tizdaz
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Hi guys, decided to do this post to share with others regarding upgrading there 2.0 GASSER (NOT electric!!) as both versions have some parts that are different!!
As some of you may be aware, ive upgraded my dibby to pretty much 100% alloy, along the way I had issues (LOTS!!) ..so heres a thorough list & details of what works, and what doesn't from my own personal experience..
P.S : @Rep72 some chap made a post a read not long ago regarding a 2.0 he recently bought asking for advice on hop ups and you linked me in it for the info, but i cant find the post!? maybe you could & point him to this post
Anyway here goes.. I will also update this post with photos of past fitting issues as explained below & other parts i may fit in future etc!
ok first off, i will say if funds allow, go down the Vitavon route, they are pricey but worth every penny! ..in saying this, i only have a few parts vitavon and the rest is FID..
Ive tried quite a few different hop ups, and some work, some didn't, some were a nightmare to say the least!! ..i want go into the detail but basically if its alloy hopups your after:
Alloy Wishbones: FID ..fit with no issues.
https://www.rcmodelz.co.uk/upgrades...nsion-arm-for-the-losi-db-xl-silver-pair.html
Chassis Droop Bump Stops/Plates: Fast Eddy, no issues
These are pretty essential and are a must for both gas & electric in my opinion. The droop stops which are basically just a grub screw, will end up chewing up the chassis where it makes contact (as seen in this thread i made! https://www.largescaleforums.com/threads/droop-stop-damage.28958/# ) and in turn eventually your arms will have too much droop and may damage your shocks due to over extension, these are a little pricey though for what they are and can prob be made easily with a little DIY, but i decided to go the easy route & just bought these, you will need to use a tap & die set to fit them, i also used some stud lock as i have no plans to be removing them!
https://www.ddmracing.com/Team-FastEddy-Losi-5ive-T-Screw-Bump-Stops-1316-TFE
Rims/Tires:
Proline Badlands Beadlock MX43's. you will need to drill out the hole of the rims for these to fit on the axle, as they are 17mm stock whereas the DBXL has 19mm axles. Simple enough to do using a 19mm step drill piece for perfect centered 19mm hole.
Fuel Tank: Stock (Modded!)
I think pretty much everyone who has bought a new DBXL 2.0 Gas has had issues with the fuel tank leaking. This is due to the proccess when the tanks were made at the factory!.. the plug hole used for the mould hasnt been sealed correctly, and actually has a hole! ..or if your one of the lucky ones where you think on inspection it doesn't have a hole, it probably soon will as its just been sealed up with some kind of glue/epoxy that will disolve due to the fuel!! ..a simple fix i did was to carefully sand down the area, then use a 2-part epoxy that is resistant to fuel!! so far no fuel has leaked form this spot since. But the other issue is fuel p!ssing out of the breather hole on the cap its self. Ive tried a few different emthods to help with this issue, and the best ive found so far, is to use a 1way breather pipe & seal the breather hole in the cap. I did this mod by using a small length of fuel tube, made a 3rd hole in the grommet & then fit a 1 way breather cap to the end of it, Works MUCH better than stock, some fuel does still leak when my driving skills lead to my dibby being upside down!! but no where near as much as it did.
Axle Extenders: Angel & Demon, essential if using rims/tires wider/larger than stock, as when suspension fully compressed the tire will rub against rear wing!
Shocks: IRC Big Bores, the stock shocks to put it simply are very poor, even with heavier springs & better oil etc. The irc bigbores are 100% better than stock, fit with no issues. 50wt all round. I also believe that the Genuine Losi 5 shocks also work great, but the price of these new are around same (if not more expensive!?) than the IRC bigbores.
https://www.taylorrc.co.uk/product-page/irc-dbxl-all-models-big-bore-shock-kit
Diff Housing/Cases front/rear & centre are all the same: Genuine LOSI alloy diff case, i also tried FID and the ATOP diff cases, AVOID, poor quality and they do NOT come with the shims required for the alloy case, the stock case does not uses shims that the alloy case NEEDS so you would need to purchase these separately! but the genuine losi case comes complete with them & fits perfectly no issues and doesn't cost that much more than the FID/ATOP crap ones! ..i didnt realise that losi did alloy cases or i prob would have got these from the start! ****I filled my diff cases with 100k diff fluid front/rear & 500k centre, works great****
https://www.taylorrc.co.uk/product-page/losi-dbxl-dbxl-e-and-mtxl-alloy-diff-housing-case
Diff Gear Box, Front/Rear are the same: FID: No Issues, apart from being VERY tight to fit the diff, which to be honest..is a good thing as you don't want any movement of the diff case inside!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FID-Allo...2?pageci=c60ab43c-0c23-4aab-81a6-339e4f745fd4
Front/Rear Bracket: FID.. You WILL most likely have issues fitting the front/rear ones, centre one fits no probs, but there are other issues with the centre one that i will explain next in the list! but foe the front/rear ones they are about 1-2mm too short where it mounts to the chassis! ..its a pretty simple fix (file away a little part of the chassis which you hardly notice) but its one that we should not have to do due to poor machining/measurements from FID.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32648914230.html?gatewayAdapt=Msite2Pc
Centre Diff Bracket / Brake assembly: FID.
