MOJOE300

Hey cain, to tell you the truth, I just had the size for the diffs in my extra parts. Im not even sure what size they are, I dont have a micrometer. As far as running bearings in the diff. I always felt they were a must. Bushings wear after time, and in a place such as the diff I feel they will wear and get sloppy. I have bearings in all of my 4 wheel cars diffs. They make the diff smoother and are more reliable. Some may not agree. Its my opinion and choice

Cain

iTrader: (294)

mojo, no problem, just curious what the thought was on them. I will see what sizes the diff uses when I get it in. I figure when I do a rebuild I will check it out as my TC3 diff is pretty smooth with the bushing. If you do have a chance however to measure the diff bushings to get a size and can post that would be great.

Supra66, not sure what an M3 turnbuckle is. I believe the millimeter for the turnbuckles is:

52mm and 42mm.

I am not sure which of the two you need more of, my guess is more of the 52mm and the 42mm for the steering links. But the B3 turnbuckle kit should work as the guy who did use them when with B4 length up front and on the rear camber links, and B3 rears on the steering links. B4 fronts are the same as B3 fronts ( 2.06" ) so a B3 kit will work. You may want to go with AE turnbuckles however as I think Lunsfords are a pinch longer, but I am going to go with lunsfords and I will post how they go.

bgotori

Hey All

What wheels will work on this Buggy???


Thanks!!!

Brad Gotori

fastboy

the kit is not sold as a top level car,and as such is fitted with plastic shocks to help keep the price low..it is a sport version,the fact that it is able to compete with more expensive cars does not change that fact.

thanks
dave
team academy uk

MOJOE300

Fastboy, I am well aware of the parts on a "sport" buggy. I know that they keep the price down, but Academy could have put aluminum bodied shocks in the kit. How much are we talking here? What would it cost them anyway let say an extra $20.00. I paid 199.00 from the company that imports and distributes the car (MRC). The car is available for 149.99. I think people wouldnt mind spending lets say 179.00 with aluminum bodied shocks, but you know what? Im the type of guy who wants everything when he buys a REAL car, and want EVERYTHING when I buy a rc car. I want ALL the options. I dont look to skimp. I think if you work for Academy, you should concentrate more on making it easier for us to look up bearing sizes and finding info about the car. So we shouldnt have to search the WEB, Losi, yokomo, associated, schumacher do. Why shouldnt Academy. Afterall we are the customers? Correct?

MOJOE300

P.S. I have been racing since 1986, I do not need to prove the worth of aluminum compared to plastic. We all know the difference, plastic will not stop the car from working, but they will wear and force someone to go out and replace them with aluminum. I remember when I bought the first Yokomo MR4BC, it had plastic shock bodies. I also paid 149.00 for it from Ultimate hobbies. I threw the plastic ones in the garbage and put Losi threaded bodies on it. Associated put out "sport" buggies in the RC10B2 and sport B# they didnt skimp on the shocks. Academy is supposed to make a name for themselves in the competitive 4wheel market, especially in a quiet class. I understand that it keeps the price down, but in the long run they will need to be changed. What are you saving then?

fastboy

i dont work for academy,i am a team driver for them in the uk.
the sb is a sport version so wouldnt be released with alloy shocks nor bearings..if they had put alloy shocks in the sport kit,whats next..just a few more bearings??,ti turnbuckles??,carbon chassis????...the list wouldnt end and then it wouldnt be a sport kit at a very cheap price would it?...,thats where the team version or pro version will come in,they will have these options,the car was made at that price so it is cheap enough for beginners and yet still be competetive.
your right SOME ppl wouldnt mind paying a little more for extra goodie bits..but some would.

im sure when the team version is released you will be able to spend a little more and get all the bits you need.

remember you cant please eveyone all the time..just because you wanted alloy shocks in a sport version doesnt mean everyone else does.

as for not having a listing of the bearings etc then that is down to your distributor in the usa..we in england have no problems whatsoever in regards attaining parts etc..i think mrc is to blame on your end.
thanks
dave

MOJOE300

By the way, Brad asked what kind of wheels will work on the car, I feel his question warrants an answer more than my opinion did. Especially from someone from "team academy".


