Rlaarlo AK-917 / AM-X12 is this real carbon fiber? up close look at the inside layers

here is an up close look at all the layers of rlaarlo carbon fiber.
is this real carbon fiber?
if so how am I able to crumble it with just my fingertips?
rlaarlo claims there are 11 layers of carbon and maybe there is. I just don't see how the can now charge $279. to customers on Amazon.
if your contributing to the rlaarlo big cash giveaways your contributing to the problem and justifying these ridiculous prices at the expense of your own viewers
as they are the ones paying for your potential prize winnings. not to mention the insane algorithm boost that will drive more sales @ 2X the price you paid for it.
#rlaarlo #ak917 #amx12 #fakecarbonfiber #carbonfiber #amriol #wltoys ‪@Rlaarlo‬

[@toddvlong]

The weave is bi-directional, the straight is mono directional carbon. Pretty sure it’s all carbon. The outer later is for looks.

[@willpowerfpv3246]

Coming from the world of building fpv quadcopters, I can tell you that that is not very good carbon fibre, but I suppose it technically counts. Being that this is somewhat a budget car, that's probably one of the reasons they were able to keep the cost down. At that point I think I would rather just have the same parts made of aluminum or titanium, or immediately pull these parts I would have them cut by a reputable carbon fibre dealer.

[@ixclusiverc]

I appreciate you brother. My problem is this is a clone of an actual race vehicle. They have also raised the price higher then that same vehicle $279. And every single part is low quickly. Its no longer budget rc.

[@willpowerfpv3246]

@@ixclusiverc oh wow, and I can't see how that's great that you're getting this information out to people. I think you're right, get them in the hands of all the reviewers for the cheap price, get some good buzz, and then Jack the price up and make a killing. I kind of expected more from this brand when I first saw them months ago, but now I'm really starting to see a lot of issues pop up over all of the models. Good content bro, much appreciated 🙏🏻

[@toddvlong]

It’s not the best carbon but it’s carbon. Layup might have not had good or strong resin bond.

[@ixclusiverc]

I appreciate your response. This design and layout would it be stronger with appropriate resin. Whats making this type of carbon so weak and brittle? I'm pretty sure I can physically snap the chassis in half by hand while the car is assembled. Any insight of your carbon knowledge would be appreciated 👍.

[@timesensitive2117]

I will feel sorry for those paying the current full price. WOW!

[@WickedwildRC]

I’m glad I didn’t get the carbon fiber, but I’m also wishing I never bought anything from this company. good video bro thank you.

[@dalo3696]

It's flat sheet fiber board . Not carbon fiber weave. It's literally the raw product used to make carbon fiber weave. But never weaved. Nor bonded.i spent years in the world of rc aircraft and real aircraft. Mostly rc . / i used thT sheet stuff making low weight 3d foamie airplanes. Those strands we'd glue together flat for uni direction strength.

[@danb.4571]

You make some good points, but for a carbon chassis car this is very affordable. Even the replacement carbon chassis on their website is only $40.00 if you happen to break one. Is it Scorched quality? BQ? Of course not. I would certainly expect lesser quality for a car at this price point. For the pre-sale price they were essentially giving these things away for $168.00. Even after seeing your video I’m in no way feeling any kind of buyers remorse for my purchase. You should order one of their $40.00 replacement carbon chassis and see if it’s the same composition as the shock towers. It may not be. At any rate, they’ve sold a ton of these things already and their speed run challenge should give us lots of information on the carnage we can expect. Thanks for a good, informative video.

[@ixclusiverc]

What a great comment. I completely agree with you the car isn't complete junk. I just don't agree on a company making a clone at less quite then charging more for it. Your also making my point. The carbon chassis kit is only $20 in ali express. Basherqueen makes real Japanese carbon towers and brace also for around $20. ( I own 3 sets) As you said it was a great price at $170. So at $280 would you buy a second one? I own 9 LC racing cars knowing what the original quality and preference is like i just don't see the value in Rlaarlo for price point. I did modify this car enough to get some really good runs around the track. It drives well with correct tuning. Great comment BTW 👍

[@danb.4571]

@@ixclusiverc Would I buy another at full price? I’ll let you know after I get it and beat on it for awhile. My entire breadth of experience is Arrma, Traxxas, Losi, and Team Associated, so I’m completely unfamiliar with WL and other “bargain” brands. I’m looking forward to checking this thing out! I don’t expect it to be as tough as an Arrma, or to handle as well as a Losi or a TA, but if I can successfully dial it in and have fun with it I’d say yes. We shall see! Thanks again for the video, and I’m not gonna lie…it was a bit of an eye opener. Especially since quality CF has dropped so much in price in the last decade.

[@martins2657]

I wrote similar before you realize that carbon poor quality. Rlaarlo real prices are this discount or pre-sale. It has not a value which is their normal prices. In this range i can rather buy limitless, 3S infraction, Vendetta, Serpent or Corally kit. Package, manual, is very rich. But they coud not mask low cost model as proffesional car. Btw i seen carbon from Serpent inside and it is very tough. Its full of carbon grid. Impossible to break with the hand. Hard to break with tools. But yes just spare carbon plate costs 100$. Topdeck 50$...my friend buy 2 kits rather than buy spareparts solo. I can make the same attempt with lighter and carbon from the Serpent and will see. But i think that you have another carbon fiber and can make "second round" self. I will look forward to new video from you. Subbed :-)

[@Jaedyn_S]

I’ll just leave this here for anyone that for whatever reason wants to laminate your own carbon fibre chassis pre preg method. I’ve made a few with prepreg carbon as I have access to a autoclave however a autoclave isn’t necessarily needed for prepreg. Anywho long story short if you do in this order: - 1x 2k245g carbon fibre (choose ya weave direction “/“ or “\”) - 1x 630g carbon fibre - 1x uni directional carbon fibre going “|” the chassis ( shock tower to shock tower) - 1x 630g carbon fibre - 1x 2k 245g (visual ply) That will be strong enough to take some big beatings but still leave room for a little bit of flex on those massive impacts so it doesn’t destroy your parts. Hope this helps anyone who is unsure how much carbon you need 🫡🫡

[@VDVC-RC]

Not the best quality, but technically qualifies... It's kinda like the Walmart version of goods & electronics. Name brands look the same as what you can get elsewhere, but may not have all the same features/durability because it's made to meet a price point. Maybe Rlaarlo was duped as well... 🤔 I may take a destructive look at one of the two 1/14 scale Rlaarlo CF chassis that were given to me & don't plan on using... 🤔

[@bigdzll.222]

my question is can you strengthen those parts 🤔 with something

[@ixclusiverc]

I was asking the same question in another post. I was hoping anyone with carbon knowledge could help us answer that same question... But for now basherqueen does offer real and affordable carbon parts for the wl with a warranty. I'm currently testing them and are holding up well.👍

[@grrfy]

looks like resin impregnated cf twill weave over acore material,pretty standard I think really, not going to get autoclaved pressure formed cf on many rc unless pay big bucks

[@ixclusiverc]

I have carbon parts for lc racing cars not big bucks at all. High strength and stiff

[@AsurasWrath164]

Nonsense! You can get top quality carbon fiber for a pretty affordable price these days.

[@ixclusiverc]

Forgot I had this.... here is real carbon fiber made here in the US 🇺🇸 carbon fiber is direct from Japan 🇯🇵 144001 top deck and shock towers 100%carbon fiber. Sold direct or on ebay kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaqln3mppqapadE

[@grrfy]

@@ixclusiverc how about doing a test of it? lc racing cf is 2 facing laminates of cf over a core as well or it is on my lcracing at least, my point was it is cf it is just not topline cf.And yeah BasherQueen makes good stuff.

[@ixclusiverc]

@@grrfy side by side basherqueen and LC use the same carbon fiber both are very stiff and last. This rlaarlo fiber tower broke on the 4th lap of its second run. I did find this interesting 🤔 my wl a959 also has a carbon chassis same style as rlaarlo but its also very stiff. Makes me wonder if a few steps were skipped to save money.

[@JustInvertedFpv]

The fact you weren't stabbing the heck out of your finger when messing with the broken ends is kind of fishy. At the very least the layup seems dry.

[@filipinomixer]

Nice observation 👍🏽

[@phantom246]

can you do the same test with a piece of carbon fiber from a different brand? a comparison kind of thing, also I'm pretty sure that they don't make their own carbon fiber. they just cnc the parts. it's definitely a material that gets sourced from a manufacturer of carbon fiber and not rlaarlo directly. in some strange way i feel like a lot of other brands that use carbon fiber chassis and parts use the same stuff. please do a test if possible

[@ixclusiverc]

I can absolutely do that when one breaks (gonna be awhile). This tower broke on its forth lap of my second run. Here is Japanese carbon fiber same wltoys shock tower in real 100% carbon. You can definitely see the difference in quality. Aliexpres and alibaba both sell these carbon plates and yes they are lazer cut to 144001 tower size. Also correct rlaarlo doesn't actually make anything. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaqln3mppqapadE

[@tm5123]

Guess its just really low quality CF.

[@Jaedyn_S]

So, it is carbon fibre. Give how it’s delaminated, I suspect this is a wet lay of carbon fibre. As people have mentioned already. From how it looks from how you have pulled it apart it’s goes 0/90(visual going “/“ ) followed by a few layers of uni directional carbon fibre with alternating patterns per layer (imagine making a X, lay one down at “/ “and then lay the next layer on top at “\”) then finished with another 0-90 (carbon pattern going like “/“) this is to increase strength and durability in all axis and the two 0-90 is for looks . However it’s executed so poorly. #1 reason why you never wet lay is it will never be as structurally strong as prepregnated carbon fibre. You can also tell it’s wet layed as with prepreg carbon whilst it is possible to delaminate it, there’s no way your going through each of the layers like you did. The reason being is prepreg has more resin evenly distributed throughout the carbon fibre, where as wet lay will not have a equal amount of resin distributed through out. Most Chinese carbon fibre is normally wet layed as it’s cheaper to produce per meter square than prepreg.

