RC Trix: Components for Team Losi Triple-XNT

Radio Control Car Action, Oct 2003

RC Trix

Components for Team Losi Triple-XNT

TEAM LOSI'S TRIPLE-XNT IS MADE FOR RACING, and that makes it an extremely tough machine, but that doesn't mean it's designed purely for strength. Race machines are built as strong as they need to be, not as strong as they can be, so a little extra beef is always welcome for hardcore thrashers. A little extra style doesn't hurt either, and a blend of strength and style is exactly what the gang at RC Trix hopes to give your Triple-XNT with these aluminum suspension arms, battery box, pivot blocks and shock towers. All of the parts are machined of 6061 billet and are available anodized in vivid blue or treated to a chrome-like "Brite Dip." You can buy the parts individually, or you can order the complete set with one item number (the info is at the end of the article). Here's how the parts stack up.

* SUSPENSION ARMS

The RC Trix arms were installed as easily as the stock parts, and fresh hinge pins are included. Use a little thread-lock on the shock screws since they aren't self-tapping into plastic anymore. The rear arms' shock-mounting holes duplicate the stock arms' top three holes, but the RC Trix arms omit the two lower holes. In the front arms, you'll notice a pair of extra holes; these are for RC Trix's soon-to-be-released Aftershock system.

* RC Trix on the track

After installing all the RC Trix gear on a Triple-XNT, we gave it a good backyard-bash-style thrashing to see how the gear would hold up. A busted-off battery box is the most common day-ender for us, so we intentionally let the XNT make some hard, butt-first landings. The box's square edges tore divots out of the ground, but with the exception of scraped anodizing, no damage was done and the receiver box stayed put.

Likewise, cartwheeling wrecks left the truck unscathed. It is conceivable that an impact could be severe enough to make the arms bend and stay bent-they are metal, after all-but we couldn't hit them hard enough to make that happen. Sure, we could have driven the truck into a light pole at full throttle, but we didn't see the point. Even if the RC Trix parts could take it, the rest of the truck would be toast!

Since the RC Trix parts don't alter the suspension geometry, we figured our "alumified" XNT would handle like the stock truck, but it didn't. The difference was subtle, but the truck had a little more rear traction (which makes sense, since the aluminum rear arms and battery box put more weight on the rear tires). The extra weight didn't seem to impact acceleration and top speed in any noticeable way, though; if anything, the truck felt faster because it was more planted.

RC Trix blue aluminum parts kit for Team Losi Triple-XNT-RCT 3600NTBL; $200.

RC Trix (866) 472-8749; rctricks.com.

* SHOCK TOWERS

These direct bolt-ons were installed without difficulty (but again, thread-lock is recommended). The body posts are separate threaded parts, and the body-clip holes lined up perfectly when the posts were tightened-those threads are cut carefully! As with the arms, the shock-mounting holes are identical to those on the stock parts, so your setup won't be changed when you install the RC Trix parts.

* PIVOT BLOCKS

The pivot blocks were installed in conjunction with the arms. Since the aluminum arms have virtually zero give, they're likely to overstress the stock plastic pivots. Adding the RC Trix aluminum versions makes the XNT just about crash-proof. There weren't any fit issues when everything was assembled, but one of the hinge pins was a bit tight in the rear arms. It rotated freely in the pivot block, though, so there wasn't any binding in the system. Suspension geometry was unchanged by the RC Trix parts.

* BATTERY BOX

Ah, the finishing touch. Regardless of brand, any battery box hung off the rear of a chassis is almost certain to break during a hard rear-end-first landing. Upgrading to an aluminum job like the RC Trix box is the bulletproof option. The box clamps a "3x2" receiver pack tightly, and it won't part from the chassis no matter how hard you biff. Installation was easy, but we did have to add spacer washers as RC Trix suggests; they're included with the box.