Mini-Z, Kyosho Mini-Z Racer, MR-03, MR-02, MA-010, Forums, News, Pictures, Parts, and Shop - Mini-ZRacer.com
Forums, Mini-Z, MiniZ, Kyosho Mini-Z, Kyosho MiniZ, Kyosho Mini-Z Racer
Mini-Z Hop-Ups, Mini-Z Parts, MiniZ Hop-Ups, MiniZ Parts, Kyosho Mini-Z Hop-Ups, Kyosho Mini-Z Parts, Kyosho MiniZ Hop-Ups, Kyosho MiniZ Parts, Kyosho Mini-Z Racer Hop-Ups, Racer Kyosho Mini-Z Parts

Go Back   Mini-ZRacer.com Forums > Mini RC

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rating: Thread Rating: 5 votes, 4.80 average. Display Modes
Old 2007.07.10, 09:59 AM   #1
Kel
Registered User
 
Kel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 153
Project: Building a Race worthy X-mod

As most of you have seen Programmer's video of the X-mod vs. the Mini-Z, I was not really satisfied with the results. So I picked up a brand new X-mod starter kit at the local Radioshack for $25 and got three free upgrades according to the sale they were having, which is a very good deal. What I plan to do is build up this X-mod to win or at least compete against a mini-z in a stock class race. And I'm sure most of you will be surprised at the results.

Here is the X-mod fresh from the packaging. I picked up some suspension upgrades and the motor upgrade. It is easily the best $25 I have ever spent.


I also picked up the second generation EVO chassis from the batch that Radioshack had. This second gen chassis is faster and stronger. I will post updates as I find the improvements over the first gen EVO chassis. The initial testing will be done with the xmod in stock form on recharchable ni-mh batteries. No bearings or suspension tweaks, no nothing. I will get it on the dyno and see the speed of this EVO and you can compare it to the first gen EVO that programmers used in his vid.

Updates are soon to follow
Kel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.10, 10:14 AM   #2
arch2b
Moderator
 
arch2b's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 35,480
Send a message via AIM to arch2b
the best practical experience comaprisons are already being done with hfay. this is a restricted class racing so the comparisons are much closer other than box stock and we already have atleast 2 seasonss worth of race data as well.

if you really want to wow someone, join hfay with the xmod and see where you end up comparatively with over 100 other drivers.

i look forward to seeing your build up
arch2b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.10, 10:46 AM   #3
Kel
Registered User
 
Kel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 153
Thanks arch, I hope some of those hfay guys get to see this thread, as the X-mod will not stay box stock for long and some minor mods actually make the xmod a much more aggresive racer.

Here are some more pictures for those of you that arn't familar with the X-mod. The overall center of gravity is very low, the only thing that is sticking up on the chassis is the motor, but the batteries are positioned even lower than that of the mini-z's.


Speaking of low center of gravity, look at how low the chassis is. I dont see how kids are running these outdoors, because they appear to be strictly ment for onroad and any small pebble would set it off track.


Here is an under shot of the batteries. If you unscrew the two center screws on the battery tray, it can actually be shifted forward or back to changed handling. I may move it back a bit for some more rear weight for better traction.


And the dyno test is soon to follow, as well as some of the improvements over the the first generation EVO chassis.
Kel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.10, 10:52 AM   #4
arch2b
Moderator
 
arch2b's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 35,480
Send a message via AIM to arch2b
i've raced evo cars many times and while they are a huge improvement over the xmods, the still do not compare stock vs. stock with a mini-z. for example, dow hosted a regional race and there were several people with xmods adn not one of them could complete a race due to chassis probelms, range issues, etc.

i've even raced evo cars with mini-z pcb's installed...

keep up the build, images and reports for $25 it makes it a great means for testing.
arch2b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.10, 11:14 AM   #5
franciscantony
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 284
Didn't realize there's a second generation evo chassis.
How is it different from version 1?
-Francis
franciscantony is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.10, 12:24 PM   #6
mk2kompressor
at the Bleeding Edge
 
mk2kompressor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: england
Posts: 1,724
there is only gen1 and evo,even the new transformers stuff is the evo chassis.
programmers has done both gen1 and evo vids,the evo was mine
it should do anything from 12-17kph on the speed checker(ive tested a few)
good luck with it
__________________
Team B.E.R.T
MR02/3 eating MA010
MR-03
HFAY S9 F1 Winner
Sinister V1
MRCG Prototype
MRCG 1.0
The uk's premier shop for mini-z
Bleeding Edge Racing UK
mk2kompressor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.10, 12:32 PM   #7
hrdrvr
MBMZR
 
hrdrvr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Posts: 3,274
Ive bought an xmod fairly recently (scion tC). It had stronger plastic for the diff and third gear (or whatever the one is between the diff and pinion gear). It also had a blue board instead of the standard green. It still handles like an xmod, and isnt any faster than my older ones.

I have one xmod (EVO chassis) that I used to use and compete with miniZs. I still have it, I just much prefer the Z. Its upgrades consisted of GPM outdrives, GPM diffs, cf shaft, bearings, RS AWD, RS suspension, RS lowering kit and an atomic standard motor. With all of these upgrades I consistantly won short races with guys using stock Zs. Once we started going up to 25 and 50 lap races, I can barelay hang with it.