As far as i know, its only FID that make an upgraded Centre Housing/brake assembly for the 2.0 GAS version. And it does have issues when fitting, but again, nothing major as its a simple fix but one that took me a good while to figure out after many emails to FID who were absolute cr@p customer service. But the issues with this part, is it all fits perfect onto chassis, but the actual brake collar is the issue, again you will need to file a small part of the assembly for it to work correctly, or your brake will not release properly leading to premature wear of the disc, as i found out after just 1 run! However once you do the mod, it works perfectly, so far no issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FID-raci...9?pageci=7c90659f-d6f4-4a77-b8be-3fea0b13f7b6
Chassis Brace, Rear: FID. Fit no issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263943544726
Chassis Brace, Front FID. Fit no issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265905965897?var=565737052547
Front Top Brace/Plate: FID: no issues:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265905956262?var=565737235562
Centre drive shaft support: Vitavon: Fits no issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28531734...6&customid=0sT5iXwYAAAA3QBn7j-c6dSUo_Q3AAAAAA
Hubs/Carriers Front: Vitavon: Fits no issues. Before the vitavon i bought the FID ones, these were prob the worse parts from FID for the DBXL 2.0 in terms of fitment, i wont go into detail but AVOID at all costs...trust me, you will end up banging your head against a brick wall! long story short, FID list them as being 2.0 gas compatible, they are NOT, they are for the 1.0 version & because of this you will have no end of issues trying to fit them to the 2.0.
https://www.vitavon-racing.com/product/vitavon-losi-dbxl-e2-0-cnc-aluminum7075-front-knucklec-hub/
Hubs, Rear, As Above.. Vitavon:
https://www.vitavon-racing.com/product/vitavon-losi-dbxl-e2-0-cnc-aluminum7075-rear-hub/
Servo Saver: This was a tricky one, 1st i had the FID one, nightmare, different design to stock so you will have issues connecting the push/pull setup & will end uup putting strain on the servo. Also the 2 parts of the servo saver end up binding against each other causing premature wear & making the steering very stiff & basically....crap!
I then tried the vitavon one, although it solved the issues of the binding, the design again is different to the 2.0 stock setup (arms are off center) so you will have issues setting it up for the push/pull. In the end i reverted back to the stock plastic servo saver but used the alloy part that comes in the alloy kit of the FID one for the none servo side of the steering column. So far zero issues & has been perfect... however be sure to tighten the servo saver RIGHT up, and i mean... RIGHT UP as far as you can get it, otherwise your steering is slack & very poor! don't worry the servo saver will still work as ive tested it, but if not tightened right up, your steering will be VERY poor.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265330623508?var=565178335366 like i say, i only ended up using the part thats on the right of this image! the actual servo saver part thats on the left, is 100% useless & VERY poor quality!
Alloy Steering Servo Tray: FID: if you use any of the popular regular servos such as the AGFRC/SAVOX/HITEC etc, you will need to modify the tray to make clearance for the servo wires where they exit the servo...again this is poor design from FID as I'm guessing they only tested it with a cheap Chinese servo and not the more popular servos! You will also need to unscrew the bottom half of the servo fit it into the tray (no joke!). But once fit the tray is solid, no flex which is essential and wht the stock tray suffers from. As far as i know there is no other option other than FID for an alloy steering servo tray for the 2.0 Gas, so its either do the mod, or stick with the stock one.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265905919149
Servo: AGFRC 78k for steering & Savox 0241MG for brake/Throttle ...The AGFR servo is one of the best servos ive ever used in my largescales, and ive used many over the past 20 years!! VERY quiet/FAST & powerful! The Savox one is also plenty for the throttle/brake duty.
https://www.taylorrc.co.uk/product-page/brushless-78kg-0-08s-8-4v-servo-for-1-5th-cars
Pull Rods/Turnbuckles, Front/Rear: FID, no issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264199816225?var=565120959218
Toe Links: Vitavon, No issues:
https://www.vitavon-racing.com/product/vitavon-cnc-aluminum-7075-toe-links-for-losi-dbxl-e2-0/
Pipe: I have both the Bartelone Mid Bleed & the Olimat Unsilenced that are advertised as being specifically made for the 2.0. Both fit no issues & very sturdy. But if you plan to fit an easy start pull start, this is a no go as the pipe sits very close to the stock pull start casing, the easy start casing i believe is a good 9-10mm thicker than standard case so you will have issues with clearance from the pipe! Some people have used pipes designed for the DBXL 1.0 with success, but they have to make custom mounts etc. But these pipes for the 2.0, fit with no modding needed.
