Got my first shipment of XTM Rail parts in today
 

Found a chop shop on ebay and started bidding last week after I saw the XTM Rail at the local hobby shop. Thing looked cool and felt good when I picked it up and looked at it. First round of auctions was pretty good for me. Got just about everything, only got outbid on the body, the tires, a diff and the center diff. I won one diff and did a buy it now for the other. Ordered the 53t gear for the center. Once I started going through all my other parts realized I had a couple center differentials already that will work. Have a 43t differential layed in it now and a 18t pinion on the 2200kv motor. Haven't decided which to run on it yet. Probably will run a Mamba Max 4s w/ 1512 1.5d but will have to try out the Mamba Monster 2200kv on 6s for the grins. Here's some pictures of the parts I received. Will post up some more pics as I put it together.


http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0402.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0401.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0400.jpg

Are you building this from scratch, or using a different buggy as a base/donor vehicle?

P.S. PM'd you about sale stuff

Good for you gee.
 

Looks like someone is having some fun this weekend. Good to see you having some fun Gee. Good for you Sir. Looks like fun.

That buggy sure looks awesome, but comes with shitty elctronics. You found the way to get around that I see:yipi: Can I ask how much the roller have cost you?

Thomas G

so you are the one we have been bidding aginst lol

PhotoBucket Link with ALL the Pictures.
http://s212.photobucket.com/albums/c...0rail/?start=0


I guess you could say it is from scratch. All the parts are for the XTM Rail and have come from a chop shop on ebay. Some of them partially assembled. Like the bellcrank was already put together and the side rails were screwed to the chassis when it arrived.

What the hell! You got a camera in my bedroom? lol

Well who ever said this hobby teaches patience was wrong or maybe I just haven't been patient enough and it will come to me. I went all out on the last round of auctions. Probably would of ended up a bit cheaper if I would of spread the part out a couple auctions. As it was I have around 240 in parts and with the discounted shipping 50 dollars in shipping fees. Still need the tires and a body for it though.

You! Was it you that got my tires and body last week? lol If you don't bid on the tires this round I wont bid on anything else (except the body). Same for anyone else reading this thread. I am going for the tires and body this round 11/13/2010 (if you would be so kind as to not bid against me I will add more pictrures).

Having one chop shop has it draw backs. Been looking for another to come on board but only a couple of ebay shops are doing some BIN for a limited # of items.

Here's some more pics. Just snapped randomly when I remembered about taking then. It's going together pretty easy. Basic kind of setup. Need the manual just ot reference what size screw more then how it goes together. Just like other buggies. This one just has the side rails added to one of XTMs chassis. Everything looks decent so far. Nothing has really stood out as being a week part. Although the shock are smaller then the 8b shocks are. The way the motor mount is you basically have to removed the center differential and pull the whole motor mount out to adjust the gear spacing. Not a big deal if you get it spaced right and now what pinion you are going to run for sure.


http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0403.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0404.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0414.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0406.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0421.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0422.jpg



http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0412.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0418.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0419.jpg



I put some Losi buggy tires on it for now. I like the look of hte tires and rims that are suppose to come with the buggy. I will be trying to get a set of those to install. They also have some paddles for this but I can't find any in stock anywhere. Not a lot of people carry XTM stuff. Looks like you have to do most of you parts.upgrades though a site called Globalservices. This is my first XTM so my experience with them is limited. More photo in the photobucket link.
http://s212.photobucket.com/albums/c...0rail/?start=0

Stock or after market?
 

So my question to you Guy is whether this project is mostly stock or mostly after market items? I like the fact that your project shows mostly metal structure for strength and durability. That is the way I like to build. So if you purchase a complete kit from XTM is it all plastic? Sorry I am jsut not too familiar with tehse XTM vehicles. I do remember the XTM MMT and that thing looked pretty tough, but it did not gain much in popularity, and I have to wonder why not? This setup looks like a good competitor to the 5B, right?

