Hi everyone!
My friend and I are working on a 3D printed car as well, and we were wondering what types of plastic we should use for the different parts. What do you guys recommend? What have you used for parts like gears, wishbones and other vital parts?
PLA should work, and its easy to print.
Is it strong enough? I’ve come to understand that, due to the flexibility, ABS is tougher.
What kind of printer do you plan to use? Off the print bed and hot end can handle vinyl, go with that for most of the suspension and abs for the parts that need more rigidity.
We have ordered a $300 additive “Makibox” with a heated bed. We do not know yet what temperatures the hot end will be able to handle, but we expect high-200’s ©.
That said, we might not be able to wait those 4 months lead time, so alternatively, we will be using our schools BFB 3D Touch (additive) WITHOUT heated bed. We expect this printer to handle up to 280 degrees C.
What is your experience with vinyl? How is it to work with?
My printer can’t handle the temperatures required for vinyl, so I am using strictly abs. There are a few people who have used vinyl here that seem to really like it. I have been working on redesigning the drive train to work well with my redesigned wishbones. When it is done i will share that and changes should allow for abs to handle the rough nature of this project.
Great, looking forward to hear more from your project 
I think we will go with the ABS, at least for our first couple of prints.