[@ixclusiverc]

You are awesome for laying this all out for us. So what I'm gathering this type of carbon probably shouldn't be used to replace metal or plastic part that takes high impact. In your other comment you talk about possible cracking with enough twist. Will that still be the case with the dry carbon. I'm asking because I agree with you on that and want to see if your opinion changed now that you seen inside. THANK YOU FOR THIS COMMENT AND INSIGHT 🤝

[@Jaedyn_S]

@@ixclusiverc truthfully speaking no prepreg will always be better than wet lay carbon fibre. HOWEVER do note, that there are different wet lay methods so it’s hard to fully guess exactly what method of wet lay was used (brushed or resin infusion) . So it would be wrong of me to say that all wet lay is completely useless as resin infusion is pretty strong (mostly used for aircraft’s, boats and large structures like wind turbines) . wet lay brushed Is great for making cheap carbon fibre parts that does not need to be structural. So mostly body parts for your cars like bonnet/hood of cars etc. I suspect that Rlaaro has outsourced this work to a company that cnc cuts carbon fibre sheets that they supply ( so nothing is done by Rlaaro) which could explain the huge oversight as if you know nothing of carbon fibre how would you know to make a structurally sound part? Carbon fibre has flex to a certain degree then will crack and snap unlike plastic you can’t constantly stress the carbon fibre part and it not crack. There’s a lot of variables to go over so I have missed a lot out but Depending on the amount of plies used to create the part and the orientation of each weave laminated determines how much flex it will have and how long it will survive. I’ll be honest it’s really sad to see a company like this using what I will call cheap low end carbon on a rc car advertised for racing/bashing. Given how much in your previous video it flexed and how you were already able to delaminate the shock towers that is a huge red flag to stay away from this car. Sorry for the essay so in short for skim readers: -Rlaaro carbon is bad/ not structural -Definitely won’t last long -Carbon fibre is a great replacement to metal and plastic as long as it’s done properly - I wouldn’t bother reinforcing the chassis but in fact swap it out for better quality carbon fibre, metal or plastic

[@michaelholtappels8324]

U expect a $299 rc car to have the best carbon fiber😂 common its what to be expected… saying rlaarlo is lying😂

[@ixclusiverc]

Lcracing racing cost less with real carbon fiber. Please explain?

[@interex2050]

Albeit a different class (touring), SM-RC (R3-CF and R3-Pro) and Race-Opt (T3M-V2) are not shy with carbon fiber either. All of the models listed are sub $300. The disappointment with Rlaarlo is not due to the carbon fiber not being top tier, but rather that it appears to be so poorly executed that it is a downgrade from plastic/aluminum. The layup schedule doesn't make sense for the size and application, and the layup looks either too dry or uses a sub-grade matrix.

[@ixclusiverc]

@@interex2050 ☝☝☝ 💯 great response. I would have never made a video like this if it was $150- 200, But at the new low price of $280. I've had enough.😤 This was just a test run for changing $500 on the AK-917 also with many issues.

[@benabnjm4828]

@@interex2050 Hi have a SNRC RG it dose 60 65 mph on 2s all day end I never have to work on it .

[@AsurasWrath164]

You don't know what you're talking about. The carten t410r is a touring car with proper carbon fiber chassis, top deck and shock towers for 180bucks. And I mean proper carbon fiber, not the crap rlaarlo is using.

[@reitplace4765]

Yes sir Burn it hahaha.. Great video got a carbon fiber chassis for the wl a while back made similarly broke it in an hour,,, Great vid..👍

[@ixclusiverc]

🤣 not sure how people are still trying to defend this as they are watching me snap it in half with my fingers. Then again doubled up. 😳

[@reitplace4765]

@@ixclusiverc When that rig was released it was hyped to be so much better but you are right at under 150 sure its good but now its not worth the price go LC at that price.. Cognitive disobedience is strong.. Hope the same doesn't happen to the new 1/12 wl, I have one coming..

[@ixclusiverc]

@@reitplace4765 i actually think that car is going to rob rlaarlo sales. Durability of haiboxing and drive ability of a WL thats a win win in my book. Can't wait to see your review 👍

[@reitplace4765]

@@ixclusiverc Just waiting on the post man.. Haha I'm hoping the same. Its the second most I've paid on these ready to run cars so I have my fingers crossed...

[@stuwest3653]

Does the 917 have the same quality carbon?

[@ixclusiverc]

I don't own it but I'm sure its made from the same factory. I noticed the shorter 144001 chassis doesn't flex as bad as the long chassis. The 917 is even longer so be interesting to see the flex compared to the aluminum one. Durability at that speed will suffer greatly.