Academy SB Sport 4WD buggy

[re-inferno]

sugs;

may sound a bit biased, but "best 1/10 car controller up to date" would describe the uf best.
I did use another controller a year before, a BK Warrior 9918, because I wanted brushless and I wanted it cheap.

But these two things mean a great tradeoff in performance, as I had to struggle with a weak BEC, lack of adjustablility and this oh-so-well-known "where do I stuff this chunk of a controller??" :p

Fact is, if I had added another 90Euro (which is half the price of the Warrior) to the Warrior, I could have had an uforce back then.

Now, I first bought the warrior (cheap, but hey, it's brushless) to see that it's "sub optimal" for 1/10 car use IMO and got the schulze for another 270Euro, that makes up for a total of 450Euro.

So, you get the idea of "brushless at least cost"...

RC10Racer:

Currently it's too fast for me on a tight grass track, car is insane on a freshly peaked p&m 2400 pack, must gear it higher... But the car handles the power very well, stable and responsive even at high speeds though I had some worries about the plastic steering arms, they're very flexible.
I think I'll get some alloy ones done anyways :D

The next thing to do is to add anti-roll bars

[Cain]

I took a look at the damage I did to my 19T motor from last weeks running. The think looked new. Like I just broke it in. no overheating or anything.

Didn't get a chance to do a full tear down. But I did notice alittle wear on the rear drive shaft cup. I put some more spacers to put the shaft more into that side. Strange. Does anyone know if the shafts are a bit longer in the carbon version?

[RichieRich]

Hey guys - how much caster are you using on the front suspension?

[starluckrc]

U-Force controllers are coming to the states :) .

[anothermbdusted]

249$ not bad for a brushed and brushless speed controller only thing is its big not that great i would imagine for racing would it?
cain u got mail

[re-inferno]

Yes, compared to a brushed ESC it's big - because it virtually contains 3 forward only ESCs

Compared to brushless controllers, it's one of the smallest.

I would't have problems to get it cleanly into any car, I recently owned like
- HPI Sprint & GTI
- Losi XXX Kinwald
- Tamiya Baja Champ
. Academy SB Sport.

The big plus are the vertically soldered wires.
Though other controllers may also have a length of 52mm, their horizotally soldered wires will elongate them for at least 10mm.

[re-inferno]

Did some bash-racing today...
The durability is incredible, only "damage" at the end of the day were to lost e-clips that secured the rear outside hingepin. I'll use loctite on the next ones.

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P1.jpg

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P9.jpg

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P13.jpg
warm up round, while the nitros just had to get started

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P2.jpg

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P4.jpg

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P3.jpg
The Pylons don't make up as good corner markers.. instead, you'd rather get a very "flexible" track layout.. :D

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P5.jpg
... where's my buggy?? :rolleyes:

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P6.jpg
Brushless vs. Nitro: Drag Race against an MP-6

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P7.jpg

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P8.jpg

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P11.jpg

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040717/P12.jpg
...another one, obviously ended quite differently :p

[RC10racer89]

Sweet pictures! looks awsome! (im still not sure how you managed to lose the e-clips, those things are nearly impossible to get off)

[Cain]

Hey Guys, just thought I would give you a race report here:

Info: There was a good turnout for 4wd buggy, all the vehicles running were 4wd buggy with everyone running from brushless to 13 x 1 vantage motors being the slowest ( assuming the novak brushless is equivalent to a 12 turn ) . Good drivers all around and all XXX-4s. Me putting around with the 19T power.

Practice: My setup was the same as last weeks initially. The track conditions however on the back straight were alittle dicey as there was loose soil on top but it was hard as a rock underneath. With no slipper and the current setup the rear would want to come around under hard acceleration. I went ahead and changed to 1 degree of antisquat and that seemed to help. Slipper though is on my list :nod:

Heat 1: I started in the last staggard start position but the acceleration of this vehicle is so amazing that I was quickly shot right up there with the leaders. I decided to take it conservative and towards the mid of the race several racers had to drop out to due to various issues, some brakages I think with there XXX-4s. After it was all said and done I managed to finish first . :sweat:

Pre-heat work: The rear did come around on me twice, so I went to move the inner shock position in the rear bottom in one and I also went to slightly stiffer rear spring, so I was now running silver all around so I could get alittle fast suspension action.

Heat 2: I started this time in the first position and had another great holeshot. The vehicle this time felt a bit better on the slick sections, with the whoops being the tough spot. I did have some errors but still kept it in the race and managed to finish 3rd.

Pre-main: I managed to qualify in the second position. I decided to change the antisquat at this time and also go back to my green ( softer ) springs in the rear.

Main: All drivers were ready for this one. The leader is a very good driver with a brushless power plant. I bobbled in the first turn so I ended up in the back of the pack coming up to the first table top jump. I managed however to squeeze through and take a small lead, throughout the race it was a battle for second as I didn't have the power to really keep up with the leader and his driving skills are very good too. The vehicle however with its current setup turned very well in the tight sections and was great over the jumps. It was still slightly loose on the rear straight but much better than before. Definitely a slipper here would do the trick. I managed to fight through and finish 2nd in the race even though after the massive table top jump I thought I broke an arm, pulled off, but it was fine, so I lost some time there. All around great racing by the 4wd class!

No breakage this time around. The vehicle held together quite well. One thing I did notice is one side of my front wheels I could crank it down more than the other with no binding. I am going to look and see why that is.

I have also noticed that on one side of my front diff drive cups I am getting excessive wear and will probably pickup a set of diff cups soon. I also have some wear on the drive shaft front rear cup.

Other than this and having to re adjust the motor mount after every race ( it moved slightly ) the vehicle performed marvelously. I am quite happy with it performance.

Few questions here:

I am thinking of getting the slipper and front oneway. What will I notice when I drive my 4 Wheeler when I run the front one way?

Whats a good gearing point for a 12 x 2 Vantage / Revolution motor?

Anyone know of a tire that is in between an IFMAR pin and a IFMAR Stud? It almost seems like bowties all around on the track would hookup great.

[RCBuddha]

Anyone know of a tire that is in between an IFMAR pin and a IFMAR Stud? It almost seems like bowties all around on the track would hookup great.

The Pin is should be smaller in size, the stud is larger and flatter.

[FLYBOY7]

i got in another bash day yesterday trying to work the bugs out of the MRC...

1. only use the 70 size spur.. at least with Novak BL... LOL... i stripped my 70, and tried using the 67... lots of thermalling action insued.... LOL..

2. i lost/broke one of the front Kin pins that holds the hub in... the car kept running though.... i didn't even notice it till i got home and started cleaning things up...

3. i had one front shock cap break.... (the plastic part that goes through the Al cap).... it didn't snap off... but a hole developed in it and blew oil everywhere..

4. while i'm waiting for the upgrade motor mount to come in, i modded the stock parts.... i used a dremel to smooth out the castings..... this still didn't work to hold the motor in properly...

i hit a 4" x 4" post WFO...... after i hit it, i KNEW my day was going to be over..... but... it wasn't!!!! only a rod end popped off a ball stud..... this is INSANE durability..... i don't know of any other r/c in any catagory that would have driven away from this kind of hit...

i'm really starting to like the stock tires for the tracks i normally drive on (midwest top soil, dry conditions).... these are the best stock tires you'll ever get except for PL's or Losi's...

and Cain..... there isn't a tire between the Losi IFMAR pin and IFMAR stud... both of these will have quite a bit more sidebite than Bow Ties... although, with 4wd on a high bite track, that might not suit fast lap times or your driving style...

lastly... i'm taking off the stock front hex and replacing it with a Losi XXX-4 front hex to see if Losi front rims will bolt on correctly.... i'll report back when i find out if it works or not...

T.

[Beniscool6]

couldnt you drill a hole in the top of the mount and thread a setscrew in it? the aluminum mount on the xx-4/xxx-4 has this and it was supposed to help a ton.

[Cain]

I believe earlier in this thread someone tapped a set screw and the mount doesn't come out now. If anyone has pics of this ( Woody? ) I would like to see your mount. I believe my LHS can do this for me.

On www.rc10b4.com a team driver for MRC / Academy in the USA has a motor mount tip, I am hoping he gets to post some pics of what he did.

I think I may just stick with the studs on the track, that one section pretty much gets everyone. A little throttle control helped , also the slipper should make a big difference.

[RichieRich]

Okay, let's try this again.

Hey guys - how much caster are you using on the front suspension?

[tallyrc]

i thought cain said 12 degrees of caster

[Cain]

Manual shows 12 degrees of caster as stock ( B front block, A in the rear )

[RichieRich]

Okay, I used the manual setting. I was just checking to see if anyone has experimented and decided that any of the other two settings were better.

Thanks.

[tallyrc]

cain must be reading the new rc car actiopn mag. article over and over since he hasn't posted about it yet...

[Cain]

Nope, I did read the RC Driver one of the weekend though! Great read and I liked the paint job they did though not sure about painting the underbody.

I don't even have the latest issue here.

Anyone got a summary of what it said.

RichieRich, what conditions do you run on? I may try it this friday and see how it goes, not sure though.

[tallyrc]

the really short version is that, all things considered, they really liked it but it needs bearings and it pushed a bit (but what 4wd doesn't).

[FLYBOY7]

i also run 12 degrees up front.... i can't really tell if that is the best setting until i get the suspension figured out (i put AE FT B4 shocks on it, but haven't gotten a chance to drive it yet with the new shocks)... i was hoping to run the Academy at the stock nats in chilli mo this week/weekend, but delays in parts have pretty much ruined that idea (a delay from my LHS that i ordered through)... i ended up ordering some parts directly from Academy/MRC today, including the slipper... i should get the parts much quicker this way.... they seemed super nice there, and are even throwing in the bearings needed for the steering and diffs for FREE... i was very impressed, and am going to order anything else i need directly from them... you don't get some chic on the phone that has no clue what you are talking about, you get someone who knows what they are talking about...

btw.... if anyone needs a quick fix after losing a king pin... you can use TC3 flanged washers (the ones used on it's front hubs) and a 4-40 screw to fix your problem... you will need to enlarge the hole in the hub carrier slightly... but it will work in a pinch, and your LHS will most likely have the TC3 part in stock....

Tim Mohr

Team UnitedRC.com
Team One18th.com
www.hitecrcd.com
JC Race Paints

[Cain]

Wow thats nice of them. Sucks you can't do the nats. Would have been nice to see a good showing of Academy SBs there especially now that some people have the BJ in there hands though I am not sure if they would be allowed to run.

Depending on the time I have available, I may try running the next lowest caster setting and see how it goes. I will know for sure thursday as that is my prep day for racing. Should be a quick change though.

I agree on the push issue, most 4wds will push, just the nature of the vehicle. So tuning should do the trick. I would like RCCA to post the article on the Academy on there site.

