|
|
|
 |
RCCars |  |
Crack Roll | |
Flying Giants | |
RC Power | |
The E Zone | |
Lift Zone | |
Our Sponsors |  |
|||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Hobbico O’Donnell Z01-T 1/8 scale Truggy Review
Sep 17, 2009, 10:47 AM
Introduction
The O'Donnell Z01-T Truggy is a high-end 1/8th scale Truggy for serious racers. O'Donnell needs no introduction to most R/C car fanatics, but until recently, O’Donnell was known mostly for its fuel and accessories. With this new Truggy, O’Donnell branches out into custom designed vehicles of their own, taking years of parts manufacturing knowledge to make a world class vehicle.
Kit Contents
Kit Contains:
Kit Requires:
Features
O’Donnell engineered the Z01-T to be fully tunable so it can be optimized for track conditions. It is intended to be easy to tune and easy to maintain. One of the first things I noticed was the robustness of most of the parts. With the kind of abuse truggies take, I was looking forward to seeing how the Z01-T would handle it. With a machined 7075 T6 hard anodized chassis for the backbone, a carbon fiber servo tray, front plate and center diff top plate, this race truck is built to be strong and light. A full set of rubber sealed bearings are included, as are rubber booties on the big bore shocks. Polished 4mm diameter shafts help the machined aluminum shocks manage the damping duties, and lightened aluminum shock towers are milled in such a way to avoid being bent. Front and rear hinge pins for the suspension arms pivot in steel inserts, preventing wear at the pivot point. The inboard arm steering linkage design lowers the center of gravity and helps protect against side impact damage. A molded polycarbonate body is made thick and should hold up well to track abuse.
Like all 1/8 scale truggies, the Z01-T is designed around a .21-.28 sized engine, with an “SG” style crankshaft, which gets mounted to a heatsink type aluminum motor mount. 150cc of fuel are held in the race legal fuel tank, and dual high volume fuel filters help insure your expensive power plant is not drinking any grit. A three-shoe aluminum clutch transfers the power to the drive train. Nickel-plated steel front and rear CV drive-shafts and out-drives carry the power to all four tires. Planetary sintered metal gears can be found in all three differentials. Since everything on the truck is competition quality, I was a bit surprised to see the cast aluminum steering knuckles hiding out of obvious view. Stopping power is handled through a dual disk brake setup that straddles the center diff and allows for adjustment of the front to rear brake bias.
Assembly
The Z01-T has a high parts count, but if you've built an 1/8th scale vehicle before, you know that it does take a little time This is a big car and requires the right tools and a dedicated, tidy work area. I built the car over about a two month period, and I found the instructions to be very thorough. The three differentials go together well, but I did have a problem with the gear mesh in the rear. The kit includes several washers to assist in setting up the proper lash, and it took me awhile to find the right combination. For some reason, I could play with the gears by hand before cinching everything down, and the lash felt fine, but once I mounted everything in place, I felt a slight binding in part of the rotation. After a rebuild the problem went away, and I suppose there may have just been a piece of grit stuck to a gear tooth, but the binding remains a puzzle and the sort of thing to watch out for anytime you build a serious vehicle like the Z01-T. Take the time and you will be rewarded with a capable vehicle. I was very impressed with the overall design of the truggy. There are always weak points, but O'Donnell thought ahead and added braces in what seem to be the right areas.
Completion
I enlisted the help of MyKart designs to paint the Z01-T body body, and they turned it around in short order with a beautiful paint job. All the details were added with hand trimmed masking tape. The front end gives it a nice finished custom look similar to a stock car.
Driving
Basics
After running a few tanks of fuel through the mighty O.S. on the bench, I began to explore the truck’s feel very gingerly. With the engine running very rich for break-in on fuel with extra oil in it, I was given a chance to get used to it before the engine would let me get in trouble. As I leaned the engine out and opened it up a little more with each tank, I was glad I had taken the time to get accustomed to it. With more power available, the truck drifted smoothly around corners with a little blip of the throttle. Jumping the truck was as easy as can be once the engine was singing. With a burst of throttle leading up to the jump, the truck would sail effortlessly over and hang in the air looking almost cartoon-like. Like any good off-road vehicle, controlling the attitude of the flight was as easy as maintaining proper control over the gas. A little more gas to keep the nose up and a little less gas or even brakes to get the nose down kept the truck flying level during the jump.
