FoamyVictim

Yup, and that's why I asked. Always good to know as much as you can; so when it stops, you have an Idea of what could be wrong. It's the same reason many racers prefer to build their kits...

stoat

Both valid points! Have any of you guys tried messing with timing to change motor temp/current draw? I know on the large EDF jets I fly it makes a huge difference.

FoamyVictim

They all pretty much come set low. And so far, that's where I'm leaving it, because higher settings would likely lead to more heat. I had a hard time keeping the motor cool enough at first, but I never had any desire for more power. I actually have it dialed back a bit! [&:]

allE

I got a chance to drive mine today. I didn't get that much runtime though. First of all I didn't want to put any loctite on the pinion because I was just testing for speed and temps. I found out that loctite even for short runs is nessary. I had to retighten the pinion a few times. I only ran it on 4s and the motor and speed controller ran very cool. I never got a chance to try my 5s packs because I ended up breaking the left rear shock shaft.[:@] I was jumping a small ramp, only getting 6 feet of air. I hit the ramp a little off center and cartwheeled the buggy. I was suprised to find that I just broke a shock shaft. So I just placed a order for some spare parts and will try the 5s packs later this week. It did have good speed and power on the 4s packs so the 5s packs should put me where I want to be. I'll have to say that the Castle-Neu combo was very smooth and the ESC fan never kicked on (should come on at 150 degrees). I had the brakes set for 20% and is still too much. It's going to be one sweet ride when I get her dialed in though.

So I'm assuming since the E version is a little heavier I should run a little stiffer springs?? Maybe why I broke a shock shaft??

allE

I got around this evening to repair my shock on the buggy. It turns out it wasn't a broken shock shaft but the shaft pulled out of the lower nylon mount. I talked to a local racer and he said more than likely it was over-torqued to begin with and the threads were stripped in the nylon. He then said little things like that are why most racers prefer kits rather than race rollers. I did end up putting a little stiffer springs on the rear. I hope to get it out to the track this weekend.

UF DUB

I am very interested to know how it turned out, allE. I have my castle ESC/motor combo on its way at the moment and am curious as to whether i should go ahead and get 5s (heavier) or if 4s will be ok in a buggy. let us know how it compares to nitro and any other conversions u have seen/sampled.

FoamyVictim

Wow, if 4S was "Sufficient" and 5S will more likely make him happy, it must be a pretty big track! I can't get to top speed on our track, just too small, and the straight area is almost 100 ft long!(keep in mind, I not only have to get up to speed quickly, but brake into the hair pin at the end of that straight, so 4S is PLENTY for me, in fact, when most people drive it the first time, they are OVERWHELMED by the power and performance!) This is what I mean:

The straight I'm describing is right in front of the Driver's Stand, or at the bottom of the screen in the vids. So far, my car is the ONLY one that can clear that jump, and it took a sponsored driver in a brand new Hyper 9 running a really strong nitro motor, just to barely make it....I can overshoot it if I'm not careful!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKUWlWDqP3Q

4S is PLENTY of power with the stock Xcelerin System, but if you want more, it's entirely feasible! Also, keep in mind that with the right motor wind, it won't be a whole lot faster, but can be kept allot cooler. More voltage means less effort to do the same work, and thus, lower temps.

allE

Foamy, You might be right about 5s being too much. I hope i can tone it down and get good run times. The smallest pinon I have at the moment is a 12T. I'm going to order a 10T and see what I got then. I just did some testing on 5s and I can't believe how much more power is on tap. Motor, battery and ESC temps are fine, i'm not worried about stressing them. It will rip my fescue grass down to the dirt quickly. I'm going to set the motor timing to the low setting. We are supposed to have racing at our track tomorrow if it dosent rain. I'll see how it does on the track if I can.

xmoderkid

Many of the folks who have been doing this for awhile think the higher voltage (and less amps) is easier on the ESC and motor from an electrical engineering point of view. Something abiot the resistance I think.

allE

I was able to get my buggy out to the track today. This thing is wicked fast!! There were alot of comments from the glow drivers, mostly OOHHs and AHHHs with a few cuss words here and there. I ran it with the 12T pinion, had a hard time not overshooting the jumps. I think with a 10T or 11T pinion it will be good. The Castle-Neu combo ran perfectly, smooth, cool and massive torque.The cooling fan for the esc came on one time that I know of. I think with the smaller pinions I could get 15 min run time easily possibly 20 min and not hurt the batteries. Now I just need to work on my driving skills.

FoamyVictim

The easiest way to think about it, is in terms of "Effort" It takes less effort to move the car at higher voltage. This allows the components to stay cooler.

Glad to hear you're having fun with it. I get many of the same results/comments when I race mine(still 4S though). Up until a few days ago, when the local Sponsored Driver got his new car, I was the ONLY one that could clear one of the jumps at our track... now he can make it with his nitro Hyper 9... but I was the first!

The trick with these cars is to run a line on the track as if you were driving a big 10th scale 4WD(with no brake bias). It takes some getting used to but after I got the hang of it, my lap times are about .5 second off from that sponsored driver. If I could somehow get more bias to the rear, I could go even faster. There are several points when entering a corner, that the nitros can still do it faster, simply because they can let their front wheels spin freely compared to the rear.

