cannon fodder

That is why, I have the belts adjusted with I think should be right and the stud rubs the outdrives. Currently I have them in the holes to the center of the chassis on both ends to keep the studs from rubbing. Are you saying that you basically changed the cams to 180* from the way they were for adjustment, i.e. if it was adjusted dot to nub you went to dot across from nub?

orcadigital

iTrader: (61)

64 pitch is actually much quieter, but the mesh has to be just right. If you are running carpet or preped asphalt, 64 pitch is better. If you are running where you get debris inside the car (rocks, etc), then 48 pitch will be more durable. Torque will be the same, and smoothness is difficult to measure, but if anything, with 64 pitch you need less rotation before tooth engagement so it should be smoother.

Unless everyone is running asphalt, I am surprised by how many people are using 48p in this thread.

orcadigital

iTrader: (61)

I am using short ballstuds and 1mm spacers and have no issues no matter how the cams are set. I am using the shortest TC6 titanium ballstuds though, so maybe they have a shorter offering then 3Racing?

6376vette

I believe we are on the same page. I adjust the belt tension win the thin side of the adjustment cam towards the chassis. This puts the outdrives lower on the chassis and away from the ball stud. No issues rubbing at all and I just replaced my first set of belts from stretching so I went through a wide range on the adjustment cams.

SkyReed

Picked one of these up over the weekend for some local VTA racing. I'm really impressed with the quality of the kit for the price. Though whoever decided to use phillips head screws for the diffs when everything else uses hex screws should be shot. Never had so much trouble assembling diffs in my life. Snapped a screw in half on one diff, now I need to stop by the hobby shop and replace the case. Overall it's been pretty good. Can't wait to get out there and race it!

teknic

iTrader: (18)

Probably going to be grabbing one of these in the near future to check out on-road. What do you guys consider absolute needed upgrades right off the bat? I'd prefer to just order it all at once and not have to place multiple orders.

I read the first 30 pages of the thread and it seemed like the Alum Sakura Shocks, Narrow Chassis and Alum Steering were popular when it first came out. Are these still recommend upgrades or for example is there a better option on shocks now?

Thanks

orcadigital

iTrader: (61)

HPI, Axial, and 3Racing all make hex head screws for it. I have replaced all of mine for that reason. In an earlier post here are the instructions to build the diffs from 3Racing, and they change the screws too.

orcadigital

iTrader: (61)

There are only 2 "needs" and I am sure others will argue with me about it.

1. 19tooth layshaft pulley (along with the aluminum mounts and new layshaft with spacers which are all required to use the 19 tooth pulleys)

2. Metal wheel hexes (5mm is stock)

The first is because the belt tension is too tight out of the box, and doing anything at that point becomes harder. The second is because the plastic hexes will wear out and then 4wd becomes 3wd and worse.

Beyond that, there are severval nice to have upgrades.

3. Vertical motor mount - easier to change and adjust mesh. Requires modifying the stock top deck or replacing with CF one.

4. Spring kit - valuable tuning aid. Add the shock kit if you want easier ride height adjustments.

5. 44mm steel CVD's - to replace the rear dog bones, just a better system

After that, the rest is either more fine tuning, varying rigidity (read as more fine tuning), specific tuning (one way or spool), or just bling.

To your second question, the stock shocks are aluminum, but not threaded. It is handy for tuning and setup, but very usable without. The narrow chassis is something I run, but I also run a very soft setup for VTA and would drag the chassis if i used the stock width. Hardly necessary, and you lose the stock battery mounts (which you possibly lose with the vertical motor mount configuration). Aluminum steering is nice, more rigid, but not required by any means. I would get things like a spool, sway bars, hinge pin block spacers, etc before that, as those all assist in tuning the car.

teknic

iTrader: (18)

Thanks for the info! Really glad I found this car (someone suggested it to me) as I've really wanted to check out on-road, but didn't want to spend $400 on a roller.

SteveM

iTrader: (165)

If you can live with the stock motor mount and having to go through the spur gear to tighten the motor and the plastic clip spacers on the shocks then I doubt you'd need to buy any upgrades.

The car uses cams on the diff bearing holders that lets you adjust belt tension, has an alloy motor mount for better heat disipation, uses CVD's in the front, has a full set of ball bearings, uses parts they 'key' into the chassis and is priced very well.

If you had to buy anything besides the kit I'd recommend a 3mm tap to ease the pain of threading the bolts into the plastic parts.

6376vette

Sorry orca.

The stock shocks are not aluminium. They are plastic bodies with aluminium upper and lower caps. They do work well though. Orca is correct that they are not threaded.

In my opinion first go 64 pitch on the gear with the vertical mount. After that just get what you want with the shocks 19 tooth pulleys aluminium spur gear holders and the spur gear shaft at the top of the list. I hear a lot about the 19 tooth pulleys. Yes the belt is tight out of the box but it stretches quickly.

Madulla

Don't get the spring kit. The softest spring is still way to hard for any tuning.

6376vette

If you are having issues with your car then something else besides the springs are the problem. The spring kit is probably one of the best investments for this car. I have tuned for high traction carpet, low traction carpet, asphalt, seal coated tennis court, and concrete and never had to look elsewhere for springs.

Chassis set up has everything to do with spring choice. I have run the softest to the hardest spring and everywhere in between depending on the surface. Even one step up or down makes a big difference. If the spring kit came with anything softer it would be unusable because it wouldn't support the chassis.

Madulla

i tested the whole set a while back ...

4.25T - 35.8 lb/in
4.5T - 31.7 lb/in
4.75T - 29.2 lb/in
5.0T - 26.2 lb/in
5.25T - 24.9 lb/in
5.50T - 22.9 lb/in
5.75T - 21.2 lb/in
6.0T - 20.0 lb/in
6.5T - 17.9 lb/in

unless they made some changes, it's a fairly usesless set on rubber. btw - i have two sets for sale should anyone disagree with me.
__________________

A post from Seaball. The softest 3racing spring is 17.9. A blue AE spring is 17. Most people use a green 12 for rear and silver 14.5 for front. Blue is the next spring and is too hard to use. To tune the car you need to use a different company spring Tamyia,HPI,Xray,Yokomo,AE ect. 4mm shock towers help to get the ride height and droop settings.

6376vette

I'm running on rubber. According to the post you referenced a 17 spring is too stiff but I have gotten my car to hook up great with the 4.25 and the 4.5 front and rear. I can't see going any softer on the springs then the 6.5.

How much do you want on the spring sets shipped to the US? State of Georgia?

Maybe the shorter shock length doesn't need super soft springs. I definitely don't see a need to invest in the taller towers and shocks to make this car work right.

I don't know who seaball is but I wouldn't recommend taking anyone's advice as gospel. Even a team driver. Tuning suggestions are just that.....suggestions no matter where they come from. You still have to tune for your track and driving style. Maybe you like a super soft car and I like a stiff car but don't say the spring sets aren't good at all.