Review of Spec R Aluminium Servo Mount

Last Thursday night I tried the Spec R Aluminium Servo Mount for the first time on my Spec R S1 touring car.  I had ordered it directly from the Spec R website, and it arrived in about a week.  The part is a direct replacement for the two servo mounting posts, so I removed the old servo mounts and screwed the servo to the mounting holes on the new mount, before fixing the mount to the chassis using the two screw holes below the top plate.

I then took the car to the track in anticipation.  Immediately, the car felt more responsive which is due to the added flex.  The car felt like it changed direction quicker and felt more planted through what was a tight, twisty, slalom style infield, which was also quite a quick track.  The correct line through the infield was important to get a quick, smooth lap, and the new servo mount provided the flex and responsiveness to be able to do just that.

All in all, a worth while addition to the car and I look forward to trying out more upgrades in the future.

R1 S1 PRO Comparison

After checking out the new Spec R R1 PRO kit, I decided to do a comparison between this and the existing R1 and S1 kits.  Below is a table which compares the S1 and R1, with the new parts on the R1 PRO kit below.

Differences are highlighted in bold

R1

S1

- High strength and high precision anodized alloy parts for added durability and style - Ultra narrow chassis design with high quality Carbon Graphite 2.5mm main chassis; 2.0mm upper deck and 3.0mm shock towers. - Slimmer transmission/motor mount components and design for improved handling and smoothness - Dual bellcrank steering for precise cornering performance - Front/Rear Suspension Arm mounts are adjustable for a variety of fine tunings for different track conditions - Lightweight and smooth rear gear differential is included - Enhanced acceleration from the use of lightest transmission components - Front/Rear Suspension system with carbon reinforced plastic parts - Improved material and stronger plastic parts(with carbon) - Lightweight and anodized alloy turnbuckles and ball studs - Full metal oil shocks for best performance   - Balanced chassis design - Internal gear ratio 1:1.9

- High strength and high precision anodized alloy parts for added durability and style - Narrow chassis design with high quality fibre 2.5mm main chassis; 2.0mm upper deck and 3.0mm shock towers. - Slimmer transmission/motor mount components and design for improved handling and smoothness - Dual bellcrank steering for precise cornering performance     - Lightweight and smooth rear gear differential is included - Enhanced acceleration from the use of lightest transmission components     - Improved material and stronger plastic parts(with carbon)     - Metal oil shocks parts with plastic shock body for best performance - Balanced chassis design - Internal gear ratio 1:1.9

What's new on R1 PRO SPEC?

    - 2.25mm USA High Quality Graphite Classis
    - 2.00mm USA High Quality Graphite New Style Upper Deck
    - 3.00mm USA High Quality Graphite F/R Shock Towers
    - Alu. Central Servo Mount
    - Alu. Fan Mount
    - Soft Shock O-ring

So, with the new parts on the R1 PRO kit, where does that leave the R1 kit ?  There's not much of a price difference, although the PRO kit doesn't include the new motor mount which in my opinion it should.  Will racers continue to buy the R1, or go for the R1 PRO kit ?

I emailed Spec R this week and asked about the possibility of a Conversion kit for those who have the S1 or R1 kits and don't want to have to buy a full PRO kit.  You may remember amongst others, Kyosho released a SHIN conversion kit for the Stallion which upgraded the car.  The reply from Spec R was that they don't have the conversion kit, but they "will consider it".

So, there may be a conversion kit in future, so watch this space !!