Now Running X - 7 Gen 5.1 Prototype [Archive]

YoungChazz

07-08-2011, 04:41 AM

All you photo freaks check our FaceBook page for pix Saturday Aug 6 of Paul running the Gen 5.1 at Summit R/C in Fort Wayne, Ind.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/X-Factory-RC/187542711292903

5 new action shots, one of some unusual action in the pits, and -- hope you are smiling with us -- a body-off shot of Paul working on the car in the pit.

Rain-shortened program had just 1 qualifier and the main. Paul won the qualy when the other car (Only 2 in class) broke. Paul hit a couple of pipes in the main and finished second. The good news is the car's speed.

Paul set fastest lap in the qualifier and again in the main where he was 2 tenths ahead of the winners' best. The really good news is that the 4WD is much faster than the buggy, just as it should be, and of course Paul's X - 6 Squared is not slow.

Normally a driver's 4WD is 1/2 to 1 second faster than his buggy depending on the track. In buggy they had 2 qualys and the main, and, while he didn't TQ or win, Paul had fastest lap in qualy and also fastest lap in the main. His fast qualy lap with the X - 7 was about a second faster than the buggy lap, and in the main the Hero Lap was 1.4 sec quicker than the buggy.

So the X - 7 is fast out of the box, and we are ready to begin working on the set-up. How fast can it go?

West Ridge Racing

07-08-2011, 06:56 AM

Hi Chazz.
Why not start showing inside pictures of the car to get the hype going for real? Just talking about it does not impress me anyway? People love to speculate and comment on new cars. Take myself for an example. Am in the market for a new 4wd but I am choosing between cat sx3, Durango and Tamiya 511. Not seen any x-7 pics so I do not consider it yet but I could change my mind:)

Cheers
Alex H

YoungChazz

07-08-2011, 12:32 PM

All in good time, West. The Gen 5.1 is very close to a production car in many areas -- a few tweaks left and set-ups to develop -- and when it's ready, you'll get the full magilla. Paul will be running his today in public at E & N in Columbus and leaves Tuesday for the R.O.A.R. Nationals in Cali. Of course that's a public venue too.

We have been giving you performance data, and will continue doing so. It really doesn't matter what the car looks like -- we could use a rubber band for a driveline -- so long as you can win with it.

mof

07-08-2011, 07:38 PM

So... when will Ellis run his?

pro4nut

07-08-2011, 07:59 PM

I believe he already has....

mof

07-08-2011, 08:08 PM

I believe he already has....

Maybe, maybe not. But I really meant races, with pics and stuff :thumbsup:

jim76

07-08-2011, 09:15 PM

I believe he already has....

briefly and sounding like a bag of spanners from what i saw?!! :p

andys

07-08-2011, 10:28 PM

It really doesn't matter what the car looks like -- we could use a rubber band for a driveline -- so long as you can win with it.

I'm looking forward to seeing the car, just like everyone else, but it does matter how it looks. Rc racers love great engineering and that's what many people buy, look at Durango, or the Vega, or the quality Atomic Carbon conversions.

I really hope the new car has that professional finish to it, and is not powered by rubber bands :)

YoungChazz

08-08-2011, 05:06 AM

We tried rubber bands, and, no matter how tightly we wound them, we only got about 3 1/2 minutes run time. So it's back to electric...

Ellis has gear cases from the original Gen 1 car seen at Cactus. We had them made at an outside shop and they did a terrible job. Paul's Gen 5.1 gear cases are made in-house and are far superior. The Gen 1 cases actually have the diff in them cocked to one side, so the left outdrive is higher than the right!

The noise heard at E.P.R. Sunday was the diff gear slowly disintegrating. When it finally destructoed, E stopped running the car and went to his Kyo & Tamiya cars to win the race.

Ellis and Paul are both very happy with the way the car handles, and it has plenty of speed.

Paul and I got back from running in Columbus around 9:30PM Sunday night, and we are making new 5.1 gear cases now -- at 1AM -- for Ellis. Will air ship them to him Monday. This is part of the dedication and expense of developing a new car. We're having fun!

MikePimlott

08-08-2011, 06:31 AM

We're having fun!

:thumbsup:

Southwell

08-08-2011, 11:23 AM

Darren Boyle

08-08-2011, 11:32 AM

The car looked really good, and right on the pace from the work go, really composed and looks to have a lot of potential. To be banging in the same lap times with a clicking gear and an 'out of the box' setup is really impressive.
Thanks Ian, I was tempted to type that when I read the negatives above, but felt it would be better coming from someonce who was independent of us and who was actually there to see it (like you).

Yes we had "clicking" as described above by Chazz in Ellis car, but we know what it was and it is being recitified as we speak. Glad to hear the car "even with" a clicking tranmission was still right up there on the pace.......

markwilliamson2001

08-08-2011, 07:29 PM

Just so long as it rides the bumps like a xx4 is all I am interested in. Looking forward to seeing the final product, hope the price wont be too high, and on par with other brands :thumbsup:

trekkerkk

08-08-2011, 07:43 PM

i can say the car was very impressive at epr:thumbsup:
for its 1st ever outing very very good:thumbsup:

trekkker

YoungChazz

12-08-2011, 03:26 AM

Paul did an interview today with Jason of RCInsider.com, and they took vids of the X - 7 running in practice. I think those vids are going up tonight or tomorrow, so check it out. www.rcinsider.com

Our latest press release, about testing last weekend, is up there too.

YoungChazz

15-08-2011, 10:07 PM

http://rcinsider.com has posted an interview with Paul from last weekend's ROAR Nats. Under that Jeremy has re-posted the video he took of the old Gen 1 car at Cactus. In the Paul interview is a lap of the X - 7, and you can see that the problems from Cactus have been fixed and the Gen 5.1 car is quite a bit faster than the Cactus car.

Also at RCInsider are pix of the new SCX - 60CF. Please drool...

bzb

16-08-2011, 12:43 PM

sc: ok a lower and upper carbon deck, why didn't i came up with that? :blush::D

naa never can make that, great job

MikePimlott

16-08-2011, 05:18 PM

So in the pics i think i see:
a lipo tray, so saddle lipos
looks like gearboxes front and rear and have a diff gear and layshaft gear for the external pulley.
Possible double belt and motor mounted like X5/511 orientation (look at the wires throught he window).

Come on Chazz, whip its lid of and show us some pictures :woot:

The_doctor

17-08-2011, 12:43 AM

i too believe the car runs a twin belt drivetrain lay shaft to idler to diff !!!
with the motor in the very center of the car .....it also may have some gears on the spur area to make it rotate the same way????? saddle packs......?? it also may have a splitter diff setup also to change the drive front to rear!!
as for the pics ......Chazz and Paul have said it before the car runs some new ideas that have never been seen on a 4wd! SO why give a way secrets!!!!

i think this car will be a rocket and as soon as Chazz wants to take pre-orders put me down for 2 or 3 kits!!!!!!!!!

