I am not sure if I have just not been paying attention (quite likely that...) or whether this has just been happening somewhat stealthily:
Just this past week it has come to my notice that both NSR and Slot.it have released motor mounts designed for use with single flange bushings. As far as I can tell this happened with very little fanfare from the manufacturers or discussion on forums, which I find somewhat surprising. I have now ordered examples from both manufacturers in their Sidewinder incarnation and am looking forward to comparing the two executions.
Conceptually these seem very similar. Thus far I have only received the NSR mounts and I must say I am quite impressed:
1. Firstly I think these MUST be stiffer than the "open top" double flange mounts. And stiffness in this area can only be a Good Thing!
2. I have used it with the NSR branded and dedicated Oilite bushings and found them a very, very good fit. There is a decent "lead in" to start the bushing in the holder but once properly seated it sits very, very tightly indeed. On top of that, the two that I have tried line up beautifully. This unlike what I have often found with the traditional double flange setup where just about invariably some tweaking is required to get the two bushings to line up properly. With the new design I pushed the two bushings all the way in, made sure they were seated properly and the axle fitted perfectly.
I have now built up two cars with this setup (both Porsche 917's) but have not run them yet. Ergo, the advantages/benefits are theoretical only at this point. I hope to run the cars some time this weekend and will report back.
The Slot.it version holds a different attraction for me. The previous generation motor mounts already had a fully enclosed bushing holder so the strength was good. But spherical bushings generally are not favoured by the "go fast" set. So from what I have seen the new design retains the strength but now offers the ability to use different single flange bearings. I have ordered some of the recommended Slot.it ball bearings but I have also purchased some Champion Oilites to try.
I have not yet received the Slot.it mounts and bearings but I am expecting them this coming week some time. I will share my first thoughts once I receive these.
Does anyone have some experience with these two mounts and any comments/feedback?
Alwyn