Project DB-1 - Newbie

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Loshkins

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Hello all, unlike many of you here I am a complete newbie to the hobby. I used to have a nitro truck back in my high school days, but that only lasted a couple months due to lack of funds. But now, more than a few years later, I'm back to scratch that itch.

I hope to update this post regularly as I get into the hobby and offer a point of view from someone coming into large scale RC and RC in general, maybe later on post some sort of guide - maybe if you're looking to get a friend into it or what not, just a 'new' kind of perspective. I am more than happy to hear any tips tricks and suggestions. Maybe even places to run this thing.

Why DBXL?
While doing some research on what to buy I had narrowed it down to three vehicles, the Baja (or one of its variants), the Losi 5ive T, and the DBXL. This first part was fairly easy as I found a club nearby that has a race series and those three seem to be predominant - figure advice will be easier to get once out there.

Being from SW Ontario we get snow, and some not so nice weather, so I figured 4wd will be beneficial if not mandatory come the white stuff. At the moment I consider myself a basher, nothing more, although I want to get out to one of those races if possible.

Next up was 5ive T or DBXL? I expect to mess the truck up, hell I expect to do something stupid with the engine and mess that up as well, the DBXL is about $600 cheaper and I figured the savings can get me another engine and parts if need be. I probably won't really understand or notice the difference from the beginning, hell this thing seems bloody fast to begin with. Also I noticed the weight difference between the two, again erring on the side of caution and driver error forgiveness. Also is the 5ive T worth the extra cash, considering upgrades, etc? So the DBXL it was.

Thoughts so far
Its amazing! I've had a lot of fun with it and its a joy to play with. The whole oily air filter thing was a pain in the ass, I spent an entire afternoon trying to figure out what was wrong, finally got it going and I have been loving it. Put through tanks of gas and its doing really well. First upgrade will be an air filter, I'm thinking the outside foam from the 5ive T and an outerwear. Anything you guys recommend that might help out more? Don't really want to cut the body.

I do have a weird issue, after running for maybe 20 or 30min straight, the truck stops, the servos don't work. If I let it sit for a few minutes it starts back up perfectly and off we go. Is this something to be concerned about? I've heard it could be the transmitter...

The tires ballooning, is this okay or should I be looking to get new tires for it? At the moment they seem to work well in everything, I've had it on a beach, in grass, loose and packed dirt and tarmac, no problems so far there. From what I've read people seem to be split 50/50 on it. Anyone have recommendations on what to run?

Silenced vs. unsilenced vs. stock.
Okay so the pipes, I'm a little confused here. They give more torque on the low end right? As I understand it, the silenced ones are louder, how much louder/better compared to stock? And what are silenced pipes? Is it the same thing just quieter but with the same added torque?

I'll be looking to waterproof it and run in a race somewhere, doing research on that end at the moment. If you guys have tips, tricks or suggestions, by all means I am all ears.

Cheers all!

10547634_10152522012956418_3746119929635920881_n.jpg
 
Loshkins said:
Hello all, unlike many of you here I am a complete newbie to the hobby. I used to have a nitro truck back in my high school days, but that only lasted a couple months due to lack of funds. But now, more than a few years later, I'm back to scratch that itch.

I hope to update this post regularly as I get into the hobby and offer a point of view from someone coming into large scale RC and RC in general, maybe later on post some sort of guide - maybe if you're looking to get a friend into it or what not, just a 'new' kind of perspective. I am more than happy to hear any tips tricks and suggestions. Maybe even places to run this thing.

Why DBXL?
While doing some research on what to buy I had narrowed it down to three vehicles, the Baja (or one of its variants), the Losi 5ive T, and the DBXL. This first part was fairly easy as I found a club nearby that has a race series and those three seem to be predominant - figure advice will be easier to get once out there.

Being from SW Ontario we get snow, and some not so nice weather, so I figured 4wd will be beneficial if not mandatory come the white stuff. At the moment I consider myself a basher, nothing more, although I want to get out to one of those races if possible.

Next up was 5ive T or DBXL? I expect to mess the truck up, hell I expect to do something stupid with the engine and mess that up as well, the DBXL is about $600 cheaper and I figured the savings can get me another engine and parts if need be. I probably won't really understand or notice the difference from the beginning, hell this thing seems bloody fast to begin with. Also I noticed the weight difference between the two, again erring on the side of caution and driver error forgiveness. Also is the 5ive T worth the extra cash, considering upgrades, etc? So the DBXL it was.

Thoughts so far
Its amazing! I've had a lot of fun with it and its a joy to play with. The whole oily air filter thing was a pain in the ass, I spent an entire afternoon trying to figure out what was wrong, finally got it going and I have been loving it. Put through tanks of gas and its doing really well. First upgrade will be an air filter, I'm thinking the outside foam from the 5ive T and an outerwear. Anything you guys recommend that might help out more? Don't really want to cut the body.

I do have a weird issue, after running for maybe 20 or 30min straight, the truck stops, the servos don't work. If I let it sit for a few minutes it starts back up perfectly and off we go. Is this something to be concerned about? I've heard it could be the transmitter...

