XRAY - Model racing cars

+1 on the above statement.

Hello,

likes:

- the 808's performance (the best in my eyes beside the MP9)
- the 'hidden' CVD system
- the angeled pipe position as one of the results from an angeled engine position
- the low and compact layout
- the in-house option range
- shockboot hook-in on the bottom of the piston rod

dislikes:

- fast leaking shocks
(I would use X-rings)
- the stock brakepads
(I would prefer Ferodo ones)
- a little too high radio plate
(problems with Vortex and Savöx servos)
- too little screws for the wing mount
(I got 3 out of 4 broken and thatfore I had to replace a 100% ok wing mount and diffcase. The durability itself is great but when it comes to an unlucky crash once ...)
- open outdrives
(I would use closed outdrives and lighten them on the side if so to avoid brakedisc tilting on slightly worn outdrives under any conditions)
- too soft CVD pins (though I know that pins are cheaper than outdrives )
- RC box (dust)
(I would prefer a molded-in sealing lip. The box itself is separated very well in my eyes)

Best regards,
Green Wing

Hi
I have posted before near the start but what I would like is
Easier to shim the diffs like losi on the outside
clunk style tank
thicker front Ali shock tower
Thicker chassis 4mm for high grip tracks astro
nylon droop screws with steel inserts to stop the chassis wearing out
bigger battery box for lipo
Harder wearing diff outputs

I have been apart of the team for a year now and I have never been happier with any of the cars I have owned and raced than I have been with Xray products. I want to give a big thanks to Ralph, Rocco, Brian and Pat at RC America for giving me this opportunity to run with them. I had a great season with countless top 3 finishes at local club races, top 5 finishes at out of town club races and trophy races and several top 10 finishes at races with 150+ entries. After running both the buggy and truggy, here are a few things I found that would help both vehicles without reinventing the wheel as someone mentioned earlier:

808

Likes: High Quality, ease of build, fit and finish, durability and longevity

Imrovements that should be implemented:

- Longer Hardware (there should always be at least 2 threads exposed in a nylon lock nut. Too many screw/nut fasteners loosen because screw not long enough to secure itself properly.

- Wheel Nuts (they should be nurled or have some type bite into the rim so they don't loosen and fall off)

- Improved Wing stay hardware (the self tapping phillip screws loosen up EVERY round)

- Diff Orings (need to be thicker to keep fluid inside the diff)

Other than those few things, i found the car to be very user friendly and was very satisfied overall. Im sure there could be a few more improvements but nothing else stands out that would make or break the kit in general.

XT8

Likes: Same as 808

Dislikes:

- Soft Arms ( the pin wears out the arm very fast and the truck feels loose. We don't want losi or hotbody slop do we???)

- Captured Pins all around ( needs the captured pin system like the 808)

- 808 style arms, steering system and C-hub ( not sure if the truck would benefit from the 808 style arm, steering system and c-hub setup but would be nice to find out )

- Wing stay hardware (same issue as the 808)

Again, other than that, the truck was sweet!! Like I mentioned, not sure if the truggy will respond well to the 808 suspension geometry. They went half way with it so far. Lets go all the way and see how it works!!

I just got into the sport/hobby back in april, bought a used 808 '08 model and had some problems with the diff bearings, but it was used and abused, i replaced both diff housings and got the spacers put in some ceramics and havent had a problem since, just recently i bought a '09 XT8 and it was fantastically maintained and the first race with it just after breaking in a new motor i TQ'd and won a local sportsman truggy class, IMO that to me means it is a really easy to drive truck, that same event i finished my second ever race and won it also, with all that shoulder patting i did, i can only say I think the 808 has only two issues, a fuel spill lip on the tank ( with the inserts, you can put extra fuel line in there and don't need the clunk, it can get stuck in the upright position and be worse than being on your lid imo) to minimize those rush fueling from your pit guy and the same size bearing and pinion set-up as on the XT8, just for ease of parts transfer and, i do think the 8x16 ones are more than sufficient and i seriously doubt the added weight would be that of a detrimental amount. from what I've seen from the older buggies and the 808, it is a vast mprovement.

Xray quality and fit and finish is second to none, iv'e seen other brands have to modify parts out of the package to make them work, and it seems that every part fits every time, keep up the good work and I will always be buying Xray, unless I get good enough and someone wants to pay me to drive their car, but I'd rather be driving an Xray honestly, it was my first and i got lucky, it will probably be my last, until i buy a new kit.