I do have one question ......on the pics ive seen of the roar model car the front drive shafts have a metal sleeve in the middle.....is this because you joined 2 shafts together Chazz ? or r u running one-way rollers in there!
i think its the first as the bearings must be tiny!......:thumbsup::thumbsup:
after watching the roar video i want one NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D

rcjunky

17-08-2011, 12:51 AM

I'm thinking its a 3 belt design like the sx3, which I have a feeling the x7 and the sx3 might be similar, only time will tell, but will it or the losi 22sct be out first...

YoungChazz

17-08-2011, 02:13 AM

Doc you are right the first time, it's the drive shaft from another car cut down with a sleeve to hold it together. Of course, on the production car, M.I.P. will make correct shafts for us. This is what put Ellis out of the Southport race with just 4 laps of practice; the crash broke both front driveshafts, and he had no spares.

And yes, we don't want to give things away just yet. Because we are very small and don't have tons of money to throw around, it takes us a while to do anything and do it the right way. There are several things on the 5.1 that we must change now because what we thought would be simple to assemble is proving difficult. So how to use the same engineering principle but make working on the car simpler?

The X - 5 still is a great car but finicky and needs constant maintainence. The X - 6 is a great car too, but the 6 Squared is so much simpler to work on yet retains all the capability of the original. People loved it when we made the changes, and the lesson is not lost on us. So we're hoping to have the 7 ready for market late this year, but don't bet on it, and in the meantime we'll keep certain things to ourselves.

Trust me, we want to show you everything ASAP.

The_doctor

17-08-2011, 07:59 AM

Sweet!!!!:thumbsup:

please dont tease with comments "may be out this year":p

now im really hanging for it!!!!!!!!!!:o:cry::cry:

even in proto form it looks good!!
looking forward to seeing the finished kit!
those belts look mighty thick!!!

and made from normal material too!!!! not plastic(losi)stuff!!!!:thumbsup:
3 belts:lol::lol:

2 belts as X factory r looking for an efficant drive train not a crap one!!!
cheers
Mic

TryHard

17-08-2011, 10:21 AM

Taking a guess..... the layout is not too dissimilar to the old Losi JRXS touring car. Motor in the middle of the car on the centreline, with cells in the middle too (one in front/behind the motor maybe?).
Twin belt either side of a wide layshaft to clear the motor... but where it differs to the JRXS style would be the belts connecting to a gearbox (TA03 style!), meaning proper suspension and drive shaft geometry etc can be used.

Simplicity... use the same gearbox+internals front and rear (idlers are on the correct sides if you rotate), and if you put the layshaft in the right spot, equal length belts as well. Cut down on spares, cost to produce is less... all with simple, intelligent design :)

The_doctor

18-08-2011, 08:20 AM

thats how i think the car will be but with saddle :thumbsup:packs!

Southwell

18-08-2011, 11:22 AM

It's got 18 belts, 2 shafts and room for 3 lipos.

rcjunky

18-08-2011, 12:03 PM

so thats why they had issues fitting everything under the body:lol:

DEXtrain

18-08-2011, 07:15 PM

The main transmission concept of dropdown gearboxes and twin belt to clear components such as batteries etc is nothing new and has been tried in several variation in touring cars.rally cars and buggies before.

Let's see their take though and if they bring something really novel in the table.

The use of small pulleys in the X5 transmission design was a big mistake in my view.The XXX4 had enough belt skipping issues with pulleys twice as large,using smaller pulleys is the wrong way to go if you want decent reliability from the transmission with what is more or less the same drivetrain concept as the XXX4

I will be watching with interest though.Good luck

elvo

18-08-2011, 08:07 PM

The last few posts contain some really good guesses, but I will say this: there are no 'idle' things in the drive train, and there are a few unusual/clever/novel details which so far no-one has noticed.

DEXtrain

18-08-2011, 08:25 PM

Good to see someone from X-Factory/somebody who donates ideas to Chazz and Paul (Elvo) putting things in the right perspective and not fanfaring with false comments on major innovations (like the whole deal behind the X6) that do not hold any water:

The car main concept is more than possibly not groundbreaking - as Elvo said and as seen by the pic I posted as one example it is an older concept with some minor clever new takes.

Presenting things in the right magnitude is the only way for a business to achieve respect in the long run

Childish sloganeering and fanfare like is not going to save your ass in the long run when there is no depth in your claims

DEXtrain

18-08-2011, 08:35 PM

MRD

18-08-2011, 09:35 PM

I recon the gearboxes will be like a B4 with three gears :)

Here's my 5 min ms paint guess work :lol:

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/mark_dyson/X7.jpg

DaveG28

18-08-2011, 11:39 PM

I recon the gearboxes will be like a B4 with three gears :)

Here's my 5 min ms paint guess work :lol:

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/mark_dyson/X7.jpg

Or maybe, like that, but with each belt directly driving the front/axle rather than idlers?

The_doctor

19-08-2011, 03:14 AM

And in order not to come across as a hater/doubter or something similar.Cheers to Chazz for risking his pension fund and backing his son in an attempt to bring their flavour of fresh air in electric off road .He could have chosen more easy/boring things to do in his retirement as most do.

Just present things without megalomaniac tendencies or big claims . People who have been around for a while see through your claims immediately and flag them as unneeded

Well you do sound like that !!!!!!
no one said the drivetrain was a new idea.......its all the other things noone knows about that will be interesting !!!!!!!!
for a family run factory they do a very good job of making cars ......
lets see u do better.....all you seem to do is knock there work and ours.....
if you have nothing good to say on this forum then P$% O**!!!!

going buy your crap you have never driven a X Factory :p or is it they beat you on the track!!!
as all on this site DO drive one and put forward ideas and setups for each other...........
so i think we know our own cars pretty good!

TryHard

19-08-2011, 07:28 AM

Or maybe, like that, but with each belt directly driving the front/axle rather than idlers?

That my thought too... gearbox's look a lot smaller than a 2wd 3/4gear type one. Also looks like the casing is more like a cover, as there appears in the front view to be a through bolt. Wonder if the alloy bulkheads support everything (axle bearings etc), and the white delrin is an integral cover, with a bolt to clamp it all together nice and tight...