[anothermbdusted]

Cain: I read on another forum that you are having problems with the steering and that the spring is to weak? I dont know if it will help to compress it or what and havent looked at it yet but when i had my dominator one of the problems that it has is a weak steering system also and the fix to this was to add washers below the spring to help compress the spring a little more since you couldnt tighten the nut down any further...It basically made it so it would force the spring to compress more and cured the problem.....
side note where the heck did the car forums goto?

[Cain]

mainly its the material of the arms themselves that is the issue. As far as the servo saver goes though it works great. very adjustable I just wonder if a stronger spring is needed like they do on the T4 with the heavy duty one.

[N2Raptor]

I just read the latest buggy review in September RC Car Action. Great review! Out of the box, they can't decide whether it's a "high quality play car or a budget racer". They also said, "if you want to race, just drop in the appropriate electronics and finish off the ball-bearing set."
It look like Academy is beginning to get the recognition that they've deserved. The SB and the RT-4 ProSpec truck are solid machines.
Hey Cain, do you have any experience on pure grass tracks?? I haven't been into cars all that long.....and am only running Academy parts.......On full throttle, really sharp turns, I'm still losing too much rear traction with the stock tires. Tried different caster/camber settings. Maybe I'm just expecting it to turn the same on grass as it does on hard pack or asphalt. It still turns with plenty of authority, but I'm trying to reduce the rear breaking away from the line. Any suggestions?
N2Raptor :)

[Cain]

For me, I had this problem on dirt, loose as a matter of fact.

I would say try different tires, some guys on here or the www.rctech.net board race pretty much on grass or astroturf and probably can help you better. My first guess though is try different tires. if you want to really stick with the stock tires, I would try softening up the rear some then. But keep in mind changing one thing affects another, especially in offroad.

Also, you can try taking away alittle bite from the front end if you feel you have massive amounts of hookup there. With the stock setup, I felt it was way too soft in the front but you sure did get lots of steering.

[Cain]

Here are some prices of the items that Ultimate hobbies has in stock, prices for the hopups seems better than others:

First number is retail, then ultimate price. These are in stock!

ST-PO6 Carbon Center Shaft $26.00 $20.95
ST-P17 Carbon Upper Deck $35.00 $27.95
ST-T23 Carbon Front Upper Plate $30.00 $23.95
SB-019 Slipper Clutch $25.50 $20.95

[RichieRich]

Nope, I did read the RC Driver one of the weekend though! Great read and I liked the paint job they did though not sure about painting the underbody.

I don't even have the latest issue here.

Anyone got a summary of what it said.

RichieRich, what conditions do you run on? I may try it this friday and see how it goes, not sure though.

The track I plan to race on is short, tight and rutty hard clay. When setting the toe for the front wheels, how many degrees is a good starting point? Finally, I've got Titanium turnbuckles and full bearings installed. The next most important hop-ups would be the machined motor mount and the slipper clutch, right? I have a set of B4 shocks in my toolbox, so I think I'm set there.

[Cain]

I would say do the rear chassis mod. Basically the rear of the chassis sort of makes two half moon shapes and the rear arms hit that part. take a dremel and dremel that down so the arms don't hit. I would do this after I mount up my B4 shocks. This will give you more rear droop and it will handle the ruts much better.

I would also use #2 pistons in the rear, I tried #1 but they were just too soft for my track conditions that include some massive jumps. Also, you can run #2 or #3 in the front, i do #3 right now.

I would say you are correct on the hopups you selected as being your next purchases. Also, if you got them in your kit, use the plastic hexes.

Personally, I would go with 0 degrees of toe in as an initial starting point. Reason being that at rest the toe will stay set there, when driving I notice that the force on the wheels seems to have the tires lean toe out ever so slightly. This should be corrected once the stiffer material steering arms are available. someone may even machine some too.

Another thing you should shorten your rear wheel base for better tight track handling.

The kit tires may work out well on that track, just make sure if you don't have them installed already use a stiffer foam in them.

Feel free to ask anymore questions. If I dont' know the answer I will find someone for you who does.

I got a slipper clutch coming in ( Thanks Tim! ) so if it makes it here for friday racing I will post my thoughts on it versus driving without.

Later on I would also give the front oneway a try.

[FLYBOY7]

well..... i got my slipper in today.... the new one... the SB-019 slipper set....

it has all the working parts of a slipper clutch... maybe i'm missing something here... but it doesn't slip at all.... the two halfs lock into each other.. disk A and B LOCK into each other, the slipper pads are there for cosmetic purposes only... it looks to me like i'ld have to grid off two little tabs on clutch disk A before the slipper would actually work, but then, it might self-loosen itself... someone, please correct me if i'm off on the slipper...

otherwise... i was very impressed with how fast i got the parts from MRC directly.... i ordered monday... received them today (from Jersey to Missouri) using only the regular shipping....

and for anyone new here on this thread... the kit really only "has" to have 2 extra's.... 1. Wheel Bearings 2. the upgrade motor mount..... during assembly, be sure and use #2 pistons on the stock shocks, and the long shock mounting hardware both front and rear... use the 70 spur... and if your wheel hexes go on hard, grid on the pins slightly to shorten them...

T.

[Cain]

Hey guys, I got my slipper installed ( Thanks Tim!! ) . It feels pretty light, and the spurs that come with the kit from academy look to be made for the slipper pads as there are little grooves on the pads that hook into the spur.

Assembly of the slipper went well, without a hitch other than the normal alignment of the slipper pads to the spur. You will want another of those big bearings for the slipper as it comes with a metal bushing.

One thing I noticed at first was that the slipper when installed seemed to have alittle wobble to it. Not sure really why but you could see the shaft not moving uniform. Also, the slipper cup seems to not extend quite as far as the original drive cup. A tad shorter. You do however get another of those drive springs to use, so if you still got the one for original setup, pop it in on one side and the new one on the other and it locks up pretty well.

I plan to measure the length of the carbon fiber shaft compared to the stock unit , if it is slightly longer I may just buy it.

I also rebuilt the rear diff as it was very gritty compared to the front. That went well, flipping the diff and thrust rings went without a hitch though the rings other side was deeply groved, I think it was because of my tightening, so I took it easy this time.

I didn't replace my front diff cup yet, If they have it in stock, I will replace it and take a picture of the worn one. Those little units are cheap though. I think a pair is like $20 . The drive pin mod I have to look into trying though I will have to find someone who can do the machining.

Other than that the vehicle was in great shape. I went in spring size all around to test. So will see how that goes around the track.


FLYBOY: I get the slipping action as its the hardened parts ( drive cup side and the part that hooks on the other side ) that slip. The slipper pads should lock up into the spur. You should be able to hold the spur and turn it and feel it slip when turning the slipper. How uniform did yours spin for you?

MRC is great with shipping and great with service, no complaints here.

I agree on what you listed for upgrades, but I would still add the titanium turnbuckles so you have strength and adjustability. Different shocks are up to the owner and you may like the kit ones. Here is my list:

1. Ball bearings for the wheels
2. Titanium Turnbuckles
3. Upgrade motor mount or the Mod that Rickster Uses ( see www.rc10b4.com for info )

[FLYBOY7]

i was up a bit toooooooo late last night working on my gear..... LOL.... yes, looks like the slipper will indeed work fine.... i'll try and get some track time with it sat to see how it works on the track.....

T.

[Cain]

Here is a thought that rickster told me and I should have relized. Since the front drive cup is held on with a set screw, you can adjust how much catch it has so you can slide it back some some so the drive shaft sits more in the cup.

I am going to do this at the track.

[Cain]

Hey guys. I got rained out :( My LHS did however have the vehicle in stock and some parts on the wall. Some part prices I hope MRC looks into lowering as they were a bit on the high side, others were pretty good. I noticed that the drive cups look to be a different material and color, similar to the look of the diffs. I didn't buy any but I may look into getting a set if I still have wear issues. I also picked up an extra diff hub set, about 20 bucks.

I may be able to race sunday so I may get some testing in then.

[RichieRich]

What part did you all use for the "steering rink" in step 21? I had to fab something up. I used the small ball cups with a short piece of threaded rod from my bag of tricks. I don't know I am missing parts or missing a step.

[Cain]

I think that link may be missing. I remember not seeing the part in my kit. I basically used a titanium turnbuckle for a TC3 since I had an incomplete set and some RPM ball ends, alittle trimming and it worked great.

How is your build coming otherwise RichieRich? Make sure you use the long ends for the Shocks if you go with the kit ones. ( can't remember if you will ).

I may get to test the slipper tommorrow, will see how it goes.

[re-inferno]

Yesterday, I changed from the gear diffs over to the ball diffs.

Though I'm not a fan of ball diffs, I've to admit that I'm really impressed.
I used the recommended 3 spacers crown gear side and multi purpose lube.
The gears felt very stiff in the beginning, but they broke in immediately creating a very smooth and nice feel of the drivetrain.

Performance of the ball diffs is still remarkably better than the oil-filled gear diffs, but they're a little on the tight side right now because they're just breaking in.

Though the teeth are much smaller than the teeth of the gear diffs, I'm sure they will hold up to the Basic 4200 since the gearbox allows for absolutely no flex :)

BTW: not locking the diff rings to the outdrives by pins, D-shape etc. seems a good idea - my diff rings will slide on the outdrives before the balls begin to slide on the diff rings und severe force and saving my diffs.

The only drawback is that a complete ball diff costs around 50US$$ here in Austria, where I could get away with 17US$ for the RT-4GP gear diff :(

And that's what you get on 8 cells BL ...

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040725/P2.jpg

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040725/P5.jpg

I've run through about 40-50packs and the SB-Sport didn't need any maintainance yet and there isn't even anything that seems to go soon - we'll see how the ball diffs do their job :D

[Cain]

I just got done with some racing. I won't go too much into the gory details as I am still beat but I managed to place second in the buggy main ( not enough 4wd drivers for our own main ).

The slipper clutch makes a BIG difference. you can really put the power down and the vehicle was a missile.

It also has the durability of a tank. I managed to really beat the crap out of it this time with some real modified motor power but it held together great.

If you are going to go with a 12 x 2 V2 style motor, I would gear about a 19 tooth to start with. I ran a 20 and the motor felt too warm.

[Cain]

now a more detailed race report:

I went ahead and on a whim ran the vehicle with 1 spring tension setting stiffer than previously, but it was way too bouncy. the track is such that a very soft suspension handles the best so you can soak up the bumps. For buggies this track can be more involved to drive on but I think it really improves your skills and gives you more of an offroad feel. So kudos to Lester at Wolcott hobbies on the design.

The whoops are no longer there, probably pounded down by the 1/8 Unlimited and buggy guys. With this gone you can really get on power on the long straight, though at the end there is an area that is uneven that will pop your vehicle in the air you if you hit it wrong.

