My first XR8 Kit
 

Went to the LHS and came back with a few goodies.

Attachment 2239694

I am at the assembly line at the moment. Somewhat difficult to install the wheel retainers with the compressed spring.

Lets see how it goes. I have several single and dual chamber pipes and I am not sure if go with the LRP .28 or the O.S. .21RG.

The hobby shop gave a good deal for the kit; $355.00.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

What company is that?

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

Its power racing.. Man that is sweet im thinking about getting the xr80. keep us updated on your progress. for sure.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

Never seen any1 with one of these yet. Cant wait to see the finished product.[8D]

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

Awww man do a search there are a few posts about them.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8/XR8Kit9.jpg
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http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...8/XR8Kit12.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...XR8/XR8Kit.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...8/XR8Kit13.jpg
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http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8/XR8Kit2.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8/XR8Kit1.jpg
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Ok, here is where am at so far. The instructions are terrible. Many parts are labeled with the same item number, but yet are different. The drawings contradict build up and sometimes steps are not printed in sequence. I have had to go back a few steps in assembly because there is no way to assemble some parts like the sway bars or rear arms. The pinion gear combination is not labeled as to which is for the front or the back. I figured it out because the belts were too tight. The kit itself is of very high quality, all parts fit well without problems. The only thing I should bring up is the brake Arm, for being a kit it should have been 7075 metal than plastic. The brake arm takes a lot of punishment for a car that is going to be doing 80 mph, so of course I have to get a metal one. Its just lame that can be had as an upgrade when this kit is an upgrade high end version of the XR80.

Settings: One of the hardest things to take about this kit is there is NO, I mean NONE, reference to settings. It does not specify the adjustments for the camber, caster, length of the arms with the ball ends, travel. It only tells a little about steering and sway bar length, but thats it. Usually kits explain a minimal starting point for the arm length and travel, this kit I am on my own. I know I will be spending time dialing the suspension, its part of the hobby I guess.

Customer service is great; I called them today and answered all my questions without hesitation. Now I have to decide which body to buy...

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8/XR8PII4.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...XR8/XR8PII.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8/XR8PII1.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8/XR8PII6.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8/XR8PII7.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8/XR8PII9.jpg

This is my second to 3rd day. The assembly is very slow do to crappy useless instructions. I have built most of the car by looking at pictures from the Power Racing website and some common sense. A few things dont make sense like the servo tray for steering is somewhat small. The kit recommends a high torque servo, but when I am trying to install it the box is too small. I had to dremmel on the box on each side for the servo to fit. The servo saver barely touches the front belt and I had to shave it down a little on the outside diameter. As you can see I am missing the gear that connects the front to the back. Is the empty shaft on the back suspension. I called the company and they just sent me one for free, so no biggie.

The fuel tank floats and is not firmly supported, I had to cut a piece of fuel line and install right at the edge, now it is snug tight. The kit has minor details it missed, but overall it is very clean. I have spent more time figuring out how to assemble and with what parts do to the mediocre instructions. I am taking pics and making my own troubleshooting XR8 manual for future reference.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8/XR8PII5.jpg

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

Man great build i am watching this thread very closely as i am thinking of getting the same car.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...8PartIII10.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8PartIII9.jpg
The tuned pipe is no bling bling (I Know). Hey I am on a budget from the Kit purchase. This weekend will buy the golden tuned pipe from Power Racing which is on sale at my LHS.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8PartIII8.jpg
Flywheel bump starting is a breeze, proper clearance from donut to the flywheel. As you can see the bolts look different; the kit brings 6 bolts of 4mm x 8mm and I decided to swap a few for 10mm and 12mm for a more secure fit.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8PartIII7.jpg
At least this kit offers a receiver tray, Serpent does not have any. The receiver box is very small and to route the wires I made a small hole on the bottom. Before I forget, a 5 cell AAA battery pack is needed. The typical flat or hump battery pack used on buggies or 1/10 On Road touring cars will not fit. The car is big, but they want to cramp everything as low as they can to lower the center of gravity; Serpent and XR8 have the same battery setup.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8PartIII6.jpg
I was going to install the LRP .28, but decided to go with the O.S. .21. Its my first On -Road car and wanted something more driveable.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8PartIII5.jpg
The manifold coupler cost me $15.00, its weird looking but does it job well.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8PartIII4.jpg
Ok, here I really start to complain. The settings of a centax clutch are a nightmare to anyone who has never messed up with ever. Like I just said; the manual is worthless explaining proper settings. Serpent website has a PDF file from the Serpent 950 and 960 that has all settings in detail. If you are planning on doing this kit, print the PDF from Serpent, its 32 pages long with plenty of info from clutch, shocks, suspension, belt tension etc. The clutch would not engage; it was a nightmare, I tore it apart like 5 times checking proper shim clearance which is about .5mm. The centax clutch uses a spring to adjust engagement. I think Power Racing sent me the wrong one because it did not matter how loose the bolt was it was still not engaging. You know what? Dremmel time, break it or fix it... Cut half a loop on each side of the spring and installed it again. Walla; works like a champ. Adjusment is a breeze and grips the bell on demand. The springs are no tech item so this weekend will go to the hardware store that has tons of springs and play with them to test different setups.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8PartIII3.jpg
Brake feel is responsive, crisp; makes the XR8 stop on a dime. Remember to break them in. Do the same for the belts, dont just drive it like a maniac right out of the box. Let the belts and brakes go almost the same amount of tanks of a brand new engine; maybe 4 to 5.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8PartIII2.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...R8PartIII1.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...XR8PartIII.jpg

