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Introduction to Xmods

Xmods most Frequently Asked Questions

'Tips and Tricks' to tune your Xmod?

Xmods Manuals

Crest Spin Brush (SB) Motor Modification

Upgrades for your Xmod

'Builder's Corner' Reader's rides

'Review Section' Info on parts and vendors

'Motor Guide'

Xmod Evo Models

Evo v.s. Xmod

Upgrades for your Xmod Evo

Evo's most Frequently Asked Questions

'PimpMyMod' section


Review of Purchases from RC-Mart.com


RC-Mart.com
is a very large RC dealer located in Hong Kong these guys offer an unbelievable selection of parts for so many types of RC cars that the Xmod section accounts for probably 10% of all the parts these guys have listed in the website!

Order was Placed: Feb 15th 2006
Order was Shipped: Feb 21st 2006
Order was Received: March 8 2006

3 x (#KM-014/BL) 2mm Aluminum Lock Nut -4pcs (BK) - $3.50
1 x (#EXM37F08) Front Dog Bone For Evo Xmods - $4.90
1 x (#EXM37R08) Rear Dog Bone For Evo Xmods - $4.90
1 x (#EXM49008) Steering Plate Stock For Evo Xmods - $5.90
2 x Sanyo (#HR-4U-4BP-1000) 1000mAh AAA - $15.90
Sub-Total: $58.00
AIR >>HK To CA Shipping: $12.05
Registered Mail: $2.50
Packing charge: $1.03
Bank Charge: $1.51 (yeah I know what the heck is this for?)
Total: $75.09

The return address on the package was:
4/F, Morlite Building
40 Hung To Road.,
Kwun Tong,
Kowloon, Hong Kong

 

Since I'm located in Canada I'm required to pay any import duties and a 7% tax called the GST (Goods and Services Tax) and another 8% PST (Provincial Sales Tax) on all items imported into Canada. I was not required to pay any extra charges on the package.

The Parts in Detail

What follows is the description of each part from the RC-Mart.com website that was ordered. Directly below is my thoughts 'Good', 'Bad' or 'Ugly' about my experience with the product

  2mm Aluminum Lock Nut -4pcs (BlacK)
$3.50 (Feb 2006)

Why did I order Black?
because everyone else sells Silver,Gold,Red,Blue and Green but this is the first place that I've seen that has Black plus it should look like stock Nuts until closer inspection

My Thoughts on the Locking Alloy Wheel Nuts


These are a must! I have broken countless numbers of those darn plastic ones that come with the Xmods kits and I have literally lost wheels! I believe the reason for the problem stems from the upgrade to high performance motors as I never had the problem previously. The day I put the 35T in my Corvette I lost a wheel and found another cracked wheel nut that was about to fail so I took out my hummer which had a similar upgrade and lost the front wheel within 10 minutes of driving arghh!

Are the ones sold here better than any others I've tried?
These have one big advantage over all the other Wheel Nuts I've ordered, these nuts can be installed using the same tool that you use to install the plastic wheel nuts! These nuts are larger than all the others making them 4.5mm instead of the usual 4mm for the competition.
   
 

Front and Rear Dog Bones For Evo Xmods
$4.90 (Feb 2006)

Funny after I had ordered the Front Dog Bones I went back to get a photo of the Rear Dog Bones and I couldn't locate the item, I'm not sure if it's just out of stock or not available anymore. I'm not really sure how different the front and rears are they look like they should be interchangeable but I'll let you know when they get here. The difference is that the rears have a full dome on both ends unlike these front ones.

I've seen these in many sites but for some reason they seem to be sold out most of the time I'm not sure if it's because they are really in demand or if they are just short on supply.

 


My Thoughts on the Front and Rear Dog Bones For Evo Xmods

I have two pretty well identical Evo's with the upgraded 35T Hand wound in Atomic Can motor these are pretty well the toughest motors on a stock Evo you could install and the darn Plastic Dog Bones are proving to be tougher than they look as I have yet to break or crack one. If you are going to upgrade to alloy then you should upgrade all of the drive-line parts as I suspect the alloy Dog Bones may just destroy the wheel shafts if not upgraded as well.

Do these improve the ride or handling?
I have driven both my Evo's (Stock and Modified drive-lines) and have noticed no benefit from the alloy parts.
   
 

Silver Steering Plate Stock For Evo Xmods
$5.90 (Feb 2006)

I ordered this even though I had one from another site mostly because this one appears to made from two parts (notice the screw in the bottom of the plate) and the other one I purchased was cast in one piece.
Which is better? I'll soon find out.


My Thoughts on the Silver Steering Plate Stock For Evo Xmods

So far I have seen little evidence that this upgrade helps or improves the steering of your Evo but I will say this particular version did fit better and seems to be made of a stronger metal (I tried to bend each of them) then the one that was cast as a single piece.
   
 

Sanyo 1000mAh AAA
$15.90 (Feb 2006)

It's a secondary battery capable of charging and discharging that can save twice as much energy as an ordinary CADNICA battery. Twicell uses hydrogen absorbing alloys in its negative electrode (anode) and nickel oxide in its positive electrode (cathode). Since its release, the 1st in the world in October 1990, the "Twicell" sealed Nickel-Metal Hydride Battery has developed a strong reputation for high capacity, high performance and high quality. In November 1996, Sanyo was the 1st manufacturer in the world to achieve 300 million cells accumulatively.

  • High volumetric energy density well exceeding that of Lithium-ion batteries.
  • Double capacity of standard CADNICA batteries.
  • Can be used over and over (more than 500 times with a specific charger).
  • 1.2 to1.6 hour quick charge with a specific charger.
  • Compatible with Nickel-Cadmium batteries (almost same discharge voltage).
  • Produced under a ISO9002 certified quality control system.


I suspect these will very quickly replace my previous favorite which are the Sanyo 900mAh

Update March 9 2006 I fully charged these and proceeded to perform speed runs with my two Evo's one had the Sanyo 900mAh and the other the Sanyo 1000mAh batteries. The Evo with the 1000mAh seemed to run faster so after about 5 minutes we swapped the batteries and observed to see if the swap would cause the previously slower Evo to run faster and changing to the 1000mAh did improve it's performance! Now this wasn't exactly a controlled test but if this statement is true "High volumetric energy density well exceeding that of Lithium-ion batteries" it would certainly account for the increase in performance. Just think the performance of Li-ons with no modifications, OK I get that part of Li-ons appeal is the increased voltage, 7.5 Volts of power compared to the lowly 4.8 Volts with 4 AAA's but with the right motor (enter the 35T Hand wound in Atomic Can) you can pass other Li-on Cars that aren't set-up correctly. To be honest we quit before batteries did, after 20 minutes we were still running fine and the motors deserved a break (a wee bit warm).



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