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MPI clutch springs

Old 08-11-2006, 08:20 AM
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jguitarsandcars
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Default MPI clutch springs

OK, so I've been having a hard time finding Traxxas Clutch springs without buying the whole slice with the useless shoes. When I broke my first clutchspring, I ended up buying HOTBODIES that the LHS told me "should work" when I asked for the Traxxas ones he didn't have. They were much thicker, a little longer, and much much stiffer than the stock one...It fit alright, but stuck out of the grove and rubbed the clutchbell (or danged close to it) where the shoe pins are, and the thing never ran right after that (very sluggish like it was fighting something). When I placed my last order of parts through TST and Tower of stuff I wanted in 1 shot, I ended up getting the MPI springs through Tower as once again, I could not find just the Traxxas springs. Now that we have some long winded background, here's my actual ??? The MPI's appear to be a better fit, they're the same diameter as the stock ones, a little longer, and a little stiffer, but nowhere near as stiff as the HOTBODIES, however there are no loops and hooks on the ends. All they are is a a length of spring stock that was stretched enough to cut it to length. From trying to rebend my stock one, and my background, I know spring steel is not easy to bend, and becomes brittle...Has anyone else used these MPI clutch springs??? How are you supposed to keep them hooked together???
Old 08-11-2006, 10:31 AM
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{GBI}Harryball
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Default RE: MPI clutch springs

The actual lengh of the stock spring is 1 and 13/16 inches long. The spring you have you will have to cut then bend the loops in. The measurement of the stock spring is from the end of the loops. Subtract 2/16 of an inch for the inside lengh of the spring. Hope this helps.
Old 08-11-2006, 11:43 AM
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jguitarsandcars
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Default RE: MPI clutch springs

Thanks Harry...I don't remember reading anywhere that we needed to cut down the traxxas springs, and these were supposed to be aftermarket for them (of course, I assume the very different one's I got from the LHS were supposed to be for the traxxas since that's what I had originally asked for...
Old 08-11-2006, 11:48 AM
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Default RE: MPI clutch springs

Don't cut them. They're a pain in the butt to get to hold together, but also, crimp the open end with a pair of pliers (and yes, I know that in theory this will weakin the spring but I never had a problem out of it). I had to do that to use one of those springs on my old T-maxx.
Old 08-11-2006, 11:51 AM
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jguitarsandcars
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Default RE: MPI clutch springs

Thanks Eric...so they're OK to use at the length they are, even though they're about 1/4-3/8" longer than stock?
Old 08-11-2006, 12:49 PM
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Default RE: MPI clutch springs

as long as it'll fit tight around the clutch shoes, you'll be fine. I haven't actually seen one of these springs in person in a while (or a t-maxx clutch) but IIRC the Maxx clutch setup is quite a bit smaller than ours, so if the spring is longer than the stocker, it should even be easier to fit around the clutch (I have noticed that the stocker is a bit small for the clutch shoes)
Old 08-11-2006, 01:30 PM
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Default RE: MPI clutch springs

Hey Eric, i understand you telling him not to cut the springs, my question to you is--- there has to be a specific amount of tension on the spring, with a longer spring less tension will be applied will it not? My suggestion to have him cut the spring was to get it as close to the stock performance as possible. Am i wrong in this thinking?
Old 08-11-2006, 02:04 PM
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jguitarsandcars
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Default RE: MPI clutch springs

LOL...All I know is that those Hotbody one's were both thicker in Diameter and longer (and they had hook and loops), and the car never ran right afterwards. It really bogged, I don't know if the extra length caused it to grab too early, or if the performance was effected by them being thicker than the stock, or stiffer...
Old 08-11-2006, 03:25 PM
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Default RE: MPI clutch springs

ORIGINAL: {GBI}Harryball

Hey Eric, i understand you telling him not to cut the springs, my question to you is--- there has to be a specific amount of tension on the spring, with a longer spring less tension will be applied will it not? My suggestion to have him cut the spring was to get it as close to the stock performance as possible. Am i wrong in this thinking?
You may be right, because the aluminum shoes are heavier than the T-maxx composite clutch. However, since the T-maxx spring works well on the stock clutch (I've noticed it engages later than the stocker, too) I'm making an educated guess as to the MIP springs working properly. I haven't tried the MIP's, but I know the Traxxas springs work fine, and yes you are correct in theory (and I can't tell you that you're wrong in practice either, because you may be spot on), but the other contributing factor to later or earlier engagement will also be spring tension.

theoretically, too, the longer MIP spring may actually help the higher "stall speed" of the stock Traxxas clutch so maybe it'll cancel out?

hopefully J can help us out by being the Guinea Pig

J...were the Hot Bodies springs for one of their own nitro cars or for the T-maxx or what? if they were for one of the Hot Bodies 1/10 cars I could see them being too long, because I'm sure that the clutch is probably at least VERY similar to the one they sell as an option for HPI's 1/10 nitro cars, which is a bit bigger in diameter than the T-maxx/RC10GT MIP clutch and IIRC a bit heavier too.
Old 08-11-2006, 03:52 PM
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jguitarsandcars
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Default RE: MPI clutch springs

LOL...OK...well all I know is these are a little heavier than our stock ones, but not by too much, but maybe the higher spring tension will cancel the extra length...What the heck, They come with two and I don't think they'll break like the stock ones, so I'll try both...who know's when I'll get to finish putting it back together, I took it apart last week, then have been too busy, been doing a little at a time...I'm making a lot of changes to the whole car and have been running into small issues that are taking me away from working on it driving around trying to find small stuff I want to make what I want to happen actually happen.
Eric, as for the HPI's, I have no clue what they're off of, and the package is long since thrown away, all I know is I went to the LHS asking for the Traxxas one's listed on the "Buggy Compatible Parts" thread by number...I had no clue what model they were supposed to be from (the car, the Maxx, the Revo, the Jato, the old TRX .15, the TRX 2.5, or the TRX 3.3), but when I asked for them by part number, he said he didn't carry just the spring, only the whole clutch slice and he was out of them...He went to the racks, came back with the Hot Bodies and said "these'll work", so I would assume that either they're replacements for the one's I asked for, or they're aftermarket ones that some of the guys with the traxxas run for better reliability or performance...The shop is the one who sold me the S-Maxx for my son, so he knew I had that...
Old 08-12-2006, 11:40 AM
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Default RE: MPI clutch springs

i went to my lhs and did the same as you. they where out of the traxxas spring, so he gave me an mpi spring. set of two, said they wher the same thing. the ones i got are a little longer and smaller in diameter but stiffer. the spring fit's with no problems. i've been running this spring for 1 or 2 weeks, works great. it does enguage later then the stock spring.

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