Fine by me :yipi:. Considering I have the only electric conversion of this buggy at least on the west U.S. coast :yes:.

Went racing today and I loved the way this car took the jumps. It was so smooth. This is my first 1/8th buggy so the handling just made me go WOW. A little disappointed it wouldn't turn but that may have been due to my rear suspension being too soft. It was a bit of a shame I only ran one race though, stupid nitro.

1/8 buggies in general are awesome racing machines. I too really like the SH/LRP buggy. Mine jumps PERFECTLY at the local 1/10 indoor offroad track. It's so perfect I don't even correct the nose with throttle, I just let off as soon as it takes off.

That was exactly how mine was. It's good to know that even after being converted it still jumps perfect. I'm a bit scared of upsetting the balance when I convert it.

I'm now looking for a motor mount. I measured the hole spacing on the diff mount this morning. The spacing between the 2 diff mounts is 32mm which probably isn't that important. The spacing on the holes in the centre diff mounts is 21mm. Are there any other buggies with the same 21mm mount hole spacing that mike makes a motor mount for? The bearing is a standard 8x16 too.

I should probably start another thread for this.

I have no idea if any other mounts work, but I would guess not since the overall height, mounting hole spacing, height of the bearing, etc. all need to match. But to make it easier on you, I have all those dimensions:

-mounting hole spacing: 21.0mm (like you said) at top and bottom
-overall height: 43.4mm
-distance between middle of bearing and bottom of mount: 22.0mm
-spur gear: 44t

If you could tell Mike those dimensions he could either just make a mount or find one that is similar and modify it.

I sent mike an e-mail on the weekend about getting a mount made. I haven't heard back yet. Thanks for the measurements. I just measured with a ruler as I don't have callipers so it's good to know my measurement is correct. I was hoping that if there was another buggy with the same bottom mount hole spacing I could just replace the entire diff mount with the diff mounts for the other buggy to test the fit and if it worked I would get that motor mount. Sadly I didn't send mike the dimensions as I didn't even think of it at the time.

After a while of owning this buggy I am still impressed by it. Some members here got the chance to see it in action for bashing, which was a lot of fun.

I did end up getting the "stiff" springs for the buggy, but they seem to be the same as the stock springs because they required the same amount of preload (a lot). In the process of swapping the springs I noticed that the left rear shock shaft was bent... Gonna have to replace that. But so far that shock shaft is the ONLY problem this buggy has had!

Awesome. I like to here that sort of news. Mike has mine at the moment and he is working his magic on it. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

I'm interested to see how yours turns out as well! Mike was strongly considering the hybrid brake idea the last time I spoke with him.

It would be easier just to run mechanicals front and rear and the car is perfect for that. Either way I can't weight to race it.

The whole point of the hybrid idea is to save weight and complexity. Since it uses the motor brake for a majority of the braking a smaller brake servo can be used, and then there's only one linkage to worry about. It's easier, and IMO, better.

Sorry for bringing this thread back from the dead lol but I might buy A z-car from my coworker,(we work @ RCU hobbypeople) And I already have a MM esc, cc bec, and a 4s2p 6000mah lipo. How much Kv Am I looking at with a 4 cell to make this a pretty efficient setup? Id like to use one of These Or should i get something with lower Kv to promote longer runtime and less heat. I Have about 100amps cont. to work with.

It's gonna be nice to know of another semi-local electric Z-Car :yes:.

However, those Hobby City motors are crap, they aren't even worth the time spent looking at them. A good motor is going to be totally worth it, and the Medusa motors are perfect on a budget. Only about $115:
http://www.rc-monster.com/proddetail...usa3660&cat=20
I'd go with the 2000kv version as it is well suited to this buggy. Mine is running a Neu 1512 2000kv, and unfortunately the smallest pinion I can use is an 18t because the motor hits the rear brace. The Medusa is smaller in diameter and thus will allow a broader range of gearing options. If you paired the Medusa 36-60-2000 with a 16t pinion you should have an awesome buggy!

As for the MM, it will work but is likely to require a fan. The MMM also will run the Medusa motor A LOT smoother and I would totally recommend it. Besides, I know how much the MMM will cost you when they get to your store, and they're pretty cheap :angel:.

Another option is to just wait for the MMM combo with the 1512-size motor (2650 kv). My only concern with this option is that you won't be able to gear it properly. It would require about a 14t pinion which I don't think would fit with the stock spur and rear brace, without any modifications.

