Typhon KmoneyRC - Typhon 3s Build Thread

[Kmoneyrc]

So today I found the answer to a popular problem Tekno part # TKR5052A. Offset pivot balls for the lower shock eyes on the Trackstar shocks. Offsets the shock just enough to clear everything without having to add any sort of spacer.

 

[RogueRC]

So finally got my new shocks in the mail! Took long enough. Went with Turnigy Trackstar 1/8 shocks as many others. Running 40wt fluid with the stock pistons and seems spot on so far. I removed the metal piece that came factory that covers 4 holes on the pistons.View attachment 49005View attachment 49006
Put RPM arms on the rear when installing the new shocks and had to re-drill and move my mud guards over to the new arms.View attachment 49008

First run with the new shocks and this happed
View attachment 49010
Upon inspection I found that the motor bearings had developed play in them and that's what caused the stripped gear. So my LHS had some bearings and a steel spur. Part numbers.
View attachment 49011
So then it was the matter of taking the motor apart to replace the bearings and I found some crud in the motor.
View attachment 49012
View attachment 49013
I also got a new pinion and decided to try a RRP 16T this time around.
View attachment 49014
First few runs seems promising. I could probably gear back up to a 17t but I like the torque the 16t gives and so far have decided to stick with that.

Hi, are those Turnigy shocks the same length front and rear? I only see one model (106 mm). Thanks

 

[Kmoneyrc]

Hi, are those Turnigy shocks the same length front and rear? I only see one model (106 mm). Thanks

106 mm in the front and 126 mm is in the rear both are longer than stock but work just fine from my experience

 

[Kmoneyrc]

Been a bit since I've updated this build. Been spending some more time with my Talion and the 3s hasn't gotten as much attention. So here's the update.

Back on factory arms the RPM ones(atleast for this vehicle) suck. To soft and don't hold their shape. After switching back to stock arms there was a HUGE difference in handling. Had to completely re tune the spring and shock set up. I have arrived at 40wt fluid and some soft Associated springs. Seems really close to what I'm looking for trying to improve the on track handling of the buggy.

Front ASC81222 4.9lb/in
Rear ASC81229 4.1lb/in

The cold weather here in the Northeast USA claimed its first victim and shattered the wing in a crash so it had to be replaced. Went with a Tekno high down force wing in white. Mounting holes line up BUT you do need a bigger washer or a "wing button" on the screw to keep the wing on. Most 1/8 buggy wings have this set up.

Also have changed the servo in this buggy. Stole the 25kg ds servo for my Talion and have placed a spare servo I had in it. DS3218MG. A bit weaker and a bit slower but it seems to be working just fine.

In an attempt to get some of the play out of the steering I've put HR steering blocks and chubs.

ATF2101 steering blocks
ATF1901 c hubs

I have also moved the ESC back on top of the receiver box and taken out the front battery tray spacer in an attempt to move as much weight forward as I can. Seems to be the trend on more race style buggies so I'm hoping maybe this will help the overall handling of this buggy. I'm considering cutting the front wall of the battery tray out and sliding the battery all the way up behind the steering rack. This may allow enough room to put either the ESC or the receiver box behind the batter next to the motor. Similar to the layout of the Losi 8ight 4.0. so this is the progress I will try to keep this more updated.

 

[unclebrudy]

So after mounting up the dual fans the ESC fan lost 5 of 9 fins on the first run while the motor fan survived just fine. I took the guard off the ESC thinking that might have been what caused it and on the next run I crashed into a metal bench leg at about 25-30mph.View attachment 47632View attachment 47633View attachment 47634View attachment 47635View attachment 47636
Rebuilt the front shock(new shaft and body), upgraded the front arms to RPM #80762 and upgraded to a Hudy brushless fan(X-ray part# 293111)View attachment 47639
About the same time I added some mud guards to the back arms made out of 1/8 lexan(way thicker than necessary but it was almost the right size when I found it so ?‍)
View attachment 47640View attachment 47637View attachment 47638
These made a big difference in keeping so much stuff from sticking to my rear driveshafts and rear shocks. The dirt my track is built in is fairly soft and loamy so dirt sticking to things is an issue.

