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Carbon Fiber: Is is strong enough?
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cmcclive
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Carbon Fiber: Is is strong enough? - 02.28.2008, 10:27 AM

Ok, so my buggy is to heavy as I have already posted, I figured I could cut a bunch of weight by modifying the battery boxes but after the modifications I bearly get 1 to 1.5 oz of weight savings, so, what about carbon fiber shock mounts? are they strong enough for a 1/8 buggy? are they actually worth the weight savings? (carbon fiber is about 2/3rds as dense, so if the mounts are pretty heaving there is a decent amount of weight savings, but if they only weight 4oz maybe it isn't worth it.)
Thanks in advance for any info.
   
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SpEEdyBL
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02.28.2008, 07:03 PM

I already broke a steel shock mount on my 8ight if that helps. You wont save much weight by switching to carbon fiber, maybe 1/2 an ounce even if it is assumed that the carbon fiber mounts have zero mass. Are you sure do don't mean shock towers? Shock towers are the most vulnerable part of a buggy. I wouldn't change them if I were you.


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Last edited by SpEEdyBL; 02.28.2008 at 07:06 PM.
   
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cmcclive
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02.28.2008, 07:25 PM

Yes, I did mean shock towers, not mounts, my bad.
Doesn't the RC8 come stock with carbon fiber shock towers?
   
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MetalMan
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02.28.2008, 07:29 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by cmcclive View Post
Yes, I did mean shock towers, not mounts, my bad.
Doesn't the RC8 come stock with carbon fiber shock towers?
The factory team RC8 comes with 4mm carbon fiber shock towers, the RTR RC8 comes with (I think) 3mm thick aluminum towers. These shock towers are lower profile than what most other buggies use because of the longer front shocks, which allows them to be laid down more.


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tom255
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02.29.2008, 03:11 AM

Real Carbon Fiber (silky surface- not shiny) can be up to 40% lighter than aluminium for same thickness so take avarega about 30%
You dont save much on shock towers not worth.
Simplify things think about solutions there not used lot of aluminium.
   
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Thirdgen89GTA
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03.09.2008, 11:57 PM

Most of the 1/8th scale buggies mass lies with its differentials, drivetrain and chassis. Those are the highest weight items. At the same time, its what also gives a 1/8th scale buggy its incredible handling, the differentials while open really help to put the power down to the ground and make the buggy change directions.

One of my friends built a stripper drag buggy with a locked spool in the center, and no front differential. RTR he got it down to 5lbs, however from a handling standpoint the buggy was useless unless you were going in a straight line.

Its possible a carbon fiber chassis would could help reduce the weight, but at the same time the aluminum chassis acts as a heat sink for the nitros, drawing heat through the mounts, and away from the engine. If an Electric motor was mounted in a similar fashion to the nitro counterpart the chassis would provide the same advantages.

If you are lucky you may see a slightly sub 7lb buggy, but that is very difficult to do without sacrificing durability.


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