Ah yes, it was famous for wearing out front driveshafts. Theoretically, this power loss should be negligible, at least on a circuit. But I'm not sure if anyone outside of factory test drivers have experimented with this.

It's oppo was the ill-fated Tamiya TRF801X. That one had completely straight driveshafts and was noted for it's acceleration. It got around the weight distribution issue by canting over the engine by 15 degrees IIRC. Not quite enough, but still.

You've also reduced the weight significantly, so that too would contribute to the punch, although probably not the top speed.(significantly)

Also, since you killed the kickup, be aware that this is going to handle VERY differently. The truck was designed to work with it as a non-negotiable......Probably very twitchy.


Mind you, I once gained hella punch by swapping Tamiya connectors to Deans....