Mondo have you run the mamba set up yet...

[quietfly]

Mondo,
I was just wondering if you've run your setup with the mamba in it yet . I'm going back and forth on whether i should go with a mamba comp system or just get several tuned brushed motors and run t hem into the ground.

I'll never race this truck, its really just for bashing.

I'm very interested in your opinion,

-Chris

[alfred]

If you dont want to maintain brushed motors or buy brushed motors again then i say get the bl. No maintaining at all when it comes to BL's.:D

[quietfly]

my main concern is wear and tear on the drive train. Is there any way to bullet proof the diffs? i have seen some good suggestions on one18th.com but really i have not heard of a solid solution to handle the uber power of BL's. i wonder if anyone will release an alloy diff case.



-Chris

[Mondo]

No I haven't installed the Mamba25 into the M18 yet.
I will get round to it when I have the time, I'm still busy with the Z2K, once that's completed it's the Mini-Quake then last but not least the RC18T :)
I believe I need alloy dogbones before installing the Mamba into the RC18T.
The Mamba I have for it is the 5400 kV, more than ample for a lightweight like the RC18T.
I think a 6800 kV or 8000 kV would be overkill for the RC18T

[dementedchef]

im running a 6800kv in my 18t and it is on the overkill side.

[homer]

I just posted a similar comment on another thread. Everyone that Ive come across (locally with an 8000kV) and from what Ive read, doesnt even harness 50% (conservative figures) of the mambas power in their micros.
Whats the point of having all that power you cant use properly? :confused:

[alfred]

so you can drive with no control lol just joking.

[Mondo]

I got impatient.
The weather is cold but dry. My charger beeped letting me know the URC X61 pack was charged and I couldn't resist.
After some initial fiddling with the new mambaLink Ver 1.02 and my overkill KoPropo MARS-R TX, I got the throttle curve and brakes sorted.
What can I say other than "Move over XRay M18, there's a new favourite in town"?
Sheesh, so fast, power slides on demand handling second to none. Man it's awesome. LOL the Mamba25 with 100% brake to throttle setting can make the RC18T stand on its nose :D

I am impressed. Very impressed.

[alfred]

So how fast do you think you got the 18t going to. Have you jumped the 18t yet.

[quietfly]

Originally posted by Mondo
I got impatient.
The weather is cold but dry. My charger beeped letting me know the URC X61 pack was charged and I couldn't resist.
After some initial fiddling with the new mambaLink Ver 1.02 and my overkill KoPropo MARS-R TX, I got the throttle curve and brakes sorted.
What can I say other than "Move over XRay M18, there's a new favourite in town"?
Sheesh, so fast, power slides on demand handling second to none. Man it's awesome. LOL the Mamba25 with 100% brake to throttle setting can make the RC18T stand on its nose :D

I am impressed. Very impressed.


I'm happy to see that. I might just pick up the 5400 tomorrow. now i just need to find some one with the mamba link in stock.
I'm 90% done with the tear down of the truck i just need to finish the lipo mounting solution.

i'd love to see more pictures if possible

thanks

-chris

[Mondo]

quietfly

The RC18T goes like hell with the 5400 kV, it provides more than enough power for a small, light truck
If you need a MambaLink cable, contact Jon at URC (http://www.unitedrc.com)
I got mine from him, I also recommend going to the Castle Creations website (http://www.castlecreations.com/cgi-bin/questionnaire.pl?software=MambaLink) and downloading MambaLInk Ver 1.02

More photos? As you wish

[Mondo]

I'll be taking the RC18T out for a test "flight" today and I intend on putting two packs thru it.
Before I do this I have to find a way of securing the shock spring stays as they tend to fall off and the last thing I want to do is to have to emulate a chicken and look for the darned things!
Another photo of ther M18 and RC18T brushless Micros together

[alfred]

Mondo has a nice BL family. Hey Mondo where did you get the green colored Deans. Are you sure the shock stays are on the right way, i have never had one come off.

[Mondo]

Originally posted by alfred
Mondo has a nice BL family. Hey Mondo where did you get the green colored Deans. Are you sure the shock stays are on the right way, i have never had one come off.

