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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Team Losi Racing 8IGHT 3.0



There has been a lot of talk about the Team Losi Racing 8IGHT 3.0 today. Here are the improvements we've made on the 8IGHT 3.0. 
The front suspension is full redesigned with new front caster blocks (15 degrees), spindles, and front arms. The spindles are higher on the caster block creating less front dog bone plunge therefore allowing for better bump handling. We've also revised the droop screw system to eliminate chassis galling with a large headed screw that touches the chassis instead of the traditional set screw. 



The Ackerman links now have 4 x 8mm flanged bearings allowing for ultra smooth steering. It is now possible to full tighten the shoulder screws with no binding issues

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The 8IGHT 3.0 has a substantial amount of more travel. The front shock tower is taller with longer front and rear shocks. 

Onto the shocks, they are now 16mm bore with machined pistons, guides and bushing guides offering near perfect tolerances for excellent shock action. The bores of the shocks have been precisely machined allowing for even smoother shock action and decreasing any bind issues that one may experience under heavy impacts. The shock shafts are now TiCn coated. The new coating is ultra smooth and extremely durable. Just like the shock shafts, the hinge pins are treated with the same coating. The springs are new and tapered to decrease the spring cups from becoming ejected during crashes.



Gen III Radio-Nothing new there but definitely an added feature to improve servo life.



Chassis-Updated chassis with increased milling that lightens the 4mm 7075 T6 aluminum chassis.


Myriad of option parts included-Front and rear adjustable hinge pin mounts, lightweight 48T spur gear, lightweight outdrives in all three differentials, aluminum bearing inserts, and +1mm rear hexes.



Center Drive System-We changed from the CVA style center driveshaft’s to a dog bone system. This decreases friction in the drivetrain that increases acceleration, improves runtime and decreases front center dog bone wear. We also added brake caliper springs to the brake posts to ensure full disengagement of the brake discs under acceleration.


The shock towers are the traditional 4mm milled 7075 aluminum shock towers with optimized camber link and shock positions. 



Rear arms have been updated to accept the rear dog bone drive shafts that are advantageous on bumpy tracks.



Body-New cab forward inspired body with center fin for added side bite.



Wing-A completely new molded wing with larger endplates and center fins aid in increased stability and rear traction.



Wing spacers-We now offer three different wing positions via spacers. The stock wing location, .250" back, and .500" back. By moving the wing back creates more rear grip.

Wicker bill-Molded wicker bills in two different sizes. .250" and .350" offer more stability and increased off-power steering.



New dome style wheels-The new TLR wheel offers improved clearance with a revised dome style look. The wheels are stiffer than the current Losi 8IGHT wheel. We now include 4 white wheels and 4 yellow wheels.



We have also updated the internal diff gears that provide smoother diff action.



As you all can see we have definitely increased the feature set on the 8IGHT 3.0. The car handles substantially better over the 8IGHT 2.0. The 8IGHT 2.0 is definitely a drivers car and is known to play tricks on the best drivers and cause unexpected mistakes. At TLR, we put a lot of focus on the drivability of the chassis while doing our best to keep it fast. I am confident that once the 8IGHT 3.0 reaches the hands of racers across the world you will see all of the work and development we have invested into the 8IGHT 3.0.

We hope you enjoy the Team Losi Racing 8IGHT 3.0 as much as we've enjoyed improving it.

Monday, January 7, 2013

TEN Series Diff Build Tips


I just wanted to cover how to build a TEN series diff with the NEW TLR332001 HD Diff Housing, Integrated Insert: TEN.

Many have been asking for us to update the differentials for the TEN series vehicle such as the SCTE and after much work getting them right, the new TLR332001 HD Diff cases are finally on the market.  No more gluing inserts in place or tiny shims to deal with as we fixed it all.  Here is a list of the updated features:

-Integrated metal inserts – The metal inserts where the outdrives go through are now integrated into the plastic so there is less wobble and longer life with leak free performance.

-Thicker new material main gasket – The main blue gasket is being made out of new material and is much thicker to provide for more crush and a great seal.

 -Updated tolerances – We updated the tolerances so that the 4 tiny washers are no longer needed that go between the metal block and the planetary gears as well as ensuring the building of a perfectly smooth diff with each new build.




Now, let’s move on to building one of these.  The first thing is that you either want to start with new parts or make sure your existing parts are all nice and clean.  There is a great video that is posted by Adam Drake on building an 8th scale diff and you can always check that out.  The one word of caution is that on our 8th scale diff, we remove the washer that goes behind the pin on the outdrive BUT on the TEN series, you want to run that washer.

Now that everything is clean and/or new and ready to go, the first thing I do is to use some black grease to fill the grease pocket in the outdrive.  It is the line on the end of the outdrive that is inserted into the diff case.

Insert the now greased outdrive into the diff case and from the inside place the o-ring, washer, and pin in place.  Do this for both the diff cup and the diff cover. 

You will find 2 larger and 4 smaller differential bevel gears in a set of gears for the TEN series diffs.  Now place one of the larger of the two differential bevel gears in the diff cup side.

Take a notched diff pin and place on it a square, one of the smaller differential bevel gears facing inward, one facing in the opposite direction, and one more square.  Do this two times.  Place these in the diff cup making sure the notches in the pins line up with one another and the smaller diff gears are all the way against the larger bevel gear on the bottom.

Now, using the diff oil of your choice, squeeze oil in until it is about halfway coating the smaller diff bevel gears.  Place a finger against the center of the pins and spin the diff a couple times back and forth using the outdrive that is in the bottom of the diff cup.

Squeeze more diff oil into the diff cup until it is about 3mm from the top and place the other larger diff bevel gear into the diff cup.  Allow it to settle for a couple minutes at this point.

Take a finger and holding it against the face, wipe off the oil that is over the top of the diff cup.

Now take the diff cover side and place the blue gasket in place making sure to key it in place properly lining up the screw holes.

Flip it onto the diff cup lining up the diff screw holes as well as the pin and outdrive into the larger bevel gear.  The diff cover and diff cup should be flat together at this point.

Place the appropriate gear in place on the diff cover and insert the 4 diff screws. 

Put the bearings in place and put some grease on the ring gear if it’s a front or rear diff and you are good to go.  I hope you enjoy the new diff cases as much as I do!

Hope you enjoy the new goodies!
Ryan

Thursday, January 3, 2013

TLR334003 2.5 Degree Rear Pivot for TLR 22

Team Losi Racing now offers a new 2.5 degree rear pivot for the 22 series of vehicles. The reduction in rear toe-in decreases rear traction, which increases straightaway speed and corner speed for stock racers to optimize their lap times. For modified racers, less toe-in could be advantageous on high grip tracks. The new low roll center 2.5 degree pivot is hard anodized for added durability and laser etched for easy identification. TLR334003 is now available.
TLR334003

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

TLR232001 Tungsten Diff Service Kit for the 22

Avaliable this week....Tungsten Carbide Diff Service Kit for the 22 series of vehicles (TLR232001) TLR is now offering a diff service kit for the 22 platform. Now the 22 race competitor can perform a complete rebuild of their 22 ball diff by replacing all critical wear parts excluding the outdrives and 5 x 8mm diff bearings. The 22 complete diff also includes Tungsten Carbide diff and thrust balls for improved smoothness and longer life-span characteristics.


TLR232001