Another grown man brings home a new "toy"...

[maxinflixion]

Just picked up a 370z today at Radio Shack while buying batteries. Who could resist a $24.99 clearance on a fun little toy to chase the dogs with??

Anyway, I put it together and had a blast so far today. I haven't yet installed the Stage 2 or AWD package I picked up to go with it.

What other first steps should I be looking at? Specific wheel and tire packages?

As I shop around, is my model only compatible w/ specific accessories? I'd hate to bust a nut on Ebay on stuff I can't use.

I am excited to to test the waters of modding a scale model to fit as well...

[xmodsunlimited]

Your off to a great start. I recommend getting metal bearings as well to reduce friction and increase the speed and life of your xmod. When you buy things off ebay make sure it is for xmod evo or street vehicles. gen.1 Upgrades and truck upgrades won't work on your car. I'd also recommend getting a tire kit, but off ebay. You can find it for around 5.00$ brand new. Hope this helps and welcome to the hobby and to Xmodsource!

[motochimp]

that's awesome; really; you'll see that it only gets better and funner as you go down the line with them.

as far as upgrades go, you're pretty much set; all left is the suspension upgrade so you can actually adjust the suspension travel to your kind of driving and also style.

there are a lot, I mean A LOT of upgrades and accessories for your xmod; from aluminum alloy parts, wheels, tires, etc.. etc..

All of these are compatible with all xmods, just make sure you're not getting these parts for either an xmod TRUCK or a mini-z or any other kind of 1/28th or micro RC(also make sure yuo're not getting these parts for a GEN-1 xmod)

some of the websites you'd like to check these on are:
www.asiatees.com (my best choice)
www.rcmart.com (good but people have different opinions)
www.ebay.com (everybody knows ebay ha!)
www.rchobbyexplosion.com (heard good thing about them)
www.atomicmods.com (very expensive but good)
and the list goes on...

AS far as scale models, a lot of people get the 1/24th's and custom fit them on their xmods; there are some very rare 1/28th models that you may find.

you can also upgrade your ESC (electronic speed controller) and power packs ( batteries). Most people go for LI-PO's (lithium polymer cells) which have a better discharge rate.
By doing this changes, it allows for your xmod to run on hotter motors and also be able to handle more current flow through the board and all electronic components.

I hope this is of good help to you and I'd like to be the first one to welcome you to this awesome hobby and also this very cool forum.

godspeed.

[xmodsunlimited]

Oh Yea another website is newly redesigned http://www.xmodsinternational.com/store/

[maxinflixion]

Thanks for the welcome. Are the foam tires what I am looking for? I am thinking some aluminum wheels and a respray are in the immediate future.

[motochimp]

The aluminum wheels are a very good investment due to the fact that as you run your xmod, the D-cut of the wheels start to round off and eventually the wheels become useless. With aluminum you avoid that from happening plus it also kinda helps in weight reduction ( minimum but when it comes down to this scale; 1 gram is ONE gram you know.. ha!

Also, the aluminum wheels are machined in such way to reduce the wobble of the wheels/tires since it is a more precise part than the stock plastic ones ( you may still need some kind of bushing in between the wheel and your wheel axle)

The tires; it depends what kind of driving your doing and on what terrain your driving.

foam tires are excellent when running your xmod on compressed carpets, actual hobby tracks, and high traction terrain. One problem with them is that they wear out too fast.

rubber tires; you can either get them threaded or slicks. then again, it all depends on what kind of terrain your planning on driving. rubber tires also come either soft or hard.
Hard gives you the most life but the grip isn't as good as the soft rubbers but then again, the soft rubber tires wear out faster than the harder ones.

I like running hard rubbers because they last me longer and I also run my xmod a lot on pavement. I use soft rubbers when I need to pretty much stick my xmod to the ground like if it was a chewing gum HA! ( mostly when I drag race my xmod)

[maxinflixion]

Just ordered up a set of Alumineum Wheels, some foam tires and aluminum wheel nuts.

I will be mostly running mine in my house on hardwood and cement floors.

This should not only afford me some fun for the week, but also allow me to turn my original wheels black.

I hadn't thought about a bushing. I'll have to pick something up.

