Plastic Suspension VS. Alloy- you decide

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frddyj

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There is lots of talk in r/c about using plastic suspension parts instead of alloy. Most guys with experience (which definately rules me out) say that plastic has 'memory' and, in many situations, will bend or flex & then go back to its original shape where metal can permanently bend, break or transfer the energy or shock to another place on your r/c vehicle.
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Here is a 2nd gear jump with an F-4.1 approximately 8-10 feet high, nothing to extreme for your everyday HPI Savage----> Jud's 'truck-killa' ramp
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Take a look at the carnage from that little 'kiss'------> Brazil's Damage
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It is a quick look at the damage, but the Alloy a-arm is in pretty good shape, but it must have transferred the load to the bulkhead which snapped in half, snapped the allow upper arm & twisted up the pins.
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Here is another quick look at the damage-------> Brazil Damage
 
Yea common Problem w/ alloy parts .. They transfer the shock to other Parts .. I only run alloy bulkheads


Also it sounds like the truck is really lean on the LSN.. that is why you have a weird idle
 
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I haven't heard anyone talk about FlexTek arms. They do have a memory to them, light weight but expensive. Alum. arms I'd stay away from. Mine were heavy and do bend.

http://www.flextekrc.com/



Any takers in regards to Flextek titanium arms?
 
I wanted a set to race with but for all out bashing the arm does flex but wont fail and save the bulks pins and TVPs on a bad landing
 
My truck came with aluminum bulk head and the suspension arms. I never had a problem yet but really haven't have landed it the wrong way the only time it had is when the throttle got stuck open and it hit a tree and it was fine
 
Yeah, either go Flextek or go plastic.

My FT the book arms are the last thing I think about when bashing. Got some Lunsford pins running through them too.

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i have rpm arms on my to buy list. i watched the flextek video of it flexing and returning back to normal. would the rpm arms give the same amount of flex without snapping also. i'm just wondering cause i would love to have a set of those titanium arms but do you think it definitely has an advantage over the rpm arms. if so what are they?
 
I plan on adding flex tek a arms to the list , at the time i'm running stock a-arms to absorb the impact , when i do i'll include the hinge pins as well .
SL
 
Stock arms and especially RPM arms are real mushy and soft. The Flextek flex, but that video had an enormous about of torque against it. You won't see the arms flexing like that while driving the Savage.

The flextek arms take a lot of slop out of the suspension that you get with plastic. They are also lighter than the plastic ones.

RPM and the stock 25 arms are great though if you can't shell out the loot.

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Stock arms and especially RPM arms are real mushy and soft. The Flextek flex, but that video had an enormous about of torque against it. You won't see the arms flexing like that while driving the Savage.

The flextek arms take a lot of slop out of the suspension that you get with plastic. They are also lighter than the plastic ones.

RPM and the stock 25 arms are great though if you can't shell out the loot.

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everytime i go out with whip i ruin atleast one stock plastic a arm... whipnet's flextek arms never break, he just bends his shock shafts
 
yea but whips thread where he ripped his bulked and shock tower to shreds is not here for the real story.
 
i didnt realise these Flextrec arms were lighter than stock!!!! Shame they are not in production anymore... Any good replacements?
 
keep scouring ebay for some or call the company; never know you might get lucky.
 
emailed flextrek... see what they say... Nothing on fleebay at the moment! are aluminium bulks really a worthy upgrade? How much heavier are the FLM Bulks compared to stock... WEIGHT IS IMPORTANT

Thanks
 

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