I checked out the site for XTM and didn't see anything about a kit. Only a RTR XTM Rail. That is where the parts I got came from. Don't know if the ebay store got a hold of parts or took one apart and vacuumed sealed that bags. Each bag was sealed but the rails were already installed on the chassis and the diffs were put togetherl. Usually a kit would need the differential put together. I did read a rumor when I was researching this rc that they might put out a nitro version of it. Seemed the most grumblings about XTM is the availability of parts. You can always order them online but there are not a lot of LHS that carry anything (from what I read). This little looks and feels sturdy. I was going out under the street light ot check it out but of course if literally started pouring rain as soon as I binded the receiver. Working on a quick set of lights for it now. Getting dark real early these days. Here's some more shots of it. I will get some of it next to some other RCs so you can reference the size. It is the size of a 8ight B and falls a weee bit short of the 5b.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0434.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0437.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0439.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0440.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0448.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0444.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0442.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...l/DSCF0446.jpg

Some photos for size comparison

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...SizeComp03.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...SizeComp01.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...SizeComp02.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...SizeComp04.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...SizeComp05.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...SizeComp06.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...SizeComp07.jpg

If anyone wants any other pictures or something specific they want to look at on the XTM Rail. Let me know I will do what I can to get you what you need.

That buggy looks so nice with the cage! Here its sold as the "GM Cage". Has some likeness to baja 5b buggy, which is the coolest looking car ever IMO, but you have 4wd too.


TG

gee

its all yours for the next few weeks, the parts are selling for way more than they should right now

I agree El Tomaso. The rail does make or break it. Without it on there it us just boring. Slap the rail on and bam! Out comes the Miller Lite and a disco ball. Bell bottoms are back in style and it okay to paddle your own children.





I noticed the bidding war going on. I put a high bid on the tires and it was swollowed up. I think I will just look for alternatives for it. Maybe a few other chop shops will start selling.

If anyone is interested here is a parts list and price link for the rail. I imported it in and setup a spread sheet so I could put it into different catagories. The list also indicates what othe XTM rcs athat the part is used on. Buying all the parts (excluding thier brushless setup) it was around $904 for the parts I was needing.

Link to the parts list and new prices.

http://globalservices.globalhobby.com/part/145633.asp

I tried attaching my spread sheet but it doesn't like the XLS documents. I saved it as a delimited txt file. You should be able to import it into excell and manipulate the column as you wish.

Attachment 9482

I like it - rtr weight (with batts)?


:great:

Hey man, that is a nice looking buggy. How did you go fitting the 1515 motor in it? Was there enough room? I am asking because I have one of these and the 36mm motor is almost all the way against the vertical chassis. Doesn't look like there is enough room for the 1515 so just wondering if you had to grind any material away. Also what gearing are you running? (spur and pinion)


In Australia the same buggy is marketed as GV (Great Vigor) Cage but in the states it is the XTM Rail. They pretty much come with all the same gear but it does look like that there are some differences around the front and rear bulkheads and diffs look slightly different. In regards to the electronics the Cage comes with a shitty AM radio (went in the bin as I opened the box) but the Rail has the Airtronics 2.4.

Are the XTM Rail wheels true beadlocks, or just simulated with a changeable ring for color?

I get 8.5lbs with a 4s lipo and a 1512 1.5d installed. Didn't think about weighing it when I had the 6s 1515 1y in it.


The 1515 smooth can fit in it. Right against the rail (extra cooling) though. The motor mount has several holes for the top screw. I might have just gotten lucky as to which one I picked. They also indicate to use 4 screws for the motor but I only put two in. I might have been limit to which top hole had I tried 4 screws.

The 1512 finned motor was a different story. I had to shave some of the finns off the side next to the rail to get it to sit in there with the gearing I was running. Which might make a difference. I had a center differential here so I used it (didn't win the stock center diff).

I am geared at 48/18 right now.


I don't have a set but looking at the manual they are not true. You need to glue the tires on and the bead lock ring (only one on the outside) is purely for looks. Might help prevent cracking the rim of the wheels too but it looks good . They have different colors out for them I notices.

I figured they were just simulated since there looks to be only 6 screws holding the ring on, but I was kind of hoping they were real!

Thanks for that Gee. The Cage comes with a 54t spur gear nut the nitro version (not sure if XTM has a nitro version) comes with 48t spur which I already bought as I figured I wanted the motor closer to the CD. Thanks for confirming that. I might just shave a bit of material from the chassis till it fits.


Simplechamp the wheels that come with these buggies are not beadlocks and as far as the actual ring on there providing anything in terms of function isn't so. It is very thin.

Would you be able to tell me what center differential you used? Did it fit the stock center diff mount? Sorry for all the questions man but I have to make this work on three different Rails and really need to know which direction to head in before I start to order parts.

No problem sorry I didn't see this sooner. I am pretty sure it is from the Kyosho Inferno. I bought a spare one along with some diffs for it of ebay a long time ago. It fit the center diff mount fine and after looking at the manuals. The Kyosho Inferno uses the 8x16 bearing the same as XTM does for the rail.

