( The term "High Performance" is in itself the answer for serious racers. The short answer therefore would be Yes. The long answer is what follows:
1) The stock wheels and tires are fine while becoming accustomed to your new X mods. However, the tires are a factor that affect your performance. Different tire treads help adjust to the running surface, while the width and composition influence traction. Alloy wheels are better suited to withstand wear and are great way to personalize your ride. Besides, there is nothing wrong with owning several pairs. I do, they allow me to adjust to situations in seconds!
2) The billet front and rear knuckles perform better are stronger and require less parts than the stock ones, allowing you to loose some weight. Alloy shafts with captured dog bones are stronger and properly installed and maintained can prevent lost dog bones. Metal or ceramic bearings reduce binding, friction and resistance. Shimming your hubs can eliminate the power robbing in/out slack of the shafts increasing handling and performance. Make sure that they're not too wide as this will cause binding.
3) The front and rear lower arms concentrate the material at the stress points creating a lower volume part. They are vented or have openings that allow a better view of the dog bone/differential matings. ( This vents reduce resistance against the surrounding air, allowing a faster damper reaction time. This is not proven, it's only a theory resulting from a conversation with a teammate. But I figured, why not take the opportunity to entertain your intellect.) These are better suited for stock or low rider configurations rather than off road. They are definitely an improvement from plastic and will outlast it.
4) The alloy differentials resist wear more effectively than stock and allow easy replacement or upgrade of worn gears. They also create a more precise and stronger nesting for the dog bones.
5) Alloy front and rear damper mounts are stiffer and reduce the damaging flexing suffered by stock ones. This keeps stress and shock were it belongs, the dampers. They are intended to be replacements for stock parts so they will not complement 4WD off road kits. There are upgrades that allow you to choose different spring tensions, an important option for fine tunning, improving performance reaction and handling.
6) Billet gear housings are stronger, resist wear, and have an improved fit over stock. They help increase the overall strength of the assembly. Their design creates openings that facilitate the inspection of the third gear assembly and bearings. This allows the lubrication of your differential without having to open the housing. (You shouldn't be running your differentials on bushings at this point!) Metal also creates a larger heat dissipating surface, especially the motor mounts in evo trucks. The unfinished ones are the same color throughout and make it easy to buff out the nicks and scratches suffered by the occasional running surface contact of low riders.
7) Custom motors have a higher performance to consumption ratio than stock. They will provide more speed and torque improving efficiency and performance. Some will require more power and will demand modification of your electronics. Others run hot and require more efficient heat dissipation. Metal motor heat sinks are an improvement from plastic retainers but are sometimes inefficient. This is where alloy motor mounts reveal their true worth, assisting in heat dissipation as they double as heat sinks.
8) There are many power alternatives available. Sick of wasting money on alkaline? Six cell power, 9 volt turbo boosts, nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion and lithium polymers are all available. Some require rewiring and configuration. If you have good soldering skills do your own, if not leave it to the pros. It's also possible to replace and stack up the stock FETs, allowing more current to reach the motor. Installing a V2 board is the best alternative I've found. Converting to pro ready capabilities allows the introduction of electronic diagnostics, alerting you to performance problems that may not be plainly visible. Information such as available power vs. requirements and consumption, track/lap time, speed and motor temp. are all accessible. There are components and software that allow you to integrate your pc into your X mods arsenal!
In my humble opinion alloy aluminum billet is definitely the way to go. If not for the increased performance, do it for the looks. It beats looking at all that orange/green and gray. If not, do it so you can own a "High Performance" machine you can truly pride in. Either way, the sooner the better. Hopefully I have answered your questions, or at least shed some light into the alternatives. I have spent over 4 times the cost of a new X mods kit on one of my racers and have found it worthwhile. On the quest we are, reach out if I can help.
1) The stock wheels and tires are fine while becoming accustomed to your new X mods. However, the tires are a factor that affect your performance. Different tire treads help adjust to the running surface, while the width and composition influence traction. Alloy wheels are better suited to withstand wear and are great way to personalize your ride. Besides, there is nothing wrong with owning several pairs. I do, they allow me to adjust to situations in seconds!
2) The billet front and rear knuckles perform better are stronger and require less parts than the stock ones, allowing you to loose some weight. Alloy shafts with captured dog bones are stronger and properly installed and maintained can prevent lost dog bones. Metal or ceramic bearings reduce binding, friction and resistance. Shimming your hubs can eliminate the power robbing in/out slack of the shafts increasing handling and performance. Make sure that they're not too wide as this will cause binding.
3) The front and rear lower arms concentrate the material at the stress points creating a lower volume part. They are vented or have openings that allow a better view of the dog bone/differential matings. ( This vents reduce resistance against the surrounding air, allowing a faster damper reaction time. This is not proven, it's only a theory resulting from a conversation with a teammate. But I figured, why not take the opportunity to entertain your intellect.) These are better suited for stock or low rider configurations rather than off road. They are definitely an improvement from plastic and will outlast it.
4) The alloy differentials resist wear more effectively than stock and allow easy replacement or upgrade of worn gears. They also create a more precise and stronger nesting for the dog bones.
5) Alloy front and rear damper mounts are stiffer and reduce the damaging flexing suffered by stock ones. This keeps stress and shock were it belongs, the dampers. They are intended to be replacements for stock parts so they will not complement 4WD off road kits. There are upgrades that allow you to choose different spring tensions, an important option for fine tunning, improving performance reaction and handling.
6) Billet gear housings are stronger, resist wear, and have an improved fit over stock. They help increase the overall strength of the assembly. Their design creates openings that facilitate the inspection of the third gear assembly and bearings. This allows the lubrication of your differential without having to open the housing. (You shouldn't be running your differentials on bushings at this point!) Metal also creates a larger heat dissipating surface, especially the motor mounts in evo trucks. The unfinished ones are the same color throughout and make it easy to buff out the nicks and scratches suffered by the occasional running surface contact of low riders.
7) Custom motors have a higher performance to consumption ratio than stock. They will provide more speed and torque improving efficiency and performance. Some will require more power and will demand modification of your electronics. Others run hot and require more efficient heat dissipation. Metal motor heat sinks are an improvement from plastic retainers but are sometimes inefficient. This is where alloy motor mounts reveal their true worth, assisting in heat dissipation as they double as heat sinks.
8) There are many power alternatives available. Sick of wasting money on alkaline? Six cell power, 9 volt turbo boosts, nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion and lithium polymers are all available. Some require rewiring and configuration. If you have good soldering skills do your own, if not leave it to the pros. It's also possible to replace and stack up the stock FETs, allowing more current to reach the motor. Installing a V2 board is the best alternative I've found. Converting to pro ready capabilities allows the introduction of electronic diagnostics, alerting you to performance problems that may not be plainly visible. Information such as available power vs. requirements and consumption, track/lap time, speed and motor temp. are all accessible. There are components and software that allow you to integrate your pc into your X mods arsenal!
In my humble opinion alloy aluminum billet is definitely the way to go. If not for the increased performance, do it for the looks. It beats looking at all that orange/green and gray. If not, do it so you can own a "High Performance" machine you can truly pride in. Either way, the sooner the better. Hopefully I have answered your questions, or at least shed some light into the alternatives. I have spent over 4 times the cost of a new X mods kit on one of my racers and have found it worthwhile. On the quest we are, reach out if I can help.
Guide created: 07/15/07 (updated 05/22/08)
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