[acerpower]

The aluminum wheels won't actually help in weight reduction, it will increase weight. Aluminum is quite heavier than plastic.
.................But aluminum wheels do look sweet, I have a set too(mine are at least 1.5 grams heavier than most of my plastic wheels).
As far as ball bearings, ebay is probably your cheapest option.
You don't need too many aluminum parts. The plastic knuckles usually are the first parts to break, so you could replace those with aluminum when they do break.

[maxinflixion]

I have been browsing a ton of project threads and am really excited to start messing with mine. As a matter of fact, I think I am going to take advantage of the clearance at RS and pick up a second car just to have an extra chassis.

So many cool mods. I don't know where to start!

[zippo855]

the best time of year at radioshack is when they clearance xmods to 25 bucks. makes for some easy scores, and basically 2 for 1 over normal prices. you can never have too many, just look at my collection.

[maxinflixion]

Agreed. Anytime you can buy something half-off is a good time!!! Plus, I know I will be breaking stuff since I have never taken an Xmod apart or rebuilt one before.

Excess is good. Surplus is too!

[lol]

Originally Posted by maxinflixion

Agreed. Anytime you can buy something half-off is a good time!!! Plus, I know I will be breaking stuff since I have never taken an Xmod apart or rebuilt one before.

Excess is good. Surplus is too!

Unlimited is better =D Unlimited Xmods = win, then it gets pretty tedious after a while so unlimited funding do anything you want.

[FloydfanYodaman]

Originally Posted by maxinflixion

I have been browsing a ton of project threads and am really excited to start messing with mine. As a matter of fact, I think I am going to take advantage of the clearance at RS and pick up a second car just to have an extra chassis.

So many cool mods. I don't know where to start!

...and a third and a 4th and a...well you get the idea...welcome to the site its good to see some more old guys on here ...after all age is only a state of mind and i for one am a kid at heart ...now you just gotta watch out for the Mrs...they tend to not like the hobby/addiction as much ...unless you build "them" a car of course best of luck with your future projects

[maxinflixion]

Well...

I saw the car was on sale. $24.99 is a small price to pay for some fun. Grabbed an All-Wheel and a Stage 2 upgrade for another $22......

Found this place and already ordered new wheels and tires. Another $18.

That $25 trip to Radio Shack has me for $65 already . Toss in another car tomorrow, then a little shopping trip of GPM parts online.

Yeah, unlimited funds would be better.

[lol]

Better motors sell for less than the stage 2 kit, but it does come with nice gearing options.

AWD is meh unless you use it for track racing or drift.

[maxinflixion]

Originally Posted by lol

Better motors sell for less than the stage 2 kit, but it does come with nice gearing options.

AWD is meh unless you use it for track racing or drift.

Great insight. I got the Stage 2 kit for $7.97. I will return that AWD setup when I go in tomorrow. That covers half the other car...

[lol]

lol. AWD is nice too if you want it. More grip, but a common problem is gear grinding with it because of imprecise parts

[maxinflixion]

Originally Posted by FloydfanYodaman

...and a third and a 4th and a...well you get the idea...welcome to the site its good to see some more old guys on here ...after all age is only a state of mind and i for one am a kid at heart ...now you just gotta watch out for the Mrs...they tend to not like the hobby/addiction as much ...unless you build "them" a car of course best of luck with your future projects

Ha. My wife won't mind this one too much. Seeing as my other addictions include watches and computers, this is cheap by comparison.

[RCrally]

ball bearing is a must. AWD kit is optional.

[maxinflixion]

AWD kit is going back. Going to keep the Stage 2 since it was so cheap. If they still have the Silver GT-R I will pick one up when I take back the AWD kit.

I am going to search for a full tear down guide today so I know what is what. I haven't actually taken mine apart yet, so I don't even know what a knuckle is, yet everyone says it is a good part to replace .

Already in the mail are:

Foam Tires
Aluminum Wheels w/ metal wheel nuts
14 pc. Bearing Set
GPM front and rear shocks
GPM engine heat sink

Once I install that stage 2 and really get to tearing her down, I'll see what parts I'd really like to replace.