Forsure, thanks metalman for your this info! Damn I wanted to try out one of those HC motors. I think I might tho for shits and giggles with my FT Tc4 onroad car. I special ordered a MMM 2200 kv(ithink) to my store, and EP on it is only 215$! Ill try to pick this up when i sell some of my old stuff.

Just make sure to post some pics :rules:.

The zcar is on sale until the 1ist i Think, for only 199$If you guys want a really nice buggy for cheap, with great parts support hit up your local HobbyPeople, It's a only Instore sale ; C

Woo I picked one up! Im leaving for a small vacation for a week, But I might bring it with me and build it while Im at my grandparents house. Any building tips MetalMan?

Don't let the poor translations get in the way? LOL I don't know, I thought it was pretty straightforward.

it was ofna, the dominator/monster pirate have the rear brake, possibly the early buggies

Hi guys!

I just ordered one of these. I've been wanting to do a 1/8 BL conversion, but was having a hard time spending 150+ for a used Hyper roller. I ordered the SH car for 199 from hobby people.

This will be my first high end BL vehicle and I have some questions about what components to get.

What motor/esc/cells should I get? I'm more of a basher than racer. With that said, I want something with alot of torque, not necessarily speed. I do want it to be fun and not have sooo much power that I'll have drivetrain issues. What kind of runtimes are expected w/your battery choices? Should I go 6s or 4s? I like overkill within reason. :mdr:

I noticed metal man suggested the 1512 or the MMM combo. I was originally interested in the 1515, since it seems like alot of people recommended it, But the Combo is ALOT cheaper.... If I go with the Combo, any reason why I shouldn't go with the 2200kv instead of the 2650 that was recommended?

Which pinion should I go for?

Seems like Rc-monster will have most of everything I need, which will be nice.

Also, does the kit include a canopy? what canopies fit this buggy.

I'm really excited about this build.

Thanks!!

Hi Trike, welcome to RC-M!

Good choice on the Z-Car, you won't be disappointed (IMO).

First off, you'll want to decide on the battery. 4s is most common for 1/8 buggies because it just works. Also, this is often the largest size you can fit (depending on the capacity). Generally somewhere around 5000mah 20C+ works well for 4s.
If you went with 6s, you could drop down to 3200mah and it should fit depending on the height of the cells.

The rear brace on the Z-Car is a limiting factor on how small of a pinion you can use compared to the size of the motor. For example, the finned Neu 1512 in my buggy cannot use any smaller than an 18t pinion. It has a diameter of 44mm.
The Castle motors are finned only, and have a diameter of 42mm. They will probably allow no less than a 17t, but a 16t might fit.
Smooth can Neus have a diameter of 39mm and should allow a 15t pinion.

Medusa motors (preferrably 36-60) are 36mm in diameter and should allow as low as a 14t pinion. This would be my choice if I were to choose a different motor for this buggy.

So, let's talk setups here. Let's say you want to keep the buggy under 45mph for general driving (which is a good choice).
-MMM 2650 combo: On 4s you wouldn't be able to gear this motor properly as it would require a 13t pinion - so if you went this route you would have to dremel the rear brace and motor fins.
-MMM 2200 combo: This choice would have lots of torque, but also weighs more. A 17t pinion would push the buggy past 45mph on 4s (not necessarily a good thing), but a 16t pinion would be perfect (might require some slight dremeling of the rear brace).
-Neu 1512 2.5D smooth can: No fitment issues with a 17t pinion on 4s.
-Medusa 36-60-2000: No fitment issues with a 17t pinion on 4s or with a 14t pinion on 5s.
-Medusa 36-60-1600: Perfect with 6s and 15t pinion.

5s and 6s are out of the question IMO with anything other than Medusa motors. I think the Medusa 36-60-1600 and 6s Lipo would be an incredible setup.

The buggy kit includes a clear body that will require trimming. As for others that may fit, I haven't the slightest idea.

Awesome, Thanks for the list of setups Metal Man! Your help will definitely save me time in choosing a good setup.

So to eliminate any potential fitment issues, i'll stay away from the combos.

I'll focus on the medusa setups. I guess I'll pair up the medusa with the MMM ESC.
I was curious on your thoughts on why the 6s medusa setup will be an incredible setup.

If I went with a 4s setup, I would be thinking about this battery.
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6351

If I went with a 6s setup, I would be thinking about this battery.
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6419

What is your guess on runtimes/power between the 4s and 6s setup?

So I'm getting my list of stuff to get. here's what I have so far.

