I haven't ran mine yet, but got it installed last night with the stick pack setup. Looks like UPS is comming though for me and the saddle packs should be here today and i'll have it ready to race tomorrow.

I'm running the ball diff with the recommend setup on rcshox. Any special considerations for a tight indoor track? I was planning on running on a large 1/8 scale, but it rained out so I'm going down to an indoor race, but have no time to try out the new setup other than a short practice day of the race.

I like the look and feel of it, the grey Al with the black front and rear blend real nice with each other. Just holding the truck you can feel how much more stable the frame is. Like other have said, when you have the stock center piece off you can bend and twist it pretty easily.

Vito, why whould you spend money on FT parts if you are just playing around with the truck?

i like to blow money on it.i will just add the new slipper set up

I'm not clear on how lead sitting ON TOP of the stock plastic chassis will have as low a CoG as the exotech where the bottom of the chassis is lower than the lead and heavier....

If you want to upgrade the stock, I think the best way to go is to add a steel plate to the bottom as one user posted a few dozen pages ago. Using liquid nails or something like that instead of screws so you get consistent contact which would add some stiffness as well.

Make sure you use some good adhesive, or it'll be embarrassing when that falls off at the track.

because the sidewalls and all, of the exotech chassis are heavier then the plastic sidewalls of the stock chassis.
so when you only ad a thin layer of lead ( lead is heavier then aluminium ) on the bottom of the stock chassis. I think that a stock chassis with a lead layer in it will have a lower COG then the full aluminium exotech chassis.

I run 1/8 E and gear my 4x4 to nearly same top speed or just slightly less.

As far as springs; I think all you really need are blue and yellow (seems all that anyone uses).

Here's a gearing chart a friend made for me... I'm at 15/62 w/ the Castle 3800.

That puts me around 34-38mph, depending on voltage...

Going through spurs like there's no tomorrow (3 today....) an suggestions on setting mesh?

The paper method works, but how I set my gear mesh is have the pinion just close enough to the spur that you can slightly "rock" the spur back and forth without moving the pinion. I have been setting gear mesh like that for a while and havent stripped a gear since.

i had some worn pads that were slipping causing a lot of friction, warping spur then chewing teeth. i got new pads and locked her down, no more issues.

I guess you could heat it up with an acetylene torch and melt that sucker on like a horse shoe

anyone ever temp there ball diff yet? I clocked mine at 137 f and im asking this cause im trying to back mine off to see if i can correct my rear end coming around issue discussed earlier. where only talkingn1/4 turns backing off from complete lockdown on nut.

I haven't on the diff, but on the gear cover just to make sure it wasn't cookin like crazy. What was your motor temp when you measured? If your motor was 150+ I could see that heat transferring via the motor plate and heating up the diff as well.