RC_KAOS
10-25-2006, 04:33 AM
I feel like I've been writing the same thing over and over. 1/8-scale buggies are big; not only in stature, but in popularity. I can still remember a few years back when I talked to some of the biggest companies in RC, and they asked me what was hot. Well 1/8-scale buggies are hot! They were then too, even if the trend started in California. Buggy mania is now a full-blown epidemic across the globe. I guess to be 100% official two of the biggest names in off-road had to pay attention to it. Team Losi is the first US based racing company to hit the market with an 1/8-scale. And true to the Losi way of thinking, it isn't what you'd expect (or if you expect the unexpected is that now expected?). The Team Losi 8ight has already made some noise by TQ'ing the Nationals, and not just by a little…all rounds of qualifying were won by Travis Amezcua. Locally the 8ight has been tearing up the tracks, and soon we'll know how it fares against the world. This release is important to the class, and most of us are anxious to see how it affects the market. I got my hands on an early production kit and even before that spent about an hour and a half beating the life out of the car that TQ'ed the Nats. It's here. It looks different. Is it the buggy you need next?
Features
Losi did their homework before entering the class. The 8ight as more details in it than the space we provide can offer. You'll appreciate most of the thought that went into the buggy when you're building it, or repairing it after a wreck. We had to pick 5ive features we thought made the 8ight the 10en it really is.
Flipped Off
This is probably the simplest feature and the one that makes the most sense when you look at the rear diff. To move the center rear axle off of the center line Losi did something simple: they flipped the diff gear so the teeth face out. This allows the crown gear to be moved way off center and the rest of the weight to be moved more toward the center, while retaining a standard diff in the rear and not moving the rotating weight of the diff off center.
To the Front
Another thing you'll notice if you're a 1/8-scale fan is that the 8ight's engine placement is the farthest forward and the most central of any buggy out there. This keeps the weight very centered and means it has a low moment of inertia when transitioning from left to right. All the technical jargon means is that the 8ight should be able to react quicker than anything out there.
Clutch Time
One of the places Losi did some work was on the clutch. The standard for the class is a 3-shoe design with springs. Some optional clutches are a hybrid centax, but the Losi clutch is pretty unique. The shoes are actually mounted to the flywheel and screwed in place. This allows two things: easier removal of the clutch and removal of the entire assembly without taking the shoes off. This is an awesome feature that most will appreciate when changing engines and springs.
Geometry of Angles
To counter the offset of the rear diff you'll notice that the front has an extreme angle to the front drive. Most understand that efficiency is lost on excessive angles, but Losi tells us that the overall angle is close to that of other buggies. Where other brands have compound angles, the front drive of the 8ight is only in one plane and loses less than others with multiple planes.
Big Brake Kit
The more I dug into the car the more unique details I noticed. The center diff is protected on the top with a plastic shield, but more interesting is the brake setup. Like a full-scale car, the front brakes carry much of the burden of slowing the car down. The 8ight uses two different style brake rotors in the front and rear. Because the front is used more, it gets a larger rotor than the rear. Both feature dual rotors for fade free brakes.
Instructions
We got one of the first kits off the line, and it came built from Losi. But with the amount of wrenching we do for photos it was nearly taken apart and put back together. I also got my hands on an early version of the kit and read each step to get a feel for the build. The instructions follow the current Losi design of more picture than text, which can be a plus or a minus depending on your point of view. I liked the older version with more text to explain the pictures, but this setup is clean and efficient.
Testing
Testing was done in a few locations. I spent a day testing with Losi in Hemet at the track formerly known as "The Dirt." I requested this location because I was familiar with the surface and the layout is generally intense. I then took my personal production kit to Revelation Raceway (www.revrace.com (http://www.revrace.com)) for some smaller track testing. The surface tends to favor Crimefighters, and you can use the Losi Step Pins in wetter looser conditions, but when the conditions called, I answered with the right tires.
Acceleration and Speed • Lots of things really are responsible for making a car accelerate well. We're not just judging top speed or how fast it is on the radar gun. We want to know how it feels out of a corner, or how it goes through a rough section from a dig. The 8ight was faced with some grueling conditions and loved every second. Out of the hole the car dug in and ripped it up. The Losi Step Pins struggled as the track dried out, but switching to Crimefighters made a big difference. Speed is also something that's hard to quantify, but the 8ight got up to speed and was pretty comfortable down the back straight.
Rating: 9/10
Braking • Perfect, as most 1/8-scale systems are. Adjustable bias, great pads, and proper servos all made for what I'd expect from a race kit. I prefer a rear bias setup and that was easy to obtain. Never did the brakes fade, and never did they not do what they were asked.
