Swinging 6T’s – X-Factory X-60 Truck

Track test
The first test of the X Factory X-60 took place on a semi permanent race track near Hamburg/Germany. The surface was quite dry, smooth and slippery with loose sand in some corners. This made suspension set-up quite tricky as forward traction as well as side bite in corners was needed. We left the original Associated T4 tyres (Pro-Line Edge/Pro-Line Holeshot) on for most of the time but changed the rear ones to more suitable Bow-Tie’s after the track get softer and more rutted over time. The larger pins of the Bow-Tie simply offered more traction over the relatively small Holeshot tread.

We set-up our X-60 to the specs given in the ‘Associated’ shock set-up sheet supplied with the manual. But since our track features some large jumps and high speed corners we opted to leave the green Associated shock spring fitted instead of using the softer black one suggested by the set-up sheet. We also fitted some lead weight under the front shock tower (15gr.) and two 10gr. weights left and right of the motor to help with traction.

When hitting the test track for the first time we instantly noticed the large amount of forward bite the X-60 offered despite the slippery track conditions. Even from near standstill the truck accelerated without ‘fishtailing’ but nice and straight. Coming out of tight corners a bit of oversteer was evident but that was cured by lowering the transmission to its lowest setting by removing the shims underneath the transmission housing. Now the trucks lacked a bit of forward bite which was found by using more anti-squat. This setting also made the rear end of the X-60 become ‘loose’ while going into tight turns allowing the truck to pivot better without using the brakes. When coming out of the turns we now could simply ‘nail’ the throttle without the fear of spinning out – very impressive.

On-track performance with the 6.5T CS Electronic motor was also very impressive. We geared it 21/78 and felt it was ideal for the loose track with medium length straights. To further help with traction on the very loose track sections we set the CS Electronic speedo to the softest setting. The ESC still offered plenty of go but was very controllable when needed. We now look forward to test the X-60 head-to-head against a conventional rear-motor truck – stay tuned for the results.

Conclusion
X Factory’s X-60 (or should we say the ‘X-6T’?) is an impressive piece of kit. Unfortunately it lacks a bit ‘passion to detail’ as the motor plate is not polished (as in the new X-6 Squared kits), the rear arms are a bit sloppy and the battery holder screws are of different length but that’s nothing that hurts the on-track performance of the truck. Without a doubt the X-60 will not only blow away the competition in its country of origin but also around the globe …

Specifications
Scale: 1/10
Chassis: Composite plastic
Drivetrain: 2WD rear
Differentials: ball differential
Suspension: independent double wishbone
Shocks: alloy/oil filled/coil over spring

Dimensions
Length: 395mm
Width: 335mm
Wheelbase: 290mm
Track – front: 280mm
Track – rear: 275mm

Equipment
Car: X-Factory X-60 [2wdrc.com]
Motor: CS Electronic Magnetic 6.5T [cs-electronic.com]
Speedo: CS Electronic CS Rocket Competition [cs-electronic.com]
Battery: CS Electronic 5200mAh 40C [cs-electronic.com]

Performance Tips
– To make the adjustment of the front and rear roll centre easier it’s an idea to swap the inner ball studs for the Associated items #6277 (ballstud silver long). They have an inner hex instead of an outer one and are much easer to adjust with the help of an 5/64 inch driver. You can additionally counter the rear ones with a small 4-40 nut. If you want the whole easiness you can use these ball studs on the outer hubs also.
– To fine tune the handling characteristics you can choose between the original Associated T4 shocks or Losi items. The AE shocks seems to work very good in smooth to medium bumpy track conditions whereas the Losi ones excel especially on very bumpy tracks.
– To further tune the handling characteristics you can add lead weights like AE #1595 to add weight under the battery pack in the front bulkhead or under the transmission/in the rear side pods. The basic set-up suggests to use 1/2 oz. (around 15 gr.) of lead under the front shock tower and an additional 3/4 oz. (around 20 gr.) of weight under/around the motor.

– To speed up battery changes we used Associated thumb screws (like found on AE’s B44 buggy) instead of the supplied silver hex nuts.
– To avoid having too much loose dirt, stones etc. within the chassis you can cut an old X-6 body to fit as an undershell or you cut side skirts from Lexan sheets and tape them to the chassis plate with double sided tape.
– To reinforce the rear part of the truck body you can follow X Factory’s tip that can be found here.
– Its also an idea to use some shims under the screws that fix the rear wing to the body as otherwise the wing may crack when you abuse the body too much.