Lets talk Motor Mounts and Layshaft/Layshaft Holder & spur gear pulley.
1. Layshaft and Layshaft holder
2. One piece motor mount & T4'15 Chassis screw hole cut outs
First off I'm a super fan of Xray cars, period! As tempting as it is to try the innovations of other manufacturers I just can't bring myself to cheat on Xray.
If you have read any of my previous posts you may know that I'm not a fan of the current layshaft and holder design on the T4 series.
#1.
Layshaft & Layshaft Holder
However, when I read the announcement of the car and that the motor mount and left layshaft holder was now a single piece I was hoping it would solve one recurring dislike I have encountered with my T4'13, and T4'14, and that is Spur Gear/layshaft slop. After building my brand new T4'15 I still have spur gear slop, meaning my spur gear moves from left to right when installed. I've observed the ball bearings and the layshaft moves freely. I have gone through countless rear belts and spur gears as a result. On my T4'13 I hand crafted from aluminum sheets a holder that I would use the unused screw hole on the side of the layshaft holder to prevent this movement and after doing so I no longer popped belts as easily nor did my spur gear chip any more. On my T4'14 I tried a layshaft from CSO and the slop stopped, maybe the bearing area was wider preventing the movement but I still wasn't happy b/c I simply don't like the layshaft design. So, I tried the Smokem Racing layshaft that also has my favorite 1mm lower design for top deck flex and this was a solid solution as the bearings are smaller having less play. My T4'15 still has this slop and I hate it. So, I swapped back and fourth last night installing between the standard '15 chassis and my '14 Smokem Racing chassis to see if it was a difference in the layshaft holder holes position and there wasn't I sill had this slop no matter what. The other problem is that my driving style, which works for me, and I'm sure there are many others, is that I brake hard right at the turn of a corner and this puts a lot of stress on the plastic 20T pulley from the belts. I strip them in no time. So, I have to buy the aluminum aftermarket pulleys offered by Spec-R and CSO. Considering this is a luxury car and nearly all other manufacturers include it should'n't an Xray touring car keep up with this standard and include and aluminum pulley! It simply makes sense!
I would more than love to see Xray change the layshaft and layshaft holder completely to something more innovative or similar to that of other manufacturers like Tamiya, Yokomo, Kyosho, and VBC who has success with theirs.
#2.
One Piece Motor Mount
I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this but the T4'15 chassis has hole cut outs in the rear to support a one-piece motor mount similar to the popular offerings of other high end touring car manufacturers. This has me so excited! But, I don't see Xray ever offering product innovation updates such as an optional one-piece motor mount. I would love to be wrong. I guess until I'm proven wrong, the best we could hope for is an aftermarket piece which I'm not to keen a fan as I have resistance but will try when it make sense.
Here's my spill, a lot of us love Apple, Inc. (If your not an Apple fan I feel sorry for you.
) because they hold no bares and seek innovation. They aren't afraid to get out of their winning comfort zone and be creative. Which is why every year, year after year, there are lines flooded with people excited to buy there products. Some others may not be impressed but you have to say why do these people wait outside in the rain even to ensure they get the latest device? Even Samsung has asked this and sent camera men an analyst out to Apple events and openings to find out why.
When I first starting driving touring cars I was a fan of Tamiya because they are (
still) innovative. I soon moved on to Xray because Tamiya parts availability was a nightmare, lesson learned. Xray parts availability is absolutely the best, even for older models. I once heard a saying similar in touring car setup as "nothing experimented, nothing gained". That's what I do like about Apple, and Tamiya, and even Yokomo. I do think there has to be a balance for parts manufacturing and availability. I also think Xray has the best marketing and promotion in their field like Apple does in their field.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, I'm a super fan of Xray cars! I try to buy nearly everything they release on my dollar. But, my favorite market is touring cars and I challenge Xray to be just a little more innovative. The first step in this direction was ARS. Now, lets work on changing this layshaft & layshaft holders, please!.