Having said that, it looks like there is some carbon between bolt head/nut either side of the bulkhead. Bracing? Or some kind of belt adjustment by moving the whole gearbox (bit out there with that one maybe!!). Still look forward to seeing more the design when it comes out :)

elvo

19-08-2011, 06:10 PM

Here's my 5 min ms paint guess work :lol:

As a guess,that's not bad! I like it. But it's not really unusual or clever or novel, now is it?

elvo

19-08-2011, 06:12 PM

Or some kind of belt adjustment by moving the whole gearbox (bit out there with that one maybe!!).

That's more like it! The gearboxes move indeed....

Steve.T

19-08-2011, 08:01 PM

Wasn't that tried on the works 93 yokomo?

superdez

19-08-2011, 08:28 PM

Yes, slotted rear bulkhead holes. It first appeared on the Yokomo works 91 in production form, earlier if you count the world winning masami Yokomos

bender

20-08-2011, 10:41 AM

Looking at the drawing DaveG28 did - if u took out the idler gear from both gearboxes in that drawing, and ran the layshaft gear directly on the diff, then u could swap the motor round and have it wrking the same way as in the cat sx3 ;)

The belts would run "backwards" in effect, when the car was moving forward, if u get my meaning, as well as the housings themselves being much smaller :D

Chalkie

20-08-2011, 04:23 PM

That's more like it! The gearboxes move indeed....

Moving the gearbox to adjust the belt isn't unusual or clever or novel though, and it's easier to use a tensioner so I think there's more to it than that.
This may sound silly but do the gearboxes move whilst the cars in use?

Richard Lowe

20-08-2011, 06:41 PM

This may sound silly but do the gearboxes move whilst the cars in use?
Only if some screws have fallen out :p

OldTimer

21-08-2011, 08:58 AM

I recon the gearboxes will be like a B4 with three gears :)

Here's my 5 min ms paint guess work :lol:

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/mark_dyson/X7.jpg

I would guess the belt pulley layshaft would rotate around the diff so you can use this as your belt tensioner ?. You would need little movement to adjust the tension of the belts.

MRD

21-08-2011, 09:43 AM

I'd be tempted to use an idler roler on the belts to get the tension right. Its fast and easy :thumbsup:.

Id also use slipper pulleys front and rear, either on the spur shaft or on the gearboxes.

The reason I thought about using 3 gears in the boxes is to get the height to clear the lipos. Using all B4 internals would cut down on costs and there is a gear or ball diff option there too. I'd make the gearboxes split left to right but also have a seperate diff cover so a few screws will get the diff out easy.

motocross13

22-08-2011, 05:07 AM

I recon the gearboxes will be like a B4 with three gears :)

Here's my 5 min ms paint guess work :lol:

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/mark_dyson/X7.jpg

Im thinking that you need to move one of the saddle packs in front of the motor, and also rotate the motor 180* so it will rotate the same as the tires. Also you can remove a gear from the front and rear gear boxes.

The_doctor

22-08-2011, 11:41 PM

i think your on a winner with this!
i think this is how the new car will be as well !!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

YoungChazz

25-08-2011, 12:11 PM

Video of Paul's main at the R.O.A.R. Nationals two weeks ago now on our site.

http://www.xfactoryrc.com/rc/index.php

It's a 6-min vid of Paul running the X - 7 Gen 5.1 on a great track in northern California.

styleone

28-08-2011, 05:03 PM

I see that track used a lot on ultimaterc.com, they use it for a lot of review running, the next gen proto looked really good, driven well by Paul, I'm the same as everybody else, just dying to see some shell off shots but I know they will come in good time...any sign of those quick change diffs we heard about a while ago? :)

YoungChazz

29-08-2011, 03:39 AM

styleone

29-08-2011, 11:37 AM

For now, at least, we are using the standard AE ball diffs they have been making forever. So there is nothing different about them.

What is different is the ease with which they can be removed from the car.

Sounds good, anything that makes removing diffs and working on that area of the buggy will be a real bonus, quick change diffs....wonder if the car will come with outdrive savers as standard to beef up that notoriously weak area on 4wd's?

Keep the news coming :)

YoungChazz

29-08-2011, 02:11 PM

We use the standard steel AE outdrives, and they wear out long before they break. The outdrive savers that Chris Long made for us went on the X - 5 which used Losi plastic outdrives.

Team drivers usually re-build their diffs because the outdrives are worn, not broken. This means the outdrives are doing their job preventing body lean. You want the correct amount of friction between outdrive and dogbone, but not a gouge in the outdrive that restricts or prevents movement. Many club racers run their outdrives way too long.

TryHard

29-08-2011, 02:21 PM

That's more like it! The gearboxes move indeed....

Ace... as Jonathon also said, I reckon for belt tension adjustment... ;)

Or.... there is a method to raise/lower the gearbox, a la the X6sq...

MOGGIE XL

29-08-2011, 03:16 PM

YOUNGCHAZZ can you explain a bit more about how out drive friction works.why did Brian Kinwald invent BK bones wouldn't these get rid of all friction.

YoungChazz

29-08-2011, 09:05 PM

Easier to have you run a little test than for me to explain.

Rotate the right tire so the CVD drive pin and outdrive slot are vertical. Move the control arm up and down and note to yourself how much pressure it takes - you'll feel the spring's resistance and that's about it. Now hold the wheel still, and put one finger on the spur gear and rotate it a bit so there is tension in the driveline, especially between the outdrive and CVD. Try moving the control arm up and down again -- it should take much more force.

The bones have friction when they move in and out of the outdrives. The real concern here, however, is not so much how the friction affects the car in stasis, but rather the control the friction gives the driver on the track. When on power this friction adds traction and stiffens up the rear suspension. Off power the car will be softer.

Seems obvious; however the degree to which a driver can make use of this around the track really helps lap times. IMHO, Ryan Cavalieri is best in the world at landing jumps. Watch his control as the car approaches the ground. He uses the throttle to get the exact amount of stiffness and forward drive he wants for the landing.

As the outdrive wears, the friction changes, so the car performs differently from one race to the next and you are wondering why. When you see them start to wear, it's time to replace, usually two or three race weekends with the AE steel ones. And, about every other outdrive replacement, be sure to replace at least the pin in the bone, if not the whole bone. The pin is replaceable easily if you have a small press, not so easy with a hammer. Paul buys hardened rods from a hardware supplier and cuts off pieces to fit. The bones are available separately from the whole CVD kit.

Losi's old outdrives (the big ones used on all their cars up to the 22) are a slightly different story. Those outdrives/drive pins are big enough that Losi spent a lot of time trying to reduce the friction there, as too much can make the car 'catch' over bumps. The Losi plastic outdrives obviously have less friction than the steel, and the ultimate reduction of friction was the 'BK Bone', which used small ball bearings over the drive pin to reduce nearly all this friction. With the smaller outdrives/drive pins on the 22, I think Losi has quietly admitted that AE's design is superior in this regard.