I went back to my stock setting but now I had the slipper. The unit feels pretty good. I did the initial tightening but as it seated it opened up again so I had to retighten. Word of advice, if you move the front drive shaft cup up more so it holds the shaft better, this will prevent you from just dropping out the drive shaft. To avoid this, I would go ahead and set it so with alittle chassis flex you can pop it out. That way I only had to remove one of the screws and loosen the other that hold the long top plate to the smaller top plate. You will also want to put something to keep the slipper from moving during tightening as initially holding the spur won't work. After awhile though it did. It took about 4 practice runs before the slipper felt fully seated and didn't loosen up again.

Since this was my first sunday racing I didn't have the mini-pin tires that everyone had, so i ran the kit ones with the kit foam. The tires actually seemed to hook up quite well. I also ran a Vantage 12 x 2 motor. This one upon comparison to even my 19T KR and others KRs doesn't have the punch of a KR, but was still plenty powerful for me. Only thing is that mounting your wires can be a pain. I plan to use a XXL reciever on its side to get more clearance between the ESC ( C2 ) and the motor.

First heat: The turnout for 4wd buggy was light compared to other classes, 3 vehicles total. Since I was running 2400 power first and had 3 heats to run before the main, I decided to try my studs after seeing some guys using them , big mistake. I had no grip on the track and it caused me to cartwheel of the first jump to the table top and I ended up ripping out the screw that goes into the front knuckle. Honestly when I saw what happened I expected MUCH worse. the part however was still in great shape and with alittle filler to take up the slack it could still be used. Everyone ended up breaking on the first lap so they just skipped it.

Second heat: Still trying to get used to the power the vehicle was able to put down, I used the kit tires and I had improved grip than before. The vehicle still feels though like it needs more rear traction, but I think my setup could be more of the issue than the actual vehicle. Anyway I came in third but I was still on the same lap as the #2 position.

Third heat: I got some help on my vehicle from one of the guys at the track, and he advised me to tighten up the slipper even more as I had it slipping too far. This really helped during my pratice before the heat and in the heat. I also decided to go to even softer springs, greens up front and blacks in the rear. The vehicle felt MUCH better then. Handling the bumpy straight and other sections at higher speeds without becoming wandery. though I think I need quicker suspension reaction so the change in pistons may help. I decided to let it hang out more and clear more of the doubles in one shot and the vehicle took the pounding without complaining. If this had been a normal material wing I would have probably replaced it easily.

Pre-main: One of the 4wd drivers ended up breaking his XXX-4 and wouldn't be able to get it going for the main so I spoke with the track owner and managed to get myself put into the 2wd buggy main which I believe ended up having about 10 - 12 cars with me included. I started as far back as possible to be fair to the 2wd guys since they had earned there spots battling each other. This class had various power plants for the vehicles being used from brushless systems to 19T power. But driving consistently was the key as the 19T power could more than hold its own on this track. I went ahead and moved the rear camber link to the next longest position ( middle ) on the shock tower from its stock position to get more rear bite.

I ended up by the third or so lap fighting into second place, driving the vehicle very hard and taking many jumps that were doubles in one shot. The vehicle took its beating. I probably cartwheeled off the burm at the end of the straight into turn one more than once. Since setting up for the track was a comprise between the monster jumps and the normal bumpy driving area, bottoming out on the track was a given no matter the class except maybe Unlimited truck. The vehicle though after repeated slapping down on the track, cartwheels, etc, kept going and was asking for more.

When it was all said and done I finished second out of the field of buggies. Considering the guy who won it is very good and this was my first race outing with a full blown mod motor, I felt pretty good about how I did and the buggy.

Post Race:

The vehicle looked to be in excellent shape. Diffs were still smooth and wear on the diffs was non-existent. I am wondering if the slipper made a good difference in saving the drivetrain?

The wing was contorted in various bend shapes, but a few pulls and tugs here and there it looks good as it ever did. For someone who goes through wings in normal buggies, this will be a god send.

The slipper I believe for most people is going to make a world of difference, especially in the US. You can try and get away with throttle control, but on a loose track like what I ran on or if you are new to the power of a 4wd vehicle, you will flat out LOVE the slipper. no if's and's, or but's.

I think for this friday I am going to play some more with my shock oil settings for quicker reaction from the suspension. If anyone has a good article on pistons and shock oil feel free to post.

[Cain]

I got word that a driver using an Academy SB got into the "show" at the stock nats. 8th place I think. Anyone know a Jon Noon? That was the driver.

[RichieRich]

I think that link may be missing. I remember not seeing the part in my kit. I basically used a titanium turnbuckle for a TC3 since I had an incomplete set and some RPM ball ends, alittle trimming and it worked great.

How is your build coming otherwise RichieRich? Make sure you use the long ends for the Shocks if you go with the kit ones. ( can't remember if you will ).

I may get to test the slipper tommorrow, will see how it goes.

I finally finished the assembly tonight. All I had left was to glue the tires to the rims. Been really busy with work, etc, so I haven't had a long stretch of time to work on it. Anyways, everything went together well. I'm very impressed with the kit so far other than the missing steering link. I'm going to run the stock shocks before I go and put on the B4 ones.

Just out of curiousity, has anybody raced Academy's 2WD buggy. It's called the Griffin Pro. Really ugly but looks like it could be competitive.

[namsjun]

SB looks great and I expect the SB is going to a good car.

Becuase I like a shaft car and it's my country's car.

[Cain]

I think the Griffin is pretty competitive in the UK. The looks though leave something to be desired but who knows, may be Academy has something for the future that looks better.

If you still have to glue the tires and want to use the kit tires, I would recommend picking up a set of stiffer foams. Trinity, Losi, and Proline make stiffer foams.

Also, if you driveshaft looks like it is just barely catching, try the spacing of the drivecup trick. And remember to put in three o-rings in the front drive cup so it catches better.

You will really love the SB. This thing can motor and is right up there with the other 4wds as far as being competitive. I can't wait to see what they come out with in the pro model.

[RichieRich]

Cain - Yeah, I'm using the kit tires. I think they will work well. I put an O-ring on the front drive shaft and I had to put some in the rear diff outdrives to keep the dogbones from falling out.

For the B4 shocks you are using, is the 30 weight oil holding up with the rear green and front silver springs?

[FLYBOY7]

Cain... just wondering... but why do you suggest for someone to throw in firmer foams when you have no idea what surface they are going to be driving on?? for 80% of the tracks in my area the stock foams are fine... do you even know why you would insert firmer foams?? not trying to flame ya, you've been a decent source of info.... but if you are driving on a slick dusty track, this isn't watered or swept, the stock foams are ideal... or if you are just bashing on unprepared dirt, the stock foams would also be ideal...

if you are just throwing o-rings in the rear drive shafts, you will notice you can put 2 into the left outdrive, and only 1 in the right before you start causing some binding in the suspension movement at full travel (assuming you are using AE shock o-ring seals).... and for the center shaft... i don't know if i just got lucky or what, but mine has a black piece of plastic for the front to keep the shaft from going too far foward...

lastly... any word on when the motor mounts will be back in stock??

and really lastly... i'm running B4 threaded shocks fr and rear, AE mounting hardware at the towers, and Academy hardware at the arms... Blue springs front, silvers rear... AE 30w oil both... #2 pistons fr, #1 rear... after getting some laps in, i feel the rear isn't damped heavily enough, so i'll be switching to #2 pistons... and i'ld say it doesn't feel over sprung.... this is a very heavy buggy... i am going to try silver fr and green rear, and i'll report back...

and super lastly... i yanked my slipper off... my motor mount is kinda fubar'd... so this might not apply to everyone... but the slipper was so out of round, it was causing binding at the support bearing held by the motor mount... this made a strange noise, and caused enough extra binding to thermal my speedo... i've had a motor mount on backorder for while.... once it comes in i'll try it again and see if it works ok..

T.

[Cain]

I am finding that the foams that you would get with say a losi tire feel firmer than the SB stock foams and work better as the stock ones seem to let the tire "squish" all over the wheel and feel inconsistent. I should have stated that based on your track conditions to go to a firmer foam like what Trinity, proline, and losi makes and that the stock losi foams would work better as a standard foam. That way you can put it in right way without guessing how the tire will perform with the kit foam. But ultimately it is my opinion and that is what I am stating.

As for flaming, etc, if you are or you aren't it really doesn't matter as arguing over the internet is stupid anyway. You can interpret written words pretty much how you want since there is no context on how it was said and often things typed in the spur of the moment can be worded badly. I saw a picture describing it once what its like, and it nailed it on the head. I mainly go to these forums to get help and give help and in general discuss the hobby that I love with like minded individuals. If there are people out there who feel that flaming me for whatever reason is how they want to spend there time there are other boards that I can go to, no problem.

As for the motor mount availability your best bet may be to contact Tim at MRC for full info on when the mount will be available. I do know someone else however has gotten the "factory team" motor mount and cam already.

Evolution products in the UK will be carrying the Kose motor mount and is looking to do shipping to the USA.

For me I am finding that I like #3 pistons up front, but I am going to try #1 pistons in the rear as see how it goes. The springs that I have currently on the vehicle however feel pretty good ( black rear, green front ). I may try silver up front after the piston change.

As for the slipper I noticed it didn't spin fully true, but nothing along the lines of what you are seeing. I did however do a reinstall of the slipper to make sure everything in the driveline was fully seated as at first the wobble was pretty bad. I would give Tim at MRC a call and speak with him about this so he can contact Academy about it right away.

The different color drive cups that I saw in stock from what I have been told are a better material. the price didn't look to bad either so if you have toasted some of the drive cups look into getting a set. The newer ones will look blackish in color.

For those interested in some graphite chassis parts, one of the team drivers for the MRC / Academy SB has made a chassis using blue graphite. I am looking to get a pic of his parts and see how much he may charge to make up some. I probably would want something crazy like yellow, though a titanium color would be cool too.

[Cain]

I just got word that the gentleman who came in 8th at the stock nats is known by one the posters on another forum and I hope we can get more info on his setup, what he ran for gear and hopups, etc at the nats. I will post what I find.

[Cain]

I got to see some custom graphite parts ( upper decks ) that a team driver made. VERY NICE. The vehicle looks trick with that graphite on there and from what I was told makes it even more stable.

Redid my rear shocks, the suspension action feels better now. I will see how it goes and post my results from tonites racing.

[RichieRich]

Cain - Have you had any trouble with too much heat trapped because of the lower lexan tray? If so, has anyone tried the Associated clip-on motor heatsink with w/ cooling fan. Also, did you replace the bushings in the diffs with ball bearings?

[Cain]

I run mainly at night, so the temps aren't so bad. I would probably look into drilling some air holes similar to how they do in nitro to dissapate the heat better. You may be able to right up a fan . I have seen a pic of one that someone did, it was mounted to the top deck over the motor.

I put ball bearings in the diffs. They have held up so far.

More news: Carbon parts are in testing right now, most likely to be part of the Pro version of the kit!

