The Matrix Concepts carbon fiber losi 8ight chassis

[Semi Pro]

ok im going to keep this review short and sweet


afew weeks ago i picked up a matrix carbon fiber chassis, carbon fiber steering drag link set and carbon fiber front and rear shock towers for my lite weight losi 8ight project. Over all the fitment is good, the rear outer hinge brace hole needed alittle sanding to fit and the counter sinking on the replaceable front skid plate could have been deeper

the carbon chassis is 1.5mm longer than the stock chassis


here is a pic of the front countersinking that needs to be better


the rear countersinking




so is it worth the money? we will see this race season, does it save weight?

here is the stock chassis weight


and the matrix chassis


so over all it decreases the chassis weight by 99 grams

the steering ackermen Weighs in at just 20 grams, compared to the 38 gram stock one and the fit and finish is perfect.

the matrix carbon front shock tower weighs in at 12grams stock is 24grams
the matrix carbon rear shock tower weighs in at 20grams stock is 38 grams

so over all the matrix concepts parts shaved 147 grams off of my brushless 8ight

when are you going to be racing it? im really intrested in how it performance.

Also Wondering how much the over all car is going weight when you put the esc, motor, batterys and servo.

Looks cool, You should pick up a piece of carbon fiber and make a piece to replace the motor mount section.

[Semi Pro]

Originally Posted by badassrevo

Looks cool, You should pick up a piece of carbon fiber and make a piece to replace the motor mount section.

im working on that right now as well as hinge braces and the steering brace

[magman]

Just about a 1/2 lb. weight savings...not bad and it definitely has a coolness factor of 10

[GO-RIDE.com]

If I remember right I read that they accidentally counter sunk for metric screws and that's why they don't sit flush. I saw this on rctech.

[Semi Pro]

Originally Posted by GO-RIDE.com

If I remember right I read that they accidentally counter sunk for metric screws and that's why they don't sit flush. I saw this on rctech.

all of the screws but the front skid plate sit flush, i have 4 front skid plates for it, it may be just this one, anyway its an easy fix to just counter sink them right and then CA the holes

[Semi Pro]

well im going to have to say matrix has very bad customer service, i have been leaving them messages and e-mails for 3 weeks trying to get ahold of them about the front countersinking.

we will have to see how this plays out, its not that big of a deal yet since the race season doesnt start for afew more months in Mn.

[Semi Pro]

well good new, i called and left another message, afew hours latter the owner of matrix call me back ( i wonder if he reads here?)

we did some investigating and figured out the two front holes were about 1mm off and that wasn't letting the screws sit down all the way on the chassis.

he was very cool on the phone and truely sounded sorry for not getting back to me sooner.We talked about the production and he said i was the first person who has had this problem and that he was sending a new chassis UPS 3day and he was going to test fit it just to make sure i didnt get another odd ball

i also got pics of the of their brushless conversion comeing out

[MindThoughts]

This is my favorite Losi Conversion. I sure hope one day Robert of Matrix Concepts Inc is able to proceed with this awesome Losi Or should I say Matrix 8e. I like how the Center diff has been moved to the center of the chassis, allowing for the center/front drive shaft to be lined up direct with the front diff. I also like the top trays, and how these help support the chassis. I know a few pro racers tried this buggy out and said it rocked. That's all I need to know. I want one. I have two Losi 8ights that just sit and collect dust ever sense I bought my Hyper 9e. But if I could Update my Losi 8, I would be interested in having a second awesome buggy. I know that Caster Racing and also the new Tamiya 1/8th scale both have the motor placement in the new location Robert has designed into this Matrix(Losi)8e setup. My Hyper 9e has the motor and center diff designed to be at the rear of the buggy, and it sure handles well. It's amazing to know that the motor and center diff can be placed at either end of a 1/8th scale buggy, and still handle well. so many design choices. I wish this Matrix 8e was one of them. That's ok, I still love my Hyper 9e. I wish someone would make some more option/hop up/ aftermarket parts for the drivetrain. I know about the SNR Graphite. But I'm looking for stronger drivetrain parts. I'll see if I can find a Hyper 9e Thread here on Monster RC. Maybe I'll meet some knowledgable Monsters there.

PS. I noticed on Monster RC's home page, Monster Mike has a page that talks about making/building custom projects for people that have always had a dream design or some ultimate design idea they may want to take into reality. And it seems that Monster Mike is the person that makes those dreams come true. That's Awesome. I hope Monster Mike and I can one day build the Ultimate 1/8th scale buggy. It would have a bulletproof Drivetrain. Be made of 100% Carbon Fiber. Maybe Robert of Matrix Concepts Inc can be a part of that project. Roberts Carbon Fiber work is outstanding. Replaceable Built into the chassis skid plates, and Replaceable Droop Screw Reciever Plates. I've never seen such detail. Excellent Work Robert. You really are a Master!

PS. I've also recently learned about MoosRacing Carbon Fiber Chassis as well. That's definitely another great Carbon Fiber Master Crafstmen working hard at making the Best Carbon Fiber Chassis Possible. John at MoosRacing uses Carbon Fiber, Kevlar, and Aluminum in Every Carbon Fiber Chassis he makes(And these CF chassis have a little more Flex than the stock chassis). Just google Search MoosRacing to learn more.

Great Work Monsters :-)

Originally Posted by Semi Pro

[Ryu James]

i just came across those moosracing chassis a couple of days ago for the first time too. i have heard good things about them but they arent very pretty, imo. maybe its just the pics on their site but the carbon looks really haggered and laid unevenly. i do like how he is making molded carbon parts though instead of just flat chassis'.

i wonder how long before that chassis breaks? im not to fond of the idea myself, a lightwieght 8th scale? its gonna be as brittle as a 4 wheel soon

[Semi Pro]

Originally Posted by big greg

i wonder how long before that chassis breaks? im not to fond of the idea myself, a lightwieght 8th scale? its gonna be as brittle as a 4 wheel soon

so you never raced a 1/10 scale off road before, carbon chassis really depend on the resins they are made with and most will actualy last longer than aluminum. there are tons of carbon 1/10 off road buggys.

why hate on the idea of a lightweight 1/8 scale?


good news, i got the new chassis and everything fits great on this one

[spcpicard]

I've been running their chassis since late December and haven't had any problems. To keep wear to a min. I use the De racing front bump skid and the rear one. On the rear one I add a thin line of CA glue in the front to keep it from curling and ripping off (bonds great with CF), which was a problem running it on my nitro. I also run the xtreme CF front shock tower instead of the MC one as it's a little thicker.

[whitrzac]

Originally Posted by Semi Pro

well good new, i called and left another message, afew hours latter the owner of matrix call me back ( i wonder if he reads here?)

we did some investigating and figured out the two front holes were about 1mm off and that wasn't letting the screws sit down all the way on the chassis.

he was very cool on the phone and truely sounded sorry for not getting back to me sooner.We talked about the production and he said i was the first person who has had this problem and that he was sending a new chassis UPS 3day and he was going to test fit it just to make sure i didnt get another odd ball

i also got pics of the of their brushless conversion comeing out

I NEED that