Project: TLR L8IGHT Model-to-GT8 Conversion

Big Car, Big Power, BIG fun!

A new and interesting class has popped up in my neck of the woods … 1:8th Scale Onroad GT (or GT8). This class is basically 1:8th scale offroad buggies that have been converted to onroad cars. These cars use the same running gear as their offroad counterparts but use 1:8th scale rubber onroad tires and a GT-style body. These cars are F-A-S-T, and handle pretty good for such a huge car. After watching them rip around the track, I knew I had to build one.

Chassis & Suspension
My goal was to create a killer rig that I didn’t have to heavily modify to get to race-ready status. The biggest deal is the body mounts…since this is a relatively new class, there’s not a lot of 1:8 scale vehicles with onroad body mounts. That is, however, until I found the Losi L8ight Model! While being a nitro-based vehicle, the L8ight Model is already set up with front and rear body mounts (for the L8ight Model body), optimized, shorter dirt oval shock towers, molded front bumper and Losi racing rubber mounted on Losi dish wheels. To convert the L8ight Model to electric, I gave Tekno RC a call and the immediately sent over one of their new V4 Brushless Conversion kits. This kit includes a milled, aluminum chassis, battery tray, servo mounts, an aluminum motor mount and hardware. The quality is excellent and the final product looks completely factory! To add some further beauty to this beast (as well as tuning), Losi’s carbon front and read shock towers, aluminum king pin spindles and tuning springs were bolted on.

Electronics
There are plenty of electronics to choose from when it comes to 1:8th scale, but I knew I needed some high-end equipment keep up with some of the other uber-fast cars on the track. To make sure that I had complete control over the Losi, I installed a Spektrum 2.4GHz radio system. The DX-3R system fit the bill perfect with its intuitive menu system and ease of adjustment … oh, and it’s crystal clear DSM2 technology. To tackle the steering duties, a Savox SC-0252MG servo was used. To handle the heavy duty braking system, I installed a Savox SC-0352 servo. Both of these servos have plenty of torque and speed to handle this huge onroad car … and they’re incredibly affordable! For the mojo, I dropped in Tekin’s RX8 ESC and 2650KV brushless motor. I opted to set the ESC braking to 0% so I could fully utilize the Losi’s front/rear biased center differential braking system (handled by the Savox SC-0352 servo). And finally, go-juice is provided by a Thunder Power 50C 5200mAh 4S LiPo pack. This monstrous, 14.8V power source can provide short bursts of up to 100C! I’ve used this awesome power combo in other vehicles and can say that it’s definitely at the top of the ‘uber-fast’ category!

Drivetrain
Thankfully, Losi’s line of 1:8 scale cars are brutally strong. Anything added at this point was for tuning rather than strength. That being said, I couldn’t just leave it be. I installed one of Losi’s SmartDiffs in the center and front gearbox. These differentials allow you to tune both on- and off-throttle action by changing the springs (and oil) within the unit. I was a little skeptical in the beginning about how well this would work but can say that, using the included tuning chart, I was able to build them with almost the perfect balance! I had so much off-power steering now that I actually had to dial a bit out using my Spektrum radio! I’m happy to know that I have some additional steering in reserve should I need it!

Body, Wheels & Tires
There isn’t a huge selection of bodies available yet for the GT8 cars, so I went with Protoform’s PF8-GT body. For a quick spritz of the glitz, I sent it over to Pat at Custom Painted RC Bodies. He laid down my personal paint scheme and had it back to me in no time at all. On the track, the bodies curvy lines worked well at keeping the Losi planted around the track. For the rollers, I went with Sweep 1:8 GT tires in the 45 shore. These tires worked really well at the local parking lot track. Wear is pretty good too, but they seem to be a little temperature sensitive so I would suggest picking up a set of the 50’s as well.

The Drive
You know you’re on a time schedule when the only chance you get to test a car is during a race! I showed up at my buddies parking lot race and found that I’d be running in a class of around 20 other cars. Practice went well, but some tuning was definitely in order. Limiters in the shocks, ride height adjustment and chassis tweak were all things I needed to address. By main time, however, I found myself qualified 2nd behind Steve, one of my very fast friends. I made a few changes to the car before the main and knew that if I was going to win I’d have to strike fast and use traffic to my advantage. At the horn, I had a great launch and dipped inside of him going into the first sweeper. I made the pass and for the next 2 minutes we were nose to tail, slowly pulling away from the rest of the pack. By minute 3 we had already started catching back markers and, picking my pass, slowly made my way through the carnage that was ensuing in the back of the pack. Steve, however, wasn’t so lucky. I kept up my pace and by the end of the 10 minute main had taken the win by just over a lap on 2nd place. I would say that’s a pretty successful debut, wouldn’t you?

Final Thoughts
Anything 1:8 scale in SoCal is pretty huge, and the GT8 class is proof that people want to go fast with big cars. The Losi, equipped with the Tekin/Thunder Power electronics, is a pretty lethal combo on the track. Having to fight a car while driving is never a fun thing, but I must say the starting setup is pretty darn close to where I want it. I’ll be keeping a little log of its progress on my blog on the RC Driver web site. Let me know what you think or if you have any additional questions regarding the build.

Parts Used
Losi
losi.com, tlracing.com
L8ight Model, #LOSA0809
Front SmartDiff, #LOSA3600
Center SmartDiff, #LOSA3601
Aluminum Inclined King Pin Spindle Set, #LOSA1728
Graphite Front Shock Tower, #LOSA1718
Graphite Rear Shock Tower, #LOSA1739

Tekno RC
teknorc.com
V4 Brushless Kit for Losi 8B, #TKR4503

Tekin
teamtekin.com
RX8 with 2650Kv Brushless Motor, #TT2310

Thunder Power
thunderpowerrc.com
5200mAh 50C Pro 4-Cell/4S 14.8V, TP5200-4SPR50

Savox
savoxusa.com
SC-0252MG Servo, #SAVSCO252MG
SC-0352 Servo, #SAVSCO352

Spektrum
spektrumrc.com
DX3R, #SPM3100

Protoform
racepf.com
PF8-GT Clear Body, #1503-00

Sweep
sweepracingusa.com
Belted GT Slick 45 Shore, #S40145

Custom Painted RC Bodies
custompaintedrcbodies.com

Gallery