Toycar5

Here it is, just like the dodge Caravan lemons club.

Our LHS has 4 guys running the 808. We've had it since Mid May 2008.

The bearings are going way too early because the balls are too small and the 13x19 bearings spins way too fast. Due to such small balls it's very sensitive to dirt which seizes it quickly. What can you do? Ceramic bearings? Sure they'll last say twice as long. What 4 races instead of two. Bearings on my Mugen Mbx last 4 months.

The engine is mounted on an angle to the spur gear but the gears on the C/B and spur are cut straight puting thrust on the NEW over sized bearing. This thrust makes the balls fall out. How do you solve this? One pushes the engine as far over to the center drive shaft as possible to minimize the thrust on the clutch brearings to make them last longer. However, the rear center drive shaft rubs against the mounting flange of the engine. What can you do?

It takes a crap load more maintenece than any other buggy in history to keep it from breaking down. I need to take the races off all the bearings after each time I run it to clean and relube or replace if I flat spot a tiny weak ball in a bearing. After each time I run it I change out the shock oil since there are no shock boots the shock oil gets dirty making dampening inconsistent
This is a carry over issue from the XB8 and EC the rod ends and pivot balls wear way too fast. Yes, sorry to say I didn't learn my lesson after owning an XB8 and an EC.

Sure when it's brand new and everything is perfect the 808 runs great and is real fast but to keep the 808 dependable you'll have to put on a new set of 20 bearings every 2 races and to keep it all tight new ball ends and balls every 2 gallons.

Think twice before buying an 808

BSC

iTrader: (51)

You aren't very mechanically minded are you
I have put heaps of run time on mine and haven't had an issue with anything you are talking about
The more any car is built like a race car using specific parts to maximise performance the more often you replace it to maximise your results If you get the desired results then maintainence isn't an issue
Maybe you need to look at your preparation , it sounds like you need to change it from your last car and you mightn't have those issue's .
Run the motor where it is supposed to run , i find i get by a long way better bearing life than any other car i've had . If you don't like how the motor sits run a bigger spur gear so you can put the motor straight and go back to normal clutch bells with 10mm bearings instead of 12 .
Maybe the 13 X 9 bearings are being affected by the way you clean them or the track you run is a very fine abrasive dirt . If you have to change them every 2 races , and i think everyone other than yourself would agree , then something is wrong with what you are doing .

dodgeguy

iTrader: (208)

Xray does not recommend cleaning bearing and using oil to re lube. Grease is best for any bearing. You need to take the shields out of the bearings and pack them with grease that is recommended by Xray.

As for shocks the dustier the conditions the faster the wear and so the dirtier the oil. I personally do not care for dust boots on shocks. I have raced off road for 21 years and replacing shock oil is normal. Especially if you know how to tune the car with oil. You will be changing half weights through the day.

I hope you can find a solution to your concerns. I believe the 808 is one of the best if not the best buggy out right now.

slaytanic

iTrader: (20)

I have 2 gallons on mine and it has ZERO slop. I went to the shop yesterday to do the usual breakdown/clean/rebuild. Then I started looking at it and realized that it doesn't need more than a dust off. You should NOT mess with your bearings in the drivetrain. Xray and Avid suggest you leave them alone. As for CB bearings, I have gotten a gallon out of the original and only replaced them because I was servicing the clutch. For CB bearings just blow them out with air when new then use a little O'lube. The stuff is AMAZING. I also use it on all my hinge pins and balls. Your buggy will be filthy but those parts will be clean. Its cheap and last forever.

