(Click any picture to enlarge it)
The Project XXX-S parts, as they arrived 
The front end of my XXX-S, before installing 
The front end of my XXX-S, after installing the tower and inner pivot blocks 
Here you can see the aluminum steering bellcrank system 
The rear end of my XXX-S, before installing 
The rear end of my XXX-S, after installing 
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SpeedTech R/C Project XXX-S Parts
(reviewed by futureal)
Introduction
Without a doubt, the Team Losi XXX-S was the most highly anticipated touring sedan of 2001. Losi seemingly hit a grand slam with the car, as the XXX-S was driven to wins at some of the most prestigious events of the year by the likes of David Spashett (2001 European Champ, 2001 US Indoor Champ) and Paul Lemieux (2001 ROAR Champ). Still, on the club level, the XXX-S garnered mixed reviews. Though it's hard to argue with the car's numerous competitive successes, many racers felt that the car could not compete with a well-set-up Associated or Yokomo sedan. The complaints centered mainly on the car's inability to carry corner speed as well as its competitors, and the lack of "punch" as compared to a 2-belt or shaft-driven car. Although racers will argue the latter of those problems for hours, there is a possible solution for the first. Using a precision aluminum manufacturing process, SpeedTech R/C was the first manufacturer to have provided us with a high/low roll center option for the XXX-S. (Although the modification can be made to the stock Losi parts, I recommend spending the money on pre-fabricated parts if at all possible; the tolerances are quite important). Along with their adjustable pivot blocks, SpeedTech has produced a line of aluminum and graphite hop-ups for the XXX-S, dubbed "Project XXX-S." We will take a look at a few of them here. Graphite Shock Towers
One of (in my opinion) the coolest "dress up" options available for the XXX-S are these graphite shock towers from SpeedTech. As far as I know, they are the only aftermarket towers available for the car, and give it that "trick" look that many of the sedans from Asian companies feature. The only possible problem you'll encounter is that the screw holes in the towers are a bit large for standard 4-40 screws. I had to add slightly longer screws with small locknuts to adequately secure the rear body posts to the tower. I also added locknuts to the back of my ballstuds, just in case (I am using GS Racing 3mm ball studs & cups on my car; I prefer them to the comparable RPM or Losi versions). Performance-wise, the towers are as strong as advertised. After a few weeks of racing, there were no noticeable problems with them, meaning no breaks, cracks, splits or anything. All of that, and the car looks cool to boot. Aluminum Steering Bellcranks
A common problem on any sedan is slop in the steering system, and the XXX-S is no exception. The stock Losi pieces are made of nylon and subject to wear over time, and (in theory) even breakage, although nobody I know has ever had or seen this happen. If your goal is to have the greatest amount of steering precision possible, check out this set of aluminum bellcranks from SpeedTech. They will fit directly on to your car with no modifications, though I highly recommend replacing the four stock nylon bushings with ball bearings. Also, I added a drop of threadlock to the ballstuds, just in case. The quality of the parts is excellent, and performance aside, if you want your car to look great, these fit the bill nicely. Aluminum Outer Pivot Blocks
Similar to their steering bellcranks, SpeedTech's outer pivot blocks (for the front and rear of the car) will look great on the car while reducing the chance of wear and keeping your hinge-pins perfectly aligned at all times. The outer pivot blocks are probably the most "cosmetic" upgrade of the bunch, but you can't go wrong with them. They are available in both the 0/4 degree and 2 degree molds, just as the stock Losi pieces. (Note that the outer blocks are not shown in the pictures to the left). Aluminum Inner Pivot Blocks (High/Low Roll)
Like their other aluminum parts, SpeedTech's inner pivot blocks are made with very tight tolerances to ensure that the fit and hinge pin angles will all be correct. Each set of blocks includes matching aluminum spacers that can be added/removed to raise/lower the roll center. Installing the blocks is a bit of a chore, but I will first talk about why you might want them on your sedan. The ability to change between a higher and lower roll center on a touring car is an invaluable tuning option. The big picture (and what most racers will care about) is that lowering a car's roll center allows the chassis to "roll" more through the corners. A higher roll center gives a car less chassis roll, with the other parts of the suspension (e.g. shocks, springs) assuming greater responsibility. Now which do you want? A good rule is that on a smooth, low-medium bite surface, a lower roll center will increase the car's performance. If the track is bumpy, or has loads of traction, a higher roll center might be in order. Obviously, a driver's preferences come into play, as well as other factors in a car's setup. Changing the roll center can drastically alter a car's performance on a given surface, so if you do decide to change, make sure to allow yourself plenty of time for testing and practice. For the surface I am racing on (medium-high bite carpet), lowering the roll center of my XXX-S made a very noticeable difference. The car negotiated longer, sharper turns much more easily than before, and felt smoother all the way around the track. Other racers at my track had similar experiences with their Losi cars as well, running in both the stock and mod classes (although the low roll center seemed to make a bigger splash in stock, where the variance in lap times can be much smaller). Inner Pivot Installation
Installing the inner pivot blocks on the XXX-S requires some modification -- possible extensive, depending on your definition of "extensive." This is not really SpeedTech's fault, since the Losi chassis can not accommodate the low roll center option by default. Some sort of printed instructions would have been nice, but even without, it is not too difficult (and Steve, SpeedTech's owner, is more than happy to help you out via email or on any of the message forums he frequents). The first step in installing the blocks is removing the old ones, which pretty much means stripping the car down. You'll need to remove all of the front and rear suspension, save for the shock towers. You'll also need to remove the droop screws from the front and rear bumpers. Near the front of the chassis, the spaces where the blocks sit need to be ground down. This can be seen by sitting the aluminum blocks on the chassis such that the screw holes line up; the chassis has a round on the inside that needs to go. I used a Dremel tool to take a little bit away at a time, checking the fit periodically. Once the blocks sit flush with the chassis, you can screw them in, but not all the way; you'll want to leave them a bit loose so that the hinge pin angle can be adjusted. Follow the same procedure for the rear blocks, although no chassis modifications are required there. Next, you'll have to cut the "bump stops" off of the front and rear bumpers. Since the arms will be riding closer to the chassis, they need more clearance. I just used a cutting wheel on my Dremel to cut them flush with the bumpers' surfaces, and then put the bumpers back on the car. At this point you can attach the rest of the suspension, making sure to tighten the screws on the inner blocks once the hinge pins are securely in place. The final step is the droop screws. You can either find shorter ones at your local hobby shop/hardware store, or do what I did and cut them down. I once again used the cutting wheel on my Dremel to cut the original screws roughly in half, and that worked fine. If you choose to cut these, be careful; you'll definitely need eye protection, and a cutting surface that is impervious to sparks. All in all, the installation of the blocks is somewhat tedious, but worth the effort. You will now be able to change between high and low roll center on your car just by adding or removing the aluminum spacers included with the blocks. Remember that you will have to set up your car from scratch after changing the roll center, meaning ride-height, camber, droop and so on. The Verdict
All of the Project XXX-S parts are great additions to the car, and in the case of the shock towers, you can't find them anywhere else. Compared to other manufacturers of similar parts (such as Trinity), SpeedTech offers the same (if not better) quality for a much more affordable price -- and who wants red anyway? If you can't afford them all, do yourself a favor and check out the adjustable roll center blocks. I can't think of a more worthy performance upgrade to the stock XXX-S kit.
Tech Rating
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