I also tried the Genuine LOSI DBXL 2.0 pipe (or so they say!) ..I had to return it, as the mounting bracket was way off!.
Rear Wing Mount (Adjustable) Vitavon: No Issues:
https://www.vitavon-racing.com/prod...ed-cnc-alu7075-for-dbxl-e-2-0-dbxl-gas-buggy/
At the mo i find the Bartelone gives better performance, im using the stock Zen G320 at present, but im soon to be upgrading to a full mod so will be testing both pipes again to see which i prefer.
Gearing, this will be down to personal pref and what engine/pipe combo you will run, the issues at present with my dibby, is its heavy, which i expected due to all the alloy ...hence why i want more powerful engine, the stock Zen even with tuned pipe struggle low end/off the mark, ive tried different gearing & even modded carb, but still same issue.
So...long story short, Where possible on the problem parts from FID i listed above, buy vitavon. Eventually i will probably upgrade the rest of mine to vitavon parts, but at present, my dibby is great (except for perfomance wise which as explained above, that an engine power/wight issue, not the parts!).
Ive rolled mine a good few times and its not broke or bent any parts, the FID arms i have to admit are solid & good quality, as are the chassis braces etc, but unfortunately due to the other parts that do have issues, there customer service is the WORSE i have ever come across, they will tell you what you want to hear, to get the sale...then good luck after that, absolute shambles.
I will find the pics of the mods ive done so you can see what is needed to be done. As i say, they are pretty simple mods, but ones that we should not have to do for parts that FID state will fit the 2.0 when they clearly do not!! Lucky for you though is that you have this info to go by, for myself it was trial/error & trying to speak direct with FID was a nightmare at best! ..needless to say i will never buy anything FID related again.
Will post pics up over enxt few days!!
As some of you may be aware, ive upgraded my dibby to pretty much 100% alloy, along the way I had issues (LOTS!!) ..so heres a thorough list & details of what works, and what doesn't from my own personal experience..
P.S : @Rep72 some chap made a post a read not long ago regarding a 2.0 he recently bought asking for advice on hop ups and you linked me in it for the info, but i cant find the post!? maybe you could & point him to this post
Anyway here goes.. I will also update this post with photos of past fitting issues as explained below & other parts i may fit in future etc!
ok first off, i will say if funds allow, go down the Vitavon route, they are pricey but worth every penny! ..in saying this, i only have a few parts vitavon and the rest is FID..
Ive tried quite a few different hop ups, and some work, some didn't, some were a nightmare to say the least!! ..i want go into the detail but basically if its alloy hopups your after:
Alloy Wishbones: FID ..fit with no issues.
https://www.rcmodelz.co.uk/upgrades...nsion-arm-for-the-losi-db-xl-silver-pair.html
Chassis Droop Bump Stops/Plates: Fast Eddy, no issues
These are pretty essential and are a must for both gas & electric in my opinion. The droop stops which are basically just a grub screw, will end up chewing up the chassis where it makes contact (as seen in this thread i made! https://www.largescaleforums.com/threads/droop-stop-damage.28958/# ) and in turn eventually your arms will have too much droop and may damage your shocks due to over extension, these are a little pricey though for what they are and can prob be made easily with a little DIY, but i decided to go the easy route & just bought these, you will need to use a tap & die set to fit them, i also used some stud lock as i have no plans to be removing them!
https://www.ddmracing.com/Team-FastEddy-Losi-5ive-T-Screw-Bump-Stops-1316-TFE
Rims/Tires:
Proline Badlands Beadlock MX43's. you will need to drill out the hole of the rims for these to fit on the axle, as they are 17mm stock whereas the DBXL has 19mm axles. Simple enough to do using a 19mm step drill piece for perfect centered 19mm hole.
Fuel Tank: Stock (Modded!)