So far I drove it in front of my house. I bet the neighbors will not like my new toy. It was accelerated to almost half throttle and it would feel as if the car was just floating, very light and nimble at the same time menacing. I just cant explain; I know the car will rip the road badly. Its very tempting to go full throttle, just cant cause engine is on break in as well as the belts and brakes. For a $350.00 kit compared to a Serpent that run for $600.00 the kit is not bad at all. I have driven 1/10 touring cars, buggies, trucks and nothing compares to this. Its like learning to drive again. The most difficult part starts now; dialing the suspension and having to buy a tire truer, LOL (like $200.00).

I saw a Serpent at the store and looked almost identical or even somewhat better. I do recommend to use the instructions from Serpent website and a better set of tyres as these one seem too brittle. Will post more info once I pass the break in and get my new body.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

Man thanks for the reveiw when i get mine i will be checking out this thread some more if i dont memorize it lol. good infor once again and SWEEEEEEEEEEET ride when i get mine i might throw in a shs motor as i have heard good things even tho i am an o.s fan. for my 1/10 scale. but once again that car is SWEEEEEEEEEEET. How much total did everything enc up costing you from start to finish?

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

$350.00 plus $25.00 for tax= $275.00

$120.00 on radio gear

$140.00 for the O.S. Engine

$10.00 On/Off switch

$22.00 battery pack (5 AAA rechargeables)

$4.00 shock oil, 60 weight

$2.00 fuel line

$4.00 extra glow plug, one died during break-in

$17.00 with tax for a exhaust manifold

$20.00 for the dual chamber tuned pipe (I used the one from my OFNA Ultra MBX)

Overall around $720.00; not bad just by knowing thats more or less the price for a Serpent 960 Kit.

A few things I had before; tuned pipe, shock oil, high torque servo, glow plugs; so I did not spend it all in one weekend. I have read on european forums where the cream of the crop is a Novarossi engine for these kits. For someone like me who is going to bash it, its just amazing the acceleration of the car. At the blip of the throttle the car just takes off. I weighted it today, 5 pounds with 5 ounces. Back to basics in terms of reflexes; have to predict ahead of time a clean line. Once I hit WOT this thing is gone before I can even turn my neck; better have around 40 to 50 feet to safely brake without tail sliding. I barely bliped it a few times because its still on break-in stage from brakes, clutch pads, belts and engine itself. The O.S. .21 is consistent, reliable and runs cool and I consider it too fast for me. The tuned pipe looks funky although performs great and I give it a plus plus at WOT making a hair raising scremaing sound. Seriously I need a big shopping mall parking lot to fully blast the XR8.

Finally dialed a little better the suspension, it was to stiff; adjusted the shims on the clutch and loosen the shoe spring. Now I need a body.

Other PDF files that should be printed as reference is from www.Kyoshoamerica.com the Evolva 2003 instead of the 2005. Its closer in its construction with the XR8. Another great PDF, 1/8 Motonica at www.rcinfos.com.

2 things are described incorrectly on the XR8 manual; installation of the 2 speed transmission. If you follow there steps the car will never engage 2nd gear. The illustrations shows it backwards; which I did it without thinking. Another thing to be taken in consideration; cut half a loop on each side of the clutch spring and put clutch pads between the pins; pin-pad-pin-pad so on, so on. Do not put the pins inside the pads. The pads are suppose to be free; the book shows it wrong. Follow MOtonica or Kyosho Evolva for more instructions. I will post pics soon of the glitches... The bolt used at the end of the clutchbell may vary depending on your engine and collet. I took like four or five 3mm x 16mm and cut them in different sizes starting from 12.5mm all the way to 15.5mm. Play with them and find out in combination with the shims which one is the correct bolt for your clutchbell. Mine liked a 13mm for the O.S. with a .7mm shim behind the flywheel. The kit is easy to build; the centax clutch is the tricky part, once adjusted properly its a breeze to adjust with a VERY small flat head screwdriver. Remove the glow plug from the engine or loosen it so the flywheel can be rotated. The clutchbell has a small hole similar to a 2 - speed transmission. A small bolt with a groove can be seen. Insert the flathead screwdriver so the nut is wedged or fixed, then start rotating the flywheel. If the FW is rotated CW (front engine view) it will loosen the nut making engagement quicker. CCW will engage later. Make sure idle screw meets factory settings.

