diff fluids questions?
 

diffs are complex, if I go thicker or thinner in the front diff to make the car have better steering or feel more stable down a strait it doesn't mean that I can take the same approach to the center or rear diff t make the car do the same. what im asking, is for someone to give me a break down on diffs front center and rear what will change if I go thicker in one of those diffs or thinner or if I want the car to handle different what can I do thrue the diffs to accomplish what I want to do, yah know?


jeff alessi

Can't help but ask, but are you the Jeff Alessi that races MX? Up until recently, I was totally into MX (riding and keeping up with the racing scene), but now I'm into RC and don't have time for both.

ya that's me lol so about them diffs???

Try the x-ray sit,they have a guide on off-road set-ups. http://www.teamxray.com/teamxray/pro...e=XRAY%20XB808 try this

Cool. Welcome to the forum. Here's what I pulled out of my Losi 8ight manual, but the principle will be the same for any 8th scale buggy/truggy. I suggest pulling down a team driver's set up for the car you're running. As you know from MX, the team guys do a lot of testing and have the best knowledge of what works and what doesn't. Once you've set your car up according to a team driver's set up, then you can tweak based upon your personal wants/needs. Hope this helps.

Thinner front differential oil increases off power steering, but if the oil is too thin the steering will become grabby and inconsistent.

Thicker front differential oil increases off power stability and increases on power steering.

Thinner center differential has less forward drive, unload more under acceleration and is easier to drive on rough and slick tracks.

Thicker center differential has more acceleration, increases on-power steering, and less off-power steering. Thicker center differential is
better on high bite / smooth tracks.

Thinner rear differential has more corning traction and increases steering in the middle of the turn.

Thicker rear differential has less steering in the middle of the turn and more forward traction.

jeff, you might as well at that to your sig man. that you are "the" jeff alessi, :lol::lol: cause as i did.. everyone is going to ask. alot of us who race are into the MX scene as well. but i cant help you on your question.. but im intrested in someone responding with good info. im sure someone will p.s. how do you get time to actually race?

Here is what I've noticed! (nothing technical about this just observation) The heavier I would go in the front diff the more on power steering I would have, but the more inconsistent steering as well! The heavier I went in the center diff the more "STRAIGHT LINE" acceleration I would have the less smooth transition from "GOING STRAIGHT" to turning would be! The heavier I went in the back the more rear traction I would have! (except on "SUPER DUSTY" tracks, which causes the opposite! )

Hope that help.

that's all good to know about I couldn't seem to find anything in the manuel that was in depth so I needed to ask. next question ill probly have is about all the hole piston sizes n stuff haha im use to just riding a bike when I test and saying if its better or not and where it needs to be better and its usually fixed never was in the van watching what they changed but then again that's part of what I do. in rc its different so I enjoyy figuring it out myself I can translate it when I ride sometimes cause the both have suspension an engine gearing tire selection different pipes just a lot of stuff is the same in a way.

jeff alessi.

You're right, there's a lot of crossover between the two. I'd say at least half of the guys I race with were or still are into MX also. I got out because of injuries, but I can still get a similar "rush" racing RC cars that I did flying over a jump on the MX track. Attached is a set up guide I pulled off this forum a week or so ago. I haven't read through the entire thing, but what I did read looked pretty interesting. Hope it helps.

Attachment 391640

Another thing to take heed of is how much traction and/or bumps/holes the track has. General rule of thumb:

Loose track, drop the diff weights a little all the way around (maybe drop a hair more in the center compared to the other diffs) will make the car easier to drive.

Same is true for the opposite:

Track with a lot of grip, raise the diff weights just a little (maybe raise a hair more in center compared to the other diffs) to make the car respond more to the grip.

Lighter diff oils will be easier to drive in bumps while you will want heavier diff oils on smoother tracks to get more rip.

that attachment is good I downloaded it to my phone so I have it all times im driving right now my response may be a hair slow on my phone but im taking note of all that im reading!!! I like what was said about bumps and if the tracks high bite or slippery to go up or down in all diffs that was a big help.


jeff alessi.

Better watch out Jeff, I know of several Nitro racers who were very heavy into MX racing, and now sold all there MX Bike(s) & gear and strickly race Nitro Buggys/Truggys... ;)

lol who r these old riders who only race rc only now. I think there should be a rc and mx crossover race where a pro rider and pro driver race other pro riders and drivers. that be a fun deal I got my teammate picked out already tho. rc cavieliera all the wayy lol.

jeff

Here is a link that has helped me out, hopefully it will help you too.

http://xtremerc.com/pages/howto.php?howto=24&page=3