Speed upgrades for Losi 8ight RTR

[LLMack]

Hey everyone,

I'm brand new to this forum and had a question that I couldn't find an answer to on google. I had purchased a Losi 8ight RTR (red/yellow one) about a year ago. I don't race and just want to get more speed out of it. What upgrades would you recommend purely for additional speed. Doesn't appear that they make a 2-speed transmission upgrade. So would a better engine be the solution? Thanks for all your suggestions in advance!

 

[Losi215]

Hey everyone,

I'm brand new to this forum and had a question that I couldn't find an answer to on google. I had purchased a Losi 8ight RTR (red/yellow one) about a year ago. I don't race and just want to get more speed out of it. What upgrades would you recommend purely for additional speed. Doesn't appear that they make a 2-speed transmission upgrade. So would a better engine be the solution? Thanks for all your suggestions in advance!

Better quality, higher Reving engine, tuned pipe and header upgrade, bigger clutchbell with more teeth. That will get you some more speed but remember, these things aren’t speed demons. Some people have brushed 60mph on YouTube lately with modified nitro engines worth 400$ dollars and up, crazy high gearing, and tons of room and money into their trucks and buggies.

If you want to keep your buggy stockish, then maybe upgrade the clutch, go 1 tooth bigger on the clutchbell, convert your pullstart to an engine backplate and run a start box. Also, you can upgrade the pipe and header to a dynamite 053 which will give it some more performance. Either way, these might(on a good day) net 3-5 mph more. Not trying to sway your decision, I like speed too: but it’s really hard on nitro engines to hit crazy top speeds and I prefer to tune towards acceleration more then top speed. Anyway, I hope this helps a bit. Love the 8ight platform! I have a losi 8ight t myself and it’s been a wonderful platform.

 

[olds97_lss]

OFNA used to make a two speed you could put on a few of their buggies, but it did away with the diff in the middle and didn't have a slipper on it. I don't think I've ever seen one on a Losi.

Adding a larger bell will cause you to loose some acceleration off the line and make the clutch work harder, so as mentioned, I wouldn't add more than a tooth or two. That's your most direct way to add top speed.

 

[tntpoof]

You can also go with a larger dia tire to gain more speed..

 

[cbaker65]

Engines (reds-racing-usa.com)

 

[LLMack]

Thanks for taking the time and all those ideas! Really appreciate it.

 

[LLMack]

I'm not looking for crazy speeds comparable to electric. But most of my experience has been with HPI RS4 2-speed touring and HPI Savage 3-speed monster truck vehicles. The 8ight just seems slow by comparison which is why I was hoping there would be a way to change the transmission. Thanks Again!!

 

[olds97_lss]

A buggy can pull a taller gear more easily.

Many years ago, I had a mammoth st which had a 2-speed in it. The truck was cheap, parts were weak and the way the 2-speed was put a lot of leverage on the bell bearings due to it's length. That combined with the soft aluminum they used caused me to eat a lot of spurs. So I ditched the 2-speed for the center diff single speed option... then it was sloooooooooooooow. The larger truck tires on it and the weight of it didn't care for taller gearing much. Considering how slow it was and how often I still broke the thing, I didn't drive it much.

I have geared up cheap 1/8th buggies a bit and the lower overall weight along with smaller tires for less rotational mass lets them deal with the taller gear more easily. Especially for bashing. It's not like you need it overly "snappy" off the line to be competitive.