Xray XB4 thread
ECS drive shaft review
Initially I was on the fence about these because of the price, but if you break down each piece for what's in the package, it's basically the same price as the stock driveshaft/barrel/pins/axle, etc. I also found a youtube video that showed the differences with the regular vs. ecs drive shaft and I figured what the heck, lets give them a try.
After I installed the ECS, I put some tires on the car and gave it a little throttle as a bench test to see if there was any difference. I was skeptical of any real difference, but you can see an improved smoothness. The ecs does eliminate the wheel chatter(especially at wheel lock), but that doesn't really matter to me as much as actual results on the track so I went to the track.
At the track(which is SCVRC medium to medium high traction indoor clay) the difference is noticeable. I only have the front ecs and the car just had a little more turning when compared to stock. The car is more settled when coming off of a jump and if you happen to have a jump with a turn right after, this is where I noticed the biggest difference. The car settles quicker and you can initiate the turn quicker. Other than a little more turning and settling the car quicker/better I didn't notice any other difference.
So having the car give a little more steering is great. Being able to not have to wait as long for the car to settle down and get into a turn quicker (especially on a turn right after a jump) is great. What isn't great is losing one of the pins that holds the drive shaft together. The instructions are clear and I used loctite as instructed, but with grease so close to the area where loctite is applied, it's a bit tough to make sure the set screws lock in place. I double checked to make sure the pins were well secured, but as you can guess, I lost a pin. I had to go back to the stock drive shafts and that's when I noticed how much better the ecs were.
At the end of the day, the ecs design requires you to make sure your loctite game is on point. Make sure you don't have grease interfering with the loctite bond or else you will be waiting for your pin order like me. For those wanting to eek out every last bit out of their car, this would probably be a good option to have. But, items like the floating servo mount and graphite stiffeners that allow you to remove the top decks(for ex 2015 xb4) are probably a better bang for your buck just as a couple of examples.
Hope this helps someone.
After I installed the ECS, I put some tires on the car and gave it a little throttle as a bench test to see if there was any difference. I was skeptical of any real difference, but you can see an improved smoothness. The ecs does eliminate the wheel chatter(especially at wheel lock), but that doesn't really matter to me as much as actual results on the track so I went to the track.
At the track(which is SCVRC medium to medium high traction indoor clay) the difference is noticeable. I only have the front ecs and the car just had a little more turning when compared to stock. The car is more settled when coming off of a jump and if you happen to have a jump with a turn right after, this is where I noticed the biggest difference. The car settles quicker and you can initiate the turn quicker. Other than a little more turning and settling the car quicker/better I didn't notice any other difference.
So having the car give a little more steering is great. Being able to not have to wait as long for the car to settle down and get into a turn quicker (especially on a turn right after a jump) is great. What isn't great is losing one of the pins that holds the drive shaft together. The instructions are clear and I used loctite as instructed, but with grease so close to the area where loctite is applied, it's a bit tough to make sure the set screws lock in place. I double checked to make sure the pins were well secured, but as you can guess, I lost a pin. I had to go back to the stock drive shafts and that's when I noticed how much better the ecs were.
At the end of the day, the ecs design requires you to make sure your loctite game is on point. Make sure you don't have grease interfering with the loctite bond or else you will be waiting for your pin order like me. For those wanting to eek out every last bit out of their car, this would probably be a good option to have. But, items like the floating servo mount and graphite stiffeners that allow you to remove the top decks(for ex 2015 xb4) are probably a better bang for your buck just as a couple of examples.
Hope this helps someone.
Tech Adept
iTrader: (3)
Hey Everyone,
Quick question(s) about running the rear aluminum uprights. By the looks of it they need quite a few spacers under the ball studs to raise the ball stud up to the same height as the plastic uprights.
With that said for a medium traction dirt/clay setup how many spacers should I be running under the ball stud and should I get longer ball studs? If so what length?
Thanks,
Jake
Quick question(s) about running the rear aluminum uprights. By the looks of it they need quite a few spacers under the ball studs to raise the ball stud up to the same height as the plastic uprights.
With that said for a medium traction dirt/clay setup how many spacers should I be running under the ball stud and should I get longer ball studs? If so what length?
Thanks,
Jake
Tech Master
iTrader: (21)
You need 6mm in washers and you need 10mm ballstuds.
Hey Everyone,
Quick question(s) about running the rear aluminum uprights. By the looks of it they need quite a few spacers under the ball studs to raise the ball stud up to the same height as the plastic uprights.
With that said for a medium traction dirt/clay setup how many spacers should I be running under the ball stud and should I get longer ball studs? If so what length?
Thanks,
Jake
Quick question(s) about running the rear aluminum uprights. By the looks of it they need quite a few spacers under the ball studs to raise the ball stud up to the same height as the plastic uprights.
With that said for a medium traction dirt/clay setup how many spacers should I be running under the ball stud and should I get longer ball studs? If so what length?
Thanks,
Jake
Tech Apprentice
Hello,
Can someone explain to me exactly the gains-loses from the eccentric roll center bushings on the different positions? or if there is a good link to read about it?
Thank you in advance,
Nick
Can someone explain to me exactly the gains-loses from the eccentric roll center bushings on the different positions? or if there is a good link to read about it?
Thank you in advance,
Nick
Tech Elite
iTrader: (74)
what other brand other than kyosho $$$$$ springs can i use ?
pin out = less roll/less traction
pin in = more roll/ more traction
obvsiously more to it, but good base knowledge
Tech Regular
Tech Master
iTrader: (21)
I use yokomo yatabe springs on both my Xray cars. Never cared for Xray springs,needing to cut them shorter to get low ride height and they rub on the shock bodies..no thanks. I tested yatabe springs vs. Xray springs and cut .3 off my fastest lap only changing springs. Green rear/ black and purple fronts are all you need. Also you will need to go lower weight on oil.
Tech Apprentice
Tech Elite
iTrader: (74)
size
I use yokomo yatabe springs on both my Xray cars. Never cared for Xray springs,needing to cut them shorter to get low ride height and they rub on the shock bodies..no thanks. I tested yatabe springs vs. Xray springs and cut .3 off my fastest lap only changing springs. Green rear/ black and purple fronts are all you need. Also you will need to go lower weight on oil.
Tech Master
iTrader: (21)
I just race on carpet these days so yatabe springs are great. When I was running on dirt surface I really liked ae springs. Medium bite clay black/green rear springs worked great with yellow/red front springs. Use the ae spring cups and you will be dialed.
Tech Apprentice
Last night i rebuilt my shocks on my xb4 and one of my rear shocks no matter what or how many times i tried, it doesnt work properly,even on 0 or 100% rebound. it juststands still wherever i press it. any ideas what it might be? damaged o-ring, central pin? or..?
Bent shock shaft? take out and roll on flat surface.
Tech Apprentice
i did but it seem fine :/