After all this my buggy is AWESOME! The next thing is going to be upgrading the motor mount to see how high of a pinion I can run with all these fans keeping things cool. I will keep posting updates as the project evolves.

Hi. Great build!

Can you clarify and elaborate what you did to regain your steering throw with the HR bellcrank? I’m having major issues right now where the bellcrank rubs against the chassis.

Did you file down the actual bellcrank, the chassis, or both?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Surchaufeur]

Been a bit since I've updated this build. Been spending some more time with my Talion and the 3s hasn't gotten as much attention. So here's the update.

Back on factory arms the RPM ones(atleast for this vehicle) suck. To soft and don't hold their shape. After switching back to stock arms there was a HUGE difference in handling. Had to completely re tune the spring and shock set up. I have arrived at 40wt fluid and some soft Associated springs. Seems really close to what I'm looking for trying to improve the on track handling of the buggy.

Front ASC81222 4.9lb/in
Rear ASC81229 4.1lb/in

The cold weather here in the Northeast USA claimed its first victim and shattered the wing in a crash so it had to be replaced. Went with a Tekno high down force wing in white. Mounting holes line up BUT you do need a bigger washer or a "wing button" on the screw to keep the wing on. Most 1/8 buggy wings have this set up.
View attachment 54474
Also have changed the servo in this buggy. Stole the 25kg ds servo for my Talion and have placed a spare servo I had in it. DS3218MG. A bit weaker and a bit slower but it seems to be working just fine.
View attachment 54475
In an attempt to get some of the play out of the steering I've put HR steering blocks and chubs.

ATF2101 steering blocks
ATF1901 c hubs
View attachment 54476
I have also moved the ESC back on top of the receiver box and taken out the front battery tray spacer in an attempt to move as much weight forward as I can. Seems to be the trend on more race style buggies so I'm hoping maybe this will help the overall handling of this buggy. I'm considering cutting the front wall of the battery tray out and sliding the battery all the way up behind the steering rack. This may allow enough room to put either the ESC or the receiver box behind the batter next to the motor. Similar to the layout of the Losi 8ight 4.0. so this is the progress I will try to keep this more updated.

Does those track stars shocks are big bore shocks or they have the same ampunt of oil as the stock shocks? Might get these for my 4s kraton
the only issue i have with my kraton is the motor plate keeps bending in little nose impacts? Its winter now so it wont be a problem because of the show and wont go as often outside

 

[Kmoneyrc]

Does those track stars shocks are big bore shocks or they have the same ampunt of oil as the stock shocks? Might get these for my 4s kraton
the only issue i have with my kraton is the motor plate keeps bending in little nose impacts? Its winter now so it wont be a problem because of the show and wont go as often outside

4s kraton I do believe comes with the size bore size shocks as the track star shocks. Trackstar ones have a few options of length so just check the length I'm not sure what the length is stock on Kraton but I know these are slightly longer than stock for the typhon. As far as the motor plate I would try and find a way to support the back end of the motor if u can. The 4s motor is pretty big for the style of mount they used and it may just take a bit of extra support on the other end to keep that from happening so much ?

Hi. Great build!

Can you clarify and elaborate what you did to regain your steering throw with the HR bellcrank? I’m having major issues right now where the bellcrank rubs against the chassis.

Did you file down the actual bellcrank, the chassis, or both?

Thanks in advance.

Thank you! And yes on the underside of the steering rack I had to file away some material on the center drag link. If you look at the under side of the rack you will see two small ridges on either side of the center piece, right next to the mounting holes for the pivot arms. I removed those ridges completely so that the pivot arms wouldn't run into them limiting the steering. I used a file and just filed them flat. I did trim the chassis a small bit on the servo side to get more clearance for the rack. I just used a simple xacto to trim the plastic a bit. Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more info ?

