THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS: Slick Diffz B5M diff kit, Ball Snot thrust grease and diff lube

0 June 23, 2016, 4:06 p.m.

By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com

Whether it's wheel nuts, wings, tools, tracks, trinkets and/or anything in between, the LiveRC staff gives their testimonial and mini-review of each every Thursday morning!

This week's tester, Jose Villa of San Diego, CA, did such an incredible job writing up his notes that I'm simply going to copy and paste the formatted text into this week's article. Thanks, Jose!

My name is Jose Villa. I’m a motion graphic artist in San Diego CA and have been for the last 15 years. I raced on road for about 7 years before LiPos and brushless motors came out and then decided to hang it up when the track I went to closed down (SoCal raceway). I took about a ten-year break and picked it back up when I found an indoor off road track 15 minutes from where I live (SDRC Raceway). I currently run a B5M in the expert stock class and a Tekno EB48SL in the 1/8 class.

The item I tested is the B5 Ultra Diff from Slick Diffz. It is part #SDZ170 that goes for around $26. The kit included flattened diff rings, a caged thrust assembly and 3/32 carbide balls. I also tested the diff grease and Ball Snot thrust grease.

Slick Diffz B5 Ultra Diff

#SDZ170, $26

Slick Diffz Ball Snot thrust grease

#SDZ200, $5

Slick Diffz ball diff lube

#SDZ201, $5

www.facebook.com/SLICK-Diffz-1420120568286577/

Even though the diff initially felt slightly rougher than my normal setup, it held together way better during the break-in process and during the first few runs. Once I got it to the point where I like my diffs (set a little loose for stock racing) I didn’t have to adjust or tighten it much after that. As opposed to my normal setup which I usually have to check and tighten 2-3 times within the first 5 battery packs, the Slick Diffz setup pretty much stayed the same after the initial break-in and first pack. Usually a diff lasts me a month with practicing and racing 3-4 times a week. The Slick Diff has been in my car for 5 weeks now and still feels the same as it did the first week. It probably will go another 2-3 weeks.

Pros:

Both lubricants came in a syringe applicator which kept the build extremely neat and without much waste.

Both lubricants had great consistency. Right between thicker/clumpy (AE) and thin/watery (Kyosho).

Diff ring tolerances were perfect. I usually take some calipers to AE diff rings and sometimes find that I need to sand them a little to get them flat.

Caged thrust bearing is easy to install and no risk of losing any of the balls.

There was enough grease in the syringes to do over 6-7 diffs easily.

Diff rings easily are the best.

Cons:

I believe the caged thrust bearing initially makes the whole diff not as smooth as the loose thrust balls and washers. When I tighten it to the point of break in, it was a little rougher than what i’m used to.

Conclusion:

The diff parts and lubricants were great - much better than stock. I would definitely purchase these in the future.

Beacon Rating: