b44.2 AVID chassis.... worth it?
 

Tell us what you think. Pros. Cons. Anyone that has one, feel free to help us out. The ones on the fence about making the purchase. Is it really worth it, or just a bunch of bling.

I think worth it if you have a .1 to convert to .2.
Or to give more weight down low for your .1 or .2 for outdoor racing.
If you have a .2 and run indoor... meh.

The chassis has been out for a week, so the first people should be running them now. I did all the testing and I think that the car has a more planted feel and is easier to drive because it's more stable and predictable. On the site I posted a couple of my setups:

http://www.avidrc.com/downloads/setu...-AVID_Team.pdf

http://www.avidrc.com/downloads/setu...ssis-Coach.pdf

I'm sure there is a nice improvement outdoor, but did you see that much of an improvement indoor?

Would think outdoor would be where you see the most improvement. Maybe I'll see you at wcrc and check it out.

What's the weight difference between avid and stock chassis?

I havent tried the Avid but, I did try an aluminum chassis on my B4. It made the buggy a lot heavier and that caused it to break ALOT more. I dont know if the Avid weighs more but that is something to consider. It did drive well but not worth the extra parts breakage. I am a decent driver too.

Looks like a nice kit, and is reasonably priced. I agree if you have a b44.1 it would be a great way to upgrade. As for the less flex, hmm, not always good. In theory everyone always tries to make a stiff chassis so the shocks can do the work. But in reality of rc cars it is usually better to have flex to make the car have more traction and usually is more forgiving. Aluminum is also prone to denting easily in the milled areas.

As for more steering? Debatable, sometimes more steering just gives the car a twitchy/oversteer feel. Yes more steering, but at cost of forward bite.

avid upgrade on the b44.1
 

im thinking of doing the avid chassis upgrade for my 44.1 do i need to buy the + 8 avid kit with the top deck ect. or can i buy the 44.2 top deck and center drive shaft for little less money. let me know thanks ...

You can use the stock 44.2 top deck and drive shaft.

arent the top decks the same length between the b44.1 and .2? I thought the length increase was in-between the top plates? (I seem to remember them being the same. it's the "center brace" that got 8mm longer, yes/no?) I think the front/rear plates ARE different when it comes to the holes down the center of the top plates...but the geometry I thought was still the same.

At any rate, after the review by Waflet in the b44.2 thread, I went ahead and ordered the Avid chassis for my son's B44.1. He's 9 and I cringe everytime he cases a jump lolol. I think it will be a great upgrade honestly. We'll see as soon as it gets here!

Here is a write-up from one of the guys at my track. He has spent a lot of time with his mod buggy and understand car characteristics to a very fine point. He whips my butt with his mod buggy all the time ;)

http://www.rctech.net/forum/12144353-post4338.html

I have to say when I put the chassis on and went to try it out it was totalllyyy different. I have never added rear weight but used the two weights that came with the avid chassis and it was totally different. The rear end felt a little more squirly and if you didn't stay on top of it you would just slip. After having about 3-4 practices on it I am glad I changed it. Like it a lot better. Great chassis and great engineering from Avid.

I recommend running the soft AVID white rear spring OR I hear AE black are good in the rear. I have tried AVID purple front which is my standard and then the AE yellow seem to smooth out the front and take some steering away.

I would recommend the AVID 2+2 1.6/1.1 rear pistons also which plant the rear end with a little less low-speed damping in the rear to give you more grip.

For a 44.1 conversion, we priced the AVID +8 upgrade to be the least amount of parts. The AVID +8 set lets you keep the same center cap and center slipper assembly from your 44.1. You can also buy your own 44.2 upgrade parts to make it a 44.2 (center slipper shaft, center cap, 44.2 rear driveshaft, 44.2 top deck, battery trays, battery straps) but the price will be more and it's not all in one package.

thanks today i ordered the kit and chassis cant wait...

is it compatible with B44?

Has anyone tried using the Avid chassis protecter? If so, is it holding up?

a buddy of mine has the avid chassis and put the avid protector on it. after one race night it still looks very good (on an abrasive outdoor track). he used to use associated's protectors and those don't even come close to comparing from what he said.