 

[Kmoneyrc]

Finally! I found a direct STEEL replacement for the turnbuckle pivot balls. Associated part# 81398. Comes in a pack of (4) buggy has (12) so you will need 3 packs to do them all. I'm considering using my discount to try and put kits together if anyone is interested. Either way here's the part #. I tried like crazy to get the play out of the front end of this buggy only to watch the plastic balls and the HR aluminum balls wear down and become so loose they fell out of the rod ends. No more! I am so excited to have found a solution to this problem that has plagued me for so long now ? getting better and better. For a 3s plastic chassis buggy this thing is turning into quite the track buggy. I want to get it on a real track against real 4s buggies and see how well I can keep up.

 

[unclebrudy]

4s kraton I do believe comes with the size bore size shocks as the track star shocks. Trackstar ones have a few options of length so just check the length I'm not sure what the length is stock on Kraton but I know these are slightly longer than stock for the typhon. As far as the motor plate I would try and find a way to support the back end of the motor if u can. The 4s motor is pretty big for the style of mount they used and it may just take a bit of extra support on the other end to keep that from happening so much ?

Thank you! And yes on the underside of the steering rack I had to file away some material on the center drag link. If you look at the under side of the rack you will see two small ridges on either side of the center piece, right next to the mounting holes for the pivot arms. I removed those ridges completely so that the pivot arms wouldn't run into them limiting the steering. I used a file and just filed them flat. I did trim the chassis a small bit on the servo side to get more clearance for the rack. I just used a simple xacto to trim the plastic a bit. Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more info ?

Man...you have no idea how much you’ve helped. I am honestly on the brink of chucking this HR bellcrank off the freeway, it’s just maddening how poor it fits.

I also shaved my chassis lip on the servo side a bit, because the bellcrank was marring it up as it rubbed every left turn. I just removed the assembly and you’re absolutely right - why the hell are those ridges so long across? They could have easily shortened them while still maintaining rigidity.

It all makes sense now. I thought I was losing my mind. Thank you.

 

[Kmoneyrc]

Man...you have no idea how much you’ve helped. I am honestly on the brink of chucking this HR bellcrank off the freeway, it’s just maddening how poor it fits.

I also shaved my chassis lip on the servo side a bit, because the bellcrank was marring it up as it rubbed every left turn. I just removed the assembly and you’re absolutely right - why the hell are those ridges so long across? They could have easily shortened them while still maintaining rigidity.

It all makes sense now. I thought I was losing my mind. Thank you.

Trust me it took me more than a second to figure out what was binding I thought I was looking my mind too. I also shortened the steel bushings that fit through the drag link. If u have a micrometer or caliper to measure them I found about .002-.005 thicker than the drag link works well. Just rub the bushings flat on a sharpening to slowly work them down ? just found this issue the other day in my attempts to get rid of the play in the steering.

 

[Kmoneyrc]

Latest update on the buggy. Had some more issues with rear wheel bearings and ended up adding the hot racing rear carriers to the buggy.

After one run I started hearing and feeling that tell tale signs of a motor bearing going. I've gone through a few on this 3800kv motor and I'm not impressed with it. I had just gotten a losi 8ight RTR in trade and decided to take the system from that. Dynamite 130A ESC and a 1800kv motor. My plan would be to run this on 4s.

Motor fit just fine but the ESC was running into part of the chassis. A few minutes later that part was cut off the chassis and out of the way. I used the two holes already in the chassis to mount a simple plate made from .125" delrin plastic to create a flat surface to stick down the ESC.

And the transplant was complete and time to run on 4s for the first time. I kept the 16T pinion I had been running with the 3800kv motor. I figured the drop from 3800kv to 1800kv, and the jump from 3 cell to 4 cell, that it would be somewhat close to the final size.

After one run WOW. No offense to Arrma but the Dynamite system is far smoother that the BLX system. Some of it could be the different battery size and more voltage but either way this buggy just got a significant upgrade in power and feel. The 16T pinion does feel about perfect for the motor and battery. Being winter and having snow all over the truck means I won't have any accurate readings on temperature until spring but from past experience I think it is close. Even in snow the motor never feels warm it only generates enough heat to melt the snow off of itself.