Racing
I solicited the help of a local RC car guru from Tammie’s Hobbies in Beaverton, Oregon, Mike Black. I asked him to help me provide a more skilled opinion of how the truck felt on the track. Mike also loaned me a starter box and helped ensure a proper break-in. After working his magic on the engine, Mike set about shredding up the Rise RC Raceway. The Rise RC Raceway, located in Canby, Oregon at Pat’s Acres Go-Karting track, is built with national-sized events in mind. It features a large, technical layout with wide straightaways and large jumps and provides a perfect location to put the Z01-T to the test. There is a roller out of a corner leading up to one of the triples, limiting the run up to the triple. The O’Donnell had no problem slowing down to roll over the first jump, and slamming the gas launched the truck clear of the triple, showing good power and traction. At the end of the triple is a short landing into a sharp turn, and with a little practice and finesse, Mike had the Z01-T clearing the triple and sliding right into the turn as it glided off the jump.
Mike suggested we could use taller gearing for this track as the engine revved out halfway down the straightaway. With the OS .28 XZ, the Z01-T has power to spare. Gearing it up would also smooth out the power delivery and help the truck carry more speed with less wheel spin. When we were at the track, the day was 90+ degrees Fahrenheit, so although we attempted to wet the track down before we drove, it was beginning to dry out and get dusty by the end of one tank. The track was hard packed and rutted in some areas, adding to the difficulty. Our testing for the day was cut short due to a broken steering knuckle. Altogether including break-in, the Truck had 20 tanks of fuel run through it, all on the track.
Tune Ups and Optional Parts
Although most of the truck is built like a tank, I had a bit of trouble with the cast aluminum steering knuckles. Although I did jump the truck, 1/8 scale Truggys are known for their toughness and prowess on the track. Twice during my testing I broke a steering knuckle. The first break occurred on a hard landing at an angle where the break was not terribly surprising. I acquired a replacement set, and after repair, the truck was never wrecked. During a smooth landing on a triple, the second steering knuckle failed. Both failures happened around the lower screw, around which the knuckle pivots. Everything else on the truck handled track conditions well. On the O'Donnell website, I found a free upgrade is offered for Z01-B owners to update their car with parts from the Z01-B Team kit. The first part mentioned with the new parts is a completely redesigned steering knuckle assembly.
Is this for a Beginner?O’Donnell did not intend the Z01-T for the beginner, but for the competition ready, RC car addict. The manual is geared towards someone who has built a few nitro RC cars before, with many little details left up to the builder. A beginner will need assistance to complete this vehicle.
Driving Video/Photo Gallery
Conclusion
Steve O'Donnell has taken a great leap to design and build an entire production 1/8 scale chassis. After addressing the knuckle issue, the truck should be well equipped to take on daily track abuse. With easy access for adjustments and repairs, good parts support from a big name distributor (Hobbico) and a price that is entry level for competition 1/8 scale, the O'Donnell Z01-T is sure to start showing up soon at a track near you!
Pluses:
Minuses:
Special Thanks
I owe a special thanks to these folks who provided the help required to get this review rolling MyKart Designs Custom Lexan Painting, email: Majicman97n1@netzero.com Mike Black from Tammies Hobbies www.tammieshobbies.com Rise RC Raceway at Pats Acres Go-Karting track www.risercraceway.com and www.patsacres.com Last edited by Angela H; Sep 16, 2009 at 12:35 PM.. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
|
|
Sep 17, 2009, 08:46 PM
|
#2 |
|
Dr. Dave
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Howard County, MO
Posts: 945
|
Aaron, nice to see a ground bound review here, Good job.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Thread Tools | |
Similar Threads
|
||||
| Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
| Article Pilot-1 Champ 1/8 Scale ARF Review | dee-grose | Scale Electric Planes | 246 | Jan 23, 2010 01:53 PM |
| Article Pilot-1 PA-12 1/8 Scale ARF Review | 78dave | Scale Electric Planes | 27 | Nov 07, 2009 04:47 PM |
| Found 1/8 Scale Truggy To Race | jjlaxdog | Cars - Cars and Parts (FS/W) | 10 | Feb 25, 2008 07:00 PM |
| Question O/T 1/8th scale onroad rc cars electric | ray schrauwen | Motorcycles | 2 | Aug 18, 2007 04:23 PM |
|
|
Downloads
