glassdoctor,

I put the esc where I did because, as luck would have it, there are no aftermarket manufacturers of bodies for my buggy. All of the Sportwerks bodies have the holes pre-cut for the engine and fuel tank. I figured that I'd take advantage of that and put the esc where it could get a good source of cool air. As for the Rx, I put it there for accessibility. Although I usually run a Spektrum, you never know what's going to happen on race day. I actually had one occassion where I had to run a borrowed am radio system. With the Rx there, I could do a quick switch with any system and be assured that interference from all of the current flying around would be at a minimum. I really put a lot of thought into the accessibility issue on this buggy. You can get to just about everything without having to mess with something unrelated. I also didn't have to drill any non stock holes, so all I have to do is keep a spare chassis in my box and I can do a swap in about 30 minutes, if need be. I just can't emphasize how bad a driver I am. I do like racing, but do it for the thrill rather than to win. I like hitting the jumps hard, just to see my buggy fly, when everyone else is taking it easy to hit that turn at just the right angle. What can I say, I'm careless.

As for the nose diving, I don't think that the weight is too far forward. When I went to light springs in back, the buggy's behavior improved. I was thinking that the back was way over sprung and it was pushing the nose down when I left the jump. I don't think it's slapping, although I'll have to check for that.

Is the rear support for the motor really necessary? On that note, does anyone know exactly how deep the threads are in the mounting holes? I want to get screws that will utilize as much of the threading as possible without danger of screwing anything up.

I'm still patiently awaiting my orders from RC Monster, Maxamps, and a few other places. At least Mike emailed me to tell me that my order shipped yesterday. Of all the people that I ordered from, Mike seems to be the only one on the stick. Maxamps says that my batteries are shipping today or tomorrow. That means that I won't get it until Monday. No racing this weekend.

Thanks for all of the input.