Truggy is spot on, if i can take it around the track for the first time without ever racing a truggy and TQ and win (sportsman class not withholding, seeing I'm new and it was only my 6th race ever) I would have to say it is, for lack of a better word, perfect.

Just in case anyone is wondering what the most popular suggestions are, I've put them all in order. (the number of times each suggestion came up is in brackets) There were quite a few posts that didn't was if they were for the 808 or 808T though so I counted them as 808 because they were generally similar.

808
Sealed radio box (13)
Move receiver box further from engine (11)
Room for Lipo receiver batteries (11)
Clunk tank (10)
Sealed CV joints or boots (9)
Downstop screw that don’t damage the chassis (9)
Longer screw into plastic parts , eg radio box ( 8 )
Better o-rings for shocks ( 8 )
ISS/ajustable suspension as standard (6)
Mud guards (6)
Pre-cut body (3)
Tank spill tray (3)
Tank lid opener (3)
More user friendly break set up (3)
Smoother/more liniar breaks (3)
Larger bearings on outer drive shaft (3)
turnbuckles that are handed like losi (3)
Carbon discs with hardened pads (3)
Straight transmission (3)
Tougher shock boots (3)
Cheap racer spec kit + Pro kit with main upgrades (eg ISS & engine mount) (2)
Include a turnbuckle wrench (2)
Thrust bearings on centre drive shaft if the transmission is not straightened (2)
Cheap racer spec kit + Pro kit with main upgrades (eg ISS & engine mount) (2)
Carry over option parts from the 808 (springs, roll bars & active diff) (2)
Universal 1 piece engine mount like king heads (2)
Exhaust spring style wire (2)
Be able to remove diff bearings without having to strip the whole diff (2)
Protection for transponder/move forwards (2)
High downforce wing (2)
More high profile team drivers (2)
Front bumper with chassis guard (2)
Rear chassis guard (2)
Stronger rear wing (2)
lightened wing mount (2)
Stiffer chassis plate (2)
Front bumper with chassis guard (2)
Rear chassis guard (2)
Stronger rear wing (2)
lightened wing mount (2)
Lighter receiver box (2)
Shock bottom caps with hex fitting so they can be easily tightened (2)
Include on/off switch in receiver box (1)
Eliminate the composite bearing hubs (1)
Side guards that fit to the body better and stop dirt getting in (1)
Lower cost parts (1)
Less flex round the engine clutch bell (1)
Optional front battery position (1)
Lexen nose cone (1)
Front wing (1)
More rear droop (1)
Get rid of the nut holding the shock piston as it hits the bladder (1)
Include option parts like roll-bars & springs (1)
Bigger pots of Greece & shock oil (1)
Closed bulkheads when removed (1)
Lightened spur (1)
Shock body adjuster nut pre marked for easy adjustments (1)
Clutch system that can be removed without disassembling (1)
Multi packs of filter foams (1)
V2 style starburst wheels (1)
Carbon top & diff plate (1)
Avid discs with hardened pads (1)
Tilted engine (1)
Hydraulic breaks (1)
Light weight outdrives all round (1)
Taller body posts (1)
Mount rear shocks on the front of the rear arm (1)
Straight engine mount position (1)
Rear wheel scraper (1)
Laser etched turnbuckles to show which way the adjust (1)
Lines on chassis to mark engine position (1)


808T
Thicker body (6)
No e-clip design (5)
Stronger wing (4)
808 style suspension (4)
Longer rear shock boots (3)
Better body posts (3)
Clips on tank for fuel lines (2)
Spill guard on tank (1)
Easy access for fuel guns (1)
Radio box designed for Lipo’s (2)
High profile team drivers (2)
Fuel lid opener (2)
Stronger suspension arms (1)
Pre-cut body (1)
Air filter fixed in car (1)
Tilted engine (1)
Bigger downstop screws (1)
Mud guards (1)
Shorter gearing for better acceleration (1)
Sealed radio box (2)
Radio box moved further from engine (1)
Better o-rings (1)
4 Shoe clutch (1)
Larger selection of spur gears (1)
Titanium turnbuckles (1)
Cheaper parts (1)
Aluminium steering blocks & rear uprights as standard (1)
Longer screw in plastic parts (1)
Downstop screw that don’t damage the chassis (1)

Still found 3 things that should be comming up.