They have a hex hub Brad, Kyosho wheels such as the Lazer zxr wheels, or optima/ultima series will fit the hub.

MOJOE300

Oh so you are on Academy's team. Maybe since you are you could pass along my comments, being a "team" driver you should be able to give the company our Non team driver" input.

I am very aware of the marketing scheme used by businesses. I understand everything you have written. Remember, the majority of people that read up on here arent "team" drivers. They need customers opinions that know. I was sponsored a long time ago, and never would want to be again. I have my own money and dont need special access to parts to be competitive. I am from the OLD school.

fastboy

the wheel hexes on the sb are of an 11mm diameter..if you can find other wheels that fit this size then great..providing they have the correct offset that is.

just because i didnt answer brads question first does not mean it is taken as unimportant...i didnt have to come on here and post information and probably think that its best left to the usa distributors (MRC) to supply your information in future.

thanks
dave

MOJOE300

remember you cant please eveyone all the time..just because you wanted alloy shocks in a sport version doesnt mean everyone else does.

This car is not a Tamiya Baja king. No offense to tamiya, this car is meant to compete with the best 4 wheel cars. When people rae using the car and smack a board and their shock BREAKS because its plastic......haha thats a good one. They will be running to the store to buy a set of aluminum bodied shocks. I just dont understand the skimping. I apologize, cost down????? I just dont see what 20 or so extra dollars will do when you will be racing this car for a whole season. Especially in what we all spend. AGAIN MY OPINION...........Joe

MOJOE300

No harshness meant towards you Dave, just got kind of into the discussion. This car seems to be stirring up some people here and I wanna see the car do well. I am passionate about my hobby and cars I have collected since I was 13. I will do whatever I can do to make a car I build work well. This car has a shot in reviving the 4 wheel class along with the J-concepts BJx4. I hope the class grows. Thankyou for your opinion Dave.

Cain

iTrader: (294)

Mojo and Dave, keep the thoughts coming, heated discussions using thought instead of raw emotion are what we need from time to time as long as it is constructive.

I got a report on the vehicle from another person who built it, main this is that it has inherent flex to it, and the arms and shock towers have that too. Mojo, when you built it did you notice this as well?

Would you say the flex in the arms is similar to the RPM arms like that made for the B3 and GT? If the material is the same or close, it should be very durable as my RPM arms never broke and were guaranteed not to.

Dave:

Does Academy plan to make a stiffer composite arms and shock towers , similar to a graphite composite like AE and Losi use here? This may satisfy guys who want a stiffer car to upgrade to.

Also, if you know the size of the bushings in the diff, please post for those who want to replace them with bearings.

fastboy

mojoe
no offense taken..but your missing the point..its a sport version and as such has to be treated as such,the kit initially was aimed at the avg club racer who wanted a cheap car..and who isnt bothered about plastic shocks or graphite chassis etc,it was quickly realised that hey,this can really compete against the big boys and as such a team version is being worked on by academy that should keep the more experianced racer(such as yourselves) happy.
as i said before..if you start adding better components the list goes on and on then it stops becoming a budget kit.

as far as the plastic shocks go i havent had a problem with them.

im running the car as standard except for:schumacher cat springs,ballraces in the wheels and turnbuckles from the academy griffin pro.
i wanted to run the kit as stock as possible to prove that you dont need all the 'bling' bits to make a car work.just good fundemental designs.
the first thing to do to upgrade is 8 ballraces in the wheels then turnbuckles,the plastic shocks will more than suffice at club level...infact ive run 2 nationals on them plus numerous club meets as well as around 20 battery packs at the local bmx skatepark trying to wreck the car.
our local track has a huge jump...flat out with 10 turn motors and jump about 25 feet at around 4ft high onto concrete covered with astroturf and no shock problems.

the chassis does flex on the car..which isnt a bad thing on low grip surfaces but on high grip traction rolling surfaces can make any car unpredictable.

dave

Cain

iTrader: (294)

dave,

how well do the arms hold up?