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XV chassis: do you think that it has been successful?

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To those who still have some doubts about the XV01s potential.. Here is a quote from Turtle from RC Crawler regarding the XV01.

"But what do I know? I have only been doing this for 5 years, 3 times a week and have had virtually every rally platform that has ben conceived. On top of the 200 other RC's I have had/driven over the last 10 years. :lmao:

I can show you photos and videos of the XV-01 tail slapping over jumps if you really need to see it. The jumping characteristics are all based on throttle control, and it's a very easy platform to control in the air, the front motor design doesn't let the front end to float in the air and allows even flight control, unlike rear motor designs... This isn't hokum, it's fact. I understand the hang up with platforms you have grown accustom too, I used to love the TB-01 and DF03RA, they were strong and took a beating (once a couple bugs were worked out), but they drove like rubbish compared to the XV-01. Even the Losi XXXR doesn't drive as well as the XV-01. And locally many considered that an amazing car (after a few mods).

Front motor is the way of the future with RC (at the very least rally). To prove this point look at the WRC every single one is a front motor car, but they manage to jump and corner with proper throttle control. If rear motor was really that great cars like the Porsche and the Lancia Stratos would still be winning events.

On top of that, it's important to support those who support us. What is HPI doing for rally? The WR8? A car that has poor support and no other rivals as to make racing a practical meanings of expanding the hobby. Rally is a family, a support group and a means to bring people together. The WR8 is a means to play off the popularity of one person. It's just... not. Random tangent over."

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I'm sorry, I'll concede to being biased in favour of the WR8 and I'll defer to Turtle's expertise in having driven every car ever (though I'll state that it's hard for me to get worked up about front-motor being the second coming when I can look over and find this car on my shelf)

However this bit rubbed me the wrong way:

On top of that, it's important to support those who support us. What is HPI doing for rally? The WR8? A car that has poor support and no other rivals as to make racing a practical meanings of expanding the hobby. Rally is a family, a support group and a means to bring people together. The WR8 is a means to play off the popularity of one person. It's just... not. Random tangent over."


Now maybe my understanding of "support" is different, but I find that claim somewhat suspect not to mention the fact that since the WR8 is built on a modified Bullet platform, Bullet support is also partially WR8 support. Additionally, you can't ask what HPI is doing for rally and then discount the fact that it's released a brand new offering explicitly for that genre, because you personally disapprove of their marketing tactics. You can't complain that HPI isn't fostering the "family" when the only thing required for their cars to be part of that family/support group is for said family to get down off their high horses and just buy the darned cars. How on earth is the fact that the WR8 doesn't have any competitors ( oh ... wait ...

) a reason to snub HPI?
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Here in the states Rallye meets are scarce and is in its infancy stages. The guys in Colorado like Turtle have worked hard to create the Colorado Rallye Championship. The cars they run are all 1/10 Rallye. Tamiya is the only reputable brand that has consistently released a designated Rallye kit. The only other option is to do a conversion; such as an Associated TC3. There are also some Chinese brands like RallyLegends and Vaterra, but they're not built well enough for competition.

So, by support, he is talking of supporting a particular scale of car. Imagine if every manufacturer released their own 1/10 scale tc with different wheelbases. TC racing would be limited to a single manufacturer's spec class.

Fortunately, the 1/10 platform TC has been around for a long time. The wheelbase has been settled at 257mm (+\- 3 mm) width between 187 and 200.

HPI in the past used offer kits in 1/10 scale that could be used for Rallye. They still have plenty of Rallye bodies to offer. Maybe it's the sign of times, but HPI seems to be all over the place and doesn't follow through on developing a particular platform. Case and point would be the Cup Racer. Great start to 1/12 TC, great selection of bodies. Everyone was hoping for a version 2 and instead the axed the line. For Rallye, they chose to go 1/8 with the WR8. The problem with 1/8 is that no single manufacturer can agree on a wheelbase. It ranges from 280mm to 370mm. Within that range, there are 6 wheelbases that I can recall by memory. Kyosho's DRX is called a 1/9 yet it dwarfs the WR8. Losi and Traxxas also have their own Rallye cars with their own peculiar scales and wheelbase. This is what he means by lack of support.

Kyosho seems to be the only one that has come around. Their fazer line recently refreshed with a couple of Rallye bodies.

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Some of us just need rally cars for offroad bashing. For that, 1/8 rally cars are a nice option (ground clearance, handling, fun factor).

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I just read this whole thread since I recently bought a NIP XV-01 Long Damper Spec for an outstanding price, so I have been soaking up any info I can find.