MOGGIE XL

30-08-2011, 10:38 AM

Thanks for explaing all that I had never thought of using the power in that way to land from a jump.I will give it a go.

Chrislong

30-08-2011, 02:31 PM

The other option is telescopic driveshafts. Back in the 80's they were the norm on Schumachers and Traxxas (TRX1), but were a little 'low tech'. Could these be developed to give less friction and restrictions now? Internal rollers, bushed UJ's etc?

Si Coe

30-08-2011, 02:50 PM

Didn't Schumacher make some optional ones for the Cougar 2 with rollers?

Rocking Donkey

30-08-2011, 04:24 PM

/tobys

13-09-2011, 08:22 PM

any further updates on the X7?

Darren Boyle

13-09-2011, 11:11 PM

Ellis ran the car at our indoor club here in Watford last thursday, looked very good all night. He set TQ in all three rounds with some very consistent and fast laps.....

YoungChazz

17-10-2011, 09:22 AM

Vid of X - 7 Gen 5.1 in Q3 (Paul's TQ run) now up on our Facebook page, X Factory R/C.

You'll get all the latest news on the X - 7, as well as SCX - 60CF news and all other things X Factory if you like us. We encourage you to respond to our posts, post up your own pix, race results, etc. there.

I originally put a link to our Facebook page in here, but it did not work. So I made another post just below this, put in the same link, and it works from there.

YoungChazz

17-10-2011, 09:23 AM

http://www.facebook.com/pages/X-Factory-RC/187542711292903

adey

31-10-2011, 09:41 PM

are there any body off pics of the x7 and if not, when will we see them ?

YoungChazz

01-11-2011, 02:38 AM

Once Ellis starts racing his X - 7 in a few weeks, we assume somebody with a long lens will stand 4 miles outside his pit and capture something while Big E is working on the car. However, we don't plan to give away the store for a while yet. Too many great new concepts on this car.

Somebody on RCTech posted that he saw Paul's X - 7 at Columbus and it accelerated better than a shaft drive car from a competing team driver. He was correct, and that's an amazing advance in belt drive systems. There are several other proprietary innovations on the car as well.

Because we are so tiny it takes forever for us to get something from design into production. And because we insist on testing at the highest level before production, that adds to the time frame. For example, Greg Hodapp and Paul were at the CRCRC Mid-Winter and then Cactus with the original X - 6 protos many months before the car went into production. So we've got to do our best to keep our ideas under wraps until we are ready.

Most companies do not do nearly so much work in public as we do, and most companies will tell you nothing about what they are doing. But X Factory is not most companies...

colmo

01-11-2011, 11:29 AM

Once Ellis starts racing his X - 7 in a few weeks, we assume somebody with a long lens will stand 4 miles outside his pit and capture something while Big E is working on the car.

That would be Jimmy :p

To be fair, there's a few larger companies that have taken or are taking their sweet time getting their cars from prototype to production.....

Fortunately, this isn't the arms race of touring cars - buggies stand the test of time a bit better.

YoungChazz

01-11-2011, 12:08 PM

You're right. But one thing; we are not taking our sweet time, we're going as fast as the R & D money can take us.

One big problem is that all the people involved have other things to do. I've got shipping, work with the Dealer Family, ordering, packaging. Paul has design work, production work (For both, don't forget about the SCX - 60CF.) and Team manager. Ellis has a beautiful family and a full-time job. All the other Team drivers are really amateurs with full-time outside jobs.

So prototype-building and testing, while it's the dearest thing in our hearts, often must wait while the business goes on. Frequently -- more than once a day -- I'm in the back of the shop bagging parts while Paul is in the front making shock towers, and we are shouting back and forth about a design idea. Suddenly one will stop what he is doing, go to the other, pick up a piece of scrap paper, "What about if we do it this way?"

Paul shoots down more of my bad ideas that way...

Tom3012

01-11-2011, 05:18 PM

Just from an outside point of view...

Love the fact that you come on here and talk to people about your products and ideas... Nice to see :wub

Tom

Chippy96

01-11-2011, 10:42 PM

Just from an outside point of view...

Love the fact that you come on here and talk to people about your products and ideas... Nice to see :wub

Tom
Absolutely-very much appreciated as well :thumbsup:

YoungChazz

02-11-2011, 03:10 AM

Thanks guys. We are trying to do this differently from the others in every way.

Stef

02-11-2011, 08:21 PM

Good luck, and so strongly that production

YoungChazz

07-11-2011, 02:52 AM

Ellis is running the E.P.R Winter series in 4WD, and won again this weekend with his Gen 5.1 prototype. That's two in a row!

tyreman

07-11-2011, 09:49 AM

He also lapped 2nd place twice in the process

Welshy40

08-11-2011, 06:58 AM

styleone

08-11-2011, 02:28 PM

Ellis is running the E.P.R Winter series in 4WD, and won again this weekend with his Gen 5.1 prototype. That's two in a row!

:thumbsup::thumbsup: brilliant news

Gayo

08-11-2011, 03:35 PM

Okay, now where are those paparazzi shots? :drool::drool::drool::lol:

YoungChazz

11-11-2011, 04:15 AM

Well, Gayo, get your plane tix now and you may be able to do much better than a photo! I posted this on RCTech:

"Paul has been invited to the J concepts race in Kansas City the weekend of the 20th, and will be competing in buggy and 4WD. He'll run the Gen 5.1 X - 7 prototype. Be in the right place at the right time and you'll get a peek under the body when Paul is working on it!"

Gayo

11-11-2011, 04:49 PM

Nah, I have not been invited... :p

YoungChazz

12-11-2011, 04:08 AM

Just show up, Gayo! If nothing else, you can play paparazzi. And all the J Concepts races are a ton of fun.

Cooper

24-11-2011, 04:16 PM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/305116_262733883773785_187542711292903_680436_2563 50531_n.jpg

from X-factory facebook :)

YoungChazz

24-11-2011, 05:06 PM

That's Team driver Lendel Smith, obviously quite happy to have his hands on the Gen 5.1 for at least a few minutes.

MRD

24-11-2011, 05:11 PM

I recon the gearboxes will be like a B4 with three gears :)

Here's my 5 min ms paint guess work :lol:

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/mark_dyson/X7.jpg

Looks like I was pretty close :D

Andyp

24-11-2011, 05:16 PM

is it a stumpy lipo down the center ?

mof

24-11-2011, 05:41 PM

is it a stumpy lipo down the center ?