Electric motor mount - LRP SX8-BX, SH Z-Car
5mm bore, mod1 pinion (15t)
MedUsa Products V2 36-60 Afterburner Motor (36-60-1600)
Castle Creations Mamba Monster controller V3
Battery Tray Kit (45mmx168mm) (Going to use the 145x45x39mm 6s packs from hobbycity)
RC-Monster Brushless Heatsink/clamp (L size)

Is the mod1 pinion ok? or do I need the .8 pinion? Do I really need a heatsink for the motor? The price tag is definitely getting up there, but i'm expecting one bad A buggy. Hopefully reliable and durable. :P


Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks

Geared for the same speed the 4s and 6s setups should give about the same runtime. Only comment I have is that you shouldn't need the RC-M clamp but it won't hurt either.

You will need a mod1 pinion, as that is the pitch of the spur gear.

Hey Travis,
How is your braking system holding up?? :whistle: I'm still using the MGM / ESC for brakes but I may start to think about going with something else on my 808.. :neutral: (Just reviewing my options)..

Thanks for your time..

I pulled the trigger. Ordered all that stuff from rc-monster, except the heatsink.

I Think im going to bite the bullet and pick up the MMM 2200kv and make it fit, and run it with my 4s. The 2200 with a 4s capable of doing 120cont amps will still be pretty quick right?

The braking system is holding up great. Josh and I raced the Sunday before last and it was very nice to be able to tune my braking on the fly!

:whistle: So who won?? and was Josh driving is 8ight?? :neutral:

Hey guys decided to join the club. I have been very happy with my K-cars but the Z-car has so many interesting inovations and what sealed the deal was the awsome sale price. I have been working on it on and off for the last few days, as you guys noted great build quality and no issues so far. I have a RC-Monster motor mount on order but one thing I didn't like was the limited pinion options due too the motor can hitting the chassis brace, as MetalMan mentioned. A 16T pinion will barely fit, and that gearing was too high for track I run at. I thought about using a different diff with a 46T spur but I found out the Z-Car diff is actually much smaller than normal, sort of like the new Kyosho MP9, so for now you can only use the Z-Car diff and 44T spur. I always felt that if a car was designed to be electric from the begining (and not converted from nitro) the chassis brace would be on the other side, so I took a few measurements and decided to move the brace to the other side. I had a few braces laying around and I found one that fit perfectly. It came off a Kyosho 777 (rear brace) and all I had to do was cut a small notch in the Z-cars rear brace mount, swap the brace to the other side, make a small aluminum spacer that is threaded, then just screw in a few bolts and anchor the brace to the chassis using one of the nitro motor mount holes. The chassis feels the same (flex wise) as it did before. Won't be able to test for a while, but I figure the part I modded only cost a few bucks. Kyosho also makes a really cool blue heavy duty brace (WC 777) which I may go to if this one works out ok. With the braced moved over You can go down to a 11T pinion if you want. you now have a lot more gearing options.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...3/DSC05172.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...3/DSC05175.jpg
Here is the spacer I made to take the place of the stock Z-Car brace. Bolts screw into to both sides for strength.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...3/DSC05181.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...3/DSC05182.jpg
I have the motor sitting in the car with a 12T pinion, you can see there is more room for probably a 11T if you need it.

Yep, I was driving my 8ight (which is now sold). And I can also comment on Travis' brakes... they worked very well from what I could see. Out of 9 drivers, Travis got 4th, and I got 6th. It was my first race, so I can't complain... my 8ight just couldn't seem to be able to get the rear end around, which is what Travis' car did so well. :wink: I am hoping to incorporate a rear braking system on my D8 as well similar to his z-car. :yes:

Take note that there were at least 2 factory drivers at this race, not to mention that there were several others who are regulars at the track. That race day was my first time at OCRC in about 3-4 weeks...

Lookin' good so far Shark413. Sometime we will have to meet up at a track and compare setups. Are you planning on running full mechanical brakes or are you gonna try a hybrid setup like I am using?

I placed an order for a RC-Monster motor mount but I just couldn't wait so I made a quickie mount and installed the motor with a 14T pinion. I made a top plate and put the brake servo on top of it and hooked up the brake linkage.

MetalMan, I have run mech brakes on most of my conversions, I am an old nitro guy and I just like the feel and the ability to adjust the bias. I had my other truggies/buggies setup with front/back mech brakes but I had to use a big spacer to make room for the rear disc. This put a lot more stress on my front bearing and eventually killed it. So I removed the rear brakes and set them up to use motor brake (ditched the spacer). When I saw the Z-Car I knew this was the perfect buggy, with the brake in the back I could run both brakes with no spacer on the motor. So yeah I am using both brakes for now. I just need to finish up my battery tray and shocks and I will be ready for a test run. I also have a 1512 Neu I want to try, as it is lighter than the 1515 I have in there now. When I was making the top plate I decide to whip up a couple of skid plates as well, somebody on another forum said he was wearing out the chassis big time (probably because of the soft springs the buggy comes stock with).

