Xray RX8 2016 1/8th nitro on-road kit
To sum up our exclusive series of stories on Xray’s all-new RX8 2016 1/8th nitro on-road kit, including the making off part 1 and part 2 as well as the exclusive interview with designer Martin Hudy, we now have all details and images of the company’s all-new top-of-the-foodchain 1/8th kit available. The 2016 specification car received a massive make-over that starts with the all-new aluminium backbone in the form of full aluminium bulkheads, layshaft and radio plate mounts to ensure a strong yet lightweight framework while still allowing maximum flex characteristics for increased traction. Beside the bulkheads also the suspension mounts are made up using aluminium for maximised precision and durability.
The 2016 kit is based on a re-designed aluminium main chassis plate that is very narrow for increased chassis flex and a minimised amount of scrubbing in corners to eliminate the feel of the car stopping mid-corner. The chassis is machined from lightweight 5mm 7075-T6 aluminium to ensure strength and rigidity. Strategically placed cut outs further optimise the flex characteristics and the chassis and bulkheads are designed in a way so they interlock for perfect alignment and maximised precision.
Swinging over to the bulkheads, they are made using aluminium material for improved flex characteristics and stiffness, allowing to extract maximum traction and steering even from hard compound spec or hand-out tyres. Lightweight 7075-T6 aluminium ensures a low centre of gravity with the overall design allowing easy servicing and parts access.
Also new for 2016 are separated 2-speed bulkheads for improved rear flex while composite bushings for the ball races minimise engine vibrations for improved durability of the ball bearings. Up front the redesigned clamps also allow a much easier access to the front bulkhead for setup and maintenance.
Along with the new bulkheads come re-designed upper bulkhead clamps that hold the rear shock tower and the carbon fibre upper arm mounts. Another new feature on the RX8’16 are also redesigned upper arm mounts made of aluminium. Different mounting locations for the carbon fibre radio plate allow the adjustment of the overall flex characteristics to adapt the car to a range of track conditions, tyre compounds and diameters in order to extract the maximum traction and steering from both hard hand-out or soft open compound tyres.
Another new drivetrain part is the front layshaft holder that now also acts as a belt tensioner as it slides in a machined slot, allowing to shift it forth and back on order to achieve correct front and centre belt tension.
In the centre of the chassis a new carbon fibre radio plate was designed to work with the front upper arm mounts, the new fuel tank as well as the new steering servo mounting system. The plate is machined from 2.5mm high-quality carbon fibre and the design allows for easy removal for servicing and cleaning duties.
On top of this the radio plate utilises Xray’s Multi-Flex system with different inserts, allowing for a fixed or floating mounting of the plate which in turn has an influence on the car’s overall flex settings. Again this helps to adapt the car to virtually all track conditions, tyres and driving styles.
The radio plate mounts to the chassis using newly designed aluminium mounts which are part of the all-aluminium backbone of the RX8’16.
Another redesigned part on the 2016 RX8 is the muffler mount that was moved from the front layshaft mount to the front left bulkhead to allow the layshaft mount to adjust the belt tension of the front and centre drive belt.
The car’s fuel tank also received a makeover for 2016 with an updated shape allows for more stable and consistent engine operation at lower fuel levels. The 125cc tank features a hypertonic tank lid and an internal fuel filter while inner baffles ensure the fuel will always stay in the area of the pick up for constant fuel supply even in long, fast corners. Servicing and maintaining the fuel tank area was made easier with the new fuel tank mount, consisting of alloy posts and rubber O-rings, that allows to simply take out the fuel tank as it is secured by two small body clips only.
Another new feature in the engine area are the updated engine mounts that now sit in a symmetrical position to ensure equal left-to-right flex characteristics. The engine mount, made from high-strength aircraft grade aluminium, sits in a fixed position for super easy engine installation and gear mesh adjustment.
As for the car’s suspension mounts, the new parts are fully independent from the bulkheads for improved flex and traction and an overall easier to drive car.
The rear upper arm mounts are made from 3.5mm carbon fibre and they utilise composite inserts for easy suspension geometry changes while the new kit geometry makes for maximum traction and steering characteristics.
Other new parts include the redesigned 2.5mm front and 3.0mm rear carbon fibre shock tower and grooved pivot pins that prevent the suspension pins from coming out during operation.
Over to the updated suspension parts, the front lower A-arms were redesigned in terms of length, thickness, flexibility and geometry to achieve a maximum of on-track performance with the material used offering both exceptional performance and durability. Also new are the updated steering blocks with new aluminium steering levers. The latter feature three different steering Ackermann positions while the bump steering is adjustable using different amount of shims under the linkage pivot balls.
As for the updated steering servo mounts, they are machined from 7075-T6 aluminium to ensure a lightweight yet rigid mounting within the new aluminium backbone.
Part of the updated front section is also a new single bellcrank servo saver that was redesigned to work with the higher roll centre position of the radio plate. Ball-raced to ensure super-precise and smooth operation the servo saver also features easily adjustable Ackermann positions.
The suspension package is rounded out by new front carbon fibre and rear aluminium suspension extensions for an updated shock geometry. The included all-aluminium shock absorbers come with new, longer ball ends to add to the new geometry while allowing optimised up and down travel values.
As for the new wire front anti-roll bar, the common design makes for improved handling on tight track while also being easy to adjust thanks to different thickness wires and “touring car style” mounts.
An optional blade-type front anti-roll bar is available for larger, open tracks.
The body mount duties are taken care of by new aluminium front body posts while the rear body mount features three positions for downforce adjustments.
Finally the RX8’16 utilises all-new pinion gears. They replace the previously used NT1 pinions with the new ones being of a reinforced design for improved durability. A fine thread allows the easy installation on XCA standard or lightweight clutch bells.
All-new 2016 features:
– All-new aluminium backbone
– All-new chassis
– All-new aluminium front & rear bulkheads
– All-new aluminium 2-speed bulkheads
– All-new aluminium front & rear upper clamps
– All-new aluminium front upper arm holders
– All-new front middle shaft holder
– All-new graphite radio plate & Multi-Flex
– All-new aluminium radio plate mounts
– All-new muffler mounting
– All-new fuel tank & mounting system
– All-new aluminium engine mounts
– All-new aluminium front & rear lower suspension mounts
– All-new graphite rear upper suspension mounts
– All-new front lower suspension pivot pins
– All-new rear upper & lower suspension pivot pins
– All-new front lower arm
– All-new aluminium extension for steering block
– All-new aluminium steering servo mounts
– All-new graphite & steel extensions for shocks (lower suspension arms)
– All-new graphite front & rear shock towers
– All-new shock ball joints for improved up- and down-travel
– All-new rear solid axle shaft & pulley
– All-new front anti-roll bar wire
– All-new front aluminium body posts
– All-new graphite belt tensioner holder
– All-new pinions
Source: Xray [teamxray.com]
