Thursday, January 31, 2013

TRF 417V5 417X Comparison

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V5 is on top, X is on the bottom. All pictures link to full resolution so you can see all the detail. Immediately you can see the different dampers used. V5 is using aeration damper. Supposed to give better traction on low grip surfaces and some people are saying they need to be rebuilt more often. I don’t know if this is true yet.

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The rear differential cups are different.

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The V5 on left has six screws in the rear portion of the top deck, the X on right has eight.

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Another big change is the floating servo on the V5 (left) and a regular one on the X (right).

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The V5 (left) has a two piece motor bulkhead, the X (right) has a three piece (with the lower mount).

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On the V5 the floating servo mount and the motor bulkheads have pegs that fit perfectly into the chassis.

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The V5 (left) comes with Double Cardan Joint shafts, the X (right) comes with standard universal shaft.

From Tamiya: This Double Cardan Joint Shaft features two joint sections to minimize rotational vibrations for better suspension feel. The shafts are made from high-strength steel and are especially ideal for use with direct couplings (Spools). The overall length is equivalent to that of a standard 44mm universal drive shaft.

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The V5 (left) comes with split suspension blocks in the front, the X (right) comes with a single piece suspension block (but has holes for split blocks if you want to put them on).

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The V5 (above) has a narrower chassis since it uses the floating servo mount. It also uses a different battery holder from the X (below).

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Above is a couple of shots from the V5 with the battery installed.

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I especially found the screw on the inside of the V5 (left) servo mount clever! I clearly should not be running a stick pack in my X, since the battery holders don’t even touch it Smile

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The V5 (left) has a lot less cut-outs in the lower deck than the X (right)

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V5 on the left, X on the right.

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Btw, they’re both awesome. At the moment the V5 feels better because it’s freshly built and placebo Smile I have a transponder now and given my current driving skill level, my TA05 M-Four had the best lap times on a very low grip day at West Coast RC Raceway.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

TRF Special Damper Works Edition

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TRF Works Damper Set

Item #84317

This upgraded version set replaces the damper cylinders, piston rods, O-rings, and medium springs of Item 42102 with higher-grade HL (High Lubrication) cylinders, TRF piston rods, X-rings (50 Durometer), and soft springs respectively. Aluminum spring retainers have been added as well.

One thing I would mention is that a friend of mine got the version for the M-Chassis. And the Cylinder nut is different, the m-chassis version did not have the 12mm O-ring insert ones. Not sure why that is…