Assuming you have the original plate on your car right now: what are you looking to improve on the car?
I haven't tested any other plates on my D413, but generally aluminium chassis' have less flex than CF. This will make the car feel sharper and can make the car feel more confidence-inspiring, particularly in high bite conditions. The centre of gravity will also become lower (good for high-bite conditions). The car will be more sensitive to setup changes, which can lead to a more dialled in car; it however can also mean the window within which your car performs well becomes smaller (so the car needs more attention to the setup to keep it dialled in). As standard the D413 has a lot of flex (compared to other cars), hence the option of an aluminium chassis exists.
Regarding wheelbase, a longer wheelbase makes the car more stable at high speed and more suitable for flowing, high-speed layouts; it can also make the car more forgiving towards oversteer (in loose/low-grip conditions). It also makes the car less suitable for tight corners and sections. The D413's standard wheelbase is relatively short for current 4WDs, hence there are (only) optional chassis' that extend the wheelbase.
In the end the choice is down to preference and setup; I'm still using the original chassis as I've found a setup that works well for me without changing the chassis. Instead I'm using custom shock towers and shorter shocks (Associated); this keeps the car flatter at high speeds and makes the car feel sharper despite high amounts of droop and a thin stabilizer.
24-10-2016
Hot Bodies / HPI
Hybrid Mode