There seems to be questions about which shocks come with this kit and the motor mount. The motor mount is aluminum and the one that came with my kit is blue. The shocks on the XV-01T and Long Damper are the same and use the "W-Parts" shock bodies where the regular kits use the "Q-Parts" shock bodies. Also my kit came with a silver can motor. I should get the rest of the parts I ordered this week and I will do a build thread when I start putting it together.

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I just read this whole thread since I recently bought a NIP XV-01 Long Damper Spec for an outstanding price, so I have been soaking up any info I can find. There seems to be questions about which shocks come with this kit and the motor mount. The motor mount is aluminum and the one that came with my kit is blue. The shocks on the XV-01T and Long Damper are the same and use the "W-Parts" shock bodies where the regular kits use the "Q-Parts" shock bodies. Also my kit came with a silver can motor. I should get the rest of the parts I ordered this week and I will do a build thread when I start putting it together.

Really interested in seeing that build thread.

Can you elaborate on the difference between the W and Q parts. I am still trying to work out what is "long" about the dampers!

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I love the balance of the TA03F, for me it knocks spots of the already good TA02 chassis, and the XV01 is the perfect spiritual successor to the TA03F.

The only reason I don't own one (I have two TA03F's including a pro which I only use in the kitchen!!) is because I have nowhere to use something with such limited ground clearance where I live. I really fancy one, especially as there are some well priced ones about. If it hasn't succeeded then it's purely down to price and lack of knowledge with them. Anyone who has them, like the TA03F, will rave about them, so many will just buy the regular TT02 and the like (which I can't get excited about at all) purely on price. I'm sure like the 03F, they'll have a bit of a cult following and become a future classic. It also seems to be fairly adaptable which is nice (like the Asterion) could it make a nice scaler platform maybe, or is it still insufficient with the ground clearance even in Asterion guise??

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Thanks Dorvack. I can appreciate that. It's also very accessible budget wise, which is a really good thing since it draws more people into the hobby. I don't mean to criticise it, I've never used one or spent any time looking over one.

I just find that it has no particular features that I find appealing, it just doesn't feel 'special' enough to me to warrant me ever considering one (whereas the front engine quirk of the XV, which for me makes a huge difference to the balance that I love of the 03F, the nicely enclosed chassis and the mud guards that I really like all appeal to me).

It is great to hear that it is a capable chassis and clearly it has had more sales success I'd suggest than the XV01. (It's a pity for the XV01 because I feel (again judging it on my 03F experience and all the features the XV has) that it deserves more recognition than it perhaps gets. Hopefully more bodyshells and derivatives will help. I'd like to see more of this chassis along the lines of the Asterion, maybe a Pajero scaler type bodyshell but a different new bodyshell.

Cheers

Nito

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I would like to know what these longer dampers make as difference.

More ride height? Better suspension abilities?

Why longer dampers on a rally chassis like this one?

Max

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I just read this whole thread since I recently bought a NIP XV-01 Long Damper Spec for an outstanding price, so I have been soaking up any info I can find. There seems to be questions about which shocks come with this kit and the motor mount. The motor mount is aluminum and the one that came with my kit is blue. The shocks on the XV-01T and Long Damper are the same and use the "W-Parts" shock bodies where the regular kits use the "Q-Parts" shock bodies. Also my kit came with a silver can motor. I should get the rest of the parts I ordered this week and I will do a build thread when I start putting it together.

I just did the same, got it yesterday from Banzai Hobby. I am interested to see how it compares to my DF-03ra once built. I will use it for rally-type bashing mostly.

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I have seen several threads with people speculating about the shocks on the Long Damper Spec and it made me curious about what the difference was too. In the instruction manual for the long damper it has the W parts listed for the shocks bodies. It too some searching and I found most of the kit pages on the Tamiya USA website for the XV-01's don't have a link for the manual. Kit # 58528 is a std kit and has the manual that lists the "Q parts" for the shock bodies. The info below is from RCMart.

The "W parts" are the shock bodies of the CVA mini shock unit set II(part # 50519) and the "Q parts" are the shock bodies of the CVA super mini shock unit set(Part #50746). The super mini shocks are 50mm long and the mini shock unit II are 55mm, 64mm, 67mm and 70mm long.

I will measure the ground clearance when I build the car. I'm also thinking about gwetting the super mini shocks so I can convert from the long damper to the std kit specs as needed but I will wait and see how it performs first.

Sorry about being long winded. David

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I just did the same, got it yesterday from Banzai Hobby. I am interested to see how it compares to my DF-03ra once built. I will use it for rally-type bashing mostly.