So, I'm looking into one of these. It may be just the thing I need to shave that .5 second off my lap times:

http://www.losi.com/Products/Feature...rodId=LOSA3602

aero750rider

im mad cause i dont have my 8ight e yet [X(]

allE

Foamy, I've seen those diffs but how do you think it's going to help brakeing?? I'll get them if it's going to help. I still need some time to dial in my brakes, right now i've got the esc programed for 10% brakeing power and I still dont dare hit the brakes unless i'm going straight where as the nitro cars can slide into a turn.

So you think having the center and front smart diff will allow the front tires to turn while the rear has heavy brakeing??

FoamyVictim

Losi says it right here:

"Losi’s SmartDiff offers off-throttle and on-throttle action. When entering a corner and letting off the throttle, the SmartDiff automatically opens, allowing the gears to rotate freely for improved off-power steering when entering turns. When power is applied, the SmartDiff’s adjustable ramp plates lock on to the gear shafts for increased acceleration out of corners."

Straight from the Losi page I linked to:

"The SmartDiff makes an easy, drop-in hop-up for every 8IGHT-T vehicle. The SmartDiff replaces the stock front diff on the 8IGHT-T without any additional modification required. Losi’s SmartDiff is fully assembled and ready for immediate installation."

Sounds like this one is just for the front. The Fiorni versions seem to be intended for the front and center. At this point, I only plan to get one for the front, and only so I can use the brakes deeper into the corner. I've asked around the track, and those guys generally call Snake Oil on it. But the diffs they had experience with, were the Fironi versions. While pretty similar, there are differences. It's an expensive experiment, but one that could yield precisely the results I'm after. If it does what Losi says it does, then I'll be a happy camper.

HandyRacing

Hey, you guys see this yet?

(we ran one of these motors yesterday)

A whale of a hink sink can, tough in look and feel....

Sitting next to an Excelron, hmmmmmmmm

http://www.rc-monster.com/proddetail...MBO2200&cat=20

FoamyVictim

Looks good! Honestly, if I knew then what I know now, I might have gone the MMM route. However, my replacement Xcerlorin has been excellent.

FoamyVictim

Well, after going back through and reading some stuff, I realized I posted links to the wrong diff! [&:] WHOOPSY! Here's the correct links. The first is to the front diff, the second is to the center version:

http://www.losi.com/Products/Feature...rodId=LOSA3600

and then:

http://www.losi.com/Products/Feature...rodId=LOSA3601

So far, I only want the front diff. Once I get one, I'll be happy to post what I find.

HandyRacing

We picked up our new LOSI 8IGHT roller yesterday (RCPD conversion hardware will be in hand soon), and as luck would have it we also stripped out the remaining good motor end bell threads on our Phase I racing rig (the Jammin)....

We were able to borrow one of the above motors last night for the last race of the day, but its time to move on to Phase II of our "build a race rig project" and upgrade the motor.

So, its time to order an NEU 1512. However, the above combo is VERY tempting.....

(but we also currently have two functional Mamba Maxs)

So, first things first.

More after the holidays, and when we get back on the track.

(I'm way behind in editing for updates to the project, but stay tuned)

HandyRacing

I'll have the techno braintrust of our operation (my son) look this over, seems interesting.

allE

Yea, I understand it opens up when throttle is off, I guess what we need to know what it does when the electric motor is brakeing.

I'm very happy with the Castle-Neu combo. The only thing is the motor should be 1800-2000 kv for 5s but I think I can gear down enough to keep the top speed in check.

FoamyVictim

Cool, shoot more vids!

Well, since the motor applies braking force to the front and rear pretty much evenly, the wheels that grip are the ones that lock up; it's the front wheels because of weight transfer. When I apply the brakes with this diff up front, in theory, the front wheels will roll freely, and the rear will be the primary brakes. This allows you to brake deeper into the corner, and sustain more speed overall.(free-wheeling front wheels mean more steering! ) I can do this with a nitro easily, and am faster though portions of the track because of it. If I can match that entering speed with my 8ight E, I will have overcome a MAJOR hurdle in adapting to the new drive system. It would effectively eliminate the need for a separate braking servo. That may shave the .5 second off my fastest lap, in order to catch the local sponsored driver. [>:]

FloridaDude

how far are u from tampa

FoamyVictim

Me? I'm here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...+fl&iwloc=addr

UF DUB

Foamy:

It sounds like you hope that losi's new diff is essentially a one-way diff; it won't be. As losi states in its press release, under acceleration, the front wheels are locked together (for more traction and acceleration) by the internal ramp arrangement. however, under no load or braking, the wheels are "open" or unlocked to allow the wheels to rotate freely. basically, you are getting a diff with something like 20,000wt oil under acceleration, and something like 500wt oil under braking or coasting. the amount of lock or free wheeling is dependent on the ramp angles. however, you will not be able to lock the rear wheels up and let the front free wheel without having a one way unit.

FoamyVictim

Yeah I know. It's just the closest thing to a one way I can get at this point. I've already asked around, and the opinions on whether or not it will suit me, are mixed. I figure, if I hate it, I can remove it and Ebay it.