Rating: 10
Low-Speed Handling • Nimble, light footed, and quick, are all adjectives that can describe how the 8ight feels. Credit that to the center of gravity being pushed to the center and middle of the car , which gives you instant response to the steering inputs. Transition sections allow you to feel how quickly the car changed directions, something that you may have to adjust to if you're used to a car with more of a rear bias weight balance. But after a few tanks you'll be happy to go slow. Tire selection is critical. As the track dried the Losi tires developed a slight push, but once the track was wet that all went away.
Rating: 10
High-Speed Handling • The track in Hemet was higher speed and a better place to get in touch with the speed side of the 8ight. I'll start with the one place that I had trouble with on the track. At the end of the straight when the car was at it's peak, turn in was very aggressive. Where with other cars you'd push out and turn early, that technique with the Losi resulted in hitting the inside pipe or the rear getting away. This is the one characteristic that I didn't feel too comfortable with, and that could be the result of years of driving cars with a push at this point. Maybe I could have entered that corner at a slower rate. Once I adjusted it was easier, and still pretty fast, but I had to concentrate on that one part of the track. The rest of the high-speed sections were over jumps and other rough sections, and I didn't have to concentrate on them. Was it me that didn't like the intense turn-in of the 8ight at the end of the track? Only time will tell. Aside from that one spot the buggy was brilliant.
Rating: 9
Rough-Track Handling • Large bore shocks and a good starting setup allowed me to just rip through the rough sections. The buggy felt very light on its wheels, and that made it skip over stuff and allowed the suspension to deal with the imperfections it needed to damp. The car was very easy to correct if bent out of shape. You'll still have to get used to the "right now" reaction, but that comes with practice.
Rating: 10
Jumping • So Pastrana did a double back flip, but the 8ight can do a single and not blow out a knee! I'm guessing the more centered CG helped, but adjusting the attitude of the car in the air was easy. Hit a big double and just tap the brake or throttle if you need to. Down siding jumps is an art form, and the 8ight helped me look like an artist. Once I got the approach speeds of the jumps timed, it was all fun in the air. The grunt out of the corners also made it easy for me to clear things I wouldn't normally try.
Rating: 10
Wrenching
Maintenance • It takes some time to learn the "tricks' on how to get to things fast when you tear into a new car. The Losi is a really easy car to work on, and it seems that effort was made to make it very easy (with as few screws as possible) to get to the diffs and remove the radio tray. Most of the screws have the larger size Allen heads that resist stripping better than the smaller ones in the dirt.
Rating: 10
Wear and Tear • After putting an hour on Amezcua's 8ight and a couple days testing on my personal 8ight I can safely say that the 8ight is a ten (10) in toughness. All cars will break eventually, but Losi seems to have gotten things pretty good right from the start. Over the next month I'll be putting more and more time on the buggy to give a long term ass kicking, so look for updates of problem areas, or the lack there of.
Rating: 10
Tuning • I stuck with the stock setup for most of the testing, because most of the time once you find a good setup, you stick with it. But I did try a few different shock angles to see how things felt, and tried to remove just a tad of that over aggressive turn-in I felt at the end of the straight. Some of the tips in the instructions helped me get the car to feel better and further testing will show my how the car reacts to setup changes.
Rating: 9
Features
Losi did their homework before entering the class. The 8ight as more details in it than the space we provide can offer. You'll appreciate most of the thought that went into the buggy when you're building it, or repairing it after a wreck. We had to pick 5ive features we thought made the 8ight the 10en it really is.
Flipped Off
This is probably the simplest feature and the one that makes the most sense when you look at the rear diff. To move the center rear axle off of the center line Losi did something simple: they flipped the diff gear so the teeth face out. This allows the crown gear to be moved way off center and the rest of the weight to be moved more toward the center, while retaining a standard diff in the rear and not moving the rotating weight of the diff off center.
To the Front
Another thing you'll notice if you're a 1/8-scale fan is that the 8ight's engine placement is the farthest forward and the most central of any buggy out there. This keeps the weight very centered and means it has a low moment of inertia when transitioning from left to right. All the technical jargon means is that the 8ight should be able to react quicker than anything out there.
Clutch Time
One of the places Losi did some work was on the clutch. The standard for the class is a 3-shoe design with springs. Some optional clutches are a hybrid centax, but the Losi clutch is pretty unique. The shoes are actually mounted to the flywheel and screwed in place. This allows two things: easier removal of the clutch and removal of the entire assembly without taking the shoes off. This is an awesome feature that most will appreciate when changing engines and springs.
Geometry of Angles
To counter the offset of the rear diff you'll notice that the front has an extreme angle to the front drive. Most understand that efficiency is lost on excessive angles, but Losi tells us that the overall angle is close to that of other buggies. Where other brands have compound angles, the front drive of the 8ight is only in one plane and loses less than others with multiple planes.
Big Brake Kit
The more I dug into the car the more unique details I noticed. The center diff is protected on the top with a plastic shield, but more interesting is the brake setup. Like a full-scale car, the front brakes carry much of the burden of slowing the car down. The 8ight uses two different style brake rotors in the front and rear. Because the front is used more, it gets a larger rotor than the rear. Both feature dual rotors for fade free brakes.
