Yeti XL Aftermarket Thread

[Barndog Racing]

They hold up well I have been building and selling these bodies for the HPI Baja for the past 5 years out of .040 alum and they weigh alot more than these cars do.I chose .040 for the roof and hood for extra durability and .032 on the sides because they dont get as much.And baja guys beat the crap out of stuff .The plus is they can be bent back or pound a dent out if you get one then paint them and you don't need a whole new body.

[Sneetches]

Ok, they sound tough enough then lol. Plus if it does need straightened I forgot that it's only a couple screws and then it's off.

[BEELZEBOB]

i want a squared, "truck" front for my Yeti. I'm debating buying another cage and seeing what i can come up with.

[cmbscx10]

Originally Posted by Barndog Racing

They hold up well I have been building and selling these bodies for the HPI Baja for the past 5 years out of .040 alum and they weigh alot more than these cars do.I chose .040 for the roof and hood for extra durability and .032 on the sides because they dont get as much.And baja guys beat the crap out of stuff .The plus is they can be bent back or pound a dent out if you get one then paint them and you don't need a whole new body.

Evening. Will you be offer panel kits that wrap around the cage like this?

[Sneetches]

I will have a T-bone Racing a-arm skid kit and the roof for the XL here soon enough. I'll post up what I think after I get them on and run the truck a bit, maybe mention them in a new video .

Quick note: I also visited the HR site recently to check about shocks, but I noticed a listing I hadn't seen before for an unrealeased part: "Heavy Duty Diff Posi Lock Spool Yeti XL"

So it looks like they'll be releasing a spool, which is funny given the confusing wording of calling it "posi-lock".

[Sneetches]

So I got my T-Bone stuff and went to install it all. This is my first impression of the company and my first purchase so obviously I'm eager to see how it goes...

The roof looked like I imagined. I think this thick delrin roof should help absorb impacts from rollover a lot better than the stock piece of lexan. Fit was perfect.



Now, I went to install the a-arm skids. With no instructions provided, I did manage to figure out that there are little delrin "clamps" that screw from the skids and sandwich themselves onto the a-arm, which is a pretty cool design IMO. I used the image on the website for the positioning, and it looked OK at first...



And then I thought about it, and plugged my batteries in to test. Unfortunately, the wheels will easily hit the skids under full steering, and even more so on bad landings whenever everything flexes...Now, you're thinking "well just move them backwards so they don't hit", but you can't, because the a-arm is in the way of the screw then. So I'm a bit confused now, since either I have something wrong or they do. I guess I will just get in contact with them and see why this is happening, BUT I'm not going to sweat it and if worst comes to worst I'll probably just cut the skids so that the wheel isn't even close. Overall, this part left me wondering...I bought the skids with the idea of not having to modify them off the bat.

[hypnolobster]

That's pretty bad. You'd think somebody would notice in testing..

[cmbscx10]

I like the roof panel and it will definitely be better than stock. I wish someone would make a top that wraps around the cage a little. The corners of my Yeti Jr and the XL get the worst of the grinding. I think i will try to mold one using some left over Kydex i have from my knife sheath and holsters.

WTF on the arms? Before i read your write up i said those aren't going to work unless it's a shelf whore. Who ever thought that would work should be thouroughly head checked. It doesn't even cover the whole arm by the looks of it.

[fornowagain]

Mine was getting ground up as well so made a wrap over roof from aluminium.

[Sneetches]

Welp, at least my response to T-Bone came through and they're on my side:


"Hello,

Thank you for contacting us.
We reevaluated the skid design. Our skids show that there is 1/8" clearance in between the skids and wheels. We will be updating the skid to allow for more clearance.
You can modify the skids yourself and it will not void the warranty or you can wait for the updated skid to be designed and we can send you a new set."

So that's good, but I'm still confused as to how nobody noticed this during testing (or lack thereof)? Also, my DHawk steering rack came in today. That's some fast shipping from China.