Maybe, but: http://rcinsider.com/?p=20425

Andyp

24-11-2011, 05:54 PM

Maybe, but: http://rcinsider.com/?p=20425

ha, maybe not then ha ha

Gayo

24-11-2011, 05:56 PM

That's Team driver Lendel Smith, obviously quite happy to have his hands on the Gen 5.1 for at least a few minutes.

Hey, he is famous now :thumbsup:

YoungChazz

13-12-2011, 04:38 PM

Paul took 3rd at the J Concepts Clash with the new X - 7 prototype. We hope to have video -- possibly TWO vids, up today. They will be on YouTube with links on our FB page. X Factory R/C. Some interesting pix, including one of Durango's Gerd Strenge checking out the new car, are there now. More to be added this week.

Paul ran an all-new Gen 5.2 at the Clash. It had much, but not all, of the thinking for what we hope will be the final, Gen 6.0 version. Mostly the Gen 5.2 has the front end changes planned for the 6.0, and they worked very well. Car handled just awesome, especially in the bumps.

Why a Gen 5.2? We had planned to go straight to the 6.0, but ran out of time. Paul could only make so many of the new parts, so he built a new chassis incorporating as many of the new ideas as possible. This car is a one-off for Paul, who will run it in Columbus next weekend. Ellis will not have one.

As soon as possible, before Christmas for sure, the 6.0s will be made, and Big E will have one. Because our luggage did not arrive in Florida until noon on Thursday, Paul was up all night (got to bed 6:30AM, up at 7 to go to the track) building the 5.2 and ran it for the very first time in Q1 Friday.

The Clash track was extremely rough, first because of the weather -- monsoon conditions -- and second because 1/3 of the cars on it were 1/8 scale. (Coral Springs crew did a FANTASTIC job getting the track so we could race at all, and they did it three times!!!) The point is that the vids will show the X - 7 clearly handled the bumpy conditions better than any car on the track.

And, Paul was ballistic in a straight line...

YoungChazz

13-12-2011, 10:45 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55BQs_cuSNY

adey

13-12-2011, 11:37 PM

when can we see pics ?

Cooper

14-12-2011, 08:43 AM

Paul ran an all-new Gen 5.2 at the Clash. It had much, but not all, of the thinking for what we hope will be the final, Gen 6.0 version. Mostly the Gen 5.2 has the front end changes planned for the 6.0, and they worked very well.

So shouldn't you call it Gen 5.3 then? :yawn::thumbsup:
That's how revision numbers work lol :-)

Darren Boyle

14-12-2011, 11:53 AM

Not quite Cooper. Each prototype has been numbered 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 etc, however any "slight" revision we have made to each existing platform along the way simply becomes 5.2, 5.3 etc, the new paltform will be 6.0 as Chazz said, any slight changes to that would be called 6.1 etc.........

YoungChazz

14-12-2011, 12:54 PM

Darren is right on. Ellis is proving the 5.1 to be quite fast, and Paul did very well with his too. When we built it, we thought the 5.1 would go into production; however we found a reliability issue and the 5.1's weight distribution isn't quite right when the electronics go in, so the 6.0 was designed.

For the Clash, Paul did not have time to make all the 6.0 parts. Too busy with the SCX - 60CF. He did have some time, and made a new chassis that tackles the reliability issue and moves the weight a little bit in the intended direction. We scratched our heads: What to call it? It's neither 5.1 nor 6.0, and that leaves 5.2.

The 5.2 will be a short lived thing. Ellis doesn't get one, and Paul's will run at CRCRC & R/C Factory this weekend. Paul should have 6.0s finished for both Ellis and himself by Christmas.

B.T.W., the 5.2 worked great. Reliability issue solved, and the weight move was in the right direction. When the 6.0 moves the weight where it's finally supposed to go, we think the X - 7 will be even faster. It's a matter of changing things about 4% and we hope you'll have to add no ballast at all.

One of the cool things is that all the concepts proven on the test bed chassies so long ago are still fully in place. Most of the original ideas from two years ago remain the heart of the X - 7.

As was the case when we made the 5.1, we expect the 6.0 to be a production-ready vehicle. Once Ellis & Paul drive their 6.0s in battle two or three times, another small batch will be made for some other Team drivers, and, assuming their cars go together well, don't break often, and are both easy to drive & fast, we'll start production, possibly as early as late spring. Darren and Dan are drooling...

If additional problems appear, or if all the criteria just above are not met, then it's back to the drawing board. Unlike some of our competitors, who go straight from initial C.A.D. to mold-production, we thoroughly test everything before bringing it to you, and sometimes circumstances make that take forever. We do it where you can see at least some of it while trying to keep the innovative stuff away from the competition, but The Family knows what we are working on.

Oxygen

14-12-2011, 02:45 PM

5.2 is looking good, cant wait till the production car is out!!!! Bring on the spring!!! :thumbsup:

Chippy96

14-12-2011, 06:51 PM

nice to see some anti clockwise racing,I mentioned this at our local club and had some serious black looks down some long noses!!Is it traditional to race clockwise here in GB?,it would make a change to go the other way round for a change.:woot:

Welshy40

17-01-2012, 03:15 PM

I did catch a glimps of it recently and have to admit I would buy it as it is now so if it ever went up for sale (I wish) then I would have it.

Great ideas being used and cant wait for the production version. Keep up the great work guys and hurry up and get it sorted so I can buy it. :thumbsup:

YoungChazz

17-01-2012, 07:02 PM

Thanks for the props, Wleshy. We are going as fast as possible.

arransmith27

04-02-2012, 08:48 PM

Is there any update in regards to the release date yet?

jimmy

04-02-2012, 08:53 PM

From what I've heard it's a long way off yet. I wouldn't expect it until next year personally at least. I think it'll be mostly testing and trying our their designs this year.

YoungChazz

05-02-2012, 05:07 AM

Paul's 5.2 has been shipped to Ellis, and Paul will begin making the 6.0 later this week. Paul is entered at Motorama mid-month and will run the 6.0 there.

Ellis will not have the 5.2 for long, because Paul will make two 6.0s when he does it. Therefore, Ellis should have a 6.0 before the end of February.

We believe the 6.0 will solve all the outstanding issues, and will be extremely close to a production car. If so, we'll work out the set-ups this spring and start production as soon as possible.

Jimmy has a point -- we have been working on this thing forever. However, two things have gotten in the way. First, my illness halted everything except the bare necessities for almost a year. By the time I got back, events in the marketplace forced us to do the SCX - 60CF. Even though our primary focus the last 6 months has been the SC, Paul, Ellis, and Elvo have kept working at the X - 7; once initial production & launch of the SC is over, it's full speed on the 7.

So it won't be long now.