Instructions
We got one of the first kits off the line, and it came built from Losi. But with the amount of wrenching we do for photos it was nearly taken apart and put back together. I also got my hands on an early version of the kit and read each step to get a feel for the build. The instructions follow the current Losi design of more picture than text, which can be a plus or a minus depending on your point of view. I liked the older version with more text to explain the pictures, but this setup is clean and efficient.
Testing
Testing was done in a few locations. I spent a day testing with Losi in Hemet at the track formerly known as "The Dirt." I requested this location because I was familiar with the surface and the layout is generally intense. I then took my personal production kit to Revelation Raceway (www.revrace.com (http://www.revrace.com)) for some smaller track testing. The surface tends to favor Crimefighters, and you can use the Losi Step Pins in wetter looser conditions, but when the conditions called, I answered with the right tires.
Acceleration and Speed • Lots of things really are responsible for making a car accelerate well. We're not just judging top speed or how fast it is on the radar gun. We want to know how it feels out of a corner, or how it goes through a rough section from a dig. The 8ight was faced with some grueling conditions and loved every second. Out of the hole the car dug in and ripped it up. The Losi Step Pins struggled as the track dried out, but switching to Crimefighters made a big difference. Speed is also something that's hard to quantify, but the 8ight got up to speed and was pretty comfortable down the back straight.
Rating: 9/10
Braking • Perfect, as most 1/8-scale systems are. Adjustable bias, great pads, and proper servos all made for what I'd expect from a race kit. I prefer a rear bias setup and that was easy to obtain. Never did the brakes fade, and never did they not do what they were asked.
Rating: 10
Low-Speed Handling • Nimble, light footed, and quick, are all adjectives that can describe how the 8ight feels. Credit that to the center of gravity being pushed to the center and middle of the car , which gives you instant response to the steering inputs. Transition sections allow you to feel how quickly the car changed directions, something that you may have to adjust to if you're used to a car with more of a rear bias weight balance. But after a few tanks you'll be happy to go slow. Tire selection is critical. As the track dried the Losi tires developed a slight push, but once the track was wet that all went away.
Rating: 10
High-Speed Handling • The track in Hemet was higher speed and a better place to get in touch with the speed side of the 8ight. I'll start with the one place that I had trouble with on the track. At the end of the straight when the car was at it's peak, turn in was very aggressive. Where with other cars you'd push out and turn early, that technique with the Losi resulted in hitting the inside pipe or the rear getting away. This is the one characteristic that I didn't feel too comfortable with, and that could be the result of years of driving cars with a push at this point. Maybe I could have entered that corner at a slower rate. Once I adjusted it was easier, and still pretty fast, but I had to concentrate on that one part of the track. The rest of the high-speed sections were over jumps and other rough sections, and I didn't have to concentrate on them. Was it me that didn't like the intense turn-in of the 8ight at the end of the track? Only time will tell. Aside from that one spot the buggy was brilliant.
Rating: 9
Rough-Track Handling • Large bore shocks and a good starting setup allowed me to just rip through the rough sections. The buggy felt very light on its wheels, and that made it skip over stuff and allowed the suspension to deal with the imperfections it needed to damp. The car was very easy to correct if bent out of shape. You'll still have to get used to the "right now" reaction, but that comes with practice.
Rating: 10
Jumping • So Pastrana did a double back flip, but the 8ight can do a single and not blow out a knee! I'm guessing the more centered CG helped, but adjusting the attitude of the car in the air was easy. Hit a big double and just tap the brake or throttle if you need to. Down siding jumps is an art form, and the 8ight helped me look like an artist. Once I got the approach speeds of the jumps timed, it was all fun in the air. The grunt out of the corners also made it easy for me to clear things I wouldn't normally try.
Rating: 10
Wrenching
Maintenance • It takes some time to learn the "tricks' on how to get to things fast when you tear into a new car. The Losi is a really easy car to work on, and it seems that effort was made to make it very easy (with as few screws as possible) to get to the diffs and remove the radio tray. Most of the screws have the larger size Allen heads that resist stripping better than the smaller ones in the dirt.
Rating: 10
Wear and Tear • After putting an hour on Amezcua's 8ight and a couple days testing on my personal 8ight I can safely say that the 8ight is a ten (10) in toughness. All cars will break eventually, but Losi seems to have gotten things pretty good right from the start. Over the next month I'll be putting more and more time on the buggy to give a long term ass kicking, so look for updates of problem areas, or the lack there of.
Rating: 10
Tuning • I stuck with the stock setup for most of the testing, because most of the time once you find a good setup, you stick with it. But I did try a few different shock angles to see how things felt, and tried to remove just a tad of that over aggressive turn-in I felt at the end of the straight. Some of the tips in the instructions helped me get the car to feel better and further testing will show my how the car reacts to setup changes.
Rating: 9