X-Trek Pro

[LBRC]

$29.99 at TrU, a rip-off considering how much they suck.

#1 complaint: No range as in maybe 8 feet on a good day. Of course it could just be the two cars, mine and a friends purchased on the same day at the same store, but my guess is that since you are suppose to be driving on their little track they figure you don’t really need to be more than 5 feet away.

#2: They roll, and they roll, oh and did I say they roll. Only way they could have made them more top heavy was to put the two batteries on a rack on top of the car instead of just on top of the circuit board. And again I suppose since you are suppose to be driving on the track with its sidewalls they would prevent most of the rolling, but who wants to be limited to their stupid track.



IMO bottom line if you don’t want the track don’t get the car.

Yea but I already have the little piece of flea dung so…

Step 1: remove batteries.
Step 2: Get hulking big diode out of the way by relocating it to the bottom of the CB.


Step3: A little chassis trimming.

Step 4: Add 145 mAh LiPo




Ok not quite so top heavy now, still it would have been nicer if the LiPo could have squeezed under the CB instead of resting on top.

And before anyone is tempted to ask if it’s faster, let me point out that unless something can be done about the range that is hardly a benefit, unless you have a bloody big floor and want to run along side while you run instead of jog alongside.

Other miscellaneous likes and dislikes:
• You do get two bodies, that’s nice.
• The controller has a little light button which would be cool if there actually where lights on my car.
• An Enzo’s rear wheels are suppose to be larger than it’s front wheels however by going supper-sized instead of just slightly larger they screwed up what actually could have been a decent looking little micro.
• The motor is the same size as a ZZMT so if the range and related (IMO) glitching can be fixed there could be some fun factor value in modifying them.

Bottom line; unless there’s a way to fix the range $5 would be too much.

[crazydave]

Do these cars have proportional control?

[LBRC]

Yes, estimate 10 detents in each direction, except reverse which seems to be 2.

[ibjamn]

And before anyone is tempted to ask if it’s faster, let me point out that unless something can be done about the range that is hardly a benefit, unless you have a bloody big floor and want to run along side while you run instead of jog alongside.
.

And then with it glitching, you may step on it?

[sidewinder]

Have we ever had any of the electronics guys try to boost the power output of the transmitters. I mean if we can have CBs that cover almost an entire state???

[frizzen]

Range should be moderately fixable.

What freq are they setup on?
Do (Bit/Zip/Clone/Whatever) Tx work with them?
How long are the Antennas for each freq?
Have you ever used a Dittle Stick on a tuning coil?

So the 2 bodies are both Enzos?

[sidewinder]

Range should be moderately fixable.

What freq are they setup on?
Do (Bit/Zip/Clone/Whatever) Tx work with them?
How long are the Antennas for each freq?
Have you ever used a Dittle Stick on a tuning coil?

Ok, the last one you're just making-up.

[frizzen]

Ok, ya got me... I can't spell when I'm tired.

Diddlestick. It is a Non-ferrous tool used to adjust the ferrite slug in tuning coils.

When I was still working at the avionics shop, mine were normally made (by me) from a wooden handle of a cotton swab that had been sharpened with a razor. I've had some production ones made from plastic, some even had a spinner knob on top, but they're over-engineered and I don't think they're any better for the job than just a sharpened stick.

But Sidewinder, if you're in the mood to call me out, let's go. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.p ... ddle+stick

I'd stay away from Tx mods until you know that the Rx is actually working right. Mass produced by chinese laborers making their minimum wage doesn't make for finely tuned electronics.
-
Anyway, those previous questions still stand.

[sidewinder]

That's really going to be fun, I think I'll head over to Harbor Freight, find the most timid looking kid I can and ask him to show me his diddle stick. It might be nearly as much fun as the time I went to the Ace Hardware beside the nudie bar we were building (people thought it was a gay bar since we brought in a lot of rope lights and wouldn't tell anyone what was going in), anyway...I went to the Ace and this kid who was obviously freaked out by me anyway asked what he could do for me, so I innocently told him, "OK boy, show me you're caulk." When he panicked and got the obviously pissed off manager I told him, "I'm just looking for some good caulk, I'd prefer a black caulk but at this point I'll take whatever caulk I can get." For some reason I had to find another hardware store.

[frizzen]

Try RadioHack instead. There's a chance they might have one, but unless you get an old nerd employee, they won't know. "Welcome to Cellphone Shack, how can I be clueless annoy you?"

Let us know how the shopping trip goes either way

Huh, never would have guessed hardware store guys get uptight when you start in with "Show me your caulk. How long does this caulk take to harden? Your caulk is SOO big! Mmmmm, I want you to caulk me! I need your caulk!!!"

[Namuna]

Thanks for the heads-up on these,

my local TRU had them also and I was real close to buying...Glad I didn't

[lovedoctor]

Holla!

Yep, back from the netherworld again.

I took a chance and bought an X-Trek Pro Ferrari Enzo--figured I could return it if the reviews were true.

Here are things I found that help control the car better:

1. Try to drive it like a real car. If you bought a brand-new sports car, would you slam on the gas and floor it for a quarter mile the very first time you were behind the wheel? If your answer is yes, it explains why you're rolling it. Try to see how SLOW you can drive it at first. This is explained more in the next answers.

2. Practice with it. The instruction book openly admits that turning radius can vary depending on vehicles current action (turning from a stand-still, rate of speed while engaging a turn). Learn how the car responds in different rates of turn.

3. The car's controller has a steering trim. And, compared to RS RC, the trim actually works! The trim was set to far right at the factory in my model. I've found to turn it to just right of center gives me a good straight-away.

4. There is a speed trim on the controller, too. I tried it at first at lowest level (factory setting) turned it to max and tried it again, then turned it back down. I have learned the car's weaknesses and can even compensate for them a little.

The only glitch I noticed is that if you hit the gas suddenly from a stand still, it goes and inch or two in the opposite direction before going in the direction you intended. This doesn't always happen and gradual acceleration limits the occurence.

Bottom line: yes the learning curve is steep but I kinda like the fact that I had to "learn" how to drive it. It felt like learning the performance profile of a new car.

The book also says to stay away from concrete walls as there could be interference. So if you're driving in a basement, stay a couple feet from the wall (either you or the vehicle) and it should respond well.

I built a bridge for the car to go over and found that with practice, I can get the car to approach the bridge exactly as I intended. BTW, the torque is much better than ZZ. On a similar bridge, my ZZ would have gotten stuck on the top edge where the bridge levels out. Never happens with this car.

Silla in Manilla, Gorillas,

Lovedoc

[sidewinder]

How's the range? I know there have been complaints (here and other boards) but no one has said about what the range is. I was thinking of building a track that would be about 8X8ft...I'm guessing eight feet should be useable?? I kind of like the idea of a car that is harder to drive, as long as it comes down to a skill that can actually be learned.

Lovedoctor wrote:

. Try to drive it like a real car. If you bought a brand-new sports car, would you slam on the gas and floor it for a quarter mile the very first time you were behind the wheel?

Meh, a 1/4 mile? Why the hell would you lift off so soon?

[lovedoctor]

I don't want to be a salesman for X-trek

That said, I will preface what I say with the fact that these cars (regardless of manufacturer: ZZ, Tomy, etc.) can vary in performance--something about the manufacturing that suggests they are not consistently built or vary in quality on the assembly line.

Like they used to say about Detriot: "Never buy a car built on a monday or a friday."

Okay, as far as range goes, an 8' by 8' track should be plenty of space. I was gonna suggest 8' by 10' for a nice oval or what I like to call a "Pseudo Montecarlo track" My last track was a figure eight--with a bridge at the intersection that I built out of old cerial boxes.

I only have about 10' by 10' of space where i "play" and I got the impression the car could go further without loosing control. I mean, whatta ya want to do with it? Send it to the supermarket to pick up groceries?

And btw, I've been looking at some of Crazy Dave's recent handi-work:

Man, you should be workin' for the Gov't! I envision Dave being walked into a big conference room full of generals asking him to make a micro rc that can get past enemy lines and blow the bejeezus out of a fortified bunker! Kudos!

Silla in Manilla Gorillas!

[sidewinder]

I think he may be working on something like that...don't be surprised if two guys in black suites show up at your house to "talk" to you.

Thanks for the input. I was thinking of using the track that comes with it without the center divider, then maybe build some landscaping around it to make it look like a country road. I figure for traction, and to get rid of the snap together joints, I would cover it in dense foam or thin plastic depending on how much trction I need. If it works I would then pick-up a second track and morph the two into a bigger course...the box I saw online looked like it said 6X4 ft so I figure two sheets of plywood for a base should be about right for two connected tracks.