Durability is arguable. While many, many people complain about regularly breaking, I have only broken one rear shock tower. I have witnessed approximately 3 broken A arms in 12 or so weeks. These were caused by nasty crashes or voilent get togethers on the track. I race every weekend with some not so shy fellows that don't mind a little rubbin and a little paint swappin !

Un;ess you intend to play Demo Derby, buy it. You will probably go faster in the dirt than you ever have. :D

Can I get an Ah Men ?