IMO, the Tx and board are its major downfall (as compared to a Z). Once thats rememdied (changing out the board like arch mentioned) you still have to deal with the wheel slop and other QC issues that are much more infrequent with higher class racers.

I think, if you want to compete with a Z, youll need to get something like the Revell RPMz or one of the Iwaiver chassis as your starting platform. QC isnt much better wiht those companies, but the electronics/Txs far surpass that of an xmod.

Im looking forward to what you come up with though. Keep at it and prove us wrong :P
__________________
Landon

LET's Go Racing!
hrdrvr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.10, 12:40 PM   #8
Kel
Registered User
 
Kel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 153
Ah yes mk2, that would be a good guess on the stock speed of the gen1 EVO, but I think some electrical changes have been made that gave it some extra boost in speed in the newer version. I have already spotted a different electronics board in this one than in my old EVO. In fact the mainboard of this one is blue, rather than the same old green one. I'm not sure of the benefits of the new board yet. Testing will tell.

For now I have some pics with the body on. Very nice for an X-mod and nicley detailed. Underneath the shell is hidden all the screws on the body that hold on the bumbers, fenders, and side skirts. Don't forget the removable mirrors too. I would think that all these screws would weigh down the chassis, which is why I will be shaving some of them off. I think they make it a little top heavy too. Here are some pictures:



And the front end is beefed up alot. I dont think anything will break on a fullforce impact. These are some of the screws that can be removed and replaced with glue to shave some weight off the body.


I am off to work after these pics, but will update later tonight with pics on the dyno.
Kel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.10, 12:50 PM   #9
mk2kompressor
at the Bleeding Edge
 
mk2kompressor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: england
Posts: 1,724
it uses the same layout and components,just a different colour pcb,they changed the colour of the differential/gear plastic to blue too for some reason
__________________
Team B.E.R.T
MR02/3 eating MA010
MR-03
HFAY S9 F1 Winner
Sinister V1
MRCG Prototype
MRCG 1.0
The uk's premier shop for mini-z
Bleeding Edge Racing UK
mk2kompressor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.10, 07:56 PM   #10
Kel
Registered User
 
Kel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 153
Dyno test update

hrdrvr- I hopefully plan to prove some people wrong, because the X-mod can be setup to compete and even beat a mini-z. And yes, the electronics are a downfall, which is why I have some mods to correct some of it, especially the steering.

mk2- don't you think there is a reason why Radioshack would replace the plastic with something different? I will check it out after I take this little guy apart to see the real improvements.

Stock Speed Test:
I finally got the %100 stock X-mod on the dyno for a speed test. I was very surprised at the results. I didn't think it would top out at 21kph with stock bushings, which is why I assume that the blue gears and new electronics board have some improvements. That should also increase after I get my bearings and a different gear ratio, since the stock one is set for torque. This test was also done with energizer recharchables 850mah. I plan to put in some Intellect 750's, which I have noticed are the best for xmods and that may also increase the top end a little as well as the punch. I think I may keep the stock motor in there for a while, the stage 2 will wait till I get the suspension setup I'm looking for.

More updates will follow.
Kel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.11, 06:36 AM   #11
mk2kompressor
at the Bleeding Edge
 
mk2kompressor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: england
Posts: 1,724
they changed the plastic to stop the gears from stripping in the diffs.
i still think a good handling one can be made,my current evo can go some round a track but i gave up on it when i got my ma010's
__________________
Team B.E.R.T
MR02/3 eating MA010
MR-03
HFAY S9 F1 Winner
Sinister V1
MRCG Prototype
MRCG 1.0
The uk's premier shop for mini-z
Bleeding Edge Racing UK
mk2kompressor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.11, 09:11 AM   #12
Kel
Registered User
 
Kel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 153
Lithium's are pointless, in my opinion, for any type of racing other than a straight drag. They weigh less, but the weight is removed from a very important location on the chassis, the bottom. This leads to the car fliping over and traction rolling about twice as many times as a regular ni-mh powered car. And all this flipping will eventually lose you the race. Not to mention that that electronics behave uncontrollably with lithiums, the servo will stutter under the increased volatage and a major portion of the straight line tracking is lost from that. This is why I will not go Lithium on this X-mod, and it will stay on all fours throughout the length of the track.

Here some of the improvements I have spotted on the chassis:
First, are the blue gears people have been talking about. They are indeed blue and their old counterpart was a grey like the color of the chassis. The material feels a bit denser and the diff is much smoother. The first gen EVO's had a terrible clicking noise that could be felt when you turned the diff, the gears inside did not align perfectly and would eventually break under force. Ph2t has developed a way to fix the EVO diffs from breaking, but it appears that will not be needed with these new diffs. Also, the blue bevel gear it the same material as the diff. The old Evo's bevel gear would often get jammed, and you would need to go in reverse to unjam it, however bearings were a solution to this problem. But these should hold up to the stress placed by a HOT motor.


