XRAY - Model racing cars

I would like for anyone that has found a way to lighten up their XB8. The trend today seems to be that the 1/8 scale buggy needs to be lighter. I have trimmed the mudflap tabs off the back of my rear hubs. I know this is minimal amount of weight. I have also trimed the top of the rear upper linkage outer. The wheels were already rubbing on them. I am tempted to weigh the alumnimum and carbon fiber plates to see if there is much of a difference. The durability of the XB8 is second to none. I just want to make my horsepower go further like some of the other cars have. Also their weight differnence has been mentioned to possibly be the key in the handling of the rough sections. Give all of your ideas please. Also include whether you have noticed a compromise in part durability.
Thanks
Rob

Oh trust me, I have thought this over MANY MANY times!!!

What I've come up with:
We'd have to work with the most dense materials on the car, spring steel and aluminum as the weight of the plastic pieces are very little as it is already...
I would want to try smaller universals, as I think ours are the biggest; small as in smaller drive shaft diameter (have you ever seen one bend?!), milled down couplings, milled out axles (where the 355250 aluminum hubs fit over, as there is no need for bulk there)
Diff input shafts that have been milled out
Diff gears that are milled out
Diff outdrives that have been shortened and milled out
Milled out Spur gear
Maybe even go as far as making the hole in the back of the satellite gears where the orings went, even bigger.
Titanuim turnbuckles
Titanium screws (which would make a HUGE difference in weight)
Titanium hinge pins
Aluminum steering posts
Composite TQ suspension holders that don't use eclips
Chassis that is thinner (width not thickness), and milled out deeper
Shock towers that have deeper relief cuts in them

This is what I've come up with in brain storming, but that would be a VERY VERY expensive car that would be hard to drive but fast!!!

A twitchy 8 lbs car would be a dream come true!!!

LoL, I know where you heading with that one Rocco!

Look at the photos of lightened K-car of Miguel Matias at the Euros



btw. I'm new on this forum, so say hello to my new friends

I actually had a local guy machine holes like that in a TQ chassis I had and I gave it to a local kid I pretty much personally sponsor with my old car and he said it made the car better.....

I think one of the heaviest parts in the XB8 must be the front and rear gear cases, they are massively bulky, although I do suppose they have to be. Actually just using a carbon composite molded plastic would probably drop a ton of weight off the car, but it would of couse be much more brittle. A brittle car wouldn't be too bad for expert drivers, but for the new guys the over built 1/8th cars are indespensible.

Titanium turnbuckles can be had directly from Lunsford and would save weight for sure. Titanium hinge pins are available for a lot of cars but I don't know of any kits for the XRay. If the hinge pins were made of lighter material it would help shave a lot of weight off the car as there are a total of 10 hinge pins.
I had milled out drive cups on my CRT that were made by Ofna (they held up great) which could be easily made on a CNC machine.
If these parts were available it would certainly help the Truggy a lot.

I could definitely see the benefits of going lighter, but the dependabilty would suffer. You start adding carbon fiber this and titanium that, drill this out here, machine this there, pretty soon you worry about finishing the main.