Racing was good again, would have had second overall but I forgot to peak my pack so I only had about 2000mah in it.

[Cain]

Here is some more news.

I got a chance to check out a new Academy drivers vehicle to see what changes there are as I have one of the first US kits. Looking at his vehicle and feeling the tires the foams feel VERY different than what I had in mine. I was told that he was running stock foam that come with the kit so maybe it was a bad batch of foam or they changed it?

I say give it a test fit on your wheel and see how it goes before gluing them down. You may have the "newer" foam .

[RichieRich]

I think I may have the newer foam. It came with a running change I think for the steering bushings as mine are black. They are not the bronze color. I switched to the B4 shocks this weekend and I they run much better than the stock plastic units.

[Cain]

yeah, I think that may be it. Mine were so thin that you can see the tire squishing around. Right now though the tire looks to work quite well however with the new foam. I would recommend these tires for 4wd easily. Grand Prix may be a new player in the tire market if they can keep good stuff coming out.

Did you get your front axles? I not sure if you have any to compare to but if you know someone with the older it they will be longer ( new ones ).

[rcrcman]

So whats the skinny on these things? We've been racing XXX4's and Yokomo's for a while now and looking to pick one of these up. Whats the set-up?

[Cain]

I think a good starting point may be the setup that they are running with the BJ4x4 if you are using AE shocks.

The vehicle is great. The acceleration on these vehicles is ballistic, period.

[FLYBOY7]

rcrcman..... what's the scoop???

let me ramble for a while....

i'm very pro-4wd... well, especially for outdoor dirt racing... they are just so much easier to go fast with (as you already know)... and i feel the r/c racing arena, would grow faster if 4wd were more popular, mainly because newbies could drive a bit harder with more control... with that said, i've "tried" to support the 4wd class as much as possible, but there just has never been a solid, good handling car with good parts support....

so when the SB Sport came out, i gave it a shot... the Losi's have never been tough enough...... and the Yok's have never had the parts support.... i was hoping for once that someone did up a 4wd right, even if it was some smaller car manufacture...

here's the skinny... whatever you pay for the kit, instantly add the price for wheel bearings and the upgrade motor mount.... you basically can't drive the car without these... (the motor mount is $60, the cam that goes in it 11'ish, and you already know roughly what wheel bearings will cost)...

once you get in some laps, you'll find that the Academy does NOT break A-arms, bulkheads, hub carriers or towers like the Losi or Yok.. this might sound unbelievable, but it just doesn't.... the SB Sport has heavier, more flexible plastic... it's nice to hit the roughest section on the track WFO, or case the biggest triple, without worrying about breaking a part....

the buggy handles ok.. better than a XXX-4? heck No, but not bad... (well, out of the box, much worse than the Losi, with B4 shocks, just slightly worse)

set-up info is hard to find.... the stock shocks just barely cut it... so most guys switch... some to Losi, some to AE, some to the upgrade Academy parts, some to Duratrax... that makes getting shock info even harder because people are using different brands of shocks... and i think a lot of the guys posting set-ups don't have a clue what they are doing, or are racing on euro grass tracks that don't translate well to the track here.....

and right now... parts support i will officially declare bad... i've been waiting weeks for a motor mount, which is one of the must have parts.... i just can't get one from my LHS or Academy directly (not just the Al upgrade mount, but the stocker is out of stock as well)... been waiting the same time on diff parts and the one way... i don't "have to have" the diff parts or one way... but i'ld at least like to have the diff parts in case i explode one... but, i'm not going to support a car that i can't get parts for... this is first r/c i've ever owned that took more than 3 weeks to get a vital must have to run part...

[Cain]

For the motor mount, the part that I would get would be the aluminum cam if you don't want to modify your stock cam. This goes for $11 retail. People who are using the aluminum cam say it holds much better than the stock cam with the stock motor mount.

As for the mod to the cam itself, info from a team driver of MRC that I have tried, basically cutting a waffle like pattern in the cam ( and trust me, mine isn't perfect ) does the trick. I usually would have to retighten the cam every race, now, I don't have to at all. the motor doesn't come out.

As for the kit shocks, I agree that after market shocks are the way to go and do ball bearings all around in the wheels.

The vehicle is a tank no doubt and takes a severe beating before breaking and when it does you usually know it was a big hit.

As for setups, each track will require its own setup as conditions can be very different where people race. MRC has two team drivers who are frequenting the boards right now and can probably give you the best setup info. I know one of them right now still runs for Associated and I believe a 1/8 scale company. check out www.rc10b4.com and look in the general section for there input.

[Cain]

Here is a setup posted by Chris Higa, he is looking to stiffen the chassis abit but this is what he was using:

Track: So Cal R/C Raceway
Date: 7/28/04
Time: Night, about 70-75 degrees
Conditions: Damp/drying clay surface - medium/high bite

Front:
Kickup: 12 degrees
Castor: Stock
Camber: Tower on the upper inside hole, -1 degree
Toe in/out: Toe out, -1 degree
Shocks: Losi
Piston: #57 (black losi)
Spring: Green Buggy
Shock Oil: 30 wt Losi
Limiting: 0.090"
Tower: Middle hole
Arm: Inside Hole
Sway Bar: none
Ride Height: Bones just above level

Rear:
Pivot Support: 2 degrees
Camber: Lower middle on Tower, Inside on Hub
Hub Position: Center
Shocks: Losi
Piston: #56 (pink losi)
Spring: Pink
Shock Oil: 27.5
Limiting: 0.190"
Tower: Middle hole
Arm: Inside Hole
Swaybar: Middle size (0.067")
Ride Height: Arms level

Motor: Team Orion Revolution Modified 14x2
Gearing: 23/70 with slipper
Front tires: Stock
Rear Tires: Stock

Here is also some info he posted about losi vs AE pistons:

The Associated pistons would convert to a losi piston something like this.

Associated #1 = Losi #55

Associated #2 = Losi #56

Associated #3 = Losi #57

They are actually a bit inbetween because associated used a 2-hole piston vs. Losi pistons which have 3 holes. I hope this helps.

[Cain]

Hey guys here is my quick race report from last friday:

I did the mod that Rickster on the www.rc10b4.com site recommended for the motor cam. my dremel sure sucks but what can you expect for $10 ? I managed to do something that barely resembles a waffle pattern and the cuts weren't deep so the track would tell if the motor mount falling out would be cured.

I changed pistons in the rear to #1 . the suspension action felt better.

I did about 2 battery packs of practicing. some hard jumps taken and some serious nose in the dirt action. I figured what the hell and gave it a hard drive. I decided to go up in spring rates all around so I was using greens in the rear and silvers up front. That really made a difference in the jumping department as the vehicle just flat out launches off the jumps. The vehicle felt good enough to race.

Conditions: Night racing, very loose, especially after the 1/8 scales run.

Opposition: 3-4 XXX-4s, 1-XX4, 1 B4 buggy. ( may have been another 2wd buggy, not sure ). Brushless to mod motor systems.

First Heat:

got a great holeshot after starting in last position making sure to not get involved in the pileup on the table top. shot in second place. Managed to battle up to first and drove consistent. The vehicle felt pretty good but could be alittle more planted in the rear. But suspension action was great, good balance between track handling and big jump handling. I was going good then all of a sudden it just stopped. I managed to pop my negative wire off the motor.

The connection just wasn't that good so I spent a good while in the pits working on getting it soldered down correctly.

Second Heat: As I have cheapo packs, I ran my Sanyo 3000HVs in the first race. Next race I ran my second best GP3300 ( 1.15+ ) and the power was noticeably different. The vehicle was so punchy that I wasn't able to be as consistent as before ( mental note: buy all GP packs! ). I ended up coming down funny off a jump and the vehicle wouldn't turn. I took it off expecting the worse. something was binding up and after looking hard and long ( diffs, etc ) I found that the pin in the UJ axle had backed out alittle. put it back in and the vehicle was brought back to life.

Main:

I really wish I had some step-pins for the rear right now. Racing at night the conditions after 1/8 scale gets a hold of the track warrant it. I think that would solve some of my traction issues in the rear.

I went ahead and loaded in my best GP3300 ( another 1.15+ ) and as I was repeaking it I realized that I forgot to put it to charge. so I did a fast 6.5 Amp charge ( not recommended ) to get it up as much as possible before the race and I think I only got about 2400mah into the pack.

I went out and magically had qualified last, no suprise here! In a way i was glad as it would put in me in the back and have a chance to work on fighting to the front and avoid the first turn pileup.

I managed to get flipped over in a crash after the first turn before the massive up and over jump ( not sure how to describe it really ). I was pushing the vehicle a bit hard so tumbling was part of the race for me but it kept coming back for more.

About 2 minutes in I managed to get into second place with the pack close behind. 1st place was really out there as usual but everyone was competitive. As the last lap was being made my vehicle decided that it was time to dump, and I died right on the weird non-name jump and ended up completed stopped about 10-15feet from the finish line. So I ended up taking 4th which would have been 2nd if I didn't dump.

in summary, no broken parts again! vehicle handled pretty well and I plan to work on it some more to get alittle more rear bite, especially side bite. I think that the front oneway will help though in two sections were you would be better off if you could turn sharp off power like a 2wd. The motor cam mod does work. The motor did not move at all once I had it installed properly.

[Casper]

Cain-- Where did you get that post from Chris Higa?

[t3racerx]

Who all would be interested in a full graphite kit? I will be machining a chassis, upper deck, brace, shock towers and batt. strap as soon as my kit gets here. I can make up some more if there is interest in them, (considerably cheaper than the others I have seen) I can probably sell the complete kit for under 100 bucks shipped.
these will all be CNC machined woven graphite cut with SHARP carbide for the best finish possible.
let me know!!!! ssxxcr@yahoo.com

[Cain]

I would be very interested. When you get your kit, do a run on the parts and post on www.rc10b4.com and www.rctech.net

If you can also do them in color that would be great.

Casper: Check out www.rctech.net that is where it was located.

[Casper]

Thanks

[t3racerx]

yep, I can do them in color also, might cost a couple bucks more, but just enough to cover the difference in price of material. I am shooting for having at least mine done before the end of the month.
Any suggestions or things that should be improved on the current chassis?
any input would be great since these are for the racer, I want to make sure that everyone is pleased with them.
shawn

[Cain]

t3racerx: I would say that you should also post what you plan to do on www.rc10b4.com , www.rctech.net , and www.raceacademy.net and get some more opinions. One thing maybe to make the top deck extend all the way to other diff casing.

Also, I am not sure if you do metal machining, but a motor mount would be a great thing to have as an option or to include. This is what BMI Racing does and there chassis are some of the best.

If you want a really heavy duty camber gauge and good part boxes ( Thanks Tim! ) give MRC a call . The camber gauge feels like quality, must better than the RPM guage and the boxes are really nice too!