I also got the original center diff in the mail today. It does extend alot farther towards the front and rear then the Kyosho one I installed. It will definatly solve the issue I had with the sloppy center dogbone fit. I will take some pictures of it and post them when I get a chance.

Thanks man. You have helped me a lot. Anyway got the 1515 in it today. 48/16 gearing and I only had to do some minor modification to the side chassis. Gotta love hammers. LOL.

Just gave it a run in the street. Some people like to approach this kind of thing scientifically and calculate the gear ratios and what not. Not exactly my style. Instead I just whacked 4S 5800mAh 30C Zippy lipos in it and gave it full throttle. Ended up slamming into the gutter but other than some cosmetic damage to the wheels everything is fine. It has stupid amounts of torque and speed is just right with the chosen (what I had in the tool box) gearing. I was a little worried about the stock Chinese ESC holding up but it seemed like it wasn't phased at all. Temps on the motor and the ESC were in the 100F (+ or- 5) and batts were even lower after doing speed runs and little bit of grass driving in the street. Couldn't be happier.
Only thing I did notice is that the caps on the ESC were getting pretty warm. About 135F. The ESC seems to be cool like I said above but it's just the caps that are getting warm. I wonder why? Maybe they are crappy caps or could it be something else causing them to heat up. (batteries?) Might put on a few extra ones and see what that does.

Anyway might throw up a pic or two if it is OK with you Gee. After all it is your thread and once again thanks for the help.

Definately post some pictures up here. I justed started the thread for people to take a look at the rail. So let show em the Rail.

I've read the controllers are holding up. When I was researching the XTM there wasn't a lot on the controllers having any problem. I'd like to see some pictures of it installed.

I got a Losi Center Differential in the mail today so I put it up by the XTM center differential. Ther cups on the XTM are real long.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...ntDiffComp.jpg

I was going to make a move on some tires during the last round of auctions but they got way to high. I bid on some spare parts and ended up with a body also. So here some shots with a body on it.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...il/Bodyon2.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...il/Bodyon1.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...ail/Bodyon.jpg




I also made some LED lights to see which way it is going at night. Drilled some holes in some lexan for the leds to go into then bent it so it would fit undher the alum top plate and be held by the screws. It's a proto type. This one turned out better the the one I made for the 5b.

Here's some of the highly anticipated pictures of it:


http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...LEDLights2.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c.../LEDLights.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...LEDLights1.jpg


http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...LEDLights3.jpg

very cool gee

what do you figure it cost you to peice together?

Not bad
 

Thats not too bad considering what you are getting for the price. your rail looks fairly nice if that is your completed price. I like the way it looks, and we will wait to hear your opperating experiences once you have used it for a while. Seems like a pretty good deal from what you have posted so far. Nice thread Guy. By the way I think you listed all of your parts with pricing eariler in this thread, didn't you?

Thanks Jerry. I did post earlier what the prices where based on the spreadsheet I use to have. I just added to that total what it cost for the center diff and body that just came it. I like the kit kind of versions of stuff so the price wasn't bad for me plus I got to put most of it together. I will post on how well it holds up once I get a chance to give it hell. So far it rained pretty much every time I had it out and now it looking like a total of 10" of snow by morning and lows around the -15 mark. Too cold for these old bones.

Holy crap.
 

Holy crap Gee where in the hell are you located? It is usually pretty cold here in Korea by this time every year, but we are having some very nice weather in the mid 50's and it is great outside. I just cleaned out our old Caravan so we can get rid of it tomorrow. One of the local junk men is buying it for $500.

So things are good here, except for those morons up North who are shooting artilary into South Korea. Things are really heating up between the North & the South right now. I will start a post about that and leve this one to the Rail.

thanks a lot for the pictures you gave us all. I'm new to RC and the rail was my first purchase but i want my car to go faster than 45-mph. I spent hours on-line looking for passionate hobbyist forums like this, finally founded.
I ask my self this "without changing my motor yet how am I able to increased speed" the answer was: gear changing.

I read all the comments but cant seem to find the correct parts you used as your central differential assembly on you Rail. I know your spur gear is a 48t with many circle around its outer sides and your pinion is an 18t but i need it's brand name and part number please. Did you change your stock dog-bones to different ones since you measured different length's on your centre assembly. did you had more hoes done onto the chassis for the mount to fit fine on your 48/16 gearing?

you have mention something about using "Team Losi" part's but did some research on a possible "look a Like" and found nothing. Futhermore, a Center differential and mount
from some Kyosho Inferno fit fine? you lost me.

very sorry for my late reply but I relly need you help. Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Your truly, Jose.

