Help on LST

[Lanzen]

Hey few quick questions;

I'm relatively new to Nitro Off-road, but I've been into R/C planes for quite a few years. I bought a LST earlier in the year. This is the original LST, not an LST2. I have a few questions for someone who is knowledgeable in the area.

I currently have the M26SS motor on the ride, and I want to put a bigger motor on instead of buying a new ride. I've been looking at the Losi 454, or a .28 in general. Will this fit inside the current stock set-up for a LST? Or will modifications be necessary or will it just not fit? (again, I'm new)

Secondly, if it fits, will I need any upgrades to a different part of the ride? Differential? Spurgears? What would I need to upgrade to handle the bigger motor? I'd like to put the turbo conversion kit in as well.

I'd like to put 420 series tires on it too, would this present any problems?

Thanks for any help.

[HerrSavage]

The bigger 28 engine will fit no probs.. (Awesome engine..)

I don't know the LST1 too well, but I think it has thin and not very strong arms, and a weaker drivetrain than the LST2.. The 420 tires are good, but they are heavy - this will strain things more.., and possibly lead to more breakage(depending on how you drive..)

The only thing I'd really recommend to go with the 454 engine would be the stock LST2 or XXL pipe..

I run an LRP Spec 3(which is identical to the 454..) in my LST2, and it RIPS.. It rips even more now that I put an XXL transmission in it.. Check out jennysrcsports on ebay for cheap Losi parts..

Go for it, and good luck...

[Lanzen]

Yeah, I was looking into the XXL transmission.

I'm actually going to throw on the LST2 upgrade kit, and a tuned pipe. I might not go with the 420 tires. Basically, I'm looking for a low-profile tire and wheel that will give me pretty good clearance and lightweight to really see how hard this 454 will go.

[Lanzen]

Actually, after review of the Losi main site, 480 series tires and wheels is what I was looking at. Would this present any problems if mounted on a regular LST?

[HerrSavage]

Don't know what 480's are.. Stock LST2 wheels are VERY VERY heavy.. This has pros and cons though.. The weight puts more strain on things.. But the sheer size of the 420's make for great speed, and a bit of cushioning for jumps.. The tread also lasts forever.. I've been running my stock wheels on my basher LST2 for 2 1/2 years.. They are great all around bashing tires..

If you want something lighter, I would recommend Losi Zombie-maxx if you can find them, or maybe Proline Badlands cut to fit on LPR rims..(bigger diameter rim = more speed..)

[Neobart]

Herr 480's are Losi truggy wheels.

You just need a set of 17mm adaptors for you axles. Can't remember of any are available for the LST/AFT axles.

Might wanna upgrade to the LST2 upgrade pack. Better axles, arms, ALU diff cases. Then you can get 17mm adapters for the LST2.

[Lanzen]

That's what I meant by the LST2 conversion kit. I wanted to put on the 420 series upgrade on, and get the 17mm adapter so I can run a smaller tire and wheel. @Taz1175, why do you recommend not doing this? And the turbo conversion kit?

My track is in the backyard, it has 3 jumps, and there isn't anything extreme about it. I'm looking for the best performance that I can get out of the LST before I get another ride. The track is big enough that I can get to top speed before braking. I've enlarged the outside turn so it's possible to slide through it and hit second gear as soon as you leave the turn.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/Lanzen/DSC04928.jpg

[Lanzen]

This (http://www.losi.com/Products/Features.aspx?ProdId=LOSR2245) is what I meant by the conversion kit. It's only for the 454 or a .28 motor, not the LST to LST2 upgrade kit. Upgrade kit is LOSB0014

I fully planned on upgrading with other misc. Aluminum parts. I'm mainly concerned with the Turbo head conversion.

The main thing I am concerned with on the large tires is that it strains the motor to turn those suckers. I'm aiming for the most performance I can get out of the larger motor. I'll probably keep the Claw tires, but they're really unnecessary. I'd like to get something a little more low-profile. If I do the LST upgrade to LST2 components, it would put 20mm hexes on, and then I can get an adapter (http://www.losi.com/Products/Features.aspx?ProdId=LOSB3516) to convert it to 17mm and lower the rotational mass of the tires.

But, yeah, the turbo head. Pros and Cons?