Being in the Northeast, USA this time of year we have snow. So I mainly got to try my new power system blasting across snow with paddle tires on. I could hear a bearing squealing a bit so after 2 batteries through it I decided to dig in. The bearing on the slipper clutch are another issue I have had. Personally I don't understand why Arrma decided to use such thin bearings on such a high-speed location. Thinner bearings mean a smaller internal balls which mean the smaller balls have to roll faster to keep up. Scanning through my local hobby shop site I noticed we had 10x16x5 bearings in stock. Compared to the 10x15x4 bearings that are stock on the clutch these would have larger internal balls and should handle the speed and strain of the clutch more effectively. In order to make it work I would have to bore the motor mount and the cover to 16mm and make sure that the added thickness had clearance.

I measured about 1.3mm of back and forth play on the factory clutch so I would bore each side .5mm deeper and 1.0mm larger to accommodate the new bearings. Please let me say that this is HORRIBLE method for boring these holes. How I'm holding them in the vise is NOT a good way to do it. This was simply a quick set up because I had limited time to get it done.

New bearings fit right in and the whole assembly goes right back in the car completely to be completely unnoticed. But just putting the two halves of the housing together the clutch feels so much more secure and buttery smooth. I haven't had a chance to run it like this but I can't imagine that this is not a big improvement over the stock set up.

Stay tuned to see what happens next ?

 

[Kmoneyrc]

Another day another upgrade. Landed sideways on frozen ground the other day and broke my left rear stub axle clean off. Simple enough fix. Get the lower half of the driveshaft out and a 2.0mm Allen driver fits down through the shaft to loosen the flat head screw hidden down inside the U joint. I'll say I'm surprised that these plastic axles are still in one piece. I have NEVER run on anything but 3s and mostly on a track landing hard on brakes and accelerating hard to clear jumps. Well done Arrma ?.

Finally my local shop got another pack of the associated pivot balls in stock so I could finish replacing all of the pivot balls on the buggy with steel ones. Rear diff is leaking pretty bad so that is on the list of things to take care of. Now for the fun part ?

The last post I had I showed how I bored out and upgraded the bearing in the slipper housing. I do realize that this isn't something everyone could do or even realistically have done. So I have spent the last few days measuring and prototyping a new motor mount that would be a bolt in option.

So the idea behind this is to open up as much as possible and let the clutch breath while providing a much larger and stronger bearing. This is a prototype just to prove if the theory works on not. It is very far from a finished product. Being open should help with cooling for the clutch and since it is a big piece of aluminum it should act as a heatsink for the motor as well. The top straps would eventually be carbon fiber and the screws for the top of the bulkhead would only have to be a slight bit shorter to accommodate the short screws for the straps.

Either way it is something new I am trying to test and I was excited to see it slide into the buggy and mount up. Let me know what you think ?

 

[PESACCY]

Hey man, nice build!
How do you like the HR steering hubs (ATF2101 ATF2201) so far?

I already have the bellcrank but there's still a lot of play on the wheels... between the servo and the wheel there's a loooot of room for improvement, but not really sure how to fix that.

Also, @unclebrudy suggested me this thread in regards to the filing of the bellcrank, but I still need to take it off.

thanks!

 

[Kmoneyrc]

Hey man, nice build!
How do you like the HR steering hubs (ATF2101 ATF2201) so far?

I already have the bellcrank but there's still a lot of play on the wheels... between the servo and the wheel there's a loooot of room for improvement, but not really sure how to fix that.

Also, @unclebrudy suggested me this thread in regards to the filing of the bellcrank, but I still need to take it off.

thanks!

Hey sorry for the delayed reply on this. I do like them so far but I still have TONS of wheel play. I'm thinking a lot of it is coming from the hexes themselves. If u consider that the hex is only held onto the axle by that one pin, and there is no way to tighten the hex against said pin. I actually have a set of 17mm hex adapters that mount on the other stub axle and I want to see if that eleminates the play because even as a "basher" style vehicle the amount of play I have is unacceptable. I will keep the thread posted on how the adapters work out ??

