Skid plate upgrade.

[ReaperGN]

I am looking to buy a vantage racing carbon fiber chassis for my maxx. Only issue is i hear some people have snapped carbon fiber chassis but no one has any info on the vantage one so i am preparing for the worst. I am about to order some new rails and bulks that will be aluminium so the upper mounts will be sturdy but since i dont think aluminum skids are such a good deal i need to strengthen the bottom ones where they mount to the rails. so if anyone has an idea please post.

 

[darnoced]

ummmm...titanium skids?

 

[ReaperGN]

same issue as aluminum. they get scuffed up and then look like crap and they bend but unlike plastic they don't bend back with out losing strength. What i need is a plate to support the plastic where it mounts to the rails. i just wanted to see if anyone had done this and if so how.

 

[darnoced]

I'm thinking that if you are bending titanium....well...you would have other issues to worry about at that point. Go and take a look at flextek A-arms (titanium). The whole idea of a skid plate is to "skid" on them. Titanium also offers you the the least amount of scuffing that I am aware of.

 

[ReaperGN]

checked out the arms and they are nice but no skids from flextek. the ones i could find are either integy or great assembly. integys aluminum for anything other than their shocks sucks so i don't really feel like trusting their titanium and the great assembly ones are beefy but also heavy and look like they are to stiff. like you said skid plates are meant to skid but on something this small they also serve as bumpers. So if they are to stiff the energy goes into the chassis and bulk heads or they snap. those flextek arms seem a little stiff for a skid/bumper but if you know of a company that makes a nice flexible set please tell me.

 

[darnoced]

I was just looking at the integy skid(ti), and it looks thick enough. The great thing about titanium is that it flexes instead of bending so it would be ideal for your needs(taking the shock of an impact).
I have a ti center skid on my rig and as soon as I have my other issues resolved, I won't be so fussy as who makes them as I will about how much each costs.

 

[olds97_lss]

RC Solutions spring steel skid. It will deform a bit, but not as easily as aluminum ones. Titanium ones have very little (if any) give. All the ones I've seen are so rigid that if you hit something, it will rip screws out before it bends.

I ran the RCS ones with a rubber grommet behind them and I could pretty much hit a wall at over half speed without damage.

Front and rear differ:
http://r-cstore.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=81
http://r-cstore.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=80

 

[ReaperGN]

Those RC solutions are around what i am looking for. It would be nice to see if there are any more out there that are similar. The nice thing about those RCS ones is they look thin enough to fit under the original plates i got which would bend, strengthen my mounting so the carbon fiber chassis wont get snapped and they would still be lighter than most aluminum and titanium plates i have seen. Thanks for the links.

 

[Lessen]

Not all titanium bends like Flextek suspension arms do. Flextek seem to have put alot of engineering work into those arms and you can tell they are not the type of titanium you generally see in skid plates or other parts. Those arms are also cast Ti. You wouldn't be able to do this with a titanium skid plate... it would jus snap.

 

[abadk9420]

You could also run RPM Skids they work well for me and take a lot of abuse theu mount over the top of the stock skids or probably any after market skid for an added layer of protection. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXBEJ7&P=7

 

[WoodiE]

On the T-maxx I used to own I ran titanium skid plates, on the MGT that I do own I have RC Solutions spring steel skid plates.

If you're looking for something with strength and something that gives/flexes I would highly recommend going either RC Solutions spring steel skids or RPM skid plates.

 

[Bartek]

OMG,when my arms brake in my Savage Flux I will get those FlexTek one's,they are amazing!

what $300 for full set for Savage,That just killed my day

 

[Lessen]

OMG,when my arms brake in my Savage Flux I will get those FlexTek one's,they are amazing!

what $300 for full set for Savage,That just killed my day

Yeah, when I saw that vid I was sold as well. The price is steep but that's the kind of hit that ended my day early the last time I took my TMaxx down to W.V. I hit a barrier at an angle (my bad, driving where I couldn't see) and it tore the hinge pins straight out the side of my RPM arms. RPM is good stuff but it won't flex in the fore/aft direction like Flextek.

Anyways, back to the intended discussion...

 

[darnoced]

Wow..I had never seen those RC skids before...and the price is right too. I agree spring steel is a much better idea than tearing screws out...lol
Now if anyone makes titanium bulkheads.........

 

[ReaperGN]

I admit all the skid plates so far are all really good ideas but so far those ones from rc solutions seem the best. I need strength so as not to snap that carbon fiber plate but i also need something to absorb the shock from a head on crash. I am getting the hot racing bulkheads so i don't think i could really hurt the chassis by breaking an arm. But those front end smashes can be nasty so maybe i need to some how mount shocks instead of bumper mounts or find that perfect skid plate. Also thanks for the input so far and please keep the ideas coming.