Red RC » Gas Off Road

January 29, 2010

Durango release details of DNX408 body shell

Durango are claiming that their DNX408 1/8th scale has the lowest bodyshell around. This has many benefits, like low centre of gravity, minimal frontal area to punch through the air, more air flow over the rear wing etc, but it also helps with heat management. The engine head in a DNX408 gets the most direct clean airflow of any car, plus the body is designed to direct as much air as possible over the bodyshell at the engine head, rather than through the body. The central engine and low bodyshell mean that all shock bodies are also in clean airflow. The rear wing is as close to the rear wheels as possible, thanks to the forward shock position, this drives the down-force directly to the rear wheels. Too many wings on 1/8 buggies are way out back which means more wheelies than down-force.

Click here for more shots of the DNX408 body shell

January 22, 2010

Serpent S811 Cobra detail photos

Having shown us photos of the overall chassis some weeks ago, Serpent are back with detail shots of the new S811 Cobra buggy. Also they have sent us the 4th part of the interview with chief car designer Billy Easton, the former World Champion continuing to run us through the cars main features.

Click here for more information and photos

January 21, 2010

The face of the Durango DNX408

So, we have seen the parts, the rear and now Durango are showing us the front of the DNX408. By Durango standards the front suspension is pretty standard stuff, solid, light weight, with a clean, no-risk design. The front end features all the necessary adjustments, plus hard anodised suspension holders, hard anodised bulkheads, 5mm hard anodised shock towers, outdrive and CVD boots and the 15mm bore PTFE coated shocks. Team Durango style down-stops keep the front of the chassis nice and narrow for best front ground clearance. When it comes to taking the gearbox and centre drive shaft out it should only take about six screws.

Click here for more images of the front end

January 20, 2010

Durango shows of the DNX408’s rear end

Durango continue to tease us with close up shots of their prototype DNX408 1/8th scale buggy. The car’s rear-end design is all about low weight, keeping weight forward, putting the wing over the rear wheels and giving the most ground clearance. The 408 claims to ‘probably be the lightest car on the market’, which is thanks to many design considerations such as the minimalistic gearbox case, slender but tough bulkheads and the smallest rear overhang of any car.

Click here more information and photos

January 18, 2010

More photos of the Team Durango DNX408

Having shown us some CAD images and photos of pre production parts, Team Durango have now released more photos of their pre production prototype DNX408 1/8th scale buggy. Along with the photos they have also released the car’s feature list together with the public buying price, which they expect to be US$699 or 457 Euros or 417 UK pounds, minus sales taxes. Not a bad price considering the spec of the car out-of-the-box, which features alloy suspension holders, alloy bulkheads, 5mm shock towers and a 5mm chassis all of which are hard anodised, plus black/gold alloy CNC machined engine mount and a lightened transmission.

Click here for the feature list and more photos

January 15, 2010

HPI Racing 2.4GHz Baja & High torque servo

Lots of new items from HPI Racing who have released new 2.4GHz versions of their Baja 5B and 5T. The latest version of the Baja 5B 2.0 gives you a 2.4GHz radio system, more speed, better acceleration, improved handling and three fantastic new looks. The grey-anodized look of the Baja 5T truck comes to the buggy, with all of the main aluminium parts now anodized a cool, sleek gunmetal color, while the body is now available in three fantastic new designs: bright red, cool blue and subdued gray. The Baja 5T remains the same but with the 2.4GHz radio system it makes running your truck safer and more enjoyable than ever. No need to worry about radio conflicts, crystals, or radio interference, this Baja is equipped with the latest spread spectrum radio technology that delivers worry-free driving. HPI have also released a new high torque SF-50 Servo that is a direct replacement for the SF-5 servo found on HPI trucks and buggies. High torque and a tough metal output gear give it the strength needed for applications like the steering of the Savage XL, Savage Flux, and Vorza Flux. If you’re looking for more torque, the SF-50 is an easy bolt-in upgrade for the HPI SF-1, SF-10, SF-2, SF-20 servos. New for the Ve8 is this one piece alumininum motor/diff mount which strengthens and simplifies your chassis layout. This part also helps support the center diff and the motor mount to ensure constant and positive gear mesh. Finally for the HB D8 and D8T, these new 1.1mm clutch springs are slightly stiffer than the stock, silver clutch spring with the extra tension on the clutch springs allowing the engine to rev higher before engaging the clutch.

Click here to see the other itesm

December 28, 2009

Serpent S8XX 1/8th scale buggy – Part 2

Following on from last week’s release by Serpent showing the first CAD images of the new Billy Easton designed S8XX, the Dutch company have released the 2nd part of their 4 part interview along with the first images of the chassis itself. The company’s first move into the offroad market, they are also expected to be releasing a truggy, as well as an electric version, in the near future with a ready-to-race version expected also.

Click here for another image and the 2nd part of the interview

December 23, 2009

Serpent 1:8 Buggy

Serpent have released three CAD images of their latest attempt to enter the competitive 1:8 Off Road market. One of the key players in the nitro onroad competition market, they give little details about the buggy itself, currently known as the S8xx, but instead have included the first of a four part interview with the car’s designer Billy Easton. Serpent has made noise about entering the 1:8 Off Road for the past few years and did get as far as racing a Gerd Strenge designed prototype at the European Championship in Greece in 2008 but the project didn’t go any further. American Easton is a very accomplished off road racer himself and has already tested his new creation in Florida while Serpent’s chief designer Michael Salven sampled the car in the snow in the Netherlands where the company’s design office is based.

Click here to view more images of S8xx and interview with Billy Easton