CF Shock Towers -

[JezT]

Hi,

Myself and Max have fitted alloy rear bulkheads to our MadRats (from TC Models, HK).... very nice.... no more replacing because of stripped threads due to studs being ripped out and removal/replacement of drive assembly.

Problem is, first time out with this setup we both broke our plastic shock towers (we have broken only 1 between us in the previous 8 months).... Either this was bad luck and a coincident or it was because of the more solid setup (no give) and all the pressure of the impacts being taken by the shock towers.

My question: Whilst CF shock towers are stiffer and stronger - are they flexible? Am I going to smash these just as easily or are they a little more resilient? Should I just stock up with plastic replacements?

[Hatebreed]

carbon at that small size have nearly no flex so if you hit it hard enough it snaps. if you crash alot and have problem with breaking the tower i would recommend to stock up on the std plastic ones.

[RogerM]

Desire RcRacing have 5mm carbon towers for the MadRat and 02C on the way, I imagine you'll struggle to break those (nobody has done one of the Kyosho ones yet anyway!)

[JezT]

Thanx Gents - will stock up on standard plastics for me (and learn to drive!); Max is converting to Mid Rat (mid motor version) for Christmas so will be running plastic parts all round.

Roger - the 5mm towers sound like the business - who is or where are Desire Rc Racing? Can't find them on the web Do you have a link?

[RogerM]

Saddly no web link mate, you can PM me though. Unfortunately we are much better with a CAD station than a copy of Dreamweaver so trying to get somebody to tap those keys for us.

Started off looking at the Kyosho line but as my girlfriends nephew runs a madrat I started looking at that too ... now I have literally dozens of projects on the go!

[Andyp]

[QUOTE=RogerM;442351]Desire RcRacing have 5mm carbon towers for the MadRat and 02C on the way, )[/QUOTE

will be interested in these towers , just wondering how the 02c rear tower will work as its not flat and the gear box housing joins to it too.

[RogerM]

Andy you make a very good point! The front tower will fit in the conventional way.

The rear tower will be effectively a stiffening plate for the plastic tower to help add rigidity. From what I have seen of the 02Cs so far the issue has actually been compression failures (landing from jumps) rather than ripping them off the car in rolls. Even the ones I have seen tare a tower off have only happened at a track with big jumps and the fracture site suggests it failed in vertical loading first and the roll just claimed the weakened tower.

It would be possible to do a multipart carbon / ali arrangement for the rear of the 02C but the cost would be too high for most.