On www.raceacademy.net the aluminum steering arms are going to be sold worldwide. So I am going to look into picking up a set in the US unless someone local is planning to make some.

[t3racerx]

motor mount and cam are also in the plans, I can make just about anything, just no gears! I program and run a 4 axis machining center.

[Cain]

I would say that if you make the motor mount, look into doing a design similar to the Kose motor mount. This looks to be better than stock mount IMHO.

[Cain]

Someone on the www.rctech.net board has machine his own Kose style motor mount. will post any more info he has about it.

[RichieRich]

Okay guys, here's a picture of my sb sport. Hope you like it.

http://rgrodriguez.home.mindspring.com/sbsport.jpg

[Cain]

VERY NICE!!

I like the paint job much better than mine! I tried to get cute and screwed it up. next time just do something simple. These bodies are so durable though may be awhile!

a guy on www.rctech.net is going to manufacturer some mounts similar to the kose mounts. Also he is doing spur gears as well in larger sizes.

[anothermbdusted]

here is a picture of my sport w/o stickers on it...my emaxx is in the rear....
http://www.geocities.com/anothermbdusted/IMAGE07.JPG

[Cain]

Nice paint jobs guys! Have you though of dying the wing Yellow?

[Cain]

Got a quick race report from this past sunday:

Buggy turnout was very light and didn't run as not enough was ready to go as a class. I was put to run with the stadium trucks. The track layout was completely changed, more technical but the straight was now not quite as bumpy.

1st heat: I ran my vehicle and was in the lead on the first lap or two, felt to second but was consistently battling for first. the vehicle felt pretty good but didn't have the rear plant that I was looking for. After hitting a few monster jumps I started to hear a weird noise coming out of the rear of the vehicle. was very strange and as I pulled it off it felt some binding at one of the rear wheels after the race was over, I managed second.

during the down period I rebuilt the diff and did pretty much everything I could think of to find out what the binding was coming from. I didn't get a chance to identify the problem so i skipped the second heat. Turns out that a bearing had gone bad that the diff rides on . replaced this bearing and it felt better but I was still getting some crunching sound from the tranny. So i took apart the rear again and found that I stripped the rear gear that goes on the slipper. I bought a set of new gears ( love that hobby shop support ! ) and installed the new gear to replace the one that stripped. the diff gear looked to be still in good shape ( big mistake ) so I ran it .

Third heat: The rear of the car just wandered too much and I decided that I would change the tires ( i tested a lighter oil, it helped but was still wandery in the rear at times ) from the ifmar studs to proline step pins. I figured that the design should give me good bite on the straight wear it wasn't so loamy and give me good rough track handling on the bad parts. I ran it and it tested great, much better than the previous tire selection. I kept the studs up front.

On the track the setup felt dialed. It jumped true and handled the rough sections of the track quite well. The turning ability was also much better, just let off the throttle and turn and it would come around but was controlable and wouldn't spin out. I ran this was during the heat and was doing well but connector popped out twice costing me a good finish. I also noticed that crunching again very lightly and pulled it off. I decided to switch the diff gear and that did the trick.

I moved the shock lower position on the front to the middle hole with gave me a bit more stability.

Main: I managed to qualify second and started off with a great shot off the line. This vehicle is just a beast when it comes to that. I managed to battle for first but on about the third or 4th lap I took a turn tight at speed and clipped a barrier pretty hard which spun me around about 4 times and I heard a snap.

Figured I broke an arm but looking I managed to break the front mount an dits ball hole, the arm and pin looked fine.

All in a bad day but my setup for next week should be spot on. I am planning to do a complete teardown this week and rebuild the vehicle and examine the gears to make sure they are in good shape. I am pretty happy however with my current setup and I plan to record it. If anyone is interested I will post.

I noticed in the shock a black motor mounting system there. It looks like the stock cast one other than its black. Anyone know if there is anything different about this one. For all those who are curious, I haven't moved my motor or retightened it in three weeks and it hasn't moved at all. That waffling the cam is working great.

[anothermbdusted]

hey i've been reading your post and it seems that you are consently rebuilding the diffs in that thing why dont you get the diffs from the truck? i dont recall what one but someone said they were using it on their BL setup and worked very well. I know you'll lose the ball diff but is it worth it that much to constantly rebuild? i 've ran mine about 10 times now with out any signs of wear at all granted only a stock motor but still drivable and will get my motors in this week(I hope befor friday) and will test it then but so far the car is almost exactly what I have been waiting for for a few years now....now if some aftermarket companies would get on the fn ball we would have a awesome 4wd buggy.....

[Cain]

There is some aftermarket stuff coming on the pipe. I think Lunsford may be the first US ones to have something out ( titanium screw kit, turnbuckles, etc ). Some others are going to do some machining of parts.

The ball diffs actually have been quite good on time between rebuild considering the conditions I run the vehicle in. Last week was pretty much a fluke as I hadn't really done any maintenance work on the car at all for about 3 weeks. The diff components however feel like they hold up well and pretty smooth too. You should see the Putnam sponsored guy I race with and pit near, his car looks better than new each week for racing.

What motors do you have coming in and what motor are you running now? I am going to be running in the regionals here in a "hopefully" stock class. Motor is the Monster stock.

[anothermbdusted]

i dont recall the actual motors cause its been 3 weeks now and i have forgotten what i have ordered..but i do remember that i have some orions and peaks coming and as for the winds i think they were 10x2 12x2 and a 17x3,,i get them from a freind that owns his own shop but hes been on vacation and well im a little pissed that he hasnt sent them out but he just got back so im hoping thursday or friday they will get here..
as for lunsford parts do you got any part numbers?

by the way ive been trying now for a few weeks on getting that fn motor mount from KOSE and well its a no go so far...IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO GET ONE LET ME KNOW ASAP......so i guess ill have to do that waffle thing to the cam as soon as i find out how its done....anyhow thanks for keeping things up to date

we should get our own forum for this car i think.....?

[Cain]

there are several good forums around that have a cast of characters. good ones are www.rc10b4.com and www.rctech.net including this one. rc10b4 has a sponsored MRC driver who also runs for AE.

As for the mount it sounds like its out of stock but Academy is also looking into doing a redesign.

The waffle thing is quite easy, just take the motor cam, on the part that goes into the motor mount ( its roundish ) with a dremel cut little lines in it one way and then the other. trust me this doesn't have to be perfect. Mine looks more like dents than lines and it works.

As for lunsfords this is still all in the works. When I know something more I will post.

For V2 motors, I am noticing about 7 or 8 over the wind works well depending on temps and also if you drill the body.

[Cain]

Hey guys,

here is the RC Car Action article:

http://www.rccaraction.com/articles/mrc_academysb.asp

[anothermbdusted]

Good read....Thanx for that info...

Well I'll have my stuff for sure on Tuesday cant wait to run it....Going to waffle the cam tonight after I get back from the demolition derby....Crossing fingers that I built everything right got bearings for everything so I figure if I blow the diffs I'm going to get those truck ones instead....got to get some spare parts also soon...Just incase..I'm sure I'll clip a board or two tring to get around the track a little faster but who knows debating on the front one way though as I have never had a 4wd with out one in it so it's going to be a new experience for me.....

[Cain]

Front oneway will make it feel like a 2wd vehicle offpower from what I have been told. depending on the track this can be the hot ticket. I run on a really loose track and after some setup work it turns great.

[Cain]

should be able to do a teardown tonite or tommorrow and deep cleaning. will report any wear issues.

[anothermbdusted]

so how much is a str4 pro? and how many parts are extangable with the buggy can the motor mount ,chassi and center shaft all be changed for this one?please let me know what can be interchanged as i might buy one to get the parts i want instead of buying seperatly...thanks

[Cain]

The str4 pro sedan is $199 direct from MRC. From what I have been told by people who have the sedan ( you should confirm this however direct with someone who has it like DCM on www.rc10b4.com ) The mount, decks, center shaft, rear hubs ( from what I can tell in the pics ) all look the same. The chassis I think is just slightly longer in the front as it has alittle more material for the front bumper ( you can knock this off with a dremel I believe ).

Also, screws, etc probably are compatible. Again, I say confirm with someone who has it but from the looks of things in the pics and what I can gather alot of what is on the vehicle is compatible.

[anothermbdusted]

got my parts today but no time to install all of them yet been very busy...got the speedo and the motor and some of the bearings installed just need to install the rest of them into the front hubs and switch out the receiver to my sx3 one and charge a battery and can see how she moves..cant wait but i think i might have a bent axle already as the right rear seems to vibrate really bad under load....and well it just plain looks bent too.will see in a few days though...

[Cain]

You are talking about the dogbones right ?

This may be part of the play that a dogbone just inherently has as I have noticed this as well.

make sure that you put spacers in the diff hubs to push the bones more into the axles.

I will be out of town for a week starting this friday so won't be on the boards. Have fun all and keep them SBs running!

[anothermbdusted]

yeah its the dog bones.....well have fun...let you know how it goes probably tomorrow

[anothermbdusted]

well got to order some new bones for the rear it is definitly bent to the point that it vibrates like a sob in the rear..

[JK Racing]

anothermbdusted, I had the same problem when I built my kit. One of my rear dog bones was bent so bad my wife could tell. That was before assembling it. I fixed the problem with a hammer (for testing) and resolved the problem at my LHS, I bought U-joints for the rear. When I did run the bones though, I used cut fuel tubing to properly space them in the cups. With out something, they are quite loose.

[anothermbdusted]

I know this might sound dumb but to adjust the ball diffs you dont have to take them apart do you and if not then how do you do so?i mean out of the diff cases themself and reassemble them...i know you can adjust some externally thats why i ask and well i cant find any info on this please help thanx

[Beniscool6]

Do you mean adjusting the diff with out taking the diff apart, or without taking the diff out of the housing?

on a losi or an associated, there is a screw that you put the thrust bearings and washers on, and then it goes threw one outdrive half and then screws into the other half, sandwiching the diff gear inbetween the halfs. im not sure if the SB's diffs are the same, i dont see how they could be much different

to tighten just the diff, all you need to do is simplly put a allen key in the screw inside and tighten it the diff.

to tighten it inside the housing, you shouldnt need to do anything different. you most likely will need to pop off a ballcup so you can get the dogbones out.

[anothermbdusted]

ok i got it figured out needed to take a ball cup out and then the little plastic thingy out inside the cup then take a screwdriver and tighten it down a bit is all thanks for the info...does anyone have a issue with the steering arm hitting the top plate when turning?the peice that goes from the servo to the bellcranks on the balljoint on top? does that make sense? and can anyone tell me if the universale joints fit any better then the small dogbones or if they are going to make cvd's for them at all?

[JK Racing]

I am running universals all the way around, I feel they fit better, a longer dogbone couldnt hurt in the rear though...As for your steering hitting the top plate. Mine is very close, but I am at full crank at the wheels as it gets there. If your not, try making sure your link from the servo arm to the steering post is as short as possible. I reworked mine a few times to get it in a place that I liked it. As for CVD's?? Dunno.

