[Shark413]

Mike, I completely agree with everything you said regarding the chassis flex. It is part of the design of most 1/8 scale buggies/truggies and improves handling. My setup is a little different, using the thick (1/8 inch) carbon fiber battery tray stiffens the center section a little more than the nitro version. And the King Headz braces are stiffer than the stock Kyosho braces. Also I am using a rather thick spacer between the motor and mount to allow clearence for the thick Kyosho bonded brake pads/rotor. This adds to the leverage the motor has on the mount. I noticed a lot of lateral (side to side) flex in the motor mount between the motor and diff, which caused gear mesh changes. This concerned me more than up and down flex, which could have been fixed with a simple bumper under the motor. Your logic regarding flex is correct since nitro engines are mounted to the chassis separate from the center diff and chassis flex would cause movement between the engine and the center diff. I may try something else, my center diff is sitting on a 3mm spacer (for clearence for the 49T spur) and I may try adding a 3mm plate instead with the center diff/motor mount attached to it as well as a rear motor brace. This would tie all those parts together and still allow for some chassis flex. Thanks for the feedback, that's why this forum is the best.