The XXX-T was our first electric stadium truck and has really shown us what an electric truck is capable of. While they are not as powerful (or noisy) as a nitro powered truck, they are extremely lightweight and can carve up a dirt track like Dad carves the turkey at Thanksgiving. It is a welcome addition to our fleet of RC vehicles.

The XXX-T comes very well equipped in stock, RTR form. Aluminum shocks, adjustable suspension, slipper clutch, full bearing set and a more than adequate electronics system will get you in the dirt as soon as you have a battery charged up. It also comes with a JR X2 controller that gives you all the standard (and then some) adjustments as well as memory for another RC car. It is a great transmitter for an RTR package; much nicer than most RTR monster or stadium trucks.

The XXX-T is a great package right out of the box! Why mess with it? You really don’t have to but if you are like us (and we know you are) you just can’t leave anything alone. If it is “good”, it could always be “better”. Hence Project XXX-T.

What are we trying to accomplish with this project? We had three main goals:

1. make it lighter – it’s light already but we want it even lighter. Lighter weight equals more run time and bigger air.

2. make it tougher – after running the truck for a few months in its stock form, it was easy to see what needed to be beefed up.

3. make it faster – the addition of a 19 turn Chameleon motor turns this zippy little truck into a fast truck.

A number of the items we upgraded on our XXX made the truck lighter and stronger...welcome to the world of graphite. Despite the numerous benefit factors of graphite, we will categorize the parts based on why we replaced them (e.g. we replaced the suspension arms because we really needed stronger ones, but being made from graphite, they are also lightweight. Get it? If not, keep reading anyway. Also note that many of the items here are reviewed individually in various Reviews pages on BYT.

The major items we replaced to reduce weight were:

Chassis: installed Team Losi graphite chassis - This is a large enough item that we thought you could feel the difference in weight compared to the stock chassis. You can also feel the strength of the graphite compared to the composite plastic.

Front bulkhead: installed Team Losi graphite bulkhead - it is hard to feel the weight difference in the smaller pieces. We know it is lighter and that is what matters. Replacing lots of smaller pieces with lighter weight ones will certainly add up in the end.

Rear pivot plate: installed Team Losi graphite pivot plate

Battery hold down strap: installed Team Losi graphite battery strap (I know the stocker isn't that heavy but we had graphite installed everywhere else).

Servo mount: installed Team Losi graphite servo mount (same deal as the battery strap…but hey, every little bit of weight reduction counts)

Graphite was our obvious choice for the various body components. The stock plastic pieces are lightweight to begin with. One of the best ways to reduce a little weight without sacrificing structural integrity was to go the way of Team Losi graphite goodies. All the items fit perfectly into the XXX.

Now, how about toughening things up a little?

After a fight with a tree (the XXX lost the fight) we had a handful of busted a-arms. The stock arms are ok but we thought they could be a little bit stronger. We replaced all four arms with a set of graphite arms from Losi.

Also damaged in our tree brawl were some turnbuckle ends. RPM had just what we were looking for and we upgraded all the rod ends to some sweet looking yellow ones. They are thick and much stronger than the stockers. We installed a Losi skid plate (yellow of course) to take a nose pounding.

The cheesy, thin, stock rear gear cover was tossed for something a bit more substantial, the RPM gear cover. It is muck thicker than the original and is truly made to take the abuse of off-road bashing. With this cover installed, there is no reason to fear stray rocks and sticks flying around the track.

The front and rear shock towers were replaced with Team Losi graphite units. They are stronger and lighter than the stock pieces. Their extra rigidity will also improve the handling characteristics of the truck. We managed to bust several of the stock towers and since the addition of the graphite ones, they have not given us any problems, even with the occasional (maybe more than occasional) lid landing or barrel roll.

We added the Losi rear motor cover to increase the level of protection for our motor. Even the best planned jumps go wrong and sometimes a tail landing is inevitable! The yellow cover looks sweet too and goes with the rest of the yellow goods on the truck.

Last but not least in the “tough” department, we installed a RcScrewz stainless steel screw kit. These screws are tougher than nails! Click here for the individual review on this kit.

Put the pedal to the metal.

The stock motor on the XXX is zippy but it quickly left us wanting more speed. A trip to the LHS was the solution. We talked to one of the guys at the LHS who has extensive electric truck experience and he spoke very highly of the Trinity Chameleon motor. It is a 19 turn power plant that would not overly stress our stock speed control. He promised we would love it and he was right. In fact we have gone through two sets of brushes with it and it still injects a smile on our face every time we drive it. $35 very, very well spent.

While installing the motor, we also ditched the thin wires running to the motor that the RTR comes with. We replaced them with some heavier gauge wire that will do a better job of transferring the power from the ESC. The next item we added to our XXX doesn't really add speed however it helps keep the motor running cool and that is very important. The Losi lightened aluminum motor plate has a number of machining grooves to increase the surface are and promote cooling. After a couple of runs with the stock motor plate, it was WAY too hot to touch. With the lightened plate, it was very warm but we could actually touch it (try this at your own risk…it is best not to as there is a chance you will get burned). It’s pretty amazing how well it works! We only wish they offered it in yellow!

We tried a few different, inexpensive batteries to power our Chameleon. We picked up two stick packs; one Dynamite 1500mah pack ($11) and the other a 3000mah Racers Edge pack ($28). Truth be told, we did not spend much on the batteries and this is really not the best move. After a season of running, both batteries are shot and need to be replaced. The price was right though and we certainly got our money out of them. Since then we have tried a 2400mah Sanyo pack ($45) and it BLOWS both of the cheaper packs away.

While we were in the motor and transmission area, we installed the aluminum transmission out-drive from Losi. It is lighter weight than the stock steel unit and will reduce the rotational mass in the transmission. Reducing weight in the drive system will use less energy, increase run time and put the power to the ground faster. While we had the transmissin out, we took the opportunity to clean and lube things up. Our RPM Bearing Blaster took care of cleaning our bearings and getting them back into shape.

Aluminum MIP CVD’s were added to smooth out the drive train and toughen them up at the same time. Lighter weight shafts reduce the load the motor and drive train carry, increasing battery life and trigger response.

Finally, we installed a set of Losi heavy green springs on the rear shocks to keep the ride height in check. 50wt Trinity shock oil was added to the rear and 30wt in the front. This proved to work very well on our track which consists of hard packed dirt, washboards and numerous jumps, of significant size.

WHERE CAN YOU GET THIS STUFF?

THE VERDICT

We have been bashing our XXX with this setup for the past year (sorry it has taken us this long to get the review written and thanks to those who have hounded us to get it done). It has held up very, very well. We have yet to break anything! It handles well and flies through the air like a bird. The XXX is a beautiful piece of work. It was this way when we pulled it out of the box. The goodies we added just made it that much better.

Items on our list of things to buy next? Pivot blocks, steering knuckles, matched batteries (or Lithium batteries), titanium turnbuckles, and new electronics...stay tuned for that and more. We have only just begun this project.