- 4mm longer outsides of the pinion gears that allows the use of CVD boots. You can just mill a 0.2mm deep groove in so you still can push the bearings over ... no problem ... easy to produce and still way enough place for the shaft to turn free.
(Especially in the rear it's just a dirt collector, though I use dry lube on it. The dirst simply can't go out again.)

- MUCH more stabel ball carrier ring in the 13x19x4 bearings as lots of aftermarket bearings already have.

- 13x16 shims for the alu cone as that cone makes it even worth than better. Loads of pinion gear play with them even with new bearings. Don't like to buy that shims from the "K" all the time.

PS: Nice listing, Dan!

Green Wing

I purchased my XT8 this past July in total frustration. After nearly ten years in the hobby trying to use the cheaper kits and beating the system and ALWAYS being the guy in the shade wrenching feverishly to get back running. I decided to stop fiddling around and just go buy the best in the business and spare no expense in doing so. After SEVERAL people said to me get the Xray thats what I did. I bought:
09 Spec XT8 Truggy and Hudy Setup stand and Toe plate.

RB WS9 .21 engine
Jammin J4 Pipe
JR J9000 Servos
Proline Calibur LPR wheels and tires.
JConcepts Illusion Lid.

The 5 things I like about the Truggy:
#1 The obvious quality of the individual parts and how they all fit together.
#2 The organization inside the box of all the kit parts and explicit instructions although they do need to be updated to include the 09 Specs in the main book rather than by supplement.
#3 The instructions themselves. How they wxplain each and every part and what every adjustment's purpose is.
#4 The simplistic layout of the parts on the chassis. Some RC cars are daunting because the parts are all crammed together making it appear overly complicated and hard to adjust.
#5 The fact that the car comes loaded with every option necessary to perform at the track.

The 5 things I would improve:
#1 Include a set of wheels and tires for initial setup and run-in of the truggy. Something general purpose with high wear characteristics. I want to run my truggy at home to test new setups and adjustments. I do not like ruining a $100 set of wheels and tires for a 20 minute testing session.
#2 Update the instruction manual rather than including the supplements for the 09 Specs. I struggled for hours trying to figure out the manual until the supplements accidentally fell out of the back of the manual.
#3 Increase the clearance/tolerance in the center diff area. I am finding it too tight in the area where the brake arms attach and bias are adjusted.
#4 Implement a new electronic box to allow for larger receiver packs. These new high powered servos demand more power and capacity. The current box is also too cramped in my opinion where it wouldn't have to be.
#5 Improve/Update the factory included body shell. Perhaps my biggest criticism is the fact that I ruined my lid by using the pre-made dimples for my mounting holes. And the fact that the Xray lids are way more expensive than the JConcepts lids and are thinner and less durable.

I also noticed that my kit was missing two small parts that ruined my build day. I had to resort to using an OFNA part to move forward. (It was half of the sway bar mount to the rear A-arm and not a huge ordeal but....)

Otherwise the truck is spectacular on the track. I took it out this past wekend for the very first time at a regualr track. I received SEVERAL compliments and nods from the more experienced guys at the track. All of whom wanted an Xray but claimed to not be able to afford one. Yet they had thousands of dollars worth of Traxxas product on the bench in different states of repair.....(There is no fix for stupid ladies and gentlemen.)
My near-expert friend drve my Truggy and fell in love. he runs the Team Associated equipment and until Sunday swore by it. In ten minutes he had my Truggy doing things that he couldn't do with his own. That impressed me and gave me momentum to improve my track skills.

I have read where some of you wish for a clunker style tank. I suppose I can not disagree totally although I had mine upside down a few times and it stayed running fine. My last critique regarding the fuel tank is the lid opens the wrong way to suit me. I would wish for the option to install it either direction as is on the Team Associated tank.

Lastly I will try to post a couple of pictures of my rig for your approval. I am not the best at airbrushing so when y'all get done laughing at it let me know what you think.

[img][img]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh186/JonCoats/XRAY%20XT8%20Build%20Pics/100_3420.jpg[/img]

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[img][img]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh186/JonCoats/XRAY%20XT8%20Build%20Pics/100_3622.jpg[/img][/img]

After building my brand new XT8'09:

Likes:

-low weight.
-smooth shocks, loads of travel.
-quality, fit and finish.
-stylish.

Needs:

-proper bodyshell.
-longer rear boots, also be thicker material.
-update to 808 hinge pins.
-include V2 Steering blocks.
-Included notched CVD pins.
-Knurled wheel nuts.


So most i feel is needed is already made but must be added by customer.