Bansh88

iTrader: (12)

Im hoping my wife gets me a mini 8ight for Christmas. If not, i should get one soon after.
I'd like to get a couple 2s Lipos for it. Do I have to do anything to it to run Lipo? Voltage regulator?
I hear the shock caps break a lot. I havent seen any aftermarket shock caps but I recall seeing guys selling theirs with aluminum ones. Which are those?
Anything that's a "must" upgrade? Anything I want to buy/stock up on that I will surely break?

Bansh88

iTrader: (12)

This will be my first electric car as well. So any generic electric pointers will be appreciated as well.

adanmtxt1

The Mini 8ight is a phenomenal little buggy. I had wanted a mini car since HPI discontinued parts support for my beloved Micro RS4, and was very surprised how nimble, adjustable, and well-made the little 8ight is. The only two things I dislike about it is the steering servo and rack, the latter of which isn't as tight as the rest of the chassis, and the ESC which from what I've read contributes to low-speed cogging. Apart from that, it's a ton of fun and feels beastly on 3s which to the stock ESC's credit is supported without issue.

On hard tumbles the plastic shock mounts can break, but I recall someone installed Pro-Line aluminum caps which both look great and hold up well. A cheap preventative fix is to loop a zip tie and position the 'nib' at the top so it can take the brunt of upside-down crashes, saving the caps.

The Hitec 225 is a popular servo replacement although you don't need a boat-load of torque since it's such a small car, so you can trade off some torque for extra speed; there's a link and discussion in the Mini 8ight thread about this.

wrongchannel

iTrader: (24)

Atomik makes the aluminum shock caps. You will also want to replace the bottom shock eyelets with traxxas ones. You will need to remove the traxxas flanged balls and use the stock balls from the Losi eyelets.

I believe you will need to follow the instruction in the manual on switching the ESC to Lipo mode. This will prevent the ESC from draining the lipos to a voltage lower than their 3.7 volt per cell minimum charge. If they are discharged too far the lipos will no longer charge. Being new to electrics be sure to talk to someone who can help you safely charge and store lipos.

There are many upgrade options for this car, but I would wait to drive it a little before diving into all of them.

Also, the aluminum shock towers will eventually bend. When they do you can choose to upgrade them with carbon fiber (which will eventually break also) or use Driven Productions Delrin towers which have the added benefit of having extra material above the shocks to protect the caps.

Happy Driving.

rustlererad3

iTrader: (1)

If i were you i would rip out the stock esc and throw in a mamba micro pro if you are runnig mostly stock set up and if not switch to a sidewinder esc

Bansh88

iTrader: (12)

Good stuff!

I've read 2s is best as 3s is just too much for the car.
I know nothing of batteries. Is there a certain size 2s lipo? A reccomneded Mah?

Skiboblitch

All good advice. The steering servo is about the only thing that has to be replaced almost immediately. All other upgrades seem to be more of a personal experience than a general need.I put zip ties on my shock caps and haven't broken one yet. I believe the car comes with a NIMH battery and it's a good idea to use it until you get used to the controls. Then you'll need to set up the ESC to use Lipo batteries.

Adanmtxt1 - You mentioned the steering rack being too loose and I agree. What did you do to resolve the issue?

adanmtxt1

I haven't done anything thus far. Hot Racing makes an aluminum bellcrank; I might get that and replace any bushings with bearings.

jirish617

iTrader: (20)

throttleworx.com

the guy who owns it post in the m8 thread too. I bought my atomic shock caps from him, and his batteries are 2000mah and fit perfectly into the battery tray with no modifications to it.

rustlererad3

iTrader: (1)

i have trunigy nanotech 2s traxxas mini revo batteries in mine

holycaveman

I had the motor shaft snap on mine. I am certain it was my fault though. Lesson learned. Dont lock the clutch up. Its supposed to slip a little! LOL

rustlererad3

iTrader: (1)

was your gear mesh too tight??

holycaveman

No it was perfect. I locked the clutch up(over tightened it). Was running a 3s on carpet with those spiked tires I have. Was cool doing back flips. for a short time.

LOL

rustlererad3

iTrader: (1)

ohh myy did you melt the spur gear too

holycaveman

No just snapped the motor shaft off.