The car has its ups and downs- its no plug and play, fuel and battery and lets bash. Patience will pay off if the centax clutch is setup correctly. I will upgrade with a Serpent clutch later, for time being its working great. Will post more pics soon and if possible a small video. I take back the upgrade part, for now the Power Racing centax clutch is a champ.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

Great review of the car. I would be interested to see how these cars perform on a track against Mugen, Serpent, etc. It looks good. How is the support and customer service.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

PSI, you came a long way with this kit since you literally put it together by yourself since the intructions were useless. Very nice job explaining while putting the car together.
the people that make that xr8 offer pre painted lola bodies or you could get the one that comes with the xr80. Or you could just get an unpainted one from proline or somthing.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

very nice.....i have the serpent 950 and teh 960....lots of moeny was spent on these kits...

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

PRO: Thank you very much, I appreciate everybody liked the step by step. I was new into the 1/8 On Road so you had to bear with me if I sounded to rookish, LOL. Like I mentioned before the 1/8 its very good, but it is not to the level of a Serpent. Maybe it could go head to head with someone depending on who is the driver and settings of each vehicle.

VA: I talked a few times with customer service and they were not bad at all. One part was missing and they did not ask for receipt or phone number of hobby shop etc. They still have plenty of parts and I know there is another store besides them who sells replacement parts.

About the body; I bought for now the one from the XR80. I REALLY wanted to drive it and noticed the body was solid enough compared to others. The more racing oriented is the body the lighter they tend to be to save weight. Soon will be getting in the mail the Porsche 962 EV2 body, its my favorite.

At least for me I am experiencing the foam tires dont stick well when driving it on parking lots. It may sound crazy, but I drive around town looking for CLEAN parking spots, Can you believe that? If I drive it someplace that is not clean that car gets nasty and combined with nitro burned oil it all becomes a big mess. I wish the car would always stay spankin clean, but I did not buy this one to become a shelf queen like all the others I have. Currently I clean it with a dry paint brush and a toothbrush.

Kurt, what viscosity of oil did you use in yours?

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

PSI, i will also be driving around looking for a clean parkinglot very soon so I can run my serpent again. Dont really plan to race no time soon. Where did you order that Porsche body from?? I been wanting a GT1 style body like that for a long time.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

[link=http://www.prop-shop.com/WCAR2.HTM]Porsche 962 EV2[/link]

The page is very cheap, but it was the only place I found it.

Once on the page do a FIND for SER 1754

They got it for $35.00 and for shipping is somewhere in the $4.00 to $5.00 range.

If the link does not work do a google for Porsche 962 ev2 1/8 SER-1754

The store name is Pro Shop Hobbies.

http://www.rc-store.net/catalog/images/1754

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

i seen that body at a few places, i was thinking of it being one of the GT1 bodies, those are the bodies thats very rare to come by.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

Very nice write up. Do you think the car is worth bashing/parking lot racing or should it be a track car only?

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

has anyone physically been at that proshop hobby store? its pretty close to me, i may have to make a trip this weekend and check it out

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

The PRP was specifically made for those who'd like to enter 8th onroad circuit racing that can't afford to spend $500+ on a kit. A friend of mine ran his a while back with the VZR II motor and it is a nice ride, but overall if you want to get real serious then look at the top 3 vehicles on the market. The car is similiar to the others and can share some parts, but I'd only use springs and or shocks. Some like using the 600wt oil with Mugen white springs, or the Kyosho Evolva blue springs. If you want to bash then get the RTR version as it'd be better suited for some non track fun. The kit that PSI has is the race version. Just remember these cars primarily take foam tires and the only set of rubber tires, rain tires, are sold overseas though nowadays barely used anymore.

PSI- For bodies the Protoform Lola T530 is a good start. Others like the Kyosho dome and the Parma M bodies. The Whips I is good, but not roar legal and quite light so it'd tear pretty easily in a crash. They are making the Whips II which is roar legal and stronger than the first version. Definately see if you can get a used .21 circuit motor somewhere as that RG is gonna be quite slow in that car especially since its a buggy motor - it'd lack top end. If only I wasn't using my Nova Top in my MRX4 I'd get the rebuild kit for it and sell it to you so you can experience some real speed. [8D] Good luck with the car and let us know how you do with handling it on the pavement.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

I use it for bashing on parking lots.

