Operation: Spitfire

[suicide_star]

Spitfire is my quest to develop one of the best Xmods drifters built on an evolution chassis using much of the information that I've learned from this site and my own.

Here are some pictures of the car, i chose the NSX body because it's the perfect candidate for a drifter project, nice and wide; and despite my passion for musclecars, I think the NSX is the best looking Xmods body out of the entire series.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/rhodified/Picture006-4.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/rhodified/Picture007-4.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/rhodified/Picture008-4.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/rhodified/Picture009-5.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/rhodified/Picture010-5.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/rhodified/Picture011-4.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/rhodified/Picture012-3.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/rhodified/Picture013-3.jpg

I chose an evolution chassis mainly because it saves me a few dollors on a tight turn upgrade, they are more stout than a gen1 chassis and because I think i can get my final product lighter with the evo.

Some key things that I've learned from putting massive amounts of GPM and Hot Racing parts on my cars is that though it makes your chassis more rigid, you add so much weight for the 130 motor that it dampens the performance horribly. The list i've devised for this car includes:

1> GPM front and rear knuckles (A must in any Xmod sporting performance upgrades)
2> GPM axle stubs and dog bones
3> GPM front and rear shock towers
4> GPM front and rear lower arms
5> GPM front and rear shocks

Why the lower arms and shock towers? Though the stock RadioShack shock towers do the job for a normal to mildly upgraded Xmod, i think that in the long run the screws securing the shocks to the lower arms and upper towers will strip, especially during extreme tests. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm not.

Reference for you other builders, Stiletto Chassis' for Evo Cars ADD TONS OF WEIGHT. In my opinion, it's a step backwards to building a great performing car, if you're slapping together a shelf queen, then by all means...get a Stiletto, it looks great...but it's ridiculously heavy for performance purposes. Also, alloy front and rear gearboxes and the alloy motor cradle add a good deal of weight to your car; the motor cradle seems like it may be the only essential piece, but if you have multiple cradles laying around your parts bin, screw it...plastic for the win.

Some of the basic things that i'm going for with this car is getting the lowest center of gravity that i can without hindering the performance of my shocks. Getting the most torque i can to my wheels is also another big factor, so i can drift it without using plastic tires. Also, I'm going to need to squeeze every bit of efficiency i can out of my stock servo.

For the motor, I will be using a radlines modified stock motor...it's inexpensive, has tons of torque, and can take a beating. That also saves me time and $$ because i can run the stock fets and i think i can do just fine with the stock batteries. (Until further notice anyways) I'm hoping I can get what I'm looking for out of the stock electronics, we'll see.

A lot of my modifications are going to be in the drivetrain. I'll be sporting a carbonfiber driveshaft, front and rear composite driveshaft gears, front and rear alloy ball differentials, and an alloy pinion on the motor. The gear that the pinion spins will be the only stock RS piece in the drivetrain, but i have lots of those so it can break and it won't hurt my feelings.

Please give me as much feedback as possible, your input is more than welcome and if you disagree with any of the above please let me know and explain why, that way i can build a better car. :)

[adamcrawls]

very good idea i to think its the best out of the series i have a mint one i didnt read the entier thing ,so any choices for color or stock will ice man be painting this one to

[Sweed]

Another exuse for the lower arms in GPM (not sure about shock towers*..) is that they add some weight at the lowest point of the vehicle. It's good for stability and the weight is towards the outside of the car, meaning the body will roll easier, making it easier to initiate a drift.

Also, the arms will help to dampen the car a bit, reducing the shocks work. This is of course assuming that they weigh more than stock, though.

*Strip out? I've had problems with the GPM stuff falling out. Make sure to lock-tite the stuff in GPM to get it to stay. The shock towers are a bit overkill, they aren't such a big bulk head in the xmods.

[suicide_star]

Another exuse for the lower arms in GPM (not sure about shock towers*..) is that they add some weight at the lowest point of the vehicle. It's good for stability and the weight is towards the outside of the car, meaning the body will roll easier, making it easier to initiate a drift.

Also, the arms will help to dampen the car a bit, reducing the shocks work. This is of course assuming that they weigh more than stock, though.

*Strip out? I've had problems with the GPM stuff falling out. Make sure to lock-tite the stuff in GPM to get it to stay. The shock towers are a bit overkill, they aren't such a big bulk head in the xmods.

makes sense, if that's the case, should i go ahead and spring for an alloy battery tray too? no, i won't paint this one, i like the color and i wan't to keep the body mint.

[Surgeon]

I think for a drift project you should go for something with a longer and more narrow wheelbase. The deep dish wheels are going to add addition traction and stability, which is a bad thing for drifting. Longer wheelbase chassis seam to be best to get the initial inertia in the swing of your drift; might just be my preference but the g35/mustang seams to do very well, but my short wheel base cars (imprezza coupe/evo6) want to spin out or snap back into control more. I think it has to do with the displacement of weight with the momentum of the centrifuge...

On any accord it seams like you've got quite the project in the works.

[xmodkidd33]

I would add to move the battery holder to the farthest back position on the chassis to help distribute the weight more towards the rear, which would aid in breaking traction.

[Sweed]

I wouldn't do a battery tray in Aluminum. I would go the otherway and go CF... You want the weight towards the rear of the car (behind the rear wheels). This makes it have more weight that helps carry the rear of a car.

I would want to make the front as light as possible, the entire car as light as possible. Maybe some weight in the back (motor heat sink, possibly cradle) to help with the driftage.

But basically, you want it to be light if your not using plastic tires. More Weight is more Traction.

[Surgeon]

More Weight is more Traction.

Not necassarily, if you have the power behind the weight it becomes momentum. If you are going for underpowered it adds to traction, but adding more power and torque to move the weight helps add the momentum to the force that will sustain said force for longer.

[suicide_star]

Not necassarily, if you have the power behind the weight it becomes momentum. If you are going for underpowered it adds to traction, but adding more power and torque to move the weight helps add the momentum to the force that will sustain said force for longer.


woot, you said it surg...the reason i'm going with that radline motor is to squeeze out as much torque as possible, to throw around the alloy i put on there. if you think the longer wheel base would make a significantly better drifter, i can make that happen.