I can say that I BRUTALIZED this buggy last weekend. I was doing about 40 down the back straight and hooked a tiedown for the pipe. It was not pretty. Everyone went "OHHHH". The marshal was walking over to throw it off the track. It landed on all fours and off I went.

ezveedub

iTrader: (17)

Not owning one, but knowing some friends that do, the rear diff pinion bearing does need attention quite often, more than any other model and will come apart if not replaced often. The shocks with no boots also is an issue too. The shock oil gets dirty fast.

shu88

iTrader: (1)

Have your friend verify that he is not tightening the 3 screws that hold the rear pinion bearing in all the way. I get them tight, then take about half a turn out on each screw. Doing this I have had no issues with it and I am almost to 2 gallons on the orginal bearing. As for the other bearings, I have replaced 4 bearings in all, and just did that the other weekend. I do take them all out after every two race weekends or so and relube them, as one mentioned above, use bearing grease. As for the Clutch, I haven't had any issues here either, I just replaced them at about a gallon, and I still have the old bearing sitting in my gear as back ups. I replaced them with Avid revolutions, and these seem to be working even better then the stock. I just took them out after two race weekends, and didnt do anything to them, they still feel very smooth.

ohh, The shocks. Yes I replace the oil after about every race weekend. I do have some of these: Shock Covers for 808, They aren't perfect, but they do help!

All in all, I am extremely happy with the way the 808 drives, and have never been happier. Hopefully you guys will get it all worked out!

Shu

mfroot

iTrader: (2)

I don't have one of these buggys but i can tell you far as the shocks on my kyosho i use small balloons as dust guards just cut the end off and slide that end up toward the top of the shock and the little end that you blow in at the bottom mount use what ever you like they work great and are not binding if you need a pic let me know

ldp787

iTrader: (26)

PM me for my address I've got some guys down here that would love to have your lemons.

I've got 5 gallons on the buggy as it was shipped to me, the only thing I've changed is I'm on my 2nd set of clutch bearings. Every other bearing is what I built it with, I have regreased them and thats it. The only play in the buggy if fore and aft in the arms and hubs, the way it was designed. The only damage to this buggy has been a rear hub hinge pin that I straightened, must have been a serious hit.

This is my first endeavor in 1/8 offroad along with the XT8, and I can't tell that one needs more maintenance than the other. If you have a problem with maintenance you should fly planes, I've never worked on anything this much since getting these 2 but driving is a blast.

Steve Walters

iTrader: (1)

Wow... This is the first post in hundreds I've read, that's really negative about the 808. Makes me think (As BSC) its maybe one turning the wrench.....

tex1

iTrader: (4)

I personally think there are too many people on here that actually sniff the nitro they run.
Take your time, pay attention to details and this car will last and last.
We have all kinds of Xrays down here and wear or mis engineering was never a problem.
These coments are very short sided.
I love my car!
TEX

Phoenix82

iTrader: (5)

Xray is by far one of the best manufactures in the world. I run, both the the buggy and truggy and have no drivetrain, or suspension failures or issues..id look into you maintenance work and make sure your cleaning, and lubing your parts correctly. especialy your bearings.



Nick

ezveedub

iTrader: (17)

I can say this, the 808 does need a different approach to maintenence. As for Kyosho and Mugen, the rear pinion bearing failure or any of the bearings don't need as much attention as the 808. Thats what I believe the original post was trying to explain. If you used to own a Losi 8ight, you would be right at home checking everything.

savagebeing

I run the same track os the Original Poster. I will agree that the bearings need to serviced more often than the older gen of buggys. This is a trade of for the perfomance that you get from the x-ray. Seems like a fair trade off in my books. I got 6+ gallons out of my stock 13x19's on the diffs, with regular maintence. They are still good, and will be used in the hubs, as back-up bearings.

I would expect all the new buggys to have these smaller bearings in them.

Common Darwin, I'll take that POS x-ray of your hands for CHEAP.

Sean

rezenclowd3

iTrader: (17)

To answer the OP's question, no my 808 is DEFINITELY NOT a P.O.S. The majority of your concerns are with the bearings. Luckily those are not an expensive item to replace. Mine seem to last quite a long time (actually have yet to need to replace one) but the dust shields around the diffs help immensely. I feel that so far, wear and tear is minimal on mine, and maintenance on this buggy is very easy compared to my previous 8ight. At first I was very skeptical of my 808 due to some issues (some bug me from a design standpoint) but I am now a pretty damn happy camper.

Wild Cherry

808 bearing`s , arm`s, heck! the whole dang car are best quality you can buy bar none !


They say ....

LoL ! ....