I guess it can be used for track only as well, but like Saboteur mentions it would be better to grab a Serpent 950. Dont get me wrong customer support is great and plenty of parts available at a reasonable price compared to the Serpents. I think that with the proper dialing and experienced driver this car can keep up with the rest on most tracks. The only thing is missing is the engine side (right side of car) that does not have the metal chassis brace and the brake lever is made out of plastic. They sell it as an upgrade for the XR8 which I see it lame because the XR8 is suppose to be the upgraded one. The rest of the car is almost exaclty the same in tuning capabilities. In fact it has so many that I dont know what affects what, so I go with an eye approximate for camber caster and test it. Maybe later I will by one of those set-up tuning stations, but I am good for now. Tha brake discs, front sway bar, design of the 2 speed transmission. The chassis on the XR8 is ridiculously thick and light. I took it to HoobyTown to see if I could find any LOLA body. You know how they are used to sell only Traxxas, HPI, Kyosho and Tamiya; one of the clerks saw the chassis and was amazed on how thick it was. At least its kind of cool when I get compliments from people who work at the shop. I had a chance to put it side by side with a Serpent and the differences were minor, but I think it was a Serpent 910 or 905 something like that. For me the most difficult thing is finding a good parking spot where I dont get harrased by the building or area security guards. Nearby it has tons of executive communication offices and the spots are pristine with almost no bumps and exceptionally clean. Security guards kick in late at night so I try to get out by 8 or 9 pm.

I have not been in tat store, I live in Nor Cal, its somewhat a long drive.

Its a hassle to clean it afterwards, I will post some pics after bashing it, its not cool at all.

The .21 OS RG is not that fast, it is reliable. I am trying to get a feel for the car and learn how to drive it on how it is going to react etc. Once I learn how to tweak it and what the car does not like I will get a real On Road engine. I will look into the one you suggested and see if maybe I can get it cheap. Remember I am still recovering, the credit card bill just arrived, thats just the way it works for me and got to keep it low key (and not to obvious) with sporadic purchases so my wife does not suspect although she knows more than that, LOL.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

Man today i had to pass up a pretty good deal. one of the guys i drag race with was selling a serpent 950r i think or 955 which ever one they make. but he was selling the pipe centax clutch and rolling chassis for 250 but since i broke i had to telll him i gotta pass but man it was a nice ride if i do say so my self. if he has it closer to may then i might scoopp it up and he was giving two bodies away with it. [&o]

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

I would surely let him know if I drove my serpent more than I do now, it would be good for more parts.

RE: My first XR8 Kit
 

PSIturbo- That's one of the things with onroad - to find a nice spot to drive them. There's always some issue that prevents a car to be driven on perfect grounds. As for the PRP, it's still a good car and in capable hands can run with the rest of cars out there. For an engine, check out the OS motor as it's inexpensive.

http://www.osengines.com/engines/osmg2072.html

The Mega engine from Serpent is decent too. They claims the 06' versions feature a stronger crankshaft and conrod so it won't break as the older ones did. For more power it's a good motor, otherwise being on a budget I'd still get the OS and use the coupons off tower to reduce the pricing a bit. Overall an 8th onroad car is beefed up compared to a nitro touring car and can take abuse a bit more. However being bigger and stronger they also hit harder. They don't use foam on the bumper otherwise the lola bodies wouldn't fit. Speaking of the lola body that is the best body to run with period for these cars. Try anything else and they'd be a handful at any given speed. They are crucial in keeping the car planted. To make use of the downforce properly they have what's called a floating rear body mount. See the arms connected to the long body mount?

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...r/DSCN2523.jpg

The force from the air flowing over the body presses down on the mount which sends the force to the hubs. Without this, you are simply pressing down the rear of the car offering less suspension action and can result in major understeer. I tried driving my nitro sedan with two different bodies to prove this: the Protoform Dodge Stratus 3.1 and the Protoform 200 mm Lola T530 (for nitro sedan). The Stratus body allowed my car to make use of the chassis setup better and basically felt more freely around the track which is good incase of slight errors. The Lola kept the car well planted and sometimes even too planted so some speed was scrubbed off. Anyway, back to 8th for Serpent there is only the Serpent Vector, Veteq, 950, 960 and 960R. As far as the RG goes it indeed is reliable and will get you use to it. Being on a budget is indeed annoying, but most importantly get things you need first then you can worry about RC and the other stuff later.