The tires ballooning, is this okay or should I be looking to get new tires for it? At the moment they seem to work well in everything, I've had it on a beach, in grass, loose and packed dirt and tarmac, no problems so far there. From what I've read people seem to be split 50/50 on it. Anyone have recommendations on what to run?

Silenced vs. unsilenced vs. stock.
Okay so the pipes, I'm a little confused here. They give more torque on the low end right? As I understand it, the silenced ones are louder, how much louder/better compared to stock? And what are silenced pipes? Is it the same thing just quieter but with the same added torque?

I'll be looking to waterproof it and run in a race somewhere, doing research on that end at the moment. If you guys have tips, tricks or suggestions, by all means I am all ears.

Cheers all!

10547634_10152522012956418_3746119929635920881_n.jpg
Click to expand...


I own one as well, but I'm fairly new to the hobby myself. Don't have all the answers to your questions, but I can tell you what I use and it's been working good for me.
Air filter: with this one you can cut body or not your choice.
http://www.davesmotors.com/sm221_3.html
Pipe:
http://www.davesmotors.com/bartolone-racing-losi-desert-buggy-xl-tuned-pipe-silenced-raw.html
Engine
http://www.davesmotors.com/Zenoah-G320RC-Engine-Complete.html

These are just what I'm running on mine, I'm not saying there the best options. Just sharing what I've done too mine. Hope this help.
qyhyna8u.webp
 
The servos heat up and stop working till they cool down. I went with savox and never had a problem since. You'll notice a big difference when you get the tuned pipe. If you're planning on racing at Rc Acres you'll need a silenced pipe as per their rules. Definitely get yourself some decent foams in those tires. If you haven't checked your diff fluid levels, I recommend it. Mine (and a lot of other's) came with just enough oil to wet the gears. They should be right full with at least 30,000 cst in the front/rear and 50,000 to 100,000 in the centre. This will greatly affect your ballooning/pizza cutter tire issue.
 
Great, thank you guys! RC Acres is where I was thinking of going. The air filter and servo will be a priority, followed by the pipe. So you put savox servos for the throttle and steering right? The Bartolone pipe looks nice, especially since its silenced and comes with some instructions, will look into it once its back in stock. The engine I'll probably hold off on for just a bit, but I'll keep that one you posted in mind.

Is there a way to check the diff fluid level without opening it all up? And how does the diff fluid level effect the tire ballooning? I thought that just had to do with foam/rubber compound.

Claude what kind of tires did you use?
 
Loshkins said:
Great, thank you guys! RC Acres is where I was thinking of going. The air filter and servo will be a priority, followed by the pipe. So you put savox servos for the throttle and steering right? The Bartolone pipe looks nice, especially since its silenced and comes with some instructions, will look into it once its back in stock. The engine I'll probably hold off on for just a bit, but I'll keep that one you posted in mind.

Is there a way to check the diff fluid level without opening it all up? And how does the diff fluid level effect the tire ballooning? I thought that just had to do with foam/rubber compound.

Claude what kind of tires did you use?
Click to expand...


If you do a search on eBay under giant grip monster tires you'll find the ones in the pic. What I did to stop the ballooning was, I took tires apart. I flipped the tires inside out and wrapped them with gorilla tape about three times and problem was solved. Again these is just what I used, far from an expert. Just been using tips that I've found on different forums.
 
If you haven't done the diffs, I can guarantee they need done. I haven't heard of ANYONE that had them full. Diff fluid or lack there of sends power to the wheel(s) with the least resistance to rotate. Thicker fluid distributes the power evenly between left and right and also power to front or rear diffs. However, thicker fluid also has affect on steerability and how it enters and exits corners. If both front wheels are ballooning under full acceleration, the centre diff fluid isn't thick enough. Too much power going to the wheels that have the least amount of traction (due to rearward weight transfer under acceleration) In the front/rear diffs, too thick of a fluid and the car won't turn very well because the outer tire has to spin faster than the inside tire. The thicker fluid prevents the needed "diff" action. I really recommend you search for the "Hudy off-road set up book" download the app it asks you for then search that title. It covers everything you wanna know about set up. And about the bartalone pipe, Skycraft hobbies in Burlington has a silenced one in stock as well as a decent stock of replacement parts. You're gonna need them lol
 
Yup that's the file except my iPad won't download it. As far as replacement or extra parts to have, ummm, I haven't really needed to replace much. I have a bunch of parts on standby but the buggy's been pretty good when I drive it properly. Any plastic parts would be beneficial. A set of turnbuckles, control arms, a spare servo, a bearing set, drive pin kit would all be nice to have. A big thing is to check over everything after you come off the track. Definitely check the set screws that keep the drive pins in place. A lost drive pin can ruin your day. Most guys don't run more than 10-15 min at a time at rc acres. That's usually a tank of fuel. Any longer and you're pushing the limits of your drivetrain. Oh, and yes, plains rd in Burlington is Skycraft. Great group of guys in there.
 
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