Stock differentials?

[Nick]

I'm rather confused at this.

The stock e-maxx claims it has "Hardend Steel Differentials" yet everyone says that 6601 alloy' would be better.

I thought 6601 was very soft metal, not brittle but soft and that Steel was very strong but probably abit more brittle.

So why is the Alloy differentials better? Isn't steel stronger than alloy'?

just guessing, but i'm pretty sure those people are talking about diff cups...stock is plastic and it flexs throwing off your mesh allignment.

[Nick]

So the actuall differentials inside the casing are steel and don't need replacing for a hotter set-up?

[RC-Monster Mike]

The spider gears are in fact hardened steel in the e-maxx. With an aluminum diff cups and proper shimming, the diffs are very durable.

[maxxdude1234]

Originally posted by Nick
I'm rather confused at this.

The stock e-maxx claims it has "Hardend Steel Differentials" yet everyone says that 6601 alloy' would be better.

I thought 6601 was very soft metal, not brittle but soft and that Steel was very strong but probably abit more brittle.

So why is the Alloy differentials better? Isn't steel stronger than alloy'?

Just do clarify things up alloy doesn't mean aluminium. An alloy is a combination of 2 or more metals (eg, 6061 aluminium/6AL4V titanium and more exotic ones such as nitinol/invar which are made of nickel + titanium/nickel + Iron, respectively).

The stock diffs are hardened steel (aka. high carbon steel - 98.5% iron/1.5% carbon), 6061/7075 aluminium is much much lighter but not has hard/strong/durable, etc... The problem with the stock diffs is the fact that they have very hard gears, but tiny screws and nylon cups. This really is a bad mistake on traxxas's part - and when you have a huge unbalance between strength of materials, you are only asking for trouble.

[Nick]

Originally posted by maxxdude1234
Just do clarify things up alloy doesn't mean aluminium. An alloy is a combination of 2 or more metals (eg, 6061 aluminium/6AL4V titanium and more exotic ones such as nitinol/invar which are made of nickel + titanium/nickel + Iron, respectively).

The stock diffs are hardened steel (aka. high carbon steel - 98.5% iron/1.5% carbon), 6061/7075 aluminium is much much lighter but not has hard/strong/durable, etc... The problem with the stock diffs is the fact that they have very hard gears, but tiny screws and nylon cups. This really is a bad mistake on traxxas's part - and when you have a huge unbalance between strength of materials, you are only asking for trouble.

Thanks for that, thought alloy was just short for aluminiom - well its alot easier to spell anyway! :eek:

Intresting that Traxxas did make steel diffs' - as most companies would jsut throw in plastic, or basic ones. Although making plastic cups is a bad idea, although I now have aluminium bulkheads, would this reduce flex and the nylon cases breaking?

[maxxdude1234]

I doubt it would. A bulkless system like the unlimited engineering VBS, or the Fastlane one might help - but both these set-ups use 1/8th scale diff gears, so you wouldn't be using a nylon diff case! Your best bet is just to get the Fastlane/ MAximizer diff aluminium diff cups.

[Serum]

FLM makes both conversions. For 1/8th diffs and for stock diffs.

I would take the maximizers over the FLM's because the flm's have got a smaller contact area with the pin/diffcup.

here they are.

[auto2]

if you do go with 1/8 scale diffs what is the gear ratio difference?

[Serum]

it's your original ratio times 0.86 (37/13 vs 43/13)

[auto2]

Ok so up a tooth or 2 on the motor gear will about make things equal?

[Serum]

depends on the number of tooth on the pinion.

if you have got a 2 tooth pinion, 2 tooth extra is 100% and on a 200 tooth only 1 percent.

[RC-Monster Mike]

With the stock spur, adding about 2 teeth to the pinion brings the ratio pretty close to what it would be with the stock diffs.