I think pretty much everyone who has bought a new DBXL 2.0 Gas has had issues with the fuel tank leaking. This is due to the proccess when the tanks were made at the factory!.. the plug hole used for the mould hasnt been sealed correctly, and actually has a hole! ..or if your one of the lucky ones where you think on inspection it doesn't have a hole, it probably soon will as its just been sealed up with some kind of glue/epoxy that will disolve due to the fuel!! ..a simple fix i did was to carefully sand down the area, then use a 2-part epoxy that is resistant to fuel!! so far no fuel has leaked form this spot since. But the other issue is fuel p!ssing out of the breather hole on the cap its self. Ive tried a few different emthods to help with this issue, and the best ive found so far, is to use a 1way breather pipe & seal the breather hole in the cap. I did this mod by using a small length of fuel tube, made a 3rd hole in the grommet & then fit a 1 way breather cap to the end of it, Works MUCH better than stock, some fuel does still leak when my driving skills lead to my dibby being upside down!! but no where near as much as it did.
Axle Extenders: Angel & Demon, essential if using rims/tires wider/larger than stock, as when suspension fully compressed the tire will rub against rear wing!
Shocks: IRC Big Bores, the stock shocks to put it simply are very poor, even with heavier springs & better oil etc. The irc bigbores are 100% better than stock, fit with no issues. 50wt all round. I also believe that the Genuine Losi 5 shocks also work great, but the price of these new are around same (if not more expensive!?) than the IRC bigbores.
https://www.taylorrc.co.uk/product-page/irc-dbxl-all-models-big-bore-shock-kit
Diff Housing/Cases front/rear & centre are all the same: Genuine LOSI alloy diff case, i also tried FID and the ATOP diff cases, AVOID, poor quality and they do NOT come with the shims required for the alloy case, the stock case does not uses shims that the alloy case NEEDS so you would need to purchase these separately! but the genuine losi case comes complete with them & fits perfectly no issues and doesn't cost that much more than the FID/ATOP crap ones! ..i didnt realise that losi did alloy cases or i prob would have got these from the start! ****I filled my diff cases with 100k diff fluid front/rear & 500k centre, works great****
https://www.taylorrc.co.uk/product-page/losi-dbxl-dbxl-e-and-mtxl-alloy-diff-housing-case
Diff Gear Box, Front/Rear are the same: FID: No Issues, apart from being VERY tight to fit the diff, which to be honest..is a good thing as you don't want any movement of the diff case inside!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FID-Allo...2?pageci=c60ab43c-0c23-4aab-81a6-339e4f745fd4
Front/Rear Bracket: FID.. You WILL most likely have issues fitting the front/rear ones, centre one fits no probs, but there are other issues with the centre one that i will explain next in the list! but foe the front/rear ones they are about 1-2mm too short where it mounts to the chassis! ..its a pretty simple fix (file away a little part of the chassis which you hardly notice) but its one that we should not have to do due to poor machining/measurements from FID.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32648914230.html?gatewayAdapt=Msite2Pc
Centre Diff Bracket / Brake assembly: FID.
As far as i know, its only FID that make an upgraded Centre Housing/brake assembly for the 2.0 GAS version. And it does have issues when fitting, but again, nothing major as its a simple fix but one that took me a good while to figure out after many emails to FID who were absolute cr@p customer service. But the issues with this part, is it all fits perfect onto chassis, but the actual brake collar is the issue, again you will need to file a small part of the assembly for it to work correctly, or your brake will not release properly leading to premature wear of the disc, as i found out after just 1 run! However once you do the mod, it works perfectly, so far no issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FID-raci...9?pageci=7c90659f-d6f4-4a77-b8be-3fea0b13f7b6
Chassis Brace, Rear: FID. Fit no issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263943544726
Chassis Brace, Front FID. Fit no issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265905965897?var=565737052547
Front Top Brace/Plate: FID: no issues:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265905956262?var=565737235562
Centre drive shaft support: Vitavon: Fits no issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28531734...6&customid=0sT5iXwYAAAA3QBn7j-c6dSUo_Q3AAAAAA
Hubs/Carriers Front: Vitavon: Fits no issues. Before the vitavon i bought the FID ones, these were prob the worse parts from FID for the DBXL 2.0 in terms of fitment, i wont go into detail but AVOID at all costs...trust me, you will end up banging your head against a brick wall! long story short, FID list them as being 2.0 gas compatible, they are NOT, they are for the 1.0 version & because of this you will have no end of issues trying to fit them to the 2.0.
https://www.vitavon-racing.com/product/vitavon-losi-dbxl-e2-0-cnc-aluminum7075-front-knucklec-hub/
Hubs, Rear, As Above.. Vitavon:
https://www.vitavon-racing.com/product/vitavon-losi-dbxl-e2-0-cnc-aluminum7075-rear-hub/
Servo Saver: This was a tricky one, 1st i had the FID one, nightmare, different design to stock so you will have issues connecting the push/pull setup & will end uup putting strain on the servo. Also the 2 parts of the servo saver end up binding against each other causing premature wear & making the steering very stiff & basically....crap!