[HerrSavage]

If you're just bashing, I would leave the tires, or run the LST2 wheels/tires. The higher rotational mass is good for speed and in-air control(if you do a lot of jumping..)

One kind of big lesson I've been through in the last year, is that if you change the stock wheels, the LST2 is VERY VERY sensitive as far as gearing. I for ex. started with just putting Muggy wheels on my stock LST2. This suddenly gave me wheelies, but RUINED the top end - and this did strain the engine.. It was winding out much too high, but not pushing any more speed.. Then I got a +2 clutch bell, and this helped, but still wasn't enough..

In the end the XXL tranny is the best thing for the LST2's gearing.. Anyway, just so you know.. Compared to other trucks, the LST2's gearing is VERY sensitive to tire/wheel changes.. (my other trucks - Savages, etc.. have not been so extreme..)

BTW, you mentioned wanting aluminum parts.. I would reconsider this.. - especially if you're thinking Integy..

Sounds to me like you have to decide what you want - a basher, or a racer?.. I have one of each..

If it were me*, I'd go all out and make the your LST a racer - with light truggy wheels, XXL tranny, and maybe the new Mach 26 V2 (www.losipartshouse.com for $129!!) etc.. The A-arms on the LST/AF are kinda' thin and weak, so super light truggy wheels will be nicer to the arms, hubs, carriers, diffs, etc.., and plus the Mach is a super cheap, powerful, reliable, easy to tune engine, with good fuel mileage to boot I might add...

Then I would save up and buy an XXL for bashing... ;-)

* I started with a stock LST2, which is now my basher. It has an LRP Spec 3, XXL tranny, New Era roll-bar, RPM's, and a few other goodies.. Then I bought a brand new LST2, and sold all the guts - engine, radio, wheels, etc.., and ended up with a brand new roller for about 100 bucks..(got it cheap when they were selling out all the LST2's to make way for the XXL..) Then I put in a SW 26 (dirt cheap but plenty powerful..) and some truggy wheels, now with +2 clutch-bell and gear-flipped Aftershock tranny, and it SHREDS on the track.. Almost truggy-like handling, and rocket fast.. Probably weighs five pounds less than the basher.. :-) Another small tip - NON-offset truggy LPR-size tires.. Crazy steering....

Anyway, my point is, it's kind of hard to get a really good setup to do both - bashing and racing.. So why not have two? Then, in a pinch , if one is down you can take parts from it to keep the other one going if necessary...

Another great tip - jennysrcparts on ebay.com.. You could probably put together a new XXL roller for less than $200 with patience and a bit of luck..

[Lanzen]

I want a racer, or as close to a racer as I can get in a Monster Truck platform. The price was right on this LST when I bought it, brand new from a friend of the family. He buys to resell, but being a friend of the family, he gave me a really cut price. I paid 200 for everything. Brand new LST, brand new JR Xr2i transmitter and receivers, chargers, two extra on-board battery packs, spinstart, a few glowplugs, ignitor, a tank of fuel and an extra gallon of 33% Top Fuel from Traxxas when it was still in a metal gallon can. lol

The only thing that didn't work on it was the one-way bearing for the spin start. I bought one and I was racing the same day. It was pretty cool. Instantly hooked.

Another thing, I'm not really looking for high top-end power. Yeah, it will be nice to wind it out once in awhile, and I don't want to blow up a motor, but I'm looking for acceleration to compete with local guys who run 8IGHT-T 2.0's. By spring, after I get my tax return, I'm going to buy an 8IGHT-T 2.0, but right now, I want to have a little fun decking this LST out to have fun with. Our local track is tight corners and short stretches. While this M26SS runs good right now, I'm looking for more thrills.

Also, I have 2 extra sets of A-Arms for the LST. I broke a set already, both sides front. We won't discuss how I managed that one ;) but I have two plastic sets on hand, plus the set that is on it. I'm not really worried about them, because as I said, by spring I won't have a need for them very often. My goal for this LST is to build a racer that can shred and keep up with those darn truggies. By spring, I'll probably end up putting it back to stock and keeping it for some little kid to play with when they come out to watch us.

[Lanzen]

Why do you say that?

Burn hot keeps the motor clean and not gummed up. I don't overheat it. We run a tank of fuel and let it cool for 20 minutes or so.