Saito2 6686 Posted January 4, 2020 I think after watching the headaches involved with assembling the CAT XLS on various Youtube videos, I'm ready to give up on that pipe dream. This leaves some funds open and I always fancied running an Avante. Being a long time Vanquish owner (as well as now being an Egress owner) I'm familiar of the general issues and quirks surrounding this platform. What I'm not familiar with is the durability and longevity of the Avante aluminum heim ends as well as the rather hard and brittle-feeling ABS suspension components (hubs, plastic sections of the trailing arms etc.). Are they acceptable runners from a durability standpoint? I'm not overly concerned about performance. The quirks are part of the fun. It wouldn't see high power either. I'm a strictly brushed/Nimh guy. Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WillyChang 1814 Posted January 4, 2020 Nothing wrong with AVante suspension, they're probably stronger & stiffer than Egress. Don't hit any concrete kerbs or get t-boned by another car & they'll be fine. It's even got the impact swingback function CAT uses rubberbands, Avante got PVC(silicone? Rubber?) tube. Only thing we've ever broken are lever arms of steering knuckles. Oh and the shock tower ears off the front gear case but that's probably a freaky accident. So's getting smacked on the motor side, you could rip off that skinny peninsula of radio plate (but the suspension bits survive fine). Those huge aluminium ball ends... annoying when they collect grit. at one time you could buy rubber covers but they look daggy. Best way to stop grit getting in is to dip & fill them in molten wax; or drylube is fine too. Can't stand gritty balls. For a dedicated runner I'd probably... make an add on shocktower for the front, stand the shocks more upright. Otherwise pretty saggy and the bumper will dig in every bump. lose the koalanose plastic wheel caps, more PITA than they're worth. Just use flanged nylocs... unless you've bought alloy aftermarket versions... spendy... or change to teardrop wheels narrower fronts help handling balance a lot, most 2.2" tyres work better than pinspikes or ovalblocks but that all makes it look less Avante 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barnoid 71 Posted January 5, 2020 WIlly, are you running an original or a rere? In my experience, the front springs on the rere are way to stiff; as stock there's no sag at all. I understand that the original springs were pretty soft though. I've swapped out the shocks for old RC10 ones - with the increased stroke length you actually get some sag, and the handling (esp. on astro) is much improved. But other than that I echo what Willy said. Aftermarket front and rear alloy hub carriers are available from Yeah racing, but the originals seem to hold up fine (and the alloy ones are heavier, if that matters to you). I personally keep the original wheels for the shelf, and use some 2.2s for running. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saito2 6686 Posted January 5, 2020 Are there any particular durability issues with the Cam Loc wheels or are they just fiddly to use? I really do wish to keep the looks of the buggy as is. I've read somewhere way back in my forum searches that the aluminum ball ends wear out quickly. I had a vague notion to use plastic versions as I do on my home made Clod Buster links. I wonder if that vulnerable skinny peninsula of radio plate was part of the reason Tamiya upgraded the chassis material from FRP to carbon graphite? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ruebiracer 1046 Posted January 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Saito2 said: Are there any particular durability issues with the Cam Loc wheels or are they just fiddly to use? I really do wish to keep the looks of the buggy as is. I've read somewhere way back in my forum searches that the aluminum ball ends wear out quickly. I had a vague notion to use plastic versions as I do on my home made Clod Buster links. I wonder if that vulnerable skinny peninsula of radio plate was part of the reason Tamiya upgraded the chassis material from FRP to carbon graphite? From my experience with the cam locks, they only fail when the plastic tube, where the axle screws in, splits. Covering the tube end with a piece of metal tube even before that crack happens stiffens it all up. With that fix, you should have no problem to get a more durable runner wheel with original looks. If you want a more Performing runner with maximum Avante charme, my Avante ´89 upgrade with Vajra Chassis could Maybe be something for you. Vajra Chassis parts are cheap as chips at Tamico at the moment. You could also jump to the nylon suspension parts, if you like. Still very much Avante look to me. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WillyChang 1814 Posted January 5, 2020 6 hours ago, Barnoid said: WIlly, are you running an original or a rere? In my experience, the front springs on the rere are way to stiff; as stock there's no sag at all. Yup all my runners are the originals. Haven't built the re-res yet... they stay in kitbox, I fillup kitbox with extra sprues of spareparts... next rere gets announced, rinse & repeat 4 hours ago, ruebiracer said: From my experience with the cam locks, they only fail when the plastic tube, where the axle screws in, splits. Covering the tube end with a piece of metal tube even before that crack happens stiffens it all up. With that fix, you should have no problem to get a more durable runner wheel with original looks. yeah my caps start cracking after slight impact. I don't even tighten them fully, always backoff to enter the next slot to Loc Good tip on the tube, but what size do you use? Once saw a part on an appliance that I though would be perfect, it was like a spring tube /roll pin but in reverse, or a circlip only tubular. Would be good to clip onto the "nut shaft" of the cap and it'll clamp down with springy tension. Sorta like a spring hose clamp. But I've no idea what that part is called to lookup where to buy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ruebiracer 1046 Posted January 5, 2020 2 hours ago, WillyChang said: Yup all my runners are the originals. Haven't built the re-res yet... they stay in kitbox, I fillup kitbox with extra sprues of spareparts... next rere gets announced, rinse & repeat yeah my caps start cracking after slight impact. I don't even tighten them fully, always backoff to enter the next slot to Loc Good tip on the tube, but what size do you use? Once saw a part on an appliance that I though would be perfect, it was like a spring tube /roll pin but in reverse, or a circlip only tubular. Would be good to clip onto the "nut shaft" of the cap and it'll clamp down with springy tension. Sorta like a spring hose clamp. But I've no idea what that part is called to lookup where to buy. I use no spring, just a piece of brass tube (cut to small piece of 4-5mm) from modelshop (modelship supply), that fits snuggly over the plastic. Can make some photos next week. Glued on with 2k epoxy or what is available... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WillyChang 1814 Posted January 6, 2020 Thanks but no need, it's easy to imagine advantage with the spring is it'll clip on and grip with out glueing. But the real trick is finding the right size. Will try remember to measure next time I have an Avante wheel off. Think 1 or 2 of mine have been "repaired" after they've cracked by winding cotton thread (or possibly unwaxed dental floss) tightly around, then soaked in superglue. All this done before rere I should go stock up some Av parts sprues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites