RC Maker X4 carbon option parts
RC Maker have produced more new carbon items for the Xray X4, starting with this GeoCarbon floating front servo mount plate. It offers the ability to float the steering off the chassis, removing any interference with chassis flex. The bonus of this, is it’s also possible to lower the whole steering rack in the car by installing shims under the bellcrank posts and removing them from the steering arm (to maintain the same bump steer). RC Maker clam that this lowers the whole centre of gravity of the car, yielding faster response and more agile handling.
Next up is their SlimFlex carbon chassis that focuses on the flex point of the chassis, ensuring they could optimise the flex and also the rigidity of the chassis. One major change on the SlimFlex chassis is the removal of the ‘through’ spool and diff cutouts. They have pocketed these only 1mm deep, which provides a more rigid front and rear. They claim that this directs the flex back the the centre of the chassis for more consistent handling. The X4 has no shock towers to brace the bulkheads on the front, leading to excessive bulkhead flex, giving more steering but also making the car inconsistent. Thanks to the pocketed cutouts, there is now significant less horizontal flex between the bulkheads, so you can run without braces, or with thinner braces such as their bulkhead/top deck flex dampeners and not get as much flex in the bulkheads on the horizontal axis, but maintain the “caster flex” to increase steering. As well as this, the pocketed cutouts can also improve aerodynamics by not allowing as much air up into the chassis, which ultimately improves the downforce. Finally, the chassis profile has been modified to move the overall flex point of the chassis forward. With the Xray front profile being fairly balanced front and rear, they have narrowed the front as much as possible. This shifts the flex point forward, stiffening the rear of the chassis ultimately resulting in more steering which is almost always required on asphalt.
Next up is their new GeoCarbon steering arms which duplicating the geometry of the standard arms, they have created a more flexible, yet durable option part for changing the handling of your X4. The arms are lighter, and offer more flex in the toe axis, which in many cases can give the car more steering. The arms also feature a pressed M3 Threaded Insert, which allow you to directly screw into the carbon arms without any nuts. They are 0.5mm thicker than kit, however the recess onto the hub allows the same geometry as the standard 2.5mm thick parts, so you don’t need to adjust any shimming. The front arms have been adjusted slightly for increased clearance over the arms, however they recommend using slightly less than maximum lock to ensure no interference from the pressed nut. They are CNC machined from 3mm 3K Gloss Carbon Fibre, with tight tolerances to ensure perfect fit onto your hubs.
Finally they have released their brand new carbon steering limiters. Steering lock is a critical tuning option in touring car, and depending on the size of track and amount of grip, it’s something that professional drivers tend to adjust regularly. Simply reducing the Dual Rate on your transmitter is not sufficient to reducing your steering lock. Reducing the Dual Rate simply adds play and chatter to the wheels, as now the whole rack is being supported by the servo, introducing play into the system. RC Maker have developed the ultimate solution for the X4 platform. The set includes 6 different sized limiters in 0.5mm diameter increments which offer a large range of steering lock possibilities from maximum lock to around 28 degrees, to 20 degrees. Simply unscrew the screw underneath the centre ball stud, and install the desired stopper. CNC Machined from 2mm thick 3K carbon fibre, these are built to last and will not break or chip in crashes. They are also extremely lightweight coming in at only 0.2 grams for the biggest sized limiter.
Source: RC Maker [rcmaker.com.au]
