Outdrives - Weak point or bad luck?

[sime46]

I think you'd find it difficult to find a car manufacturer that not only listens to customers opinions but actively goes out of their way to help their drivers/customers. The outdrive fault is well documented on here and they've fixed it. New ones are coming through. I have some. Problem solved. I personally struggled with set up or a while but spoke to Andy at PBM who in turn spoke to Phil Booth who supplied me with the set up I now run(and its mint). I spose the point I'm making is that they listened and fixed it. Always accesible. I have never had that with any other team/manufaturer. Its a great car so I say stick with it.

[BlackedOutMugen]

Originally Posted by Mossy

Not sure how you can call it poor design? I have ran the Cat since the prototype with no limiters anywhere on the car to restrict the travel at the back end. We have only had a problem with the outdrives recently which everyone knows is an issue with the material. I have ran the new outdrives and they are fine.

Must admit seems a little hasty to get rid of the car after 3 races.

Si

Yeah exactly. 3 races isnt nearly long enough to dial a car in IMO...

Poor design no. It may of had a problem but what car doesnt? Schumacher got on it and fixed it.

Originally Posted by sime46

I think you'd find it difficult to find a car manufacturer that not only listens to customers opinions but actively goes out of their way to help their drivers/customers. The outdrive fault is well documented on here and they've fixed it. New ones are coming through. I have some. Problem solved. I personally struggled with set up or a while but spoke to Andy at PBM who in turn spoke to Phil Booth who supplied me with the set up I now run(and its mint). I spose the point I'm making is that they listened and fixed it. Always accesible. I have never had that with any other team/manufaturer.

Its a great car so I say stick with it.

I could go on about this car. I just love it, the B44, D4, Lazer, 501 etc are all nice cars, but IMO Schumacher took it to the next level, and the car really stands out in my eyes. I know I couldnt be happier!

[robknasel]

I understand the feedback that I am receiving regarding the car, and I did expect it. I really was motivated to post my story regarding the car because of the experience I have had. Also I truly wanted to know if anyone has had a similar experience but no longer has had the problem. I really havent heard anyone state that they have received replacement outdrives and removed their spacers. There has been nearly 300 views of this thread since I posted my first post and no one has really said they have received new and improved outdrives. With the issue occuring so quickly and almost in my mind predictable I really wonder. It was almost like I read the post regarding the issue and had a feeling that my car would have the same problem. Nothing like being at the track, everyone checking out your newest edition and then watching it break in the warmup laps. I was racing this last weekend and told the guy here in Ohio about the car being for sale. He runs a Schumacher and asked me why I was selling it. He said basically that I had given up on the car too quick. 20 minutes later he was taking his first warmup lap and broke a front arm. Maybe the car is just cursed at our track. WAGGZ you know this is true, speak up if you read this.
Thanks for reading
Rob Knasel

[MattW]

You talk about these issues being predictable - i'm not sure that's fair or true. I'm sure both Simon and myself have posted in this thread more than once that we ran a season (including testing), without breaking an outdrive between us. I think i'm right in saying, that at time of release of the car, ZERO outdrives had been broken (there may have been one, i'm not 100% sure on this to be honest). So was the problem on launch predictable?? Well I wouldn't have predicted it.

After the first weekend of production cars being run (and some breakages) the head of R+D called me to confirm his thoughts that i hadn't broken any - this i did, so could it have been predicted?? No, not for me.

It appears to me, that the material on the production parts is ever so slightly different, and that why it happened, and that's why they moved to sort it. I haven't run the new parts, but i have seen some. I have also seen someone try and break one in a pair of pliers, and he couldn't even dent it. So for me, it looks like it's fixed.

Fair play, you've had your issues, and your entitled to your views, but i do think you're being a touch unfair. As for breakages of plastics, show me a car that doesn't break - and i'll show you one that hasn't even been crashed.

[robknasel]

I appreciate your feedback. One piece of information is that two out of two Cat SX has broken the outdrive. I believe that WAGGZ has broken more than one. I know that he had broke many times from what the other guys were saying and if I had know this history would have steered clear of the car
Rob Knasel

[glypo]

Rob you really don't seem to understand the situation.

The car was released only at the end of September, therefore the problem is a first batch issue. Matt is a team driver, hence been driving the car a long time along with Simon. The fact that they didn't break any shows that when the outdrives are not overhardened there isn't an issue.

Schumacher are sorting this though, using correct hardening and they also have removed the lightening slot so it will be even better than what Matt and Simon have used.

I am not sure if these are out yet, I have been told they are but not seen yet.

[waggz]

You are correct I did break one outdrive. That was from getting punted into pit lane. I put the spacers on just to be safe. So that is true I did break one.

The only other thing that I broke have been the carbon arms. That is to be expected with Carbon parts and the one I broke during warm up is when I clocked the tube on the straight, that was my fault not the cars.

I switched to the Medium Flex arms and went out and turned in my best run ever with the car since I knew i could push it. Heck I was in 3rd in the main until the hackfest started.

EVERY new car will have its issues. When I helped OCM with their truggy it was the same thing and they fixed their material issues.

AE had the exact same problem on the GT2 with a material issue. Things happen I don't think it is the design but oh well. I really enjoy the car.