Thanks Alfred :)
The "green" Deans are Venom Racing connectors :)
Yes the shock stays can only fit one way, I used a little CA glue to hold them in place.

I charged the stock RC18T pack and a URC X61 pack. I also set the motor timing to "Extreme" via the MambaLink

First pack was the kit pack, the run was great, fast, furious, sliding around on the asphalt and doing top speed launches from a 5" high kerb, absoloutely wicked.
Unfortunately I didn't time the length of the run, but I reckon it was well over 10 minutes before the cut-off voltage setting of 4.0V kicked in making the Mamba cough and splutter on high revs.
I was able to drive it back indoors on low speed.

Second pack was the URC X61, whooa! What a difference a pack can make. The punch was extreme, the top end outrageous and I was having so much fun. I decided to time this run but it came to an unfortunate and premature end when I snapped the rear left axle after sliding backwards into a kerb :p

Good news is that one of the UK hobby shops have Associated MIP CVDs in stock, Ti turnbuckles and threaded shock sets in stock. Tomorrow I will order all of the above.

Here's a photo of the snapped axle :p

[alfred]

That also happened to me jumping off a curb, What i love about the 18t is that mostly all of the stock replacement parts are under 10.00 bucks over here. I keep my box full of stock parts so if you need something that you cant find but need and if i have it then just ask. My lhs is good on keeping the hopups and stockers in stock, i never ever have to order parts online.:D

[jaejw1]

Originally posted by Mondo
Thanks Alfred :)
The "green" Deans are Venom Racing connectors :)
Yes the shock stays can only fit one way, I used a little CA glue to hold them in place.

I charged the stock RC18T pack and a URC X61 pack. I also set the motor timing to "Extreme" via the MambaLink

First pack was the kit pack, the run was great, fast, furious, sliding around on the asphalt and doing top speed launches from a 5" high kerb, absoloutely wicked.
Unfortunately I didn't time the length of the run, but I reckon it was well over 10 minutes before the cut-off voltage setting of 4.0V kicked in making the Mamba cough and splutter on high revs.
I was able to drive it back indoors on low speed.

Second pack was the URC X61, whooa! What a difference a pack can make. The punch was extreme, the top end outrageous and I was having so much fun. I decided to time this run but it came to an unfortunate and premature end when I snapped the rear left axle after sliding backwards into a kerb :p

Good news is that one of the UK hobby shops have Associated MIP CVDs in stock, Ti turnbuckles and threaded shock sets in stock. Tomorrow I will order all of the above.

Here's a photo of the snapped axle :p
hahah ahhaah hahaha haha what the... hey mine did the sma ething,, did this awesome sommersault through the air,, going god only knows how fast,,, and the wheels starts rollling down the street,, good thing the pin was in the wheels still..


love this thing,, and the 8000 is very versatile,, an i can race it or i can do speed runs,, i dont have to use all its power to have fun,, ran 10 cells once,,, and i have no need to do that again,,, also have a 8 cell pack on order... and that will probably be the most cells i use,,,, if anything,, i need more weight to maintain control of the thing while at the dirt track

[Mondo]

Today I scooted past a big hobby shop and did some RC18T shopping :)

I got the following:

Associated Threaded shock kit front and rear
Losi "Street Tread" tires, 4 of them
Associated MPI CVD kit for front and rear.

Building the threaded shocks reminded me of just how much I hate small circlips (c-clips)
*ping* and it's gone - never to be found again. $%@"£!
I transferred one complete shock shaft from the standard shocks, they're indetical to the threaded units.
I certainly hope the thtreaded shocks seal better than the kit units. Why Associated opted for a clip on shock-end where the o-rings live I don't know. A threaded option would be much better

When removing the standard kit tires from the RC18T I was shocked at how I had flattened the pins on the tires from just 2½ packs! LOL! The front tires were especially worn, not just in the center either, irregular flat spots all round from spin outs.
Hopefully the RC18T will have better grip with the Losi Street Tread tires :)

[quietfly]

Looking good mondo,
I like the way the shocks look . what weight oil did you choose to use on them. I'm using 50 in the front and 70 in the back . i'll let you know how this set up works when this blasted snow goes away, but on the bright side i picked up a alloy front bumper and rear wheelie bar.

i'll post pics later once i get home from work .