Another improvemnt I spotted was some beefed up rear dog bones. Compared to the stock one, you can see that the middle section, which is most prone to breakage, has been thickened. Breaking dog bones shouldent be a problem when running on regular ni-mh batteries, but those with lithium will like this.


I have some bearings on the way and some other misc. upgrades that should give this X-mod the egde on the track. My next step will be to improve the handling because I have already tested it out on the track and noticed some traction rolling. I will either lessen the top weight or widen the wheel base. More updates soon.
Kel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.11, 09:40 AM   #13
hrdrvr
MBMZR
 
hrdrvr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Posts: 3,274
Kel, Im really looking forward to this,. You seem to have a good mindset on how to accomplish what you are aiming for. Im especially intested in your electronic mods, that are hopefully somehting the average hobbiest can handle

As far as the blue gears and diffs, Im almost certain they are a much harder plastic. Ive got a car that eats diffs, and my new blue one still hasnt fried (allthough I dont drive it too much anymore). Mine didnt come with the thicker dogbones though
__________________
Landon

LET's Go Racing!
hrdrvr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.11, 11:25 AM   #14
Kel
Registered User
 
Kel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 153
hrdrvr-thanks for the comments. After further examination, the blue gears are stronger. They are more precise too. The ends of the old diffs that hold the dog bones can easliy bend, while the blue diff is very stiff. Bearings also fit snug to the blue diff, which will eliminate some wobbeling. Here is a close up of the blue diff compared to the old diff:


I have been trying out some suspension setups on my track. The main threat now is traction rolling and some oversteer. I could try out the race suspension kit with lowering and lifting links. The lowering ones may lower it too much and create some drag on the bootom of the chassis. I will try out using some in front and back and see what works best. Here is a pic of the kit from Radioshack, whcich is another free upgrade I got from the sale they are having.


Either way, this kit includes some wider rear axels, like a wider mini-z offset, which should widen the footprint of the X-mod and help keep it planted in the turns.
Kel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2007.07.11, 11:39 AM   #15
hrdrvr
MBMZR
 
hrdrvr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Posts: 3,274
^ Also, the body kit for that particular car comes with a new set of rays wheels. The rear ones are widder than stock and would provide an even wider base in the rear to further stabilize your car.
__________________
Landon

LET's Go Racing!
hrdrvr is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Any one wanna race f-1 or mod? solartech CP Mini RC Raceway, NY 11 2009.09.11 06:27 PM
2008 Winter Race Schedule briankstan Salt Lake Mini-Z 0 2008.01.16 10:10 AM
OL MONSTER GARAGE PROJECT: Dodge Hemi Race Truck DogbreathRacing Mini-Z Overland MV-01 48 2004.06.25 07:03 AM
Tom Thumb Hobbies -- Race Report 12/13/2003 latency Tom Thumb Hobbies, Columbus OH 0 2003.12.14 12:23 PM
pre-season race news at tom thumbs, columbus, ohio West.F1 Events 12 2003.03.21 03:55 PM


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:43 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2011 Mini-ZRacer.com
Mini Inferno Sale - Up to $85 Instant Savings!
Micro-T Hop-Ups
RC18R, M18, Micro RS4, Mini-LST, TamTech-Gear, Minizilla, RC18T, RC18B, RC18MT
shop.tinyrc.com Products

more»
Tiny RC Community News
[03/22/17] MZR was on vacation, didn't... : All kidding aside, the host experienced a bit of a server meltdown last week and efforts to restore the site to a new server took longer than anticipated. The current server is temporary until - more»
[11/25/15] Did You Hear? Our Black... : Hey Racers,
We're getting started a bit early with our Black Friday sale this year.  Generally we're not supporters of retailers opening early on Thanksgiving, but in our case, we're - more»
[06/30/15] shop.tinyrc.com: Have You... : Hey All! Just a quick reminder to everyone that we post all of our shop.tinyrc.com Newletters here on the MZR Forum. If for some reason you miss them in your email inbox, you can always see the - more»
Mini-Z, Mini-Z Racer, MR-02, MA-010
M18, M18T, RC18T, Mini-LST, Mini-T, Micro RS4, XRay, 1/18, 18th scale
XMODS, XMOD, Micro Flight, ZipZaps, ZipZaps SE, Bit Char-G, MicroSizers, TTTT, Plantraco Desktop Rover, SuperSlicks, Digi Q
Mini Inferno, Mini Inferno ST, half EIGHT, 1/16, 16th scale
Epoch, Indoor Racer, 1/43, 43rd scale
E-Savage, eSavage, eZilla, e-Zilla, HPI
Robots, Bots, Bipeds, Wheeled, Manoi, Roomba, NXT, Lego, Hacking
Crawling, Crawlers, Micro, RC, Losi Mini-Rock Crawler, Duratrax Cliff Climber
Kyosho Minium, Caliber 120, Minium Forums
Mini-Z Hop-Ups, Mini-Z Parts, Mini Inferno Hop-Ups, Mini Inferno Parts, M18 Hop-Ups, M18 Parts