eddie10

iTrader: (26)

Is there any issues with binding using them now that it comes with 44.5 mm

Mangoats

iTrader: (3)

No it's not near where it needs to be. I still have to get everything in the car and set ride height and everything else up.

Thanks,
Chris

odpurple

No, the 44.5mm dogbones supplied in the kits are for the rear. The aluminum front dogbones in the kit are 46mm

Lohan

Why don't TOP, like Xray go to the trouble of getting a good forum, with set up sheets etc. Also they should give a set up guide with the car - especially in relation to the ackerman, roll centre options etc.

I seem able to look around, and know what I am doing when wrenching a car, but less experienced people coming to TOP will be unimpressed by the instruction manual, and a seeming lack of support - notwithstanding ths forum and the petit rc pages.

I like the car, but lack of better support and info may detract from an excellent kit

stiltskin

iTrader: (103)

This question is probably best answered by Michael or E.J. but I'll give it a shot. TOP USA is a very small company and has done a great job trying to keep up with the demand for the kit. I don't think anyone had really foreseen the success that the Photon would have. I think that the drivers on this forum have done a pretty good job of providing answers to any questions that have been posed. I bought a XXX main Setup book a few years ago and use that for any setup information that I may need. Xray provides a very nice setup book with their kits, but that obviously adds to the price of the kit. $380 for a Photon with an extra chassis and plastics (in the US) or $500 for an Xray with a setup book. I'm not bashing Xray. They produce very high quality cars, but they charge very high quality prices as well. I'm sure that money goes back into website support, setup sheets, driver paychecks, etc. I think that TOP is doing a great job of keeping people informed without the elaborate website and setup books. The website needs improvement, but you can't beat the customer service when you call them up and get to talk to the man in person. I'm sure that others will disagree, but that's my 2 cents.

L.Fairtrace

iTrader: (24)

Anyone can download the Xray setup book from their website for free.

Bishop

iTrader: (5)

I have to agree with the blue cartoon above me, yeah Xray etc has the fancy extra stuff, but damn don't you ever pay for it and a half, no one doubts the quality of higher end kits and their support, but look at the price you can buy a Photon for.

And seriously, having built and run my Photon, from what I have seen with other kits, it's not lacking bugger all where it counts against anything else.

Thrown in some great refinements, like early use of a lipo chassis, it seems bigger brands are still catching up on that one, or hang on a sec still need to buy a lipo chassis, for how much?, err dude my kits came with two of them for less than your base kit, oh and I still just adore the lipo battery holders, sure it's an add on, but for club racing it's just so easy to use...


On the down side, my car chewed a pulley on the side of the spur the other night, last meet of the year and only got in two runs, not sure what happened, maybe a rock or the side cover coming loose, made a mess and I had no spares, so it will be time for a big once over and mild rebuild, maybe time for my gear diffs, going to be a strange year next year here with many rule changes, need me a 17.5 but I'm unsure how much I'll like zero timed 17.5.

Cammer

iTrader: (3)

So do you contact Micheal or EJ at this number.
Phone: (650) 583-8898

stiltskin

iTrader: (103)

Michael.

Lohan

I made the above post as a suggestion for improvement to something I already like.

A forum is not the most difficult thing to set up and run, along with a section for set-up sheets.

I personally found the Xray forum was useful in that one can have a quick set-up comparison so to speak, so one knows they aren't completely out of the 'ball park'.

In addition to this, it will save josh some time in giving answers to certain queries which may effectively be FAQ's.

stiltskin

iTrader: (103)

Not defensive at all. I was a little hesitant to order from TOP also. I like to shop online and click/ship too. Once I started calling or emailing Michael, I never cared about the website and haven't looked at it since. It's a nice idea to have a forum, I was just giving you the likely reason that they don't have one.

MikeXray

iTrader: (73)

Honestly the people you want to reply to your posts all watch this thread religiously, I think the xray forum is successful because it was a bit ahead of its time and the community is already strong there, I don't think the users here would migrate to a TOP hosted forum. I DO like the pdf search engine they have, afaik its custom though and I'm sure that's a few $$ in dev money to setup right.

Manuals I have saved that I go through when looking for explinations of setup changes are: Xray t3 setup guide, corrally phi manual, and the type-r manual.

I bought the XXX main book when I first got into racing, but lent it to a friend who lost it. The problem with bench setups are that even if the settings consistently do the same thing, they can make you drive differently which alters your perception of the change.

DJG24

Does anyone in the US stock the u-pro gear diff for the Photon?

zleader_99

iTrader: (20)

I know is not the Usa.. But Canada... is pretty close.. Check Muchhobby....

MikeXray

iTrader: (73)

Did you check with TOP usa?