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Dogbones VS CVD's - how important???

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Nitroaddict

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My first touring car had dogbones, as did my first ST. I hated them. Everytime i bumped something, i lost one. Promised i wouldnt have to deal with that again. So now - My NTC3, the RC10GT, the Storm Pro, and the EB4-S2.....all have or came with CVD's. Makes life so much simpler.

Now - on the brink of selling the NTC3, i am looking at some of the Pro cars as a possible replacement. Funny thing though....they all have dogbones. WTF is up with this? Am I putting more importance on CVD's than is neccessary? The Trinity Reflex Team kit, the G4 Pro, the Serpent 705, HPI R40, and the Mugen MTX3, all state they come with dogbones instead of cvd's. Why? You think spending twice what i paid for the NTC3 would include this simple item. Hell, the NTC3 even came with titanium cvd's standard.

I look at the features of these pro kits, and i dont see any benifit from what i have now.
 
Although I only have dogbones in my onroad I personally see no reason to change. I have heard people say that the steering action is much smoother through turns and over bumps. I have heard universals (or CVDs) make the car more stable. I have also heard they reduce friction on the drive train as well.....

I put universals on my buggy and didnt notice anything. I have seen other's onroads with universals and didnt notice anything different in those without them. (same model).

I used to pitch a dogbone here and there with my electric buggys if a hit something while the wheels were turned at their extremes. But that was rare....

So, I dont knowif they offer an advantage or not. the theories sound like they would but I have not notices anything personally.
 
rob - although i dont notice too much performance aspect regarding them - i race exclusivly with my touring car and have hit the boards quite a few times. There have been more than a couple of times in which if i had dogbones, they would have fallen out. And at 39.00 a pair for the upper level TC's - that would be quite expensive. I'm just trying to figure out why the top dog kits dont include them.
 
skymaxx - u turkey! lol. I was able to help him, but I'm still left in the dust. lol. :whip:
 
Ahhh...you're a smart guy...you don't need my help.
:D
 
:doh: I'm not talking to u anymore. go away and let me pout!

lol
 
Hmm... I had dogbones on a Nitro RS4, and now I've got dogbones on my Serpent Impulse and I've NEVER had one fall out, and I've hit some serious bumps. Flipped, slammed and slid more times than I can remember. Even hit a raised up pothole and rolled over, hit a curb then flipped up and slammed into a tree one time and still no fall-out on the dogbone!
 
I've run both dogbones and cvds on my Savage. I quickly dumped the dogbones due to a design flaw that was snapping dogbones...BUT I never noticed any real difference in performance. Granted this is not a good comparison to a high performance, high speed touring car, but it is a start.

What I can tell you is this...if you do go to "universals" or CVDs, make sure you lube them frequently (especially if you race). Touring cars are low to the ground and speedy. If the track has any dust on it (an most do), your CVD's lubricant will pick it up and could dry out by the end of the day. This would give you a decrease in performance as CVDs perform best when properly lubed.

I'm not a racer, so I can not advise on the benefits of CVDs over dogbones when it comes to race time, but if your ride keeps throwing dogbones over bumps, the CVD will only do one thing. Prevent the axle from being thrown from the car. There is still a very good chance that those same bumps will cause you to throw the dogbone end of the CVD. I've seen it happen. The end solution was to tighten up the clearance between diff cup and axle carrier so that the dogbone could not under high rpms get chucked from the cup.

Perhaps, all you need to do is make certain that the dogbone does not have the room to kick itself out of the cups during bumps and suspension travel. Just food for thought.

Now, you can go pout.
=devil
 
I would only preferr you use them on the front wheel. Dogbone will bind once they get to a certain point. Even if it's not binding, sometime the dog bone will slide in too much in the axle, if your apply force to it, it will start clicking, making your steering unsmooth. The CVD or universal have full velocity in turning constainly turning, so it will not bind or stop the spinning action (CVD-Constain Velocity Drives). If you have a off roadi truck or buggy, it's better to also have them in the rear since they have long suspension travel. A advantage with them is when you turn your wheel, point A(outdrive) and b(axle) will stretch too far and the dogbone will be too short to do anything but to fall out. CVD and universal will prevent lost dogbone. If your going to buy a pair/set of universal or cvd, invest a little more in them, they do need maintenance, and could wear when used too much, just like dog bone. Here is a link that will show you how to bullet proof a cvd or univ. http://www.hpiracing.com/walkthroughs/rebuild-cvd.htm
 
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akina - there u are, havnt seen u around much lately. thanks for the tip, and BTW - happy belated birthday!
 
Hey NA, I was just reading an article on the Trinity Reflex Team, and it stated that the Reflex Team had CVD's in it. I don't know if that is true, but I know I read it. BTW, that car looks sweet.
 
nitro dave - i found that out too. was one of the deciding factors in getting the kit. i will most likely pick it up tomorrow or saturday. i am going to do a build thread with plenty of pics, just like i did for the EB-4
 
Originally posted by Nitroaddict
akina - there u are, havnt seen u around much lately. thanks for the tip, and BTW - happy belated birthday!

Thanks, yup, I just come by sometime to see whats going on, man things today get out of date fast!:whack:
 
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