My Race Opt MTS T^2 arrived today. Very impressive.

Race Opt tell me MTS is for Mo Tak She. Which apparently translates to Cannot Lose. Quite fitting considering the success and popularity of the MTS FF front wheel drive chassis.
I opened the box and found a neatly packaged pre-built kit !! It's very pleasing to see the RAS shocks, adjustable chassis flex, oversized wheel bearings, spring steel front and rear out drives, an alloy front spool, alloy fan mount, alloy and carbon battery retainers, alloy wheel hexes, alloy steering bell cranks and floating steering servo mount included. There's even wheels and 3m battery foam.

It has twin alloy top deck centre posts installed, the adjustable flex system is fitted with twin 2.6mm spring steel torsion rods. These can be changed over with the included 2.4mm and 2.8mm rods or 2.m carbon fiber tear top plate. Optional 2.5 and 3.0mm top rear carbon plates are also available.

An alloy rear bulkhead spacer is also included to provide lateral stiffness if required in this area. All of these options are quite unique and allows for very extensive stiffness tuning options.

The shocks utilise what Race Opt call RAS - Reduced Air System shocks snd are of an all alloy construction. The hardened steel shock shaft extends above the piston and travels through a plastic top cover bush in place of a bladder. The alloy top cap has an air bleed hole and a hollow centre. It uses a top shaft seal with a uniquely machined upper pivot ball that allows the shock shaft to pass through it without interference . A special tool is included to align the ball when attaching it to the 3.0mm carbon shock towers. This is not a new system but this approach works very effectively and is more efficient than conventional shock systems found on all the major brands. There is virtually zero shaft deflection which translates to increased shock efficiency, reduced fluid loss and air leaks.

The shaft stroke is also very smooth. The manual lists the silver 3.0kg rated 12mm springs as being standard but this kit has gold anodised units fitted. I'll clarify this later. The spring load is adjusted with a nicely machined alloy threaded retainer and very cool alloy lower collars. There are 7 other optional springs from 2.0 - 4.5 kg ratings. The only plastic components of the entire shock assembly are the 3 hole shock pistons and threaded ball ends. 1 hole, 2 hole and blank Pistons are also included.

There also appear to be optional long shock bodies and shafts available also.

The rear gear diff and front alloy spool are fitted with spring steel out drives. The front and rear universal driveshaft axles use oversized 10*15*4mm and 6*12*4mm sealed bearings.

At full steering lock there is some obvious driveshaft chatter/binding. This is only at extreme full lock on the left universal. If it proves problematic the only solution is to decrease the EPA slightly or attempt to fit X-ray c-hubs and knuckles with DCJ.

All turnbuckles are spring steel and a 1.2mm rear and 1.4mm front roll bar system is included.

An optional motor mount can be used to adjust weight bias. The alloy spur shaft is fitted with a 116t 64p spur and 20t pulleys. Belts are Japenese MBL. There are optional 20t or 18t pulleys in POM or standard composite. Low friction Kevlar belts are also available.

I recommend a complete strip down and re-build. Specifically the diff requires light sanding of the back of the gears as it feels tight. One shock had minor binding at the end stroke which was found to be just a small amount of plastic burr on the inner top cover plate. 1 minute fix. Use a light smear of green slime on all o-ring seals. The rear turnbuckles were mounted in alternate holes. One wheel bearing was slightly free in the left rear upright. I rectified that with a light film of CA glue in the upright bearing face. This was allowed to dry before re-assembly. I also used one .1 shim on that axle and a front one.

Conclusion. I'm very impressed with the quality and features. The very minor "issues" mentioned above are to be expected from any pre assembled kit or ready to run vehicle. These are actually smaller issues than I've had with VBC D07 ,X-ray T4 and Yokomo BD7 kits.

Considering the Race Opt MTS t^2 comes standard with so many features and tuning options that the other brands don't. This is really an impressive chassis. Well done Race Opt. If this performs as well as it is built, I'll be confident to say this could be the best value for money chassis available.

The chassis has already proven itself, Derek Hung drove his to 2nd place in Mod class recently at the We Shi International in Shanghai. I'll be track testing mine later this week.
Check the Race Opt website for more info and a link to manual.