[FLYBOY7]

i ran the stock dog bones in the rear for a quite a while... i used AE shock o-rings in the outdrives to "shim" the bones, and they worked fine.... i upgraded to the universals in the rear, i didn't notice any difference in the way it drove... so it might not be worth the $30 for you to do the upgrade...

the diff parts in the Academy are probably the cheapest i've seen in a while for a ball diff.... the rings are soft, the balls are soft, and the plastic the gears are made out of is not even near AE or Losi quality.... i've blown two rear diff gears now... some guys are using the diffs out of the Academy truck, perhaps they will hold up much better.... but then that would be sinking in even more cash to a car i've already had to spend wayyy too much on already.... (between the AE shocks $60, motor mount and cam $70 ect ect ect ect)

[Cain]

I run Universals all around now and like it alot though I am getting excessive wear on the diff hubs. Tim at MRC is looking into this. The dogbones however I never had a problem with.

As for the gears stripping, I managed to pop one set of rear gears recently but I think it may have been due to the fact that I had worked on spacing the gears so that I had as free a drivetrain as possible and didn't recheck this with wear. As the gears wear you probably need to redue your spacing ( I ran two shims, should have gone to three ). The gears however are about 5 bucks so you can pick them up cheap and a spare set isn't bad to have.

[FLYBOY7]

if you run the 3 shims it binds too much for my taste... i've gone to running 2 front and rear... to start with i ran none front or rear so it would be as free as possible... the last rear diffs gears i blew, i was running the slipper as loose as possible for a high bite track, and 2 shims at the diff... i was running a pretty hot mod motor, but it's just cheap plastic that shouldn't be stripping out...

Cain, do you have any links to the upgrade diffs that people are running?? i think the stock front will work ok, but the rear needs something beefier...

[Academy UK]

In the UK we are now selling uprated diff balls for the SB. These are only slightly more expensive, (maybe only 50P more expensive), to get your diffs smooth it is a good idea do glue the diff rings to the outdrive.

Academy are aware of the wear problems with the outdrives and are looking into it, at the moment we have sent some outdrives away to be tested to see how hard they are.

Thanks

Nick

[Cain]

FLYBOY7: The outdrives that re-inferno mentioned were part number : RG-039 Diff Outdrives, but these can only be used with gear diffs ( not sure the part number on these but will ask him and post ).

Academy is looking to make the steering arms out of better material, I wonder if they will do more gears in this material as well.

[re-inferno]

So far, I ran all 3 possible diff types in the SB -sport (excluding the one-way)

"Upgrading" to gear diffs makes only sence if

- you don't want to do maintainance on them
- there's power, the ball diffs actually can't take (brushless, RT4 "EP" Conversion...)
- you want to keep costs down (2 gear diffs euqal almost one ball diff cost-wise)

But also the gear diffs require a very clean meshing (though bigger teeth allow for more tolerance)

That being said, you have two options:


#1 RT4 GP-Diffs: heavy, full metal gear, very 1/8ish

http://offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040510/RT4_Diff.jpg

Here is the parts list: (for complete conversion)

2x RG-13: complete diff unit
2x RG-39: hardened steel outdrives
1x ST-17: Bevel gear front
1x ST-18: Bevel gear rear


#2 STR-Rally Series Diff: lightweight plastic/steel, very light (about the weight of a ball diff)

http://offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040730/P1.jpg

Here is the parts list: (for complete conversion)

1x ST-06: These are the diff cases + crown for the STR-Rally Series.
2x AS-045: Satelite & sun gear for diffs
1x ST-17: Bevel gear front
1x ST-18: Bevel gear rear
1x ST-26: Bushing adapters (to use the diffs with the stock 1510 BBs
2x RG-39: hardened steel outdrives


Some sugestions/hints:

- the RT4 Diffs may make up for bad gear meshing (too loose) but they deliver bad performance because they're simply too heavy
- in the front diff, use a 4:1 mixture of silicone (the stuff one uses to seal showers, plates...) and heavy 10000cps silicone oil (that prevents the silicone from hardening
- in the rear, just use some kind of grease
- when assembling the diffs (#1 or #2!) do yourself a favor and use M2,5x16mm screws instead of the stock 2,6x14mm - they just get you into trouble. Drilling the holes in the diff casings deeper (use 1,5mm drill) is required. If you can't get hold of this screws, some 4-40x5/8" FH screws out of a Losi XXX front bumper might do the same job :p
- You don't need to push o-rings into the outdrives when using dogbones.
- You can use 5x0.1mm shims or o-rings on the shaft between diff case and outdrive
- Internal ratio goes up to 3.18:1 (35/11) - very nice since the SB uses small main gears and you therefore have to use very small pinions with the stock 2,75:1 This means, you can't (well, you can, but..) run a mixed setup... 2,75 vs 3,18 is way to off for a "normal" over/underdrive ratio.

Setup #2 will make the drivetrain virtually bulletproof delivering almost equal performance to the ball diffs. Setting the "hardness" of the diff can be done by alternating the mixture of silicone and silicone oil. (1:1 - feels like a very smooth and loose ball diff, 5:1 or more equals a very thight ball diff. Mixture may need a few hours - 2 days to get its final stiffness.)
The outdrives won't wear at all. (and could be replaced for 2-3$/pair anyways)

[anothermbdusted]

cain: i know you posted a gear chart earlier but i was wondering what you run for a 12x2 motor cause i followed your chart and well even with the cover off the motor and the esc seems WAY HOT i was running a 70x21 and im going to try a 19x70 or maybe even a 18x70 to see if that helps out and i know the buggy runs hot but just need some imput on some gearing you use is all.....by the way how was the vacation?hope it was good.....

[Cain]

anothermbusted:

Whats the motor you are running? The chart was based on discussion with guys in the UK and others who have the vehicle local to give a starting point. You have to remember to keep in mind that different motors will require different gearing depending on if they are more torque based versus more RPM based.

When running my Peak Vantage, I had to go down to about 19 Tooth pinion before it felt right. I spoke with Orion ( as the Peak is a clone ) and they had recommended for that motor in 4wd applications to use 8 over the wind. At night that combo ( 20 / 70 )works fine, but during the day I had to go down 1 more tooth ( NOTE: I didn't have any air scoops at the time ) . Don't be afraid to try different gearing combinations. Alot of that depends on the track you run on as well. When I ran a 19T in my SB, I went from a comfortable 23 / 70 to a 17 / 70 for a certain track since it was ALOT smaller.

Vacation went well. I got a chance to do some racing with a loaner vehicle and the guys at the track were great. I managed to qualify 3rd in the stock truck A-main with the loaner T3 and its gear ( fusion speed control, P2k2 motor, standard style servo ). Didn't get to run the main as the motor locked up on me.

[anothermbdusted]

jaguar,rush and a havok the havok is what i have in it right now and it is a 11x2 the rush is a 13x2 and the jaguar is a 15x2 when i get more time ill have to try out differnt gearing...as for the track i have yet to be able to make it down to salt lake as the local one has closed up so ive been running it at the local motorcross track to play with it...going to see also about tightening the diffs more as that might be causing the slow acceleration also but i think i just need to gear down a bit is all..

[microrcdude]

are these worth the money? im thinkin of getting into 4WD

[anothermbdusted]

well its up to you if its worth it or not but i can tell you this about it i like it alot more then my old xx4 and well it seems as strong as a 2wd truck so i would have to say yeah for my vote being worth it

[Cain]

The vehicles puts out like you want. There are some teething issues but that is being addressed. If you need support on it give Tim at MRC a call. great guy and willing to work hard to make you happy.

There are a good amount of people racing this vehicle now with factory drivers around the US. A pro one should be out before christmas, maybe even early in the fall.

amb: I think those motors may be more RPMish, so try lowering your gearing. Also, how long are you running them for? If this is bashing and you are doing 8 minutes worth of runs I can see things getting hot.

I would make sure and check that the motors are as clean as possible, no binding, check your drivetrain for binding as well. Make sure your speedo is also properly configured.

One thing I do when bashing to make sure I have a gear ratio that feels good is that I make sure that I am not full throttling around the whole time just to get around. When I have to do that, I know I am undergeared and need a bigger pinion. For you though I think you may be overgeared based on those type of motors.

[RichieRich]

I think the car is worth it. I've modified mine a bit and I haven't had any durability problems. Then again, I don't really have a ton of miles on my car. If I wasn't so excited about this car, I would have waited for the pro version. But, I figured that getting the sport would be better for me since I could put on a few mods that probably wouldn't be included in the pro version.

[JK Racing]

The car is definitely worth the money IMHO. Durable, easy to drive, and with the right stuff in it, extremely fast. Not to mention competitive right out of the box. Yes, I even used the stock plastic shocks and was still competitive. I have almost finished upgrading parts on the car that I wanted to, and still have less money in the car than buying a BJ4 or XXX4 G+. So I spent the extra money on running gear...handwound modified motors, great batteries, ect. Instead of cutting corners on running gear, save money on the car and get good running gear that keeps you at the top of the pack.

[Cain]

Agreed here. I run on a pretty punishing track, and the car goes, performs, and comes back for more no complaints or silly breakages.

[surfer]

where is everyone buying these? i cant seem to find an online hobby shop that carries them..?

[anothermbdusted]

call ultimate hobbies they carry them for like 145 shipped to your door...they dont list them on their website.....the only place youll find them on the net is mrc and they want 199 for them so give them a call at UH and they can help you thats where most bought theirs from anyways....that or ebay once in a blue moon...

[re-inferno]

http://www.offroad-cult.org/Forum/images/20040906/gears.jpg

gears after ~30-40 batteries of really hard driving :rolleyes:
Didn't think they'd come out nearly as new.
However, the rear ball diff blew out so that I'm changing over to the gear diffs again.

(I brightened the picture so that one can better see an eventual wear)

[Cain]

how rounded are your teeth?

I think I may have popped the nut that the diff screw goes into at the track as my diff just felt too loose. I have an STR4-Pro sedan coming in today so I will take that apart and see what all I can use from it.

[re-inferno]

The (now degreased) teeth of the bevel gears are a bit shiny, there's no other sign of wear.

During assembly, I set the meshing very tight - that seems to be the key for long lasting gears, the drivetrain had a lot of binding in it during the first runs.

[tallyrc]

surely someone has tried associated diffs or gears right? no way?

[Academy UK]

I thought you all might like to know, David Snee one of our UK drivers qualified 5th in the A final, (A main), last weekend.

The event was a national with about 100 drivers taking part, all of his qualifying runs put him in the top 10, and he managed a 3rd in round and a 4th in round.

The track was low grip dirt, I have his car with me and I will do a setup sheet and post it.

[Cain]

Great Job!

Got my STR4-Pro in yesterday and it was damaged in the shipping. Looking to get a refund, will keep you guys posted.

