New ones with little chamfers like the kit 418 items don't exist yet. NTMK anyway.

I'm gonna try a set of Square ones. I mounted a set and it requires slight dremeling on the inside to allow the steering to go full lock. Just needs slight beveling. I'll post some pics once I do it. I like how thick the Square aluminum chubs are at the bottom. Wish the graphite ones were that thick.

I had heard the Tamiya Team runs the plastic gears--even with the 4.5 turn motors but I would imagine they replace them quite often! I would believe that the gears flare out just as you described after only a little while in mod.

I myself was running the steel gears in 17.5 and IMO they are completely unnecessary for a spec class. They add quite a bit of rotating weight and I have since gone back to plastic--I even use the plastic one-piece cross with no issues, I just make sure to sand the back of the plastic gears so the total thickness matches the steel gears and shim with a single 0.2mm shim above each o-ring.

On my mod car, I run the Spec-R/Tamiya gear diff I, and it held together very good. It's very smooth but heavy.

Hi Jay

Can you let me know why you want to sand the plastic gears? Is it smoother?

Thanks

You sand them because they have plastic moulding marks on them for starters.

Also enables you to ensure they are all identical size and reduce any chance of binding within the diff.

I'm not sure all of the team do, but earlier this year talking to Marc he was, but replacing them regularly. Myself and another mod team mate tried using the carbon gears again because of Marc's suggestion but after only one set of gears failing again I went back to the steel... Much more reliable for my racing, but yes heavier too...

Groskamp does (did) use them as well.

He discusses in detail how much he sands them in his videos. There is also a video on the petitrc site with sanding tips too (edit:link now below) - they sand them much more lightly than Jilles does. Making the plastic ones the same size as the metal ones - if you have them handy to measure - is a good idea though.

Does anyone have the metal ones to hand (without pulling apart their diff!) and can measure them accurately with a set of
verniers?

http://youtu.be/NXZM4mdlUAw

Sad to say the 3 Racing and Yeah Racing aluminum c-hubs were all bent. Back to the super flexible bits until another solution can be found.

I have been racing now for a couple of weeks with my son, and I have noticed one thing that I would like to ask about.

The small plastic protection brackets that you put at the end of the shafts (#51536) don't last long. They break and fall off quite often.

I'm using the originals and these ones:

http://www.rcmart.com/spec-spr008ntm...h=595_744_1230

Are they just very short lived parts that you are required to replace often, or?

They should last a long time in the rear, but for the front spool they may break easy. That's why I switched to the SpecR front spool. You no longer need the pin cushions. You can also switch to the Tamiya steal cups, but they are sold out right now. http://www.rcmart.com/tamiya-1980451...h=595_744_1502

Some people boil the pin cushions to make them less brittle.

OK thanks.

The steel outdrives are standard on the 418 and I already have them on the 417v5.

True, I have observed that it is in the front that 99% of the plastic cap breaking occurs.

How does the SpecR front spool differs from the standard spool?

Try the Mr.Roche blades, they're really good. Tbh if you crash against a board and brake a blade then you should be happy you're only changing a 50c part

The plastic diff gears are fine for mod. I have some 6+ month old diff's which I've run low wind mod in high and low grip with no issues and never changed gears. Normally the gears only strip if the shims collapse, if you can still find the TDX 0.3mm large diameter shims then they are the best upgrade you can buy for you Tamiya

The point is that the 418 uses blades on the spool whereas the v5 does not.

If you replace the outdrives on the spool with non-bladed ones then you won't break blades. I use the Roche outdrives. Obviously there is a risk that if you remove the blades you will break something more expensive but I was having blades break mid-race for no particular reason, since changing to a non-bladed outdrive I haven't broken a thing.