MGT

Goal: To have the lighest revo with too much power and tune it to work well in track conditions..with that being said here is the start of my Revo 3.3 project! The truck still looks very new because it is,well clean anyway, and the motor has a 1/2 gallon through it without a hinch! I'm still on my first charge with the ez starter, and this is with a 1500 mah battery counting the break in process. The motor runs all day long and it will sit and idle the same.

Well today I ordered my first wave of parts, nothing to really make the truck more powerfull but to reduce weight....I have a scale that is very accurate to the nearest .005 of an oz. and I spent the past few min. weighin everything that is comming off the truck. I know I will be adding some weight when the carbon comes in but I will weigh it as it comes in, and do the math then. So far this is what I have on order as of tonight; the carbon fiber throttle servo/battery mount, a new rear a-arm, a carbon brake disk, a rear carbon bulk head tie-in plate, along with the traxxas FOC....Spent about $118 but I got a glow pluge & a few other odds and ends..

Stock parts weight taken off:

-ez. start---------------------------------4.61 oz.
-ez-start wires + plastic shocktower holder--.765 oz.
-micro servo + some linkege-----------------.44 oz.
-roll bar + 2 screws------------------------1.06 oz.
-stock throttle box------------------------1.655 oz.
-stock reciver box-------------------------2.795 oz.
-center skid--------------------------------.545 oz.
-opti-drive box + Y connector---------------.485 oz.
-st. servo skid x2---------------------------.37 oz.
-reverse spring-----------------------------.05 oz.
-front + rear bumpers + 4 screws-----------2.37 oz.
-opti-drive sensor---------------------------.08 oz.

Ok now thats not the end of it.

-2 stock steel push rods----------------------1.16 oz.
-2 Factory red alum. push rods-----------------.66 oz. Saved .5 oz. right there and I still need to get 2 more for the rear.
-stock steel brake disk-------------------------.425 oz.
-------------------------------------Total--16.125 oz.

Ok if my adding is right then I have just taken off slightly over a 1 lb. of static weight....Now I know that I will be adding some weight with a pullstarter and the carbon mounts'in stuff when it go's back on but heres the kick...I got the traxxas FOC. so I'm thinkin that the rotational difference along with the carbon fiber brake disk will make up the additional weight if not still make it lighter or at least accelerate faster.

This is just the first portion of it, not close to done yet...I still have Ideas of taking more static weight in the body posts/towers and I have the rear carbon tie plate comming. With all of this I will be well over a pound lighter than stock spending less than $115....According to tower the stock revo weighs in at 9.4 lbs putting me at at least 8.4 lbs....and I still have a lot of weight to take off..

Plans for the future are to add the carbon chassis, the carbon front tie bar, carbon fiber tie rods, 2 more traxxas red push rods, 2 more ti. ni. shock shafts, 1 steering servo, ti. or alum. tranny shafts (not even sure if they even make em??), light weight tires/wheels, a picco maxx .26 and a few other odds and ends. I want to be at 7.XX lbs with the maxx engine and it's just a matter of time...I think 6 lbs is a little out of sight with 4wd anyway.

I was trying to figure the new power to weight ratio but I'm going to sleep now (if you want to do the math to see what it would like in adding power to a stock revo in terms of acceleration go for it..) I will post more as I get more info. and more parts!!! I decided not to bash this one and make it race ready for the season next year. I might buy another used one later on down the road if I miss the huge bmx track air..we will see. I know how well I did when I raced my old 10.5 lb. savage and with this thing I can't waite!!!!

Nebukatnizar

Wow, lets see some pictures of it all, demolishion and taking it apart, and with the new parts on there!!!

thats sick!
good work...im sure you'll lead the pack in all ur races..!!!

REVORN

the preffered weight of revo 3.3 for racing is 7.5 lbs to 8.0 if you go below that average your revo might go with "supeman's back", it flies on the acceleration.

MGT

I don't have my camera now but i will work on seeing if my friend will let me use his. I really don't think that you can go to much below 7.5 lbs with 4wd. Thats about maxed out on reductiion and I want to be at about 7.5 ish lbs. when it's all said and done. But don't forget this truck will no longer have the stock 3.3 but a maxx .26. Not for a while because thats pretty much last on my list along with a better radio system. I will have a pullstarter not a bump starter so thats about the only other thing that you can do to take off weight..

I came up with a list of a few more things that I will be adding in the next few weeks also to reduce the weight even further.

-a carbon fiber tuned pipe
-carbon fiber hing pins
-carbon fiber pushrods
-carbon fiber tie rods
-alum. hardwear/screws (I don't like steel) and this is including the ball ends, rocker posts, ect...

As my parts come in I will make changes to the weight #'s and post the new weight over the stock parts. I think that when it's all said and done before the new power plant I will sit at about 7.2 lbs. with the hpi nubs. I'm undecided on the tire/wheel combo but I'm guessing theat with the truck being so light it won't hook. I might turn to pro-line for somthing with a wider contact surface to get it to hook.

MBX5T Maniac

My Feedback: (-1)

You forgot to weigh the stock chassis, and the rear brace, which you can get in Carbon fiber. Also, you forgot that you should only need one steering servo, therefor removing more weight.

MGT

I'm not getting the carbon fiber chassis for a bit, this is as of now with the parts I ordered as of last night. In my first post I think I said this also but anyway I will weight the stuff as it comes in and compare to the stock weight difference....also switching to 1 servo will be a bit farther down the road too, like I said the engine and radio system are last on the list (inlcuding a new micro reciver w/built in fails safe, 2 new servos , one for steering and one for the throttle/braking....) Also I already have the rear brace in carbon fiber coming my way when it comes in I will post the stock weight and the carbon weight...