[Cain]

Hey guys, Got some news, on evolution products website there is some info concerning what is coming with the SB Pro which may be out at the end of October.

I am going to be getting new steering arms in to test the new material.

[anothermbdusted]

where in the forum or post what it says here would you?thnx

[Cain]

take a look at the www.rc10b4.com forum and the Academy thread, info is there. About to run out in the street but will post tommorrow.

[mrkinigit]

What is the lowest gearing the buggy will accept?

[anothermbdusted]

you mean the gear ratio or the pinion spur combo?

[Cain]

The buggy comes with a set of spur gears , four I believe. In reality you pretty much use the 70 Tooth gear only. I think the smallest I have been able to fit was a 17T pinion on there. With motors that are more torque based ( like a KR ) this isn't an issue. When trying to configure a monster stock to work I had to go too low for any kind of torque.

Sorry for not posting the info, been busy.

Got some news though, I got in a new set of the steering arms that are made of the stiffer material and they feel great. Others who have tested them say they are much better than the stock ones. Hopefully these will be available soon.

[spud]

hi guys i run a p2k on 20/70 indoors here in the uk.
i gear a 10x1 peak vantage on 72/22 with the non slipper 72 spur
i have the alloy steering arms fitted to my car and the improvment makes such a difference mid turn as the car keeps its line due to no more flex. :D
all you guys with diff problems there is a new diffscrew and t nut avalible to be used with a bigger thrust race.
these will stop the diff adjusting itself as the t nut is now plastic and the screw much bigger diameter. also try degreasing the diff plates before assembly and i use 2.5mm carbide balls. do not use 3/32 balls as they are 2.4mm :mad:
part nos are ST-T15 ball diff screw, spring and t nut assembly
WT-023 thrust race assembly.
these must be used in conjunction with each other.
has anybody trimmed the front droop stops off the chassis?
hope above helps rich

[Cain]

I haven't tried trimming the front droop stops. The vehicle has alot of droop in the front compared to the XXX4 from what I have seen.

Thanks for the tip on the diff. I will have to look into that when I do my next rebuild.

I really wish academy would make a 72T gear that will work with the slipper. Alittle more gearing range would be great.

[spud]

have tried using slipper with this gear and works fine used a little pritt stick glue ( paper glue) to hold together whilst assembling. this soon burns off.
i prefer running on the grass tracks here in uk with no slipper and just using the throttle exponential and my thumb lol

[spud]

anybody found front caster blocks with less flex in them for the sb?

[Cain]

spud: nope. You could try getting some machined for you if you need it. Feeling the new material that academy used on the steering arms, if they use that on the pro for the plastic parts the vehicle will be stiffer than it is now and should be more direct feeling.

[hawk222]

spud. i noticed the flex in the blocks too,but i think some of it is coming from the arms.maybe this may be of interest m8.

http://s3.invisionfree.com/Evolution_Racing/index.php?showtopic=172

[spud]

gent ive found some ALLOY blocks that will fit and are also avalible in 5 and 7 deg caster. i will make them avalible when testing is complete.

[Cain]

I think the 5 degrees won't fit the SB as I heard something about that with the stock material blocks. They would be great however for the sedan.

[mrkinigit]

thanx for the gearing info. Now that i have a kit built and in hand I can see for myself.
I built mine slightly differantly, i used the gear diffs out of my STR-4 car instead of the kit ball diffs. And I also had to drill new mounting holes on the axle carriers and cut away some material for my truck wheels to fit, traxxas rears with proline dirtworks. Running the kit pinion and 70t spur with a 17turn rush for break-in. I had wanted to gear it to compinsate for the taller tires. It seems 16/72 is the best I can do.. How much differance it will make when I put in some brushless power I dont quite know.

[Cain]

If you can get ahold of a 19T motor like the Reedy Quad Mag you may have better gearing options as that motor I gear about a 23 to 24 with the 70 tooth spur.

here is some news, Academy will be releasing a RTR version of the SB!

[mrkinigit]

awesome...
I wonder how much the parts might change

[Cain]

They may include some of the running changes, but it probably will be similar to the SB Sport right now. I figure they will discontinue the official SB Sport, then just have the RTR version and the Pro version.

[sugs]

Hey guys check this out!
http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180922
Looks awesome!

[t3racerx]

Hey guys,
I just got back from the Chicago hobby show, I checked out the SB pro at the MRC booth and it looks awsome!! I had the guy take it out of the case for me and I checked it out, it has all graphite chassis and upper decks, ball bearinngs in the bellcranks, carbon center shaft, MIP shiney cvd's. it also has a new machined, purple anodized motor mount. the only drawbacks I saw looked like the shock towers and the arms looked like the sport molded plastic. it did have aluminum pivot blocks and shocks, looked almost like HPI shocks (non threaded)

[t3racerx]

Also, they said a release date of mid november to december with a street price around $250.
they also had a nitro virsion of the sb sport, think it had a .15 in it. but there was no sport or ready to run on display

[moshaholic2]

called Unlitmate Hobbies today (10/20), they are sold out of the SB, they say MRC is out of stock aswell.

Hopefully that means the next batch that comes into the US will be the "PRO" version.

Hope it gets here soon.

[Cain]

Hey guys, the pic of the SB Pro looks good. Even if you do upgrade to the center oneway, its still alot cheaper than say the BJ4x4 and it performs quite well.

The shocks I believe are hard anodized, but I will stick with my AE shocks when I pickup the pro and move to it. Was the mount different at all than the stock one? The one for the sedan doesn't fit as snug the pinions as the stock one does.

as for the plastic, I wish they would mold some out of carbon, but at least we did get some graphite.

[littlebuddha]

hey guys, i was trying to rebuild the diffs and for some reason it just keeps slipping, and i get no diff action at all. everything seems allright, but it seems that the diff washers are slipping with the diff hub as there is no notch for it. how can i fix this? do i need to glue the plates to the hubs so it doesnt slip? thanks.

[Cain]

I saw something like this before and part of it was do to the person not installing the spring. You probably did that already however. Are you sure you didn't pop the threads on the nut? I did this and it would get to a point and then wouldn't get any tighter.

There is some advise on using a larger screw and other parts, check www.rc10b4.com and ask for info on this there.

[Milesdavis314]

Anyone know if there is an rtr coming out... if so when?

thanks

[microrcdude]

i dont think a RTR will be out. Its best to buy a kit anyways.

[dave56bug]

Hi there, I just picked up a used Academy Wyvern, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this kit? I plan on modifying the heck out of it, but it looks to be a pretty decent little kit....

The stock body is hideous, but mine doesnt have a body anyways......

http://www.academy.co.kr/en2/rc/rc_detail.html?id=27&p_mode=1&p_cage=1

Dave.

[RichieRich]

Hey Dave - Where did you get this buggy? Some of Academy's stuff is hard to get. I'd like to get a hold of an Academy Griffin but they are not sold in the US.

[Cain]

Yeah, good luck on that. You will need someone to import the parts as MRC I don't believe does the griffin. I wouldn't mind trying the griffin if Academy had MRC bring it in.

I am not sure when the RTR will come out but the Nitro SB looks interesting.

[dave56bug]

I was searching for old style rc10's on ebay, and found a listing titled "unknown buggy" so I checked it out, and found some 4wd buggy and I searched on the net for like 2 hours before i figured out what it was, because the chassis plate is so similar or older Yokomo buggies, i pretty much learned the entire history of shumacher and yokomo searching for this buggy, until i finally remembered when i boughy my SB Sport, there was another buggy on their site, viola!

Yeah, the Griffen looks great!


Dave.

[RichieRich]

The Griffin does look kinda cool, especially the Pro version. I'd just like to have it because it's different.

Good buy with the Wyvern.

[Cain]

well guys, the Academy SB Pro will be out the end of November in the USA. Probably start of thread of just general Academy SB vehicles.

If you can, get the new steering arms, makes a world of difference!

[RichieRich]

Hey Cain - what's the difference again between the stock steering arms and the newer ones?

[Cain]

The material is different, and it is beefed up more. Basically, looking at original arm you see the parts sticking out, there is bracing all around the outside so it is equal height.

Steering was MUCH better once I went to these.

More info on the SB can be found on the www.rc10b4.com forum, this one is proving to be alittle difficult to get into sometimes.

[EGRESSor]

i use the RT4-GP steering arms in my SB
with some necesarry modifications
http://photos.fotango.com/p/eba00452678f00000024.jpg
http://www.tamiyaclub.com/getuserimage.asp?t=n&id=img2511_22122004184621_3.jpg

[Cain]

cool stuff. I like the new steering arms, nice and stiff.

[t3racerx]

my SB is supposed to be in monday, then it's going to work with me, and the aluminum is going to fly!! I'm going to make some aluminum stearing arms and a billit motor mount first. anyone have any suggestions for other parts I should beef up?

[Cain]

I am not sure if you can, but if you can machine some diff hubs, similar in durability to the AE hubs and even make them lightweight you could make some good money on it from SB owners.

I would make the motor mount similar to the Kose one.

[t3racerx]

cain, do you have a pic or a link of somewhere I can see the kose mount?
I'll do some research on the diff hubs and see what I can do. I just picked up my SB today and it's going to work with me next week and I'm going to start making chips!

[Cain]

Here is the site that shows the motor mount:

http://216.239.39.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.kose-rc.com/sb_tuning/IMGUP/sbtuning_img_ksb03.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.kose-rc.com/%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D

Long link, but will take you to the mount and translate the page into english for you.

Price in USD is about $30 bucks. If you can make the mount for around that or alittle more and have that kind of quality, could make some money.

[t3racerx]

Here is the site that shows the motor mount:

http://216.239.39.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.kose-rc.com/sb_tuning/IMGUP/sbtuning_img_ksb03.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.kose-rc.com/%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D

Long link, but will take you to the mount and translate the page into english for you.

Price in USD is about $30 bucks. If you can make the mount for around that or alittle more and have that kind of quality, could make some money.
I'm going to do a mount simaler to the kose one, except it won't have that bar to hold the bearing in, and I'm going to add some heat sink finns, and it will be polished to a shine.
also the stearing arms will be simaler to the arms I did for the T4/B4, solid with no servo saver, you will have to run a saver on the servo

[Cain]

Sounds great. If you need anyone to do some testing of what you come up with let me know.

Any plans to anodize the parts or just keep them silver?

I am not sure if anyone else has thought of this, but if someone could make some graphite shock towers integrated with some aluminum to fit right on the tranny cases, those would be nice. ( saw something like this from GPM for the TC3 ).

[t3racerx]

right now I'm just planning on polishing them, unless I can find someone to do the anodizing fairly cheap around here. the shock towers are on the drawing board as well, 5 of us from my local track bought them, and I'm the resedent machinist here so we are going to try to improve on whatever we can.