DaveG28

05-02-2012, 07:07 AM

I'm down at Motorama as well, may have to try and sneak a peak!:woot:

YoungChazz

07-02-2012, 06:02 AM

You won't have to "sneak."

DaveG28

07-02-2012, 11:04 PM

Ooh, does that mean the covers will be off at last??

YoungChazz

08-02-2012, 03:39 AM

Hang around our pits long enough and you'll see Paul or Ellis working on their cars. Really can't hide it. We're not making a big deal about showing the car off, and no body off photos yet, but we must maintain it like any other car, and we'll not put up some kind of wall.

Woulves Baine

08-02-2012, 06:00 AM

Maybe this will help 4wd come back to the states in bigger numbers!~

YoungChazz

14-02-2012, 03:03 AM

Darren Boyle

14-02-2012, 01:10 PM

Ellis Stafford took second overall at the weekend's BWOC by a mere 0.02 sec with the new X - 7 Gen 5.2. Paul's old car arrived at Ellis' house last week and this was E's first time out with it.

Ellis finished second on the track in A-1 but a rough driving penalty to the leader put Ellis first. I think E took third in A-2, might be mistaken.

In A-3 Stafford held about a 2-sec lead for the last half of the race until he hit the pipe three turns from the end. This allowed Kevin Lee to catch up with a resulting drag race down the straight to the line. Stafford pulled the trigger hard and the X - 7's new belt system delivered so much power he did a wheelie the entire 30 feet (!) crossing the line with the nose still up in the air. This elevation of the transponder may have cost Ellis the win, as the two cars crossed the line side-by-side, with Lee getting the win by 0.02 seconds.

Any way you look at it, this is a great finish for the new X - 7!

Not quite right there Chazz, but close!

A-2, both Ellis and Darren Bloomfield were right at the back after lap one after seperate racing "incidents" both fought their way through the field but niether were in the top 3 in leg 2.

A-3, Darren took a flag to flag win, Kevin and Ellis were racing for second in the leg, Ellis made the error 3 or 4 bends from home that allowed Kevin to catch up, then on the corner table top just a few yards before the loop, Ellis went tight and steady, Kevin wide and fast and they drag raced across the line, Ellis did indeed pop a VERY impressive wheely, which he did hold for the remainder of the long straight :thumbsup:.

When the computer gave out the times, Kevin triggered the loop 0.03 in front of Ellis and with a win (from leg 2) and a 2nd(3 points) took the win from Ellis with his leg 1 win and leg 3 3rd (4 points). Tom Yardy was third overall.

Well done to both drivers in leg three a good race and very tight finish, excellent racing to watch and there could only be one winner. Well done to Kevin on the win and also to Ellis too for what is a very good result for the new car and first time out on the track with this version too....

YoungChazz

14-02-2012, 01:31 PM

Thanks for clearing it up, Darren. That's what I get trying to do things late at night from memory at home.

It was a great showing for the prototype car against top competition. Weight distribution on the 5.2 still isn't what we want because we don't have the new belts & pulleys necessary to move the motor a bit -- they are coming soon for the 6.0. When they arrive, we expect the 6.0 to be significantly faster and if the new weight bias proves correct, it will be ready for sale.

mikeyscott

14-02-2012, 01:48 PM

Look forward to seeing it at Off Road Wars in a couple of weeks.

Gayo

14-02-2012, 02:21 PM

When the X-7 will be in production, it would be great to see your different prototypes, so we can see when/how ideas and designs appeared, evolved or disapeared through the whole development.:)

colmo

14-02-2012, 03:32 PM

When the X-7 will be in production, it would be great to see your different prototypes, so we can see when/how ideas and designs appeared, evolved or disapeared through the whole development.:)

That would be a lot of effort just to educate the other manufacturers on how to make (and not make) a 4wd - no harm in keeping a few secrets!

YoungChazz

14-02-2012, 11:25 PM

I very much doubt we'd do that, but it would be interesting to show them what doesn't work. Perhaps they already know that...

MikePimlott

03-03-2012, 07:51 PM

Any pictures floating around yet ?

ScottyP

28-03-2012, 10:55 PM

Some X7 pics from Cactus:

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/ScottPettet/X7_5.jpghttp://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/ScottPettet/X7_3.jpghttp://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/ScottPettet/X7_2.jpghttp://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/ScottPettet/X7_1.jpg

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/ScottPettet/X7_4.jpg

Cooper

29-03-2012, 09:29 AM

:thumbsup: AWESOME! :thumbsup:

adey

29-03-2012, 10:32 AM

Body off pics please. You have teased us for long enough

arransmith27

29-03-2012, 12:03 PM

3 belts i'm guessing

adey

29-03-2012, 12:22 PM

I recon two belts, front and rear gearboxes and elevated pulleys. Motor in front of lipos.

colmo

29-03-2012, 01:07 PM

I recon two belts, front and rear gearboxes and elevated pulleys. Motor in front of lipos.

+1. I recall the lipo was a stubby placed across the chassis? I'm guessing it will accommodate a full stick to comply with ROAR rules, but no-one will actually do that!

Are those front wishbones original, or from another car? They're huge! Are the diffs Team Associated, B44 or (N)TC3? The front driveshafts are also enormous...

This car looks the real deal, but I fear the cost will be astronomical with all that milled alloy and carbon fibre :S - maybe a case of 5 minutes of (wallet) pain, followed by several years of (racing) pleasure....

Edit: D'oh, the gearboxes are being fed from a belt so no crown gear, and thus no 4wd diffs. Cheers Northy.

Northy

29-03-2012, 01:22 PM

Looks to be:

Cat SX front end - which is just the tried and tested XX4 geometry.
X6 rear end.
B4 gearbox internals both ends driving a belt from the layshaft that goes to the middle of the car, where the slipper and some more gears layshafts etc are to connect the two belts.

What I expected really :thumbsup:

mof

29-03-2012, 01:34 PM

+1. I recall the lipo was a stubby placed across the chassis? I'm guessing it will accommodate a full stick to comply with ROAR rules, but no-one will actually do that!

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/ScottPettet/X7_5.jpg

Looks like saddle packs to me...

YoungChazz

29-03-2012, 04:05 PM

They will be AE diffs. You will be able to use either saddle or shorty packs. We think regular stick packs are so last year...

fatbear

30-03-2012, 01:05 AM

Looking good Chazz. I can't wait to get my car.
Darren

The_doctor

30-03-2012, 01:28 AM

you can thank John Watkins from Australia ,my club Pres who competed at the Cactus who sent me the pics of the x7
the car looks good ................like to know whats under the body thats such a secret !!!!!!
will be asking him a lot about the car when he gets home!!!!!!
hope u got on well Chazz as John is a top bloke!!!:thumbsup:
i need a X7 now!!!!!!!!:drool::drool:

YoungChazz

30-03-2012, 02:59 AM

We did a good podcast with John; it has been sent to the WebQueen and should go up, with a big bunch of others, in the next few days. The WebQueen is very pregnant, so some times things take a while.

