Revolution Design: 7075 aluminium centering screws to lighten 1/10 off-road chassis

Photo: Revolution Design (source)

Revolution Design is tackling hardware from an unusual angle: the German brand is launching a range of 7075 aluminium centering screws, designed both to save a few grams and to make reassembling parts on a 1/10 off-road chassis easier.

7075 aluminium centering screws with a 1.5mm unthreaded section

The principle of these centering screws lies in the first millimetre and a half of the shank: that section is unthreaded and acts as a guide. As the screw is tightened, it positions the part in its seat and pulls it back into place on its own, which avoids slightly offset assemblies on arm mounts, plates or diff cases. The aluminium chosen is aerospace-grade 7075, considerably lighter than steel while keeping strength compatible with racing use on lightly loaded fasteners.

Four M3 lengths and a blue finish matched to Team Associated

The series is offered in M3x6, M3x8, M3x10 and M3x12mm, each reference sold in packs of 8 at €12.99 on the brand’s own shop. The anodising uses the well-known “AE” blue to match Team Associated chassis, whose 1/10 buggies are the natural target for these screws. That said, since M3 threads are universal in competition R/C, nothing prevents fitting them to other platforms for the look as much as for the weight saving.

Weight saved where nobody looks any more

On a modern 1/10 buggy, hardware represents a discreet but very real mass, often mounted high on the chassis. Replacing some of the steel screws with aluminium shaves off a few grams while slightly lowering the centre of gravity — the kind of detail work typical of Revolution Design, already known for its turnbuckles and pit accessories aimed at top-level racers.