TRF 417 will be on market as early as this December according to Banzaihobby. The new TRF 417 have lot of different in term of design such as the change in position and rigid motor mount and of course the chasis layout which is LiPo friendly designed, quite similar to Exotek TRF 416 LiPo conversion kit. There are change in gear ratio , steering gauge and also ball diff which is designed for better cornering. For me TRF 415MSX MRE still the best chasis that I have compare to TRF416 and I am still using it for touring.
From the TRF Twitter feed:
“TRF417 integrated motor mount, the new ball differential Center, 19T, and adopt a common front and rear bulkhead. Battery Center has received outside the motor.
Some CAD pictures for upcoming Tamiya TRF 417
Some TRF 417 features from RCMARKET
The chassis design is focused on weight distribution and high-traction characteristics, with *the new maximum chassis weight rule in mind. *The 2012 world championship regulations state that the Max. chassis weight will be restricted to 1,350g. (1,450g in 2010). The TRF417 has an optimized chassis layout for high-power lithium batteries and brushless motors. One-piece aluminum motor mount offers extra strength and durability to handle high-power motors, enabling transmission of the motor power to the drivetrain with minimal friction loss.
Compared to the TRF416, the motor position has been moved about 2.0mm towards the center to keep high traction during racing. By using a 19T pulley, the secondary gear reduction becomes 1.94, which is very close to the ideal rate for brushless motors (2.0). With this, the car has less flexing resistance on drive belts and speed loss is minimized when the throttle is off. Newly designed steering linkage is not connected to the upper deck, providing improved flexibility to hold traction during cornering. Newly designed ball diff housing and plates provide extra durability. Identical front and rear bulkheads. Comes equipped with short reversible suspension arms and TRF416 uprights.
Newly Designed Parts
- Front/Rear Carbon Damper Stays
- Front/Rear Aluminum Bulkheads
- Aluminum Motor Mount
- Aluminum Center Shaft
- Aluminum Diff Joint
- Aluminum Steering Arms and Linkage
- Diff Plates
- Wheel Axle
- Cross Joints
- 19T Pulley
- Carbon Lower & Upper Decks (thicknesses TBA)