-Chris

[jaejw1]

how does the different weights of shock oil work really???

for bumpy roads
flat onroad
street
jumps
large off road tracks w/high jumps
tight off road tracks

[homer]

Originally posted by jaejw1
how does the different weights of shock oil work really???

for bumpy roads
flat onroad
street
jumps
large off road tracks w/high jumps
tight off road tracks

silicon shock oil - ranges from 10 up to 70?? or more (cant remember) - the higher the number, the thicker it is.
FYI, 10 is like water. :)

[alfred]

I use 35wt oil on all four. Good for jumping 3ft into the air and not bottoming out at the bottom. Hey Mondo have you tried the new treads yet, i need a some new tires soon. Please give me some feed back on how they will handle on the pavement.

[quietfly]

Ok, i stole this, but it is a great primer on how a shock works.


Shock absorbers (a.k.a. shocks, dampers, etc.) work on the principle of fluid displacement and heat convection. By forcing a piston through oil, shocks develop the hydraulic friction necessary to oppose the unwanted bouncing in your suspension. The hydraulic fluid located in the damper body, is forced through tiny holes (Orifices) in the piston head as it travels (compresses or rebounds). However, the orifices let only a small amount of fluid through the piston, which in turn slows down spring and suspension movement. More importantly though, every shock absorber is a velocity-sensitive damping device. That means the faster a suspension cycles, the more resistance the shock absorbers provide. Think of the rowing machine that your Dad bought but never used back in the mid 80’s. You could quite easily pull the handles back if you applied very little force and did it slowly. Pull hard and fast, and it became much more difficult to move, hence velocity-sensitive. These rowing machines used basic twin-tube shock absorbers as their means of providing resistance to the user. As a result, shock absorbers not only slow the compression and rebound of your springs, but can also reduce bounce, roll or sway, brake dive and acceleration squat to some degree.


in short the fluild, and the size of the hole in the piston provide the dampening, and the spring controls the rebound rate (but that is also somewhat controled by the dampening rate of the fluid)
Lighter oil less dampening, heavy oil more dampening.

Your driving type, area and style largely determine what your needs will be.

I hope this was techonbable was understandable.

-Chris

[quietfly]

Originally posted by jaejw1
how does the different weights of shock oil work really???

for bumpy roads
flat onroad
street
jumps
large off road tracks w/high jumps
tight off road tracks

For bumpy roads (with no large jumps kind of like a woops section) i'd use a lighter wt oil in all fours, maybe in the 30's,
For bumpy roads (with medium jumps) i'd use a lighter wt oil in the front, maybe in the 30's, and a medium wt oil in the rear, perhaps 45 or 50,

For flat onroad i'd use 65 all around
for normal street bashing i'd go 35- 45 all around depend on how you drive.
jumps ( big ones ) medium springs / medium oil in front 50wt. heavy springs medium heavy oil in rears 65wt-80 wt
large off road tracks w/high jumps IBID
tight off road tracks heaviest oil you can find, 100wt


Please take these recomendations with a grain of salt these were just basic setups from my 1/8 scale racing days.
(See pictures below)
I'm not quite done fiddling with shock wts on the rc18t. as soons as i find a setup i really like alot i'll post a setup sheet on it.

YMMV

-Chris
http://www.isocorpinc.com/~quietfly/RC/pics/ext%20chasis/hybrid/NH12.jpg


http://www.isocorpinc.com/~quietfly/RC/pics/MIA2/getting%20ready5.jpg

[alfred]

Very informative. Never experienced offroad since im the onroader type.:D

[Mondo]

I'm running 20wt on this setup, it's nice and soft as I'm doing road bashing with a few 5-6" drop offs.
Fortunately I have a good collection of shock oil, so if the 20wt isn't up to it, I'll drain and refill with something a little heavier

Chris, I'm also limited by the snowfall at home :) so I'll have to wait until the weather clears up to test my new set up

[jaejw1]

hmm i might have to buy that pack of shok oil,, with all the different weights

[jaejw1]

my biggest problem is that i have a set of vcs shocks,, front and rears are the same size...

should i change the positions of the shock mounts in the fronts to lower the front a lil,,, to immitate a shorter shock assembly

[alfred]

Put the bottom mounts on the outside holes to lower the front.

[jaejw1]

they are,,,, i may have to switch the shafts from the stock intot he assemly of the vcs,, sibce the stock shaft is shorter,, or add those o-rings to adjust height... i might just do that,,,

[Mondo]

Quietfly,

I tried the Losi Street Tread tires tonight on cold, damp asphat and what a difference they make.
The RC18T now turns under braking instead of spinning out.
Cornering under power provides plenty of grip too and braking is improved big time
I do recommend them for extreme street bashing.

I wanted to try the Losi foams but the LHS was sold out, I think the Mamba would cause them to chunk.

I need heavier shock oil, I did bottom the truck out with 20wt oil in the shocks, flying off a 6 inch kerb at top speed
I'll bump it up to 30wt and I may look into getting a hard spring set for street bashing.

[jaejw1]

well i have had the foamies on since i had my mamba 8000 and i have yet to have any chunking,,,

i think i may have the same kind,, the balloon to much for me to run,,

[Mondo]

I took the RC18T for a 2 pack bash around my neigbourhood today.
The asphalt was a little damp but I had so much fun.
The Losi Street Treads also balloon on top speed but it's awesome, the wheel diameter increases, the truck gets a little raised and the top end is amazing.
The Street Treads required re-glueing today, but other than that the RC18T didn't misbehave at all.

I did break the antenna and lost about 4 body clips, but I have more than enough body clips to survive :)
The antenna was repaired with multiple layers of heatshrink :p
The RC18T has by far become my favourite Micro class RC, it rocks!

I even took the Brushless M18 out today, it seemed a little boring compared to the RC18T :D

[alfred]

It seems like you had a wonderful day today Mondo. Well i went to my lhs hoping that they would have those treads in but they dont. I guess im going to have to order them.

[Mondo]

Alfred,

The Street Treads are awesome. I even did some traction rolls on the dryer part of the road.
Unfortunately they did require re-glueing, I don't think you'll have the problem of the tires coming off the rims with the 300 motor in the RC18T.
The Mamba is ruthless, once it gets the wheels spinning it's quite vicious.

The CVDs also held up nicely, I will give the outdrives a good looking over tomorrow to see how they've held up to 5 packs of hard driving. it should be a good benchmark to see just how durable the RC18T's composite outdrives are :)

[alfred]

so glad to hear that, it seems to me that you had so much fun today. Yes you need to check them out pronto, your putting a lot more stress on the drivetrain with that BL of yours. lol Do you still have any gearing left on the spur gear. (missing teeth from all that torque).

[Mondo]

Alfred,

I just did a visual inspection on the composite outdrives.
They are perfect I am astounded.
No signs of wear and tear at all, perhaps this can be attributed to the M18 outdrive covers that I fitted - if I'm not mistaken on your advice too :) Thanks
The Spur is perfect too, tip top condition and I removed the motor and mount to check it out :)

Remember I am only running a 5400 kV Mamba, so it's not as wild as the 6800/8000 kV units some Members run in their trucks.
It's plenty fast enough but I don't know how much faster it is than the standard 300 motor because I've never ran the RC18T standard
The day it arrived new from URC I just new I had to fit the Mamba 5400.
The reason it took me so long to get the RC18T running is the fact I was distracted by the Mini-Quake and ZK2 :)

One thing I did notice was the spring retainers falling off the bottom of the threaded shocks (again)
Thank goodness I had the standard shocks, or I'd be out of action pending replacements
I used a little CA glue and now they're permanent :P

What an amazing little truck the RC18T is :)

[alfred]

When i got the truck i ran it a couple of times and was not used to driving one at all, so then i wanted to trade the 18t for an M18 and that deal didnt go through so the more i have been running the 18t the more im just loving it. So surprised how tough this truck is. :D

[c0sie]

Mondo, id be interested to hear where that 'big hobby store' is in Bristol lol.

And you refer to your lhs stocking Street Treads...so that would probably count Antics out then :)