{;-)3

If I can butt in till Gee gets around to posting....I also have the Rail (Cage in some markets) and to tell you the truth asking for more from the stock setup is going to end in fried motor, ESC or both. Personally I think that the stock setup is pretty much on the edge already and trying to gear it up for more speed will end in destruction of something.


What I recommend you do I get the Castle 1515 (2200kv). Same as what is in the brushless Revo and E-Maxx. Then get a 48T spur gear. The 53T spur gear has all the little holes around it but the 48T is solid with no holes. Following that you will need a 16 or a 17T hardened Mod1 pinion. Rest is just bolting it all in and hooking up the motor to the ESC. You will also need to do a little minor panel beating to the side chassis to accommodate the larger motor. I did it with a hammer and it took less than five minutes to do. Actually took longer to put the side chassis back onto the car then to modify it.
The stock ESC has surprised me a lot. With the stock motor it did run a it on the warm side but with the 1515 it has been running pretty cool geared 17/48. I have even ran it on 5S (even though it is only 4S rated) and it was fine. Beeped five times too so it must have recognized the pack as 5S. LVC also seems to work fine with 5S. Didn't get much more hotter than what it runs on 4S but I only ran the 5S on road for speed runs. 4S with the above gearing is just insane for off road.


CLICK HERE for the spur gear you will need. Check out RCMonster store for pinions. They are the best in the business.

If you need more info or even pics just ask and I'll show you my setup.

Awesome. Thanks for the info "BIG-BLOCK" dude!!!

So......Is not the stock motor better since its a 2370Kv and not 2200Kv or is it really the engineering and quality of the parts including the ESC?
(I seem people changing the motor and ESC left and right online)

Lets say I change the all the electronics, don't I have to worried about the front, central and rear deferential? what did you do here?
That would make required an different spur gear and pinion plus dog-bones!

I don't even know where to start since I have no experience hands on.

----------
I think juts changing the gears is good for now. I want to see that the change I'm doing will give me problems. beside motor and ECS upgrades are welcome in the future but not now.

PS: please post your pictures of pure AWESOMENESS and EPICNESS!!!!!!

Gratefully your, Jose


{;-)3

A faster motor doesn't mean a faster car. I know it sounds odd but trust me on that. The stock motor in the Rail is 36mm in diameter wheres the CC 2200 motor is 40mm. Bigger diameter cans make more torque and the Castles 2200 makes gobs of it. So all you have to do is gear it up more to get the same or higher speeds than with the less powerful motor. Also another thing to keep in mind is motor efficiency. Wheres the Rails motor does OK in terms of performance it gets bloody hot quickly too. It isn't very efficient and lot of power it consumes ends up as heat instead of power that propels the car forward. Castles motor is a much better motor, with better design, bigger, more powerful, better components used inside,.......well you get the picture.

Diffs are pretty good in the Rail. Proper 1/8th diffs and they have been doing just fine for me (and I am very throttle trigger happy). What I recommend is you disassemble them, clean out the grease in the front and rear and fill them with silicone diff fluid. I used 30K up front and 15K in the rear. Works for me. After that make sure you fill the diff housings with plenty of good grease so the pinion and the ring gear have plenty of lube.

Center diff has silicone fluid in it (very little from factory) but since you are going to have to change the spur gear clean out the diff case and fill it with silicone diff fluid as well. I used 500K in my center diff which is ridiculously thick but I love wheelies. Something about the 30K range would be adequate but I hate unloading too much power to the front wheels. The thicker the center diff fluid the more power will get sent to the rear wheels. All depends on your driving style. Don't forget the 48T spur gear while you are there. Part number MV22832.

Don't worry about the center dog bones. They are plenty strong. Also the front CVDs and the rear dog bones have stood up to the test of the bigger motor just fine. Actually it is pretty strong buggy and should do just fine. Keep the diffs standard and just do to them what I told you.

ESC, like I said you can leave it for a while but if you want you can get it upgraded too. Seems to do a lot better with the better and more efficient motor. Stays pretty cool. With the 17/48 gearing you should be pushing over 50mph on 4S with ease. I drive my Rail (well it's called a Cage here) through grass, dirt, pavement and everything stays nice and cool with that gearing.

Hope that clears up a few things for you.:smile: