The project 4X EVO Touring car has a unique and proven design, in which the suspensions works in a very effective different way, with a extremely low center of gravity, very easy to work on and very durable. Easy to drive and lightning fast!

Vertical top-deck for less tweak

Chassis plate carbon with better flex characteristic

Bigger heave dampers with more oil and larger shock-springs

Motor mount with better flex control

Updated bumpers for access and performance

Linear pull rods system for improved steering

Lower mounting point for RRS links

Main front and rear brackets in a stronger construction

Fixed length molded pull rods for ease of use and perfection

Serpent designer David Ehrbar and Serpent are very proud to be able to release this new innovative and high performance 4X EVO car to the market.



Designer interview

As the car is so different, Serpent will spend even more time to prepare information on assembly, set-up and maintenance of the Project 4X EVO car, in text, images and video, to help you to learn and understand the concept and unleash its full potential faster. Although at first the Project 4X EVO car may look a bit complicated, after some explaining, you will soon understand it’s actually quite simple and really easy to work with. But the main advantage is that it is very easy to drive and at the same time lightning fast. Innovation Performs. The Serpent Project 4X EVO is here!

Overview of the main specs

  • Separate roll and heave motion in the car to make set-up easier and more precise
  • Small and light roll dampers front and rear that need only small amounts of oil, with through rod piston systems so no membrane is needed
  • Larger heave damper with more oil and bigger springs
  • Dampers include machined pistons for best possible consistency
  • Good selection of heave and roll springs
  • Anti-roll bar function integrated in roll damper/springs
  • Easy and fast to change / replace the whole damper units
  • Front and rear end are almost identical, so less spare parts needed
  • Pivot ball suspension with small balls for simplicity and free movement
  • Easy diff and spool removal
  • Extremely low center of gravity
  • Reversed steering system for better Ackermann geometry
  • Motor holder with right flex
  • Re-Active rear steering RRS system is standard
  • Ball raced mid-shaft holders allow easy maintenance and changing of spur gears
  • Molded pull rod activated system with rockers to activate the dampers
  • Same heave damper front and rear which is mounted below the diff/spool just above the chassis for lowest possible center of gravity
  • Durable and smooth gear differential
  • Battery mounting system allows reposition the battery more front or rear
  • In case of shorty Lipo's are used, the Lip can be positioned in 3 ways
  • One screw ride-height adjustment from chassis side
  • Lightweight front aluminum spool with hardened steel outdrives, bladeless
  • Carbon fiber chassis in 2mm as standard
  • DJC system in the front made out of spring-steel prevent wheel chatter and rear regular cvd’s made out of 7075 T6 aluminum save weight
  • One short and one longer Kevlar reinforced drive belt and super true running pulleys, midshaft pulleys made out of hard anodized aluminum for maximum durability
  • Concept and design by Serpent Designer David Ehrbar from Germany

General

High performance 4wd touring car with an extremely low centre of gravity and a unique suspension system which separates roll and heave set-up. This combined with a well proven transmission system and overall Serpent quality and engineering solutions.

Suspension

In the 4X EVO car the heave and roll of the car operate and are set independently. The front and rear end of the car are almost identical in design and share many of the same parts front and rear, so you need less different spares.

Heave damper

There is one heave damper in the front and one in the rear and they work in the same way. The heave damper is located just above the chassis to lower the centre of gravity. Molded pull rods which are connected to the upper arms link to the rocker system. The rocker system is connected through a swivel unit to the heave damper and roll damper unit. The bigger heave damper now has more oil inside and works with foam for compensation. The shock springs are now larger in diameter and more effective. Different oils and springs can be used for setup work, influencing mainly bump and on-throttle/off-throttle transitions. It is easy to access from the bottom of the chassis. The ride height is set with a simple one screw setting in the chassis, both front and rear.

Roll damper

The roll damper unit consist of an oil body for dampening with a through shaft and has a small spring on each side. This unit controls the roll of the chassis; it works as an anti-roll bar. Different oils and springs can be used for setup work. The whole unit comes out after releasing just 2 screws. One can have complete roll damper assemblies ready to change settings in seconds.

Motor mount

Extremely low 7075 T6 aluminum motor mount which doubles up as connector for the midshaft holders, connection for the RRS system, holder for the alu stiffener and connector to the central brace, all-in one.

Gear differential

The nicely shaped gear differential features molded internal gears which makes it super smooth. The compact and light unit holds a good amount of oil to deliver consistent performance throughout the run. It is fast and easy to take out and re-mount the differential.

Front Spool

The coated aluminum front spool with lightened spring steel outdrives is a bladeless type which ensures superb handling and durability throughout the race. It is fast and easy to take out and re-mount the spool

Transmission

The transmission system consists of large diff and spool pullies and efficient low friction belts. The light centre shaft pullies are durable coated aluminum units.
Mid shaft section
The ball raced durable hollow spring steel mid shaft holds the 2 pullies as well as the spur in place. The assembly is super easy to build and maintain. The aluminum midshaft holders are same left and right.

Chassis

Carbon fiber chassis in 2.0mm thickness. Countersunk holes and designed to have equal flex left to right. The screws to set ride height are adjusted from the bottom of the chassis with just one screw in front and one in the rear with a simple and effective mechanism to adjust the ride height.

Top deck

The topdeck consist of 2 vertical mounted carbon braces mounted to the front and rear brackets with 2 additonal supports on the centreline. The additional supports can be used or not, as to influence flex / torsion. The topdeck is an important feature to limit the tweak of the car in crashes.

Floating servo mount

The servo mount is a combination of a carbon brace and aluminum posts. The carbon brace is bolted to the central brace and does not touch the chassis to prevent any flex influence.

Battery mounts

State of the art battery mounts made in aluminum and carbon fiber and allow positioning the battery more to the front or backing and securing it well in place. Shorty lipos can be placed centered, in front or rearward position.

Steering system

The ball raced aluminum steering system consists of an inversed lever system to better control the Ackermann setting. The angle difference between the inside and outside wheel is a lot more linear than in conventional designs.

Drivetrain

In the front the 4X EVO features durable spring steel double joint cardan shafts, combined with the blade type spool. In the rear lightweight coated aluminum cvd style dog bones are used with durable spring steel wheel axles. Both front and rear wheel hexes are a lightweight aluminum design

Steering blocks / uprights

In the front and rear the same steering blocks/uprights are in use. The pivot ball system allows for easy and quick set-up changes and works very smoothly. In the front there are 3 Ackermann positions and shimming below the steering rod can be used for fine tuning of the bump steer characteristics. In the rear the system allows to set Reactive Rear Steering. This RRS system allows for a change of toe-in while the suspension compresses and thus increases corner speed.

Wishbones / pull rods / rockers

The lower wishbones are the same front and rear and the same goes for the upper arms. The lower arm mounts of 2 short pivot pins and the mounts have a lot of space to play with wheelbase by using clips. The lower arms also feature 2 down stop screws front and rear.
The upper wishbones allow quick caster changes with clips and run on an easily removable long pivot pin.

Rocker and pull rods system

The pull rods connect to the upper arms and operate the ball raced aluminum rocker system which activates the dampening systems for heave and roll action. All track rods are made in coated lightweight and tough 7075 T6 aluminum. The pull rods are molded version and 5 fixed lengths are included: 19, 19.5, 20, 20,5 and 21, 20 is default.

aluminum upper hinge pin holders and alum stiffeners

The assembly is split in 2 sections to allow for easy maintenance and change of settings. The inner top brace connects both sides and creates a very strong structure preventing tweak. The top brace is connected to the lower brackets with alu stiffeners. These stiffeners can be easily removed in case more flex is needed. The assembly rest on roll centre spacers. To add additional shims for changed camber gain and roll enter is a simple and quick setting.

Bumpers and body mounts

In the front a strong bumper-set using a large size but light foam bumper which is sandwiched between the lower composite bumper and upper graphite holder. The flexible molded body posts with swivel-system go all through. Optional body height systems are available.

In the rear the lower bumper will prevent damage to the rear of the 4X EVO and the molded body posts with swivel system mount on a thick and stiff carbon plate, which is part of the strong rear end assembly.

Decals

The kit contains a Serpent logo decal sheet and a Project 4X logo-sheet.

Ball-bearings

High quality, high precision lubricated long-life bearings made of hardened steel throughout.

Fasteners

High quality steel fasteners for durability. Minimised number of different screws for ease of assembly and maintenance

Manual

The full color manual is supplied on a nice carbon look USB stick and the latest version and updates can be downloaded from the Serpent website. The manual features an extensive assembly explanation as well as all exploded views. The exploded views are active, so when clicking a part number it will take you to the right part number in our website.

Set-ups

As set-up sheets a blank, a default and an editable pdf file is supplied and updates and set-ups from team drivers are online in our website, too

Video

Serpent is preparing some videos which show the key features as well as the key assembly steps and how to set up and maintain the 4X EVO.

Download manual

Project 4X EVO car design

The Project 4X EVO is a unique and innovative racing car. It’s very different design requires the driver to take time to learn the dynamics of the car and fully understand its features. Once understood, it is not more complicated than any other racing car.

Optionals

The range of optionals for the 4X EVO car is small as Serpent made the car top level racing ready. Key optionals are the different springs used in the heave and roll damper, the lightweight/flex chassis plate, stiffeners and body height adjusters.

Needed to complete the car:

Body, body paint, radio equipment, speedo, motor, tyres/wheels, battery, tools, thread lock.