Broken Losi parts

Steve.T · #1 22-06-2008

My meeting was cut short today with another losi part breaking.
So far this season I have broken 8 rear and 6 front shock towers and 4 front wishbones.
Being an F5 driver i expect to break more than drivers rated higher but this is getting ridiculous.
I have managed to put an alloy brace at the front to stop the wishbones breaking but the shock towers are still an issue.
I am using the carbon bracers but the towers still break.
At the rear they appear to break morewhere the ball stud goes in and also accross the "X" part of the tower.
At the front they crack where the body clip would go.
I do not want to change cars but at £14 and £8 a time ( rear and front) this is getting expensive.
Any advice welcomed

Southwell · #2 22-06-2008

Just the strengtheners stopped mine breaking, imho i would change cars, this chinese crap we now get is much more brittle than the Hot bodies stuff, for example.

super__dan · #3 22-06-2008

A couple of things, are you using graphite parts? Cos they are the worst ones, I run plastic towers AND wishbones, both MUCH better! With these I very very rarely break anything (I run tower strengtheners too which helped me reduce breaks from some to almost none, it was only front towers I used to ever do though).

Do you run the X Factory wishbone screws? They're not a gimmic, they genuinley work and save wishbones loads!!!

Lastly if you are breaking across the rear tower camber link screws you can brace the sides with a rear toe in brace like so.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...an/pics003.jpg

Also have a look at this thread fo other info

http://www.one-ten-rcforums.com/4wdr...ic.php?id=1540

Southwell · #4 22-06-2008

If you can find old style graphite parts with the big lettering then ull be much better off. Some small shops may still hold stock....

ryan · #5 22-06-2008

I think the main problem is that losi now uses chocolate in their mouldings. Everything seems to be very brittle and breaks very easily.

ashleyb4 · #6 22-06-2008

I dont see what everyones problem is you must be some sort of animal sorry no offence but ive been running the xx4 for 18 months and have broken 2 rear towers no front and only broke the one front tower as i hammered it off the jump at the indoor finals.

A

super__dan · #7 22-06-2008

I went through a stage last year of towers, over 2 meetings which directly related to when the new graphite with the small letters came out. Ian's right the old graphite with the big letters is OK, but IMHO there's nothing wrong with just plastic, it's half the price too!

This year I broke 1 front tower (and brace) at South Shields when I ploughed into a crashed car at full tilt. And a wishbone at York where I landed on the corner of a jump into the wishbone. Both were fair cops!

niggs98 · #8 22-06-2008

like dan i ran the plastic front wishbones and shock towers (with fyberlight strentheners) on my xx4 as found that the newer graphite parts were very very brittle and twice the price of the plastic parts. also used the front brace mod, and the x5 front wishbone screws. this made the car pretty much bomb proof and when i did break a front tower it was definatly a me break as went upside down into a concrete track marker flat out at the end of kidderminsters straight and at that point i ripped out the tower brace as well but kind of exected it with the impact it went through

Steve.T · #9 22-06-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashleyb4

I dont see what everyones problem is you must be some sort of animal sorry no offence but ive been running the xx4 for 18 months and have broken 2 rear towers no front and only broke the one front tower as i hammered it off the jump at the indoor finals.

A

Difficult not to be offened when called an animal.
However, I appriciate the view if not the way it was offered.
I have been running RC cars of some sort for over twenty years and I cannot remember having this breakages.This is frustrating as I am driving as well as I can remember.
Thanks for all the comments I will try some of those solutions

Big E · #10 22-06-2008

For the front tower make sure you cut any excess thread off the top shock mount screw. I run mine pretty much flush with the lock nut so that the screw can't dig in to the ground and snag and then break the tower.

Does sound like you are just having a rough ride though at the moment, I broke 4 towers at Bury last year but so far haven't done any for ages, of course now I will have it hanging off every run at the next meeting

dancoog · #11 22-06-2008

I did two towers last weekend at Eden Park, both my fault as I was driving like a blind man.

After the fact when talking about it with a few of the guys Kevin Lee offered up an alternative.

Not too sure how but a bunch of the drivers have been drilling out the front tower from below and inserting a screw all the way up that holds everything together and cuts down on the breakages.

Kev if you are out there can you guide us through what it is you have done on your old rides?

Southwell · #12 23-06-2008

You drill up throught the upright from underneath and just insert a screw, like a shock mounting one. You need to be careful and have a steady hand or ull just go straight out the side

Big E · #13 23-06-2008

I have done that in the past but it still breaks, you just bend the screw as well

Lee · #14 23-06-2008

How brutal is eden park on the cars?

i have heard its a breaker but how bad is it?

dancoog · #15 23-06-2008

So the best advise is to use the plastic ones and not crash

note to self.... work on the keeping a buggy on its wheels!

Southwell · #16 23-06-2008

Id only expect a big snap off the table top and even then only if you go big, most people will be going for the safe option though i would expect.

Lee · #17 23-06-2008

This sounds scary

Anyone got any pics?

minichamps11 · #18 23-06-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashleyb4

I dont see what everyones problem is you must be some sort of animal sorry no offence but ive been running the xx4 for 18 months and have broken 2 rear towers no front and only broke the one front tower as i hammered it off the jump at the indoor finals.

A

From another thread on Oople from a few months back

Ashley in the past few weeks, you have managed to snap the chassis down the side, break endless shock towers and now rip the entire side off the car.
I would hate to have your weekly repair bill.

Pot, kettle, black!!

Do you ever think about what you write before you post?

KevLee · #19 23-06-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by dancoog

I did two towers last weekend at Eden Park, both my fault as I was driving like a blind man.

After the fact when talking about it with a few of the guys Kevin Lee offered up an alternative.

Not too sure how but a bunch of the drivers have been drilling out the front tower from below and inserting a screw all the way up that holds everything together and cuts down on the breakages.

Kev if you are out there can you guide us through what it is you have done on your old rides?

I had this idea at the first national last year when towers were hard to get hold of and i was breaking them as quick as i was fitting them. Basically you drill up either "leg" of the tower and screw a 4-40 screw. Not sure of the length but its at least 1" (i'll check). Counterbore it so the head is buried in there and its done. It really reduced my breakages and even if it does crack it'll hold itself together until the end of the run. As Ian said, it is important to get the hole central though.

I know the one i did for Paul Timberlake lasted a year before it cracked (and he's still using it i think!)........ in the mean time i think he has replaced every other part of the XX4

Anyway, thats enough tips for the wrong brand... i'm feeling faint now

bigred5765 · #20 23-06-2008

i did this on our last front shock tower, i used two old diff screws drilled up through the uprights with a 2mm drill threaded the screws in and super glued them to, and added a carbon stiffener, still snapped it but matty got to finish his race,