 

[PESACCY]

Hey no worries, thank you! please keep us posted, In the meantime I'm saving about 80€ of Hot Racing parts then...

Ciao!

 

[Kmoneyrc]

Update time

So big changes this time I had to replace the whole chassis. Snapped off the front portion. It cracked on a hard hit with a tree(misjudged the angle of the jump) and I figured as long as it was just cracked I would keep going. Last a few more drives and crack made it through.

While I was digging this deep into the truck I wanted to delve more into why I couldn't eliminate the wheel play on all four corners. Well what do all four corners have in common? The hexes. A LOT of play comes from the hexes themselves. I found 3 major design flaws that cause the problems
WARNING this is a bit of a rant. You can skip it if you would just like to know how I found to get rid of some of the wheel play.
1) cheap materials. The white metal stub axle paired with the assumed to be low grade aluminum hex means that both contact surfaces wear. The hole inside the hex gets larger as the stub axle actually gets smaller. Now these are cheap trucks and I understand that price must come from somewhere but it would be nice if somewhere along the way there was an upgrade available. I have seen upgraded axles for the 14mm hex trucks but I haven't personally seen anything for these buggies using the 17mm hex stub axle.
2) the diameter of the stub axle is to small. I understand that this also plays to keeping cost down. The fact that Arrma used this platform to make so many different vehicles might have hurt the design when it came to the typhon 3s. All other 1/8 buggies that I am aware of use 8mm stub axles(including the entire Arrma 6s line) it sounds like a small difference but when you consider the 6s buggy comes with 8mm hardened stub axles it would have been nice to get one of those features included on the 3s.
3) lastly the stub axles are just to short. This one seems almost unexcusable. Again all other 1/8 scales I know the stub axle ends flush with the end of the factory hex. That way it is as supported as it could possibly be.
Some pictures detailing all of this.

THE FIX
So not a perfect fix but basically I changed to short course wheels and tires with a 12mm hex and he other style of stub axle. You don't have to run SC wheels but i had noticably less wheel play with 17mm adapters bolted onto the "other style" stub axle. Part of this is because the M4 nut will tighten the hex or the adapters against the drive pin and help to keep everything tight and avoid wear on the stub axle. You could replace the hexes and the stub axles to try and eliminate play also. I don't know that either option is better than the other.
New chassis and wheels.

I also added some HR suspension limiting straps(110mm rear/100mm front). After driving my son's typhon mega I could see just how much the droop of the longer shocks was affecting handling. On a car without sway bars there is nothing to help the inside wheels from extending when cornering. Adding the limit straps should keep the car more stable over all by keeping the suspension from extending past it's stock travel. Also a good note I had to turn the Tekno pivot balls, on the bottom of the shocks, around so that the limit straps had more clearance when bolted on.

Lastly I changed up the power system a bit. Took out the 1800kv motor I had been running and dropped in a hobbywing 3660 3200kv motor. Going to go back down to running 3s and just having a bit lower key fun with this truck. I don't think this chassis and drivetrain is the greatest at handling 4s power and truly it flies on 3s as it is. Considering different options with the SC tires and maybe changing the body but for now just going to spin some laps and see if the changes I have made improve how the truck drives ?

 

[Blacktavious]

This is an awesome thread. ??

 

[PESACCY]

just noticed those wheels, are they good?
are they pn DTXC3671 ?

PS any difference between them and the DTXC3670?


thanks!

 

[Kmoneyrc]

just noticed those wheels, are they good?
are they pn DTXC3671 ?

PS any difference between them and the DTXC3670?


thanks!

They are actually pretty good. They haven't seen a ton of dirt here because I have snow but the little bit I got to use them in dirt they actually worked better than I thought. The 3670 is a higher offset wheel so they stick out further. I actually have (3) 3670s and (1) 3671 haha came from the discount bin at my local shop.

 

[PESACCY]

but is there any other difference? Because I find them listed as front and rear 2 different part numbers and also different color of the text on the wheel (white vs blue)