[Cain]

sounds great. Here is a thought which you may be able to put out ver quickly.

Better material diff rings. The rings right now are just not that hard. Since it appears just to be a simple circle cut, some rings would do wonders.

Another thing that you can look into is machining the Kimbraugh spur gears to work with the slipper setup on the Academy. Bigger spurs would be great. at least a 72 tooth or a 74 tooth. I believe up to a 75 tooth will fit. Someone has done something like this, you just don't need one of the bearings from what I gather and it works with the slipper ( different pads maybe? ).

[USATorque55]

This is old. But I'm wondering a little something.

Does anyone experience an absolutely gigantic turning radius with this car?

Even with my trim set properly I find it having a large turning radius.
I'm running a basic servo probably 50oz of torque. Should I upgrade to 100s?

[SAhomeboy]

I have a Griffin RT Sport 2wd truck - and yes enourmous turning radius.
Anyone else with a Griffin RT Sport? Need to ask some questions.

[Cain]

Jk Racing on the www.rc10b4.com board has both the buggy and truck. drop by there and message him.

[SAhomeboy]

Thanks for the tip dude !

[Cain]

no problem, glad I can help.

[USATorque55]

Cain, i sent you a PM.

Anyone know how I can get single parts? I broke a rear axle and I cant get any hobby shop to order.

IS there any place I could get them online. Or could someone tell me how i would go about getting it directly from MRC.

And because I hate when people post only questions. Heres a video that I think many of you will enjoy.

Here is the original video: ~33Mb

And here is a much smaller version for all of you still on dial-up: ~5Mb


Hope you guys enjoy it. Its my first video and so far my favorite.

[bsoder]

no links...

[Cain]

Sent a response. need links.

How are things bsoder, haven't seen you posting in a bit here!

[bsoder]

frikkin busy as heck at work and life. less time to play than I'd like for sure :(

[USATorque55]

http://www.adcockdynasty.com/videos/Buggy2.avi

thats the 33mb


http://www.adcockdynasty.com/videos/Buggy2%20Small.wmv

Thats the 5mb...

I feel like a dumbass. Sorry guys. And thanks for the help Cain.

[Archyman]

Hello All,
I just got my SB PRO Today!!!!! Found out that one of the local hobby shops carry them and parts too....also said if he dosent have any of the parts in stock he'll get it...he's ordering me some spares as of now...any tips would be helpfull...so if you guy's and gal's need any parts and can't get ahold of them anywhere and he has them...I'll be more then willing to pick them up for you and send them to you ..... all you gotta do is pay the actuall parts cost and the shipping... I'm not into makin money off anyone...I'll even send the receipt if you want...feel free to e-mail me for something......and have fun

[Cain]

Hello and congrats on the purchase.

For the most information on the sb, visit www.rc10b4.com and the general section area. This is where most of the SB discussion takes place with tips, an FAQ on the vehicle, etc. I recommend you get someone to send you that FAQ before you start building as there a few things you will want to pickup to make your buggy even better.

[Archyman]

Hey all..I got my Sb-Pro up on ebay....just got to much going on right now.

[evilGearhead]

so how exactly do you get parts for this on the net? i can find any parts info on their site... do you have to call in your order? do they sell parts directly?

how do you order academy parts?

[Cain]

so how exactly do you get parts for this on the net? i can find any parts info on their site... do you have to call in your order? do they sell parts directly?

how do you order academy parts?

You have to call them. Or you can call ultimatehobbies and they can ship you out parts as well. prices may be alittle better at ultimate and you get free shipping over $50. You can also have your LHS call and get the parts for you as well.

[RustlerBoy]

how do u like this car guys... i am thinking about trading a TC4 for one...

[Cain]

how do u like this car guys... i am thinking about trading a TC4 for one...

Its a very good vehicle once you do the mods we have come up with. If you aren't planning to race till next year 4wd, I would wait for the new V2. LOTS of improvements, looks be a a winner.

visit www.rc10b4.com in the general section for more info on the SB.

[cart213]

Will Rustler wheels fit on this buggy?

[Cain]

Actually, I think they will. I mounted up to the front at least some Traxxas Stampede front rims as the hex is the same, just make sure the offest works. You can truggy pretty easily then, though, with the gearing for this buggy, I probably wouldn't run anything hotter than a 14 turn in truggy form. 19T motor should work quite well.

[cart213]

Is a 70 tooth spur the largest that will fit? I suppose a GTB 5.5 brushless and 4" tires would be out of the question on this buggy then?

[Cain]

The 70 is the largest that will fit at this time till the new spurs get here.

on the New V2 coming next year, gearing won't be an issue.

[cart213]

How will the V2 be priced? More or less than the current Pro kit?

[Cain]

I am not sure really. MRC and academy need to keep in mind that there big selling point was the price the vehicle was sold for. The vehicle had great points too, but was made more palatable as far as its little quirks based on its price. They shouldn't think they can charge Kyosho prices here.

I say the vehicle should come in around $225 - $250 retail and sell at say Ultimatehobbies for $179 - $199. That would be a good price considering the additional things that the sport will come with.

As for the pro, I am hoping that it doesn't go more than $250 street.

[RCB3]

Cain- Are you ordering your parts from MRC or thri=ough a hobby shop? I saw in the pics of the V2 that it has a mount like the FT TC4 and Pro $ Hara edition, but my V2 came with the round one like the sport. I would like to get the newer mount, but don't know the number. Do you know it?
In the pics that saw the motor was on the right. Is this also another change?
Thanks for any info you can give me.

[Cain]

To be clear guys, the V2 is NOT in the USA yet. What is currently available is the following:

1. SB Sport
2. SB Pro LE1 (doesn't have the velox hubs)
3. SB Pro LE2 (has the velox hubs on it)

These are all Version One vehicles, (V1's). They come stock with the round mount. If you want a more BMI TC3 style mount, go to www.rc10b4.com, visit the Academy Forum and follow the link off of JK Racings Signature. The company there you will have to call but they do make an upgraded motor mount you can purchase.

For parts I would order direct from MRC or from ultimatehobbies depending on how much I was ordering. ultimate prices are alittle better but the nice thing is free shipping when you go over $50.

[rckid11]

Any idea of when the V2 will be available?

[Cain]

Any idea of when the V2 will be available?

not sure. I would say either this christmas or early 2006.

[fgf60]

Hello,
I am a proud owner of a SB Sport, and have lots of Q?, I have had 4 xxx-4s, and would like to know of there is a motor mount diffrent then what it has, IE like the xxx-4, the motor mount is the worst part of this car looking to change it, looking for help

[trackside]

i sell them here in the uk

[fgf60]

Found one here in USA, King Hobby, in King NC, They have mail order, and stock parts, web page google king rc

[Archyman]

They got the new V2 on e-bay out of Korea...not the pro but looks like it might be out......I'll wait for the Pro....

[fathertime]

arcratech has a nice machined motor mount that allows you to mount it normally....no cam adjuster. plus it's only $25 + shipping!! mrc's billet one was $60 in 2004!

[boo-car]

Hi,

Does anyone know if the Center one-way set-up (parts ST-T10 and ST-T55 according the to the SB Pro Thread) or the Front one-way set (part ST-T39), are compabible with the SB V2 sport? Are there any other parts I need to make either of these mods? Does the center one-way have out-drives included (I need a set of 'diff hubs' and right now they are out-of-stock on the MRC site. If the fron one-way has outdrives, I may decide to go with it because of this).

Also, what is the difference/pro's & con's between running a center one-way w/a front diff as opposed to replacing the front diff w/the front one-way and using a direct drive center shaft? My goal, among other things, is to get more streering.

Shawn

[silver wolf]

you can now buy parts at mrcs website

[sim600]

Hey guys,

I just finished my build yesterday and drove the buggy in a race today. Was quite happy with it. Anyway, here's the page on my build - click (http://www.bigbigplanet.com/rccars/v2)

[auto2]

what is the fix for the carbon center drive shaft being to short?
can I put a shim washer behind the dif cups?
I have the spring in the rear and the plastic plug in the front and it is too short by a few thousandths.

[silver wolf]

how much room do you have to play with at the end with the plug if you have enough you can take the plug out and put some fuel line in it's place

[auto2]

i put a shim behind the rear dif cup and it looks good. I took it to the track today but all the e clips fell off the shock pistoons. I think they are a touch too small so into my nut and bolt assortment I go.

It has a bad nose dive off al jumps but in academys defence the shocks were NG.

[Demon-TC3]

Hi guys,
Very sory to bring back an old thread but was wondeirng a few things.

OK firsly i just got one of these buggies, got it for $200.00 but with an awfull lot of spares, and almost 12 sets of hardly used tires...so overall not a bad deal.
The car has had a fair few upgrades done, ally steering bellcranks, ti turnbuckles, losi shocks and a sliding style motor mount,

Now the only thing im struggling with is gearing, we are running on a grass track and i need to get something like a 12 turn motor into the buggy and i cant afford to cook it.. as far as i can tell the largest spur academy sell for the SB is 70 teeth which is what im using, but that only meshes with a 21 pinion, nothing smaller.

DO the SBV2 spurs fit the SB sport / Pro? if so would it be wise to go for something like a 78 or 80 spur so i can gear it with some bigger pinions (at the moment i only got 18 - 27 teeth).

Also, is there any place to get spares from as on my first session i broke my one and only front tower and front arm, not saying its a weak buggy as it handled allot!


Cheers,
Demon

[auto2]

call MRC on the phone and order anything you want. Ask for dave and he can answer any questions you may have. Sounds like you got a great deal.

can you run brushless? that may be an "easy" way to solve your gearing issue.

[Demon-TC3]

Now that you mention it, the guy before me was running brushless...it DID handle it but there is consequences. the CVD's are worn really badly (plenty of spares) and the outdrives are also worn fairly badly (again plenty new ones) as for parts i found a guy selling them at more or less the same as the US prices here in the UK, i also ordered the SBV2 larger spurs, heres hoping it pays off.

Thanks for the help all.

[JeffEmbracedDC]

Deleted due to self retardation.

[Demon-TC3]

dude u got the SBV2 not the sb!

[elidar73]

MRC Academy SB V2 Pro 4WD... anyone tell me where I can find a body?

Or a compatable body?

[JeffEmbracedDC]

MRC Academy SB V2 Pro 4WD... anyone tell me where I can find a body?

Or a compatable body?

here: https://www.ssl-stormerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/seekpart.pl?src=ns&pn=ACDV016

Also here: http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/products_id/13732

Those are the stock replacement body. I haven't really tried but no other bodies will fit that I'm aware of.

-Jeff

[sb4pro]

thought you all might enjoy seeing my sb4 with a thunder tech prototype body on it ( its the prototype body not the one that is on the current truck ) . I mounted it using tamiya ta-02 body posts bolt to the shock towers

[sb4pro]

:mad: wont let me post the pic twice to see it go to the the other sb4 thread