Review - BCE Chassis for Mugen MBX5T
 
Updated: 9/21/08 (BCE chassis setup)
 
BCE has long been known for it's high quality after market chassis for serious RC enthusiasts. My first experience with BCE goes back roughly 2 yrs. when I purchased a BCE Hot Bodies Stadium chassis. I knew then that BCE was going places. I've got some past experience with sheet metal fabricators when I was manufacturing manager for an electronics firm and I can tell you that BCE's work is superb. The fit and finish on this piece has to be seen to be appreciated.
 
Quick specs:
  • BCE chassis designation: Pro M 5XXT
  • 7075 aluminum
  • 1/8 in. thick (0.125)
  • Hard black anodized
  • 5mm rear chassis extension
Here's the Mugen MBX5T chassis from BCE. This thing is a work of art and nothing short of a master piece. From the time you take it out of the zip lock bag you know this is something special.
BCE MBX5T Chassis
 
BCE Chassis
 
 
Below is a comparison photo of the stock vs. BCE chassis. Note the extra milled areas on the BCE chassis. The stock chassis is 3mm (0.118) thick vs. the BCE which is 0.125. There is a significant difference in rigidity. If you take the stock chassis and hold it by the front and back, it can be easily bent up and down. Not so with the BCE chassis. The BCE chassis is much more stout and bending the chassis up and down is more difficult. This should translate into better handling and ultimately in lower lap times.
BCE Chassis
 
 
This shot shows the rear extension of the BCE chassis compared to the stock chassis (the BCE chassis is on the bottom). This has no effect on the rear dog bone that goes into the center diff. You also don't need to readjust your bump box (OFNA chrome top in my case). However, you will need to elongate the mounting holes in your existing body to accommodate the extra stretch. It's obvious that a lot of engineering went into this chassis.
BCE Chassis
 
 
The two areas circled below show the notches in the BCE chassis for the rear diff mounts. This was an absolutely perfect fit!. This is significant and not easy to produce. The Hot Bodies BCE chassis that I got about 2 yrs. ago needed a little filing to get the same parts to fit correctly. This time around the fit was not only perfect but with almost a zero tolerance. Allowances have to be made for hard anodizing since hard anodizing changes the dimensions of the finished product. VERY NICE WORK FROM BCE!
BCE Chassis
 
 
The same holds true for the two locating pins for the front diff hold down. The holes for these pins were also a perfect fit. In fact, I had to gently tap the hold down from above to get the pins in and then pull them in the rest of the way with the bottom screws. Another superb engineering effort on BCE's part.
BCE Chassis
 
 
After completing the conversion, it's obvious that much thought and engineering went into this unit. I had zero problems with the conversion. Every single hole was dead nuts on. All counter sinking was perfect. I was unaware of the added 5mm to the rear before receiving this piece. It'll be interesting to see how this affects handling.
 
10/7/07 Update:
I finally got a chance to put the BCE/Mugen on the track. Man what a change from the stock chassis! Handling was much improved everywhere. Entering turns, exiting turns, over jumps, landing jumps, initial turn in before a corner, exiting a corner, you name it. The Mugen is a completely new animal now. Much more predictable and a pleasure to race. BCE has hit a grand slam with this chassis. I consider this a "MUST HAVE" for the MBX5T. You can throw a lot of money at the MBX5T in upgrades but nothing will benefit your overall racing results more than converting to the BCE chassis. Consistant lap times from lap to lap is paramount in racing and the BCE chassis provides you with much more confidence which should result in lower lap times overall.
 
On 9/20/08 I switched to the BCE chassis set up with these differences:
  • Front shock oil: Mugen 450cps
  • Rear shock oil: Mugen 400cps
  • Shock pistons: Fioroni dual action. (http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/products_id/5567)
  • Engine: Go Tech .25 6 port race engine w/Go Tech 2047 pipe.
  • Clutch: Mugen black composite with Mugen 1.0 springs
  • Gearing: 14T/48T
  • Tires: Panther 38 series Gators.

Preliminary testing reveals the BCE setup to be a good match to the longer BCE chassis.
Here's the BCE setup sheet:
BCE Setup
 
BCE chassis rating:
Workmanship: starstarstarstarstar 5 out of 5
Fit: starstarstarstarstar 5 out of 5
Finish: starstarstarstarstar 5 out of 5
Rigidity: starstarstarstarstar 5 out of 5
Engineering: starstarstarstarstar 5 out of 5
On track Handling: starstarstarstarstar 5 out of 5
 
BCE also makes chassis for almost all other truggies.
BCE can be reached through their Sponsor section of TruggyRacers.com. As of about 4/1/08 Truggyracers.com no longer allows browsing or direct linking into the posts on their forum. You must be a registered member. Once registered just go to the Sponsors section for BCE and you'll find a contact link their somewhere.
 
Here's a short video (3 min./20mb). This version used a Go Tech .21. The Go Tech .25 is a much faster engine. The track was really dry and slippery considering it has been closed for the last 7 weeks due to the very high temps here. Under these conditions and with the stock chassis, it was a handful. With the BCE equipped Mugen it felt solid and stable with good feedback. It felt like I was driving a different (better) truck.
 
 
Reviewed by Doug Walker 9/30/07. Updated 9/21/08