[cmbscx10]

Originally Posted by Sneetches

Welp, at least my response to T-Bone came through and they're on my side:


"Hello,

Thank you for contacting us.
We reevaluated the skid design. Our skids show that there is 1/8" clearance in between the skids and wheels. We will be updating the skid to allow for more clearance.
You can modify the skids yourself and it will not void the warranty or you can wait for the updated skid to be designed and we can send you a new set."

So that's good, but I'm still confused as to how nobody noticed this during testing (or lack thereof)? Also, my DHawk steering rack came in today. That's some fast shipping from China.

Sweet! At least they owned up to it and offered a replacement. As far as noticing the error. I chaulk it up to "It is what it is". Global Warming is caused by Brain farts like that not cows.

[Chip73]

Originally Posted by cmbscx10

Sweet! At least they owned up to it and offered a replacement. As far as noticing the error. I chaulk it up to "It is what it is". Global Warming is caused by Brain farts like that not cows.

Ill have to look. I just installed the full T-Bone set for the XL. My only issue was the hardware. Really seemed to stripped easily. Ill check my clearance on the skids.

[Sneetches]

Originally Posted by Chip73

Ill have to look. I just installed the full T-Bone set for the XL. My only issue was the hardware. Really seemed to stripped easily. Ill check my clearance on the skids.

You have the rear axle skid on as well? I think that's the part that gets hung up on rocks a lot for me. I also did try to move the skid around the arm a tad but it just didn't work, I'd have to redrill the holes...

[Chip73]

Originally Posted by Sneetches

You have the rear axle skid on as well? I think that's the part that gets hung up on rocks a lot for me. I also did try to move the skid around the arm a tad but it just didn't work, I'd have to redrill the holes...

Yes but I have not run it yet, waiting on my Robinson Racing slipper. Mine loosened and melted.

[hypnolobster]

Originally Posted by Sneetches

Also, my DHawk steering rack came in today. That's some fast shipping from China.

I got mine a couple days ago, too. Stupid great in terms of fit and finish, and coming with aluminum posts over the HR version for the same price was quite nice.

[Sneetches]

Got my DHawk steering rack on now. It wasn't binding up much at all but was slightly rubbing the diff case, so I shaved that down a bit and now it works great. My Hitec finally feels like a 400oz servo, even when I step on the front end. I have Losi XXL shocks coming in to also fix up the suspension once and for all ( I hope) and after that, I'm not sure what else...I need to make a more cinematic vid of the truck some time.

[Sneetches]

The Dhawk rack has given me a ton more steering now, the truck is a lot easier on turns. Still gotta work on the suspension, I need thicker oil up front, and more spring and less oil in the rear. Overall, truck is still going strong, despite my efforts at driving it up the oak tree every time I take it out...

[Tekyguy]

Originally Posted by Sneetches

The Dhawk rack has given me a ton more steering now, the truck is a lot easier on turns. Still gotta work on the suspension, I need thicker oil up front, and more spring and less oil in the rear. Overall, truck is still going strong, despite my efforts at driving it up the oak tree every time I take it out...

Do you think the dhawk rack is a quality part? I look at it next to the hot racing one and the hot racing one looks nicer anyway. Not sure about function obviously. The hot racing is out of stock everywhere.

Thanks for your feedback!!!

[cmbscx10]

Originally Posted by Tekyguy

Do you think the dhawk rack is a quality part? I look at it next to the hot racing one and the hot racing one looks nicer anyway. Not sure about function obviously. The hot racing is out of stock everywhere.

Thanks for your feedback!!!

I don't have the DHawk steering upgrade so i can't comment on that. I have the HR Upgrade and though it is a much better product than Stock i am not impressed at all. The machining is OK but far from VP or even STRC. I have only bought the DHawk spacers for the Diff upgrade and the indication of the quality of machining is that i would purchase the Steering upgrade, the bulkhead and pretty much any Aluminum upgrade i will do from here out. Just my .02.

[Sneetches]

My only issue with the Dhawk rack was a tad bit of binding when I assembled the front again. I had to shave about 1mm off the bulkhead to get it bind-free. Otherwise it works great now and the truck has a lot more steering capability. I left the plastic links on because they seem to absorb the 1 wheel impacts and I can live with that...for the finish though, i'd say the part looks great.