I then tried the vitavon one, although it solved the issues of the binding, the design again is different to the 2.0 stock setup (arms are off center) so you will have issues setting it up for the push/pull. In the end i reverted back to the stock plastic servo saver but used the alloy part that comes in the alloy kit of the FID one for the none servo side of the steering column. So far zero issues & has been perfect... however be sure to tighten the servo saver RIGHT up, and i mean... RIGHT UP as far as you can get it, otherwise your steering is slack & very poor! don't worry the servo saver will still work as ive tested it, but if not tightened right up, your steering will be VERY poor.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265330623508?var=565178335366 like i say, i only ended up using the part thats on the right of this image! the actual servo saver part thats on the left, is 100% useless & VERY poor quality!
Alloy Steering Servo Tray: FID: if you use any of the popular regular servos such as the AGFRC/SAVOX/HITEC etc, you will need to modify the tray to make clearance for the servo wires where they exit the servo...again this is poor design from FID as I'm guessing they only tested it with a cheap Chinese servo and not the more popular servos! You will also need to unscrew the bottom half of the servo fit it into the tray (no joke!). But once fit the tray is solid, no flex which is essential and wht the stock tray suffers from. As far as i know there is no other option other than FID for an alloy steering servo tray for the 2.0 Gas, so its either do the mod, or stick with the stock one.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265905919149
Servo: AGFRC 78k for steering & Savox 0241MG for brake/Throttle ...The AGFR servo is one of the best servos ive ever used in my largescales, and ive used many over the past 20 years!! VERY quiet/FAST & powerful! The Savox one is also plenty for the throttle/brake duty.
https://www.taylorrc.co.uk/product-page/brushless-78kg-0-08s-8-4v-servo-for-1-5th-cars
Pull Rods/Turnbuckles, Front/Rear: FID, no issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264199816225?var=565120959218
Toe Links: Vitavon, No issues:
https://www.vitavon-racing.com/product/vitavon-cnc-aluminum-7075-toe-links-for-losi-dbxl-e2-0/
Pipe: I have both the Bartelone Mid Bleed & the Olimat Unsilenced that are advertised as being specifically made for the 2.0. Both fit no issues & very sturdy. But if you plan to fit an easy start pull start, this is a no go as the pipe sits very close to the stock pull start casing, the easy start casing i believe is a good 9-10mm thicker than standard case so you will have issues with clearance from the pipe! Some people have used pipes designed for the DBXL 1.0 with success, but they have to make custom mounts etc. But these pipes for the 2.0, fit with no modding needed.
I also tried the Genuine LOSI DBXL 2.0 pipe (or so they say!) ..I had to return it, as the mounting bracket was way off!.
Rear Wing Mount (Adjustable) Vitavon: No Issues:
https://www.vitavon-racing.com/prod...ed-cnc-alu7075-for-dbxl-e-2-0-dbxl-gas-buggy/
At the mo i find the Bartelone gives better performance, im using the stock Zen G320 at present, but im soon to be upgrading to a full mod so will be testing both pipes again to see which i prefer.
Gearing, this will be down to personal pref and what engine/pipe combo you will run, the issues at present with my dibby, is its heavy, which i expected due to all the alloy
...hence why i want more powerful engine, the stock Zen even with tuned pipe struggle low end/off the mark, ive tried different gearing & even modded carb, but still same issue.So...long story short, Where possible on the problem parts from FID i listed above, buy vitavon. Eventually i will probably upgrade the rest of mine to vitavon parts, but at present, my dibby is great (except for perfomance wise which as explained above, that an engine power/wight issue, not the parts!).
Ive rolled mine a good few times and its not broke or bent any parts, the FID arms i have to admit are solid & good quality, as are the chassis braces etc, but unfortunately due to the other parts that do have issues, there customer service is the WORSE i have ever come across, they will tell you what you want to hear, to get the sale...then good luck after that, absolute shambles.
I will find the pics of the mods ive done so you can see what is needed to be done. As i say, they are pretty simple mods, but ones that we should not have to do for parts that FID state will fit the 2.0 when they clearly do not!! Lucky for you though is that you have this info to go by, for myself it was trial/error & trying to speak direct with FID was a nightmare at best!
..needless to say i will never buy anything FID related again.Will post pics up over enxt few days!!
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