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...3/DSC05186.jpg
Quickie motor mount and top plate. Did you notice that the mud guard on the left side has shaved mounting points, saves me the trouble of cutting them down to make room for a lipo battery tray.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...3/DSC05193.jpg
MetalMan, I liked your setup, so I kinda copied it.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...3/DSC05195.jpg
Front and rear skids.

Ah, I was hoping to see somebody else try the hybrid brake setup like I am using just for the sake of comparison. Just FYI, the packaging of the springs for this buggy is quite strange - the Hobby People computer system lists the soft springs as the stiff ones, but the package of these springs says soft. I ended up with the springs that the computer calls "medium" which their package says are stiff. You will want the stiffest springs, especially since your Z-Car is running heavier than mine.

The skidplates look like a good idea, but is that 1/4"? If so, I think it's too thick for this buggy.

MetalMan, yeah the springs are confusing, on the HobbyPeople site they list several rates, but the picture shows them as all being white. I heard the stiff springs are silver, can you verify. The skids are actually 1/8 of an inch thick and milled out on the back side, so there pretty light. They look thicker because I beveled the leading edge. Yeah no hybrid brake for me, the motor brake action is to inconsistant for me (the braking action depends on what the center diff is doing, which adds to the variables). Where do you run at, OCRC, Revelation, ?

So, does a smaller can motor like the Medusa still interfere with the rear brace?

I just wanted to say thanks to Metalman regarding your resent post of your Z-Car conversion build. It was filled with great information, which helped me with my Z-conversion. I installed a Mamba Monster and Medusa Brushless (16T) along with a 4s 4800 Lipo and man does it move. It turned out to be the best fit and it didn't send me to the poor house. So here it is. As for the body I'm still out on the colors. Just click on the link ---> http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/h...t=e3607593.pbw

Well here is my Z with a temp body that I took from my other Z nitro. I have a body on order, but I'm still out on the color combo that I will be using. Anyone out there that can shine a light on a good color combo. Also, there have been questions on what motor to use, well as per the Metalman, I went with the Medusa. With the Medusa you have a wider range for your pinion. I personally went with a 16T and it works great and I still have plenty of room to change it. So just click in the link. Also, if your still thinking on getting the Z-Car for 199, well I believe they are going back up for 2009. U snooooz you lose as they say. Even if they go back up I don't think it will be by that much. It still the best deal around and parts...what ever you need Hobby People have them.

http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/h...t=6383d3a8.pbw

Mine should get delivered on saturday. I have everything ordered for it. I decided to use a DS1313 for the steering servo. Once the stuff shows up from RC-monster, I can start completing it.

I want to try out the hybrid brake setup once I get everything together. I'd be curious to see how the Airtronics M11 ABS feature works with it. I'll have to see what I need to do, to fab up a mount for the servo.

Have any of you guys used their ABS feature on their radio? if so how'd you like it?

so you think I should order a set of hard (Silver springs) from hobby people?

All of the springs that came into the Fountain Valley store were white with no indications that differentiate them.

1/8" is much better, what I was gonna suggest if you had in fact used 1/4" :lol:

Typically I drive at OCRC, since it's about 20mins from my house. I have driven at Rev a number of times, and raced this buggy at the JBRL electric series when they had the trial 1/8 electric class. Unfortunately Rev is a minimum 45min. drive for me, depending on traffic of course :diablo:.

Judging by MrZ's conversion it doesn't look like it interferes.

You're welcome :party:. Your Z-Car came out nice and clean! Naturally my only suggestion is the rear brake to improve cornering, but that's just me :whistle:.

Do you work at one of the Hobby People stores?

Haven't tried the ABS feature, but it could very well help. I have found that the motor brake comes on strong, but the overall braking of my buggy isn't enough. The EPA of the brakes are turned way down, so I have to gradually increase them. Next time my buggy is at the track I will try ABS on the motor brake and see if that makes any noticeable difference.

What springs are silver? I can't find anything about silver springs.

Oh and by the way, the Z-Car went back up to its regular price at $469. The Hobby People stores may still be running a special on them but I won't know until I go to work tomorrow.