Don'y worryI'm not leaving anything out + adding some custom mods to reduce weight even further...[8D] As I make the changes I will post up the new info..this will not happen over night,more like over a month...This carbon suff is pricy!![8D]

MBX5T Maniac

My Feedback: (-1)

Leave engine for last? Bad choice. A bit of Carbon fiber won't affect the performance nearly as much as an engine.

wide_open247

My revo weighs about 8.4 pounds, but I am doing some trimming this winter. I haven't spent much on lightening it up, but have made some custom recievers boxes, battery holder and fuel tank mount, single steering servo, FOC, and a few little things. Plus I am running a RB C5

Don't forget to balance out your truck when your doing this, it will make a huge difference. A lot of the plastic pieces on the bottom like skidplates and stuff can be drilled out.

MGT

I will put my driving skills [>:] + my 7.XX lbs revo with the 3.3 in it, to a stock weight revo with a larger engine any day....I'm sorry but the stock powerplant is more than enough IMO and thats at the stock weight level, it flips in the blink of an eye now imagine it with 2 lbs less!!! With the truck having a lot more power than stock and being at ~7.5 lbs will make it hard to drive, it will have crazy power to weight...I would rather take off weight and put 10 gallons through the stock engine, then buy a nice new one when the rest of the truck is complete. If you disagree than thats fine, you have the right to your opinion, but I live in norther IL. and I will race you anyday with any set-up you can come up with...when I have everthing all said and done.

I'm not trying to bost about myself but somtimes I wonder when I watch videos put up here by other fellow r/c's, especially when it comes to control in the air. I know at the track you don't get much of it nore do you want it because you can go faster on the ground[&o]....I'm just saying.

Your right that "A bit of Carbon fiber won't affect the performance nearly as much as an engine" I agree 100% but heres where I don't;
I'm not just adding a bit of carbon fiber, I already took off a pound in just plastic crap....now factor in all the carbon fiber and my custom mods to shave off another ~1.5lbs and that will certainly make a huge difference. Now thats just static mass....what about the rotational mass, that makes a huge difference in acceleration, much more than reducing just static mass. Factor in some nice tires and wheels and it will most likely be just as fast as a stock weight revo with a bit more power....At least it will be eaiser to drive and thats the #1 factor in racing and thats where my bigest edge comes into play....

This is my little project and I'm not going to buy more power when I don't need it. Also think about this; after the weight reduction is done and I can get to learn the feel of the truck better around the track, then I will add a bigger engine to get even faster lap times...IMHO this is the way too go, but you can do what you want. Thats what most people did back when I ran my savage, took an r/c and stuck in the most power they could....what happened you might ask? They ate my dust plain and simple.

I'm not just slapping this thing together, I'm going to be spending most of this winter getting it and me...ready for more power. Like I said I have a scale and will be sure to have this thing as balanced as I can get it with my know-how anyway. I'm not the smartest person alive but if I could 'hang' with the buggies with a 10.5 lb. savage that I had set up which 75% of it was all done by me, then I will be doing just fine with my newest project. I have learned many new things and also learned a lot from my own mistakes, I'm ready to take this to a new level and time and money is the only thing holding me back...and the cold lol

happywing

I think you're on the right track to a certain extent. I won an A-main in August with my moderately lighter Revo and the stock 3.3. Good setup, but my 3.3 was a very distracting engine. It took away from my racing by being very hard to tune. There was a fine line between perfect and wacked-out. I put an O.S. 18TM in there and life is soo much better now. Very easy to tune, a little better top speed and way more torque on the bottom. Night and day, really.

Last thing. If your Revo "flips with the blink of an eye," your not set up for racing. The first thing you need is a center differential, regardless of it's effect on weight.

Good luck!

MGT

lol yeah my revo is all torn apart now.....let me re-word this. It 'flipped' in the blink of an eye. Past tense, old news, stock set-up, 90% WOT......I have yet to have problems with the 3.3. Only hitch was the carb would only open 90% at WOT. The engine/truck only has a 1/2 gallon through it and the engine keeps getting better. The flipping was not even at full WOT[X(], that will be fixed soon enough though. I have a $8 1500mah battery and it's still not dead, still one the same charge I broke the truck on, and I only used it a few times. After you get the engine warmed up it will idle untill the tank runs dry...

MBX5T Maniac

My Feedback: (-1)

So what's the stock disk brake going to be replaced with? I hope not the Integy carbon one, because it sucks. I went through 1 in one race day, and the performance sucked

wide_open247

The stock brakes work fine, mine is perfect after I dunno how many gallons, lots. 3 engines worth.

Make sure you post everything you do, lots of us would probably do the same to our revo's, including me.

2.5 flex

what about t-maxx i got it to about 10.5 pounds with 85% alum but im gettin a roll cage ???

wide_open247

Good luck, I have a maxx with pretty much most alum. and a mch .26 and its a tank, but they are not really the racer type so i don't think it would be worth it.

for the money you would spend making it super light you could buy a revo and make it lighter

gkcontra

Not to hijack, but if you want to race a TMAXX, aluminum is not your friend!!!! The only aluminum I would suggest are chassis braces and maybe bulkheads, leave all else plastic. My race tmaxx is no where near 10#.