RC Car - T3, XXT CR, Hopups?

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T3, XXT CR, Hopups?

Comments: GREAT WEBSITE! Which do you think is better the Losi XXT "cr" or the Team Associated T3? I have raced the T3 before, but would like to try the XXT. Perhaps, you could give me a list of pros and cons to each of the trucks listed. Your response would be greatly appreciated. Also, I was wondering do you think that all the hop-up parts are simply gimmicks, such as: titanium top shafts, aluminum outdrives, anodized bulkheads, gold shock shafts, graphite chassis, I could keep going and going. Would you care to give me a run-down on good hopups for the fore mentioned trucks.

Thanks,

Response: I could not tell you which truck is better between the T3 or the XXT CR. Both are the best, both could win a race at any time, both offer the best factory support, both have amazing warranties, both have easily accessible parts. Stick with what you know and what others are running in your area so you can trade set ups.

I really like your other question. There are many hop ups available on the market and many of them are gimmicks. You are the first person to inquire as to which ones are gimmicks.

I won't have time to cover all of them but I will cover the ones you mentioned and the ones I think are good.

One of the major type of upgrade is the one that removes weight from your car. These are very useful under certain circumstances but have some disadvantages. Lighter parts are usually weaker (not the case for graphite items). For example, aluminum CVD's, outdrives, top shafts, or screws all save a large amount of weight but they can break or wear out much more easily. So when are they used? Many people will use these light weight parts for stock class racing in electric where every little bit counts because of the limited power of the motors. Others will use them always but replace them often, this is a great idea if you are wealthy (not many of us are). I've even heard of a couple of people that will bring two cars to the track, a qualifying car and a race car. The qualifying car has all of the light, weak parts on it. It is built to go fast but not last long. Once the fast qualifying time has been set the tougher race car is brought out to ensure that the race is finished with out a problem. This in mind, remember the fact that lighter aluminum parts do offer a higher performance but at a cost. You must determine what level of performance that you want and that you can afford.

As for parts such as titanium turnbuckles and shock shafts. These are well worth the money. They are lighter and stronger. I have never broken or bent a titanium turnbuckle in my life. Even if you do, most manufacturers offer a life time warranty for their titanium accessories. Titanium products seem to be perfect, the only draw back is the cost but if you figure what it costs to replace the regular steel items over your time in the hobby, titanium isn't that bad.

As for fancy anodized items that make the car look trick, you won't see them on my car. When I build a car, I build it to perform and that is all. My outdrives are not the same colour as my front sway bar. My screws don't match my slipper pad. I don't care. If it goes fast and handles well you could paint it barf brown and I would still be happy. This is not to say that people should not worry about good looks for their cars, it depends on the person. For me, I put a nice looking body on the car but once the covers off, it's nothing but performance.

I really liked your question, I think many people can learn from it. I think everyone should remember that just because a company introduces a new hop up item, it may not actually be better for performance. Some companies just release products to look good or make an extra buck. I'm not insulting this just bringing it to everyone's attention.

Let's take off a few tenths per lap,

"PRO"
Pro Racer Secrets