CraigH

That would be just about perfect timing. $300 for that car is a great deal. Any idea if the 0.8 gears come with it?

Darkseid

iTrader: (9)

Look, I don't think anyone was trying turn this into a bash Hitec servo's spot, but the proof is in the pudding. Go check out the Hitec forum. They have so many complaints about servos that glitch, stop working, stop centering, or breaking gears including the metal gear units, that its not even funny.

I'm not trying to stop anyone from using anything, but I've only had one Hitec servo, and that was enough for me. Great price...yeah, lifetime warranty...great, same quality as Air/Sanwa, Fut, and KO....don't think so.

I love the Hitec Lynx 3D that I own, but even that had problems with faulty case materials. Hitec can make some great stuff, but their quality isn't up to par in my opinion.

AMGRacer

Let me tell you about my Hitec story(s)........

I initially ran 2 x 605BB in my HPI racer 2. I got around 3 months from the throttle servo and it just died during a raceday, luckily I was braking at the time. Replaced it.

Then I had them both in my V1R with a RTU MT12. During a raceday the throttle servo again crapped out but at full throttle, did a runaway and killed my $300 RTU which was practically new. Replaced it (with Hitec again!).

My Lynx 3D got some overspray from some electric motor cleanign spray, the case got damaged. I replaced my 605BBs after BOTH died when I turned on the power one day with 2 x futaba 9450s and found that my Lynx 3D was not centring properly and causing my servos to glitch (only noticed it with digital servos due to their more accurate nature). Sold the 3D.

Now I have a 2 year old M8 which is still rock solid after weekly abuse with my gas tourer, electric tourer and B4. My Futaba 9450s are still going strong after over 2 years. In fact my 3 other futabab servos are also working fine with around 1 to 2 years on them as well.

Does Hitec suck? Dunno. But ALL my Hitec gear failed within the year of purchase, my Futaba and Airtronics gear is still going with WAY more hardcore usage than the Hitecs ever saw.

AMGRacer

Current R40 owners dont despair! There is a conversion kit which contains EVERYTHING you need for the conversion except the titanium screwset, that includes the 0.8 module gears. The 0.8 module gears also come with the 2004 kit. The conversion kit should only run 100-120 bux which is pretty darned good. The best part of this is you will have all the spares left over from your converted car.

I am not a huge fan of 0.8 module gears in fact, as my V1R was eating them up very quickly. The certainly wear and get damaged much faster than the stock gears.

AMGRacer

Dont worry about the fuel filter, the tank is already filtered. Only get the filter if you want the extra volume to compensate for the small tank. I have been running filterless with filtered tanks for over 4 years and NEVER had a scratch in any of my engines.

I would not get the Venom temp gauge either. Tuning by temperature is not the way to go and it will cause you to chase settings in my experience. Get a temp gun from www.tempgun.com they are much more useful (you can measure track temps and how hot your dogs head is as well) Learn to tune by listening to the motor and getting a feel for the performance. Then use the temp gun after the run to ensure it is not too hot.

If you are going to seriously race, dont get the flat pack. Get the small hump pack and save 40 grams.

I would not use the motorsaver filter unless you really want to. The Mugen and Ellegi filters are much cheaper and last a long time if you clean them right. Almost all the pros use these filters since the air intake surface area is huge.

Those Novarossi motors you mentioned are AWESOME and not too hard to tune, BUT have you ever broken an engine in before? If not you will very likely do it wrong, or at least not totally right. Also Novas are quite sensitive to weather changes. Lastly those engines make HUGE power, more power = you better have the right tires and your chassis set up right. What I would do is to get a cheaper OS motor first like the TR. This should run you only $120 and they are much easier to break in and tune. Also the milder powerband will save your car from many broken pieces.

AMGRacer

I would set the droop as per the kit specs for now. Start with a lot and reduce it gradually until you have no traction then go back up a little.

The wires do not go through the battery box, the run over the top of it in front of the fuel tank. There are two little posts which come off the top of the battery box. These are used to locate the wires as you run them over. Do not leave the battery box cover unsecured at the front it will catch and flip your car for sure.

Most personals will not run all the way to the mount, you will need an extension or locate it elsewhere as you have done.

PTP Racing

iTrader: (2)

thanks amg racer i am going to change the wires tonight when i get home

shoulda been paying closer attention i guess

seems like a great car from the looks of it i cant imagine breaking anything

as the season progresses i am going to lighten it up a bit especially the drivetrain

AMGRacer

Oh you can break it trust me But you have to hit it pretty hard to do it

nero1943

thanks for the feed back guys..

First of all, This is not like first or second or thrid r/c car. I am an onroad newbie. The reason I"m planning to use a hitec servo because I have those sitting on the table. I never had any problem with my JR XS3 failing. I guess I will wait for the kit to arrive and start from there.

nero1943

oh I also have a temp gun. I was thinkin to use the temp gauge because somehow I find it hard to check the temp on the on road cars. The cooling head is hiding inside the body. I've broken in quite a few engines. RB C5, WS7II, Sirio .27, wasp .26, etc.. Mostly big blocks.


i'm just curious how does your hitec servos die that fast? I use a couple hitec on my buggy and monster trucks. I never had any problems and I bash hard. I never had any problems. I have 645, 625, 5945, 5645 and I never had any of them failed. Maybe I am just lucky????

AMGRacer

OK so you know what you are doing engine wise, go with the Novarossi. Most temp guns can shoot through the hole you cut in the body for the glow starter.

If you like Hitec and they last for you then great! Everybody has different experience with different equipment.

kreidel

iTrader: (2)

I think Hitec servos are crap. If someone gave me one I wouldnt waste my time installing it in anything I owned. Does this seem harsh?? Probally, but I have owned alot of their servos before but never again! Buy Futaba or Airtronics and be done!

nero1943

hehe I guess I will just use the hitec's since I already have them. I will use them until the crap out and switch to something else.

AMGRacer

So there were some R40s at the winternats.................



Image from www.winternats.com

burger

Is it me, or does that only seem to happen right after you put a new body on? haha It's so disheartening to see that when your driving.