There are a lot of benefits to a four wheel drive vehicle, but one downside is that they often don’t have a slipper clutch. This means extra strain on driveline components and ballooning tires on takeoff. Ryan wasn’t willing to settle for this on his Tenacity DB Pro, so he concocted a solution.
NEEDED PARTS:
- AR310472 (Dogbone 116mm) $11.99
- TLR241004 (Servo Mount, Top Brace: 8e 3.0) $15.99
- LOS242027 (Limited Slip Diff Rebuild Kit) $19.99
- LOSA6948 (Flanged Bearings 8x14x4) $17.99
- LOSA4420 (Center Diff Brace Set) $6.99
- TLR342003 (Electric Clutch System) $49.99
- LOSA3554 (Center HD Lightened Diff Outdrives) $16.99
- TLR242003 X2 (Coupler Outdrive) $15.99
- TLR242009 (Rear Center Dog Bone) $9.99
- TLR242006 (Motor Adapter) $15.99
- TLR242007 (Motor Mount) $37.99
- LOSA6262 (8-32 x 1/2″ Flat Head Screws) $3.99
- LOSA9118 (Clutch Bell 15T) $21.99
TOTAL: $284.00
NOT REQUIRED:
- TLR231000 (Mud Guard w/Side Guard) $11.99
- TLR8061 (Hi Performance Clear Body) $46.99
- TLR4007 (Mud Flaps) $4.99
- RPM73182 (RPM Skid Plates) $15.95
- LOSB2417 (Rear Bumper Pack) $11.99
- LOS230036 (Body Mount Set) $10.99
TOTAL: $103.00
STEP #1
I started by taking off the stock center diff mounts, top deck, front and rear center drive shafts, and diff cups. This created a clean slate on what my options were on fitting a Losi 8ight center diff in here.
STEP #2
Next, I installed the Losi 8ight front and rear diff inputs on the truck. One thing I did need to do is cut the pin that holds them in shorter as the Losi 8ight diff doesn’t use a pin style screw. I also used shock O-rings to help shim the dogbones later in the project.
STEP #3
Then I started to assemble the center diff. For this I chose the diff from a Losi LST 3XL-E. The main reason for this choice is because it’s a limited slip diff. After that I mated the motor mount and front diff support together. I did have to use a few extra shims to get it from shaking around due to the LST diff not being long enough.
After that I attached the top diff support as well.
STEP #4
Now it is time to assemble the electric clutch and attach the motor mount to the motor. It’s important to make sure that the 2 shims are in the end – they are there to prevent the clutch bell from moving side to side.
After this you will want to install your motor plate. The motor plate will accept either 3mm or 4mm screws, depending on the motor you chose for this project.
The last part of this step is attaching the clutch, when doing this, you’ll want to make sure you get the clutch as close to the motor place as possible.
STEP #5
The last step is to drill your chassis holes. I 3D printed a diff riser and used that to help me drill the holes more easily and give the spur gear more clearance from the chassis.
After all that I just installed my front and rear dog bones, put the motor in, and had some fun. This build took a lot of work getting all of the parts to work together, especially finding the right front and rear dog bones. It would have been nice to use the stock ones but the Losi 8ight diff is a tad longer and it has larger outdrives coming from the diff. Normally this setup is something found in an 8th scale buggy and not often found in an SCT. I’ve never seen it done before and the results were definitely worth it. Takeoffs are super smooth and don’t immediately blow the tires off. The LST center diff locks at just the right time, especially coming out of a corner on throttle. All in all, it was really worth the time and effort to build.