Good bloke, John.

DaveG28

30-03-2012, 03:36 AM

GML

30-03-2012, 05:42 AM

I don't think that shorty lipo would be enough in a 4WD (at the moment)

bender

30-03-2012, 05:56 AM

Welshy40

30-03-2012, 12:14 PM

I managed to see it body off at the weekend...I won't try and describe it though for two reasons:

1. I'm sure the guys will show us when they are ready!

2. I've never really seen anything like it before, so I'd only describe it wrong anyway!

Same here, from a design point of view its rather interesting and well thought out. Just hope that some of these proto items actually appear on the car when its for sale to us lot.

fredswain

30-03-2012, 02:10 PM

hmm gonna go out on a limb here and back up a statement i made much earlier in this thread about the trransmission layout.

If you look at the gearboxes, they are very small, and if you consider the size of a B4 type diff gear, well looking from the pics from the side its hard to see how theyve squeezed a diff, idler, and layshaft gear in there.

I think both gearboxes ONLY contain a diff and layshaft gear, which would mean the belts spin backwards to a regular belt driven 4wd.

This would then allow the motor to be rotated 180 degrees from a traditional belt driven car, so the motor would sit in place like it does on the Cat SX3 (motor shaft facing the left hand side of the car).

This way, there is no need for additional gears in the middle of the car, and it also means the motor can be used to control the car in the air much better.

When I was looking at the pictures closely yesterday I was actually wondering the same thing. It looked like there may be no idler gear in each gearbox which means reverse rotation belts. My way of thinking states that in 2wd we need to rely on some weight transfer from motor and gearbox rotation to help get weight either on the drive wheels during acceleration or the front wheels during braking but on a 4wd we'd want no weight transfer that isn't natural since every wheel drives and brakes. Counter rotating belts would help cancel out the rotation of the wheels to a certain extent and if the motor were placed near the center of the chassis it's rotation could be used to help chassis orientation in the air.

Keep in mind this is all opinion and speculation.

Paul_Sinclair

30-03-2012, 05:01 PM

I love to see all the thinking and speculation :) I will say some of you are getting pretty close to the mark. Also, pretty much everything you guys are discussing (motor rotation, number of belts and placement, chassis layout, etc) has been tested by us over the last ~2 years, form the old "test bed" cars through what Ellis and I are running now. I am a firm believer in track testing ideas, rather than going from CAD to molds. Among other things, this is still the first whole car I've designed myself, and I very much want to get it right.

I know we come across as "teasing" with the no body-off shots, but there's of course a few reasons why. First, we have been changing nearly everything, and showing off the design last year or 6 months ago wouldn't represent the car we're working on now/going to be selling as the X - 7. Especially the electronics mounting room and weight distribution is much better now, and those are things that dramatically change the look of a car's layout. Second, I believe we've solved a number of issues regarding this drivetrain and chassis layout. It may sound slightly paranoid, but I'd rather not give competitors time to look/study/copy even before we're ready to release it.

All that said, I think we're getting pretty close. The new "v6.0" car solved a lot of issues we'd found with the older cars and had only one design flaw that needs fixing (I'll be honest, I bent the slipper shaft at Cactus. I had a spare and made a track-side hot-fix for it, but we need to re-design the supports as the spur/slipper assembly are too far from the supporting bearing at the moment).

It's been guessed/posted that they are 2-gear transmissions (diff and top shaft), and I think Chazz posted that it's a pure B4 diff inside, for parts continuity between all our cars. Small details I've been happy to share with people at the track but I haven't seen posted:
*The front and rear gearboxes are the same
*Pop a ballcup and pull 2 screws and the front gearbox comes out. 3 screws to get the rear one out because the left wing mount is in the way.
*Modular construction - the entire "rear clip" or "front clip" can be pulled off in 5 screws, much like an 1/8th scale car comes apart.

YoungChazz

02-04-2012, 12:40 PM

Paul's X - 7 was ballistic at ARCS Hobbies near Ashtabula, Ohio over the weekend. He finally got things together for round four Sunday AM, TQing the round by over 5 seconds on the only 18-lap run.

In the main it was clearly the fastest car on the track but was sidelined by the same problem as at Cactus, except on the other side: a front CVD stub axle broke. Wheel still on and rotating, but 3 WD now. We are looking into possible causes (could be too much steering throw!). This is why we test so much, as Paul says above. Yes it takes forever to get the car to you, but when you get it it's right.

MILKY

03-04-2012, 11:34 AM

[QUOTE=colmo;637895]+1. Are those front wishbones original, or from another car? They're huge! Are the diffs Team Associated, B44 or (N)TC3? The front driveshafts are also enormous...

This car looks the real deal, but I fear the cost will be astronomical with all that milled alloy and carbon fibre :S - maybe a case of 5 minutes of (wallet) pain, followed by several years of (racing) pleasure....

The gearboxes also seem to be delrin/nylon as opposed to alloy,as to wether they will be produced in alloy?

Also is it me or does the front appear to run two belts,seen through the window on the pic with the car facing you.possibly running a single belt fron the motor/slipper assembly,on one side then from the other side to the rear,still giving a two belt setup?
probably just my suspect eyesight!!

Still badly want one either way!!

Cooper

03-04-2012, 01:49 PM

The gearboxes also seem to be delrin/nylon as opposed to alloy,as to wether they will be produced in alloy?

They'll probably be moulded plastic, but you cannot machine that kind of moulded plastic, you can with Delrin/nylon, that's why it's used in most prototype cars from diverse companies.

Chequered Flag Racing

03-04-2012, 02:38 PM

Also is it me or does the front appear to run two belts,seen through the window on the pic with the car facing you.possibly running a single belt fron the motor/slipper assembly,on one side then from the other side to the rear,still giving a two belt setup?
probably just my suspect eyesight!!

Looks like it maybe a ladder brace running front to rear and up and over the motor,servo,receiver,esc etc as there's a similar piece of carbon on the right rear view

The_doctor

03-04-2012, 11:52 PM

the arms r schumacher the chassie is flat carbon with 4 plates at the top like ladder frame and i beleave two belts and two b4 trannies with 3 gears!
i also beleave it may hav a splliter for front to rear drive bias???????

cant wait to have one ......as its looking good and going by reports super fast!!!!

here is the best body off shot i can show u .....you cant see much but dont want to let too much out!!!!!!!!!!!!
:o

YoungChazz

04-04-2012, 03:03 AM

It will be a CF car, which we will make in house, saving money for us and you. As with many other 4WDs, there will be a good few aluminum bits, so the X - 7 will not be the cheapest thing on the market. But it also will be far from the most expensive.