Waggz

[BlackedOutMugen]

Originally Posted by waggz

You are correct I did break one outdrive. That was from getting punted into pit lane. I put the spacers on just to be safe. So that is true I did break one.

The only other thing that I broke have been the carbon arms. That is to be expected with Carbon parts and the one I broke during warm up is when I clocked the tube on the straight, that was my fault not the cars.

I switched to the Medium Flex arms and went out and turned in my best run ever with the car since I knew i could push it. Heck I was in 3rd in the main until the hackfest started.

Just curious how big of a spacer are you using? Im going to keep running with out them. But im curious how much suspension travel is limited. Mine dont rub as it is with no shims. Close but doesnt

I havent broken a stock arm yet. But sounds like the med flex arms are super tough? May have to order some

Originally Posted by waggz

EVERY new car will have its issues. When I helped OCM with their truggy it was the same thing and they fixed their material issues.

AE had the exact same problem on the GT2 with a material issue. Things happen I don't think it is the design but oh well. I really enjoy the car.



Waggz

Exactly! The Cat SX is a AWESOME buggy, and the problem is getting fixed. What more can one ask for? Its like buying a brand spanking new car model, or computer or anything, theres always bound to be problems. Some come right out and fix them like Schumacher is, or for some it takes forever to get the issues fixed.

-Brandon

[waggz]

it is like a 2 or 3mm spacer. The medium flex arms make a big difference. I drove my car like i hated it and had zero issues.

[robknasel]

If they have redesigned the outdrive then it sounds like they have truly taken some steps to fix the problem. To sorta go full circle on this statement of mine, it has been since Thanksgiving and I have not seen any of these fixes sent to me, no parts, no explantions, no emails, from Schumacher USA. Must I hound them to receive my parts, I have better things to do. Waggz, I do appreciate your comments. And yes it was a hackfest, hope we have a better weekend this week. I will be trying the TRF-501X and running the Yokomo again. See you there.
Rob Knasel

[waggz]

Originally Posted by robknasel

If they have redesigned the outdrive then it sounds like they have truly taken some steps to fix the problem. To sorta go full circle on this statement of mine, it has been since Thanksgiving and I have not seen any of these fixes sent to me, no parts, no explantions, no emails, from Schumacher USA. Must I hound them to receive my parts, I have better things to do. Waggz, I do appreciate your comments. And yes it was a hackfest, hope we have a better weekend this week. I will be trying the TRF-501X and running the Yokomo again. See you there.
Rob Knasel

No problem that is what I am here for.

Better bring your big boy pants this weekend because it is on like donkey kong

[BlackedOutMugen]

Originally Posted by waggz

it is like a 2 or 3mm spacer. The medium flex arms make a big difference. I drove my car like i hated it and had zero issues.

Hmm, ok

And that sounds great LOL. I will order some for spares

[lee stokes]

i am in the uk and schumacher can not do enough for you here i ran mine for the first time at grimsby week before christmas and the car was great but on the third run off a one foot high ramp the rear female outdrive snapped i rang schumacher the next day and i was lucky the new updated outdrives and just landed
i had a full set the next day now fitted to my car i am waiting for the next meeting tomorrow to try it out
i also had a diff problem schumacher could n't help enough
the manual has the wrong part no for servo arm schumacher sorted it for me
i have never had a schumacher before so have no contacts etc to get any better service etc than any one else i presume i am just lucky living in the uk , if anyone from schumacher is reading this many thanks and see you at worksop

[MattW]

Rob, obviously i'm in the UK, so i know nothing about how things are in the US. However, most people here and on RCTech seem happy with the service they recieve - so if you're not, i'd call them.

Like Glypo said, i have been running the car for a long time - maybe feb/march last year.

My understanding of the new outdrives was that there were going to alter the material/treatment and have them made without the slot.hole. They definitely have no slot now, and like i said, when we tried to break one with pliers, we couldn't.

[PaulUpton]

Yep we certainly couldn't break the new ones I had pliers between my legs sqeezing but didn't break, original ones just broke so easy hardley any pressure at all!

[Chrislong]

Can you post the setup you ran when you snapped the outdrive? As a little issue I believe is that the setup you build into the car when following the instructions gives lots of camber change and driveshaft plunge which exagerates the fact that the bone is close/touching the outdrive.

With a setup on such as I have posted, the dogbones are miles away from the outdrive. I still run spacers.

Don't be fooled by thinking if the bone is smidges dick away from the outdrive it is fine, on the track things flex, and the car is under tremendous forces and so I recomend playing it safe.

I was an early outdrive snapper, I did it with a car built exactly to manual - and I have since received a big handful of FOC outdrives and have never broken another.

So as for them being weak, well they aren't designed to be prised apart - but once that dealt with using a proper setup, then id say not. The fact they have made changes is very pleasing, and just compounds that I think Schumacher is an excellent company.

Chris

[glypo]

Outdrives are finally available!

At last I can race my CAT again and finish my follow-on review.

I only popped into MK Racing to get my LiPo packs too. They look much better, hopefully run better too

[Cassp0nk]

I picked up my new CAT from MK this afternoon too. Got the new parts in the box, although not sure what camber link.

[BlackedOutMugen]

WERE SET! And the car is DIALED!!!

[Oliv996]

If I place an order for U3336 and U3337 diff outputs will I receive the new ones

What difference does it make compared with the old ones?