 

That's cool, I got mine from a guy on craigslist that was moving and wanted to downsize his "needing to build" fleet. I will probably just rally bash too since I can't find many people that run RC cars in town. I wanted a DF-03ra too but hadn't found one before I saw the XV-01 for sale.

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Alright let's clear the confusion. The Long Damper Spec does not increase ground clearance, or increase suspension travel. Just to get the point across, I will repeat: The Long Damper Spec does not increase ground clearance, or increase suspension travel. The long damper spec INCREASES shock travel ONLY. It does this by raising the shock mount points and using longer shock pistons. You are then able to use front buggy springs which are softer. The longer springs allows the chassis to sit lower while in motion, much like a 2wd buggy droops under acceleration. Once airborne the springs will extend the shock and upon landing will assist in absorbing the jump. Inversely a TC style spring are short and will not allow the car to droop while in motion like the buggy springs. The maximum ground clearance for the XV01 (Std, Pro or Long Damper Spec) is around 22 / 23 mm. This is achieved by using the longer shock ends. dcaebd122936186c4c45ef688a15c907.jpgcab07213f55565b835d40e002a304e53.jpg6275392c9e9f582d7b0b6e040d154ea8.jpg6132080da9963d341067976a412a46ef.jpg

For those that still think it's not enough, here is a side by side with my 2014 Scorpion. e63e608483c9721b716950b5c259fbe5.jpgd511224d6b025a27110561058a68b4d0.jpg

Keep in mind the Scorpion is using much larger diameter tyres. So as you can see the ground clearance is sufficient.

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I guess the longer damper will also allow the travel to move beyond standard when hitting obstacles independently. Has to be a good thing having the longer damper I would have thought. Guess you can also achieve higher ground clearance by putting Asterion type wheels on. Anyone know the ground clearance of the Asterion, and does that have long dampers as standard?

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You can achieve the long damper spec by buying the towers and longer shock Pistons. The shock bodies are still the same.

Yes you can further increase ground clearance by getting larger tyres. My question to you is why do you think you need greater clearance than 22mm? It's a Rallye chassis, not a Truggy ;)

The chassis width is 187/190mm. If you go any higher than 22, then your just creating instability and body roll.

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My WR/WT01's are about 50mm clearance. This works for me on the terrain I go on. 22mm is no good for me unfortunately which puts the XV01 chassis out of contention, much as I like it, I wouldn't be able to use it realistically. I was hoping the Asterion would be a fair bit higher as it could help justify such a purchase. Shame the Asterion is so ugly (and exposing the motor looks terrible with the high cut bumper), would be nice to see a contemporary body along the lines of the Pajero, especially with the realistic look of the inner wheel arches!

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That's cool, I got mine from a guy on craigslist that was moving and wanted to downsize his "needing to build" fleet. I will probably just rally bash too since I can't find many people that run RC cars in town. I wanted a DF-03ra too but hadn't found one before I saw the XV-01 for sale.

I have been saving this Carson Audi Quattro body, and the XV looks like it's going to be the lucky recipient!

G90271.68.jpg

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You can achieve the long damper spec by buying the towers and longer shock Pistons. The shock bodies are still the same.

Yes you can further increase ground clearance by getting larger tyres. My question to you is why do you think you need greater clearance than 22mm? It's a Rallye chassis, not a Truggy ;)

The chassis width is 187/190mm. If you go any higher than 22, then your just creating instability and body roll.

What shock set-up do you have on your car and/or what size/type of upgrade shocks would work best on a rally set-up XV-01?

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Mine is the standard pro kit, which comes with the TRF touring dampers. The Pistons on mine are also standard length. I'm also running the XV01 dirt spring set on the car. For oil I'm running 50wt in front and 30wt in the rear.

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I have been saving this Carson Audi Quattro body, and the XV looks like it's going to be the lucky recipient!

G90271.68.jpg

 

That car body looks cool! I just got the Lancia Delta body set today, I might be able to paint it this weekend if it is as warm as is forecasted. :)

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That Quattro is the perfect shell for that chassis! Now it just needs about 500 grams of extra weight in front :P

As you can guess, original Quattros were a little nose-heavy...

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Carsima RC and Rallyelengends also now have the Audi Quattro body

I mis-typed...I have the Carisma body...Carson is a different version/livery.

When did Rallylegends have a Quattro body? I don't recall ever seeing it, and it's not on their site now.

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There are 2 Rally Legends sites. The U.S. One and the Europe one. The Europe one lists all the available models.. A lot of new stuff like a Lancia Flavia, Ford Escort Cosworth, Audi Quattro

Here is the EU one

http://www.therallylegends.net

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