The transmission cases will be molded; Delrin is among the best materials to machine for precision parts like trans cases, thus prototypes from Delrin. The tranny mold will be made and run by the same company that makes our current 4-Gear trans; that is one beautiful trans so we expect top quality there.

We will mold our own arms. Current X - 7 prototypes are running Shuey front arms that have been heavily modified to fit.

bandyleg

10-04-2012, 09:33 PM

Still not taking orders yet :lol: Im really looking forward to this, Ive already got my cash put away for it! Im currently running and loving my x6 :thumbsup: Keep up the good work guys.

Chequered Flag Racing

15-05-2012, 10:05 AM

Ellis takes 3rd at R2 BRCA national held at Robin Hood Raceway according to report here
http://www.rcracer.com/off-road-electric-86/3997-brca-110-off-road-r2-honours-shared

YoungChazz

16-05-2012, 03:23 AM

E's 3rd was with his Gen 5.2 car. The 6.2 will be shipped to him this week and he should have it for E.P.R.

Paul ran the 6.1 at Cactus and found two small issues, which we believe the 6.2 solves. We think the 6.2 is a pre-production car.

YoungChazz

25-05-2012, 03:40 AM

In response to a question on RCTech about body-off pix, I posted this:

"There are some things going on in the driveline, engineering principles we have been working with since the very first 'test bed' cars, which make the X - 7 accelerate and run faster, and we don't want people seeing them. We keep getting closer. Ellis and Paul are both assembling their new Gen 6.2 cars as I write, and Ellis will run his in the National at E.P.R.

The 6.2 is, we hope, the last prototype. If it works as we think it will, next up is to produce about 10 of them for Team drivers and work out set-ups, gearing, etc. During that time we also commission a body, and then we're ready to send out R.F.P.s to the Supplier Family."

The_doctor

25-05-2012, 04:58 AM

buy one when it comes out and then u will see whats under the body....

im hanging for this car!!!! after seeing BIG E,s car on video at the last round of the English champs the car has heaps of punch out of corners!!!!
also chazz we just had round 2 of our drivers championship and im glad to say im leading after the 2 rounds so fingers crossed for three championships in a row!!!!
the last round was held on a very slippery track and the X6 TQed the only thing i had to change was the rear spring the car was great!!!!!! u can find some pics of my X6 on my facebook page!!!

my X5 is still running strong but got smashed in the finals and had my car broken twice so was not happy!!!!:thumbsup:

speedie dads x5 chassie mod looks great!!!!!

And as u know the X6 is the 2012 stock Australian champion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup:

Oscar

25-05-2012, 08:25 AM

speedy dad's x5 chassis mod looks great!!!!!

Not heard of this, tell me more ;)

mof

25-05-2012, 08:44 AM

Not heard of this, tell me more ;)

"X-Fiber"
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/380686_341033715943801_757477650_n.jpg

Chrislong

25-05-2012, 09:28 AM

That looks awesome!
I still have many fond memories of my X-5 :wub, still my favourite ever 4wd. The X-7 ought to be a must have - if the benchmark performance is X-5.

SpeedyDad

26-05-2012, 01:22 AM

The official name for that critter is the Carbon Fiver.

I haven't run it much since Cactus but I'm going to try to get it to the track more. It is a one-off to try new things with my machining. It was fun to build,

YoungChazz

27-05-2012, 04:31 AM

I just posted this on RCTech:

Ellis got his together in time for the last practice session at E.P.R. before the National next weekend, and pronounced it 'very fast, handles very well, and certainly is better than the 5.2 car I took 3rd with at Robin Hood.'

Paul finished building his Friday night, and was slated to go racing Saturday, but woke up sick from allergy problems. He felt a bit better in the late afternoon and took his 6.2 across the street to run a bit in a parking lot. 'It's very fast and looks a lot like a production car.'"

YoungChazz

27-05-2012, 04:39 AM

We posted several pix of the "X Fiver" on our FB page, http://www.facebook.com/XFactoryRC

The car looks absolutely awesome, and includes lots of very trick aluminum parts carefully designed and machined by Speedy Dad, + the custom-made CF. Dad's car keeps the basic X - 5 driveline but changes the idler location; because we know so much more now than we did when the car's chassis mold was produced, Dad's modifications work much better than the original. It's dialed, and the X - 5 Squared body fits too, along with most X - 5 parts.

With the X - 7 about to be released, I can't see a need to produce the X - Fiver, even if Dad had the time, which I doubt he has. So take a look on FB, because it is very cool indeed, and hang on for a great ride with the X - 7.

SHY

22-06-2012, 12:21 PM

"X-Fiber"
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/380686_341033715943801_757477650_n.jpg

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.341030845944088.72523.187542711292903&type=3

Dad's car keeps the basic X - 5 driveline but changes the idler location; because we know so much more now than we did when the car's chassis mold was produced, Dad's modifications work much better than the original.

Chazz, as I still have my X-5 (and a ton of spares) I'd really like to still race it... I only run on very high bite astroturf now, so belt skip would be a big challenge. It has all the belt roller upgrades, plus 3x home made rollers. Would it work for me if I moved the idler location on the std. X-5^2 chassis? (like Speedy Dad) And could you explain in more detail (pics too?) what to do please?

YoungChazz

24-06-2012, 05:43 PM

The X - Fiber is something Speedy Dad made on his own -- he has a router and a mill in his garage and loves designing and building stuff of all kinds. He also has SW on his comp. From what I saw at Cactus -- the only time I've had the X - Fiber in my hands -- it would be extremely difficult to change the belt path on the molded chassis to something like what Dad designed.

Dad started with a flat sheet of CF, so his problem was how to mount the components. Most of the mounting is taken care of by the molded chassis; Dad designed and built aluminum parts to do the work, and these aluminum parts hold the driveline. From my memory, you would have to tear out much of the center belt tunnel, then build aluminum parts at least similar to Dad's to get the new path. When you cut out the belt tunnel, you lose much of the car's stiffness, so you may as well cut it all out. Heck, just start with a new sheet of CF as Dad did! LOL

We suggested to Dad that he might be able to sell the X - Fiber. At the time, three months ago, he said it would be far too much work to make small batches of them, and the cost would be astronomical. Plus, he has a wife, children, and a job. No time or interest to do production of whole cars. That's our job...

If you want to do it yourself, I think there is a pic on our FB page of the right side of the car that better shows how the thing works.