Alright. The reason I ask if becasue I had a different brand chassis wrap, and after the first night it had already started to tear in areas and just got worst from there.

again, this is two quals, a main, and two batteries of practice. that's not a tear on the corner, just some dirt:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ps6bc923e8.jpg

Wow! Looks great! Alright I will give it a try ;)

You can put the chassis with +8 upgrade on a B44 or B44.1, all parts will bolt-on. You will have to figure out your own body, whether you want to trim and re-drill the rear post or get a longer B44.2 body.

The weight is 55g heavier than the carbon fiber chassis, but that is assuming no ballast weight on the carbon fiber version.

I did a write up a couple of weeks back, track test further down thread too. Hope its helpful for those on fence. Not biased either I'm very happy.

Can't post direct link, could someone do it for me? Its on oople dot com under team associated sub forum.

Link to the B44.1 converted to plus 8mm with the AVID chassis:

http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129236

http://imageshack.us/a/img13/8319/imag0290m.jpg

MiCk B. :-)

Is there a place to buy just an Avid chassis protector?

I do not think so, but you could try contacting Upgrade-RC and asking if they have any you could purchase.

Why do you have your transponder on the top deck? Does it effect your lap times with the CF??

Yes the AVID chassis is worth it. Noticed a big difference at our outdoor track in AUS. The buggy felt much stabler over the bumps and held on better around the corners. It just felt all round more planted. I had to change my driving style a little bit in some corners since I had more grip than I used too.

As for the protectors, David from AVID said they still aren't sure what direction they want to take that in and to give them a few days to discuss it and determine what they will be doing.

Thanks froggie. I run on a highly abrasive outdoor track and am looking for something that lasts longer than the Associated and Jconcepts protectors..

Last time out I shredded a Jconcept protector in 2 heats and a main

Isn't everything Avid just plain awesome? :P I'm still drooling over my sc10 steering bellcrank.

My TP is above the window on the top deck as well, they don't see through CF very well so it could skip laps if it is directly on CF. Some place it on the servo too. As long as it has some space above the CF.

But if your TP is being picked up every time and its on the chassis... run it. A lot of it has to do with how buried the pick up line is on the track, if its shallow, may not matter. If its buried, it may not pick up if its directly on the CF.

I used to go through the associated chassis protectors quickly with the standard chassis. As soon as i peeled the AVID one off the sheet I was impressed with how solid and thick it felt.

I have had 4 race meets now and the only damage is light scuffing. No rips, dig outs or any freying on the sides. I just want extra for when I have to remove it to rebuild the buggy.

I would assume the protector material is exactly the same as what Upgrade-RC sells for all their other designs, except the AVID one is just AVIDs design. So if your just after a durable protector then give Upgrade-RC a shot for one of their other designs.

interesting observation...I run the PT on both mine and my sons b44's on the top deck and havent noticed any missing laps or anything out of the ordinary. must be the loop location at our track.

This is not true, look at touring cars, most of them have the transponder mounted on CF.

Again, it may just be how deep the line is at a given track. I would think that they would have to have the line deeper on a dirt track than an asphalt track.

You can search and find statements supporting either mounting choice but I have had rare missed laps without the PT having a sight below it. PT above the peekaboo on the top deck, no misses.
There's carbon below the upper deck, but the signal can spread out and get picked up... not documented, but just my thought on it.

Here is a direct quote from AMB documentation...

"The transponder must be mounted horizontally (flat).
The position of the transponder must be identical in all RC model cars competing in the race for best finish accuracy.
Transponders must be positioned no higher than 15 cm / 6” (lower is better), with no metal or carbon fiber between the transponder and detection loop."

Off topic though... back to chassis discussion :D

Did the same for months , then after a track change the system would not count my ride till I moved the TP on top of the servo.

I learned something new today, thanks! :cool:

Good news! Those wanting extra chassis protectors or just one separate, you can now get them.

http://www.avidrc.com/product/5/acce...cessories.html

I'll be ordering a few.

Sweet!

Have you held the carbon fiber chassis and the Avid chassis up against each other? Is there any difference in the profile?
The reason I ask is because they list that chassis protector as only for their aluminum chassis.

I don't have one that is not on a buggy at the moment but I held up the CF one against the aluminium one I have installed and the profiles are identical.
The protector will fit fine.

It doesn't go all the way to the edge of the AVID chassis (a fraction off) but i'm assuming thats just to reduce the chance of catching the edge and lifting it off.