2-Speed Transmission: SSD vs Hot Racing vs Axial

[PumpinIron]

The time has come to put a 2-speed transmission in my Bomber RR10. It's currently equipped with a Hobbywing Xerun AXE ESC and Xerun AXE 2300KV brushless motor.

The options I've found for the 2-speed transmissions are as follows:

SSD:
https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/ssd00041.htm

Hot Racing:
https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Racing-YET1000T-Speed-Steel/dp/B014YWW142?tag=wranglerorg-20

Axial:
https://www.amazon.com/AXIAL-AX31181-Transmission-Speed-Components/dp/B016R17648?tag=wranglerorg-20

I'm not sure if one is better than the other, but I wanted some opinions before I buy one.

The Axial seems to come with a lot more parts (though they all appear to be plastic), so I'm not sure what that's all about.

Any input is appreciated. I've read a number of other threads on the subject, but nothing conclusive.

 

[Antsiranean]

I copy my answer from another thread:

I have the Axial 2-speed in both my Yeti and my Bomber, and am really happy about it. As far as comparisons go, I can't do any though. If I didn't get the Axial one, I would get the SSD, simply because they were the first to do it and some of the other brands are basically just a rip off of SSD:s design.

If you get SSD, you might want to get the lever set from Axial. It's not necessary, but might make it a bit easier to set it up.

Couple the 2-speed with a Mamba X, so that you have 100% drag brake and instant reverse in gear 1 and less drag brake (30-50% or whatever is your preference) in gear 2, and you have a very flexible rig. You will crawl like a champ, and when you go into 2nd gear and race off, you will not risk a front flip as soon as you let go of the throttle. A good sensored motor does not give you that flexibility.

 

[PumpinIron]

I copy my answer from another thread:

I have the Axial 2-speed in both my Yeti and my Bomber, and am really happy about it. As far as comparisons go, I can't do any though. If I didn't get the Axial one, I would get the SSD, simply because they were the first to do it and some of the other brands are basically just a rip off of SSD:s design.

If you get SSD, you might want to get the lever set from Axial. It's not necessary, but might make it a bit easier to set it up.

Couple the 2-speed with a Mamba X, so that you have 100% drag brake and instant reverse in gear 1 and less drag brake (30-50% or whatever is your preference) in gear 2, and you have a very flexible rig. You will crawl like a champ, and when you go into 2nd gear and race off, you will not risk a front flip as soon as you let go of the throttle. A good sensored motor does not give you that flexibility.

Sounds like maybe I made a mistake going with the Hobbywing AXE Xerun combo, huh?

 

[Antsiranean]

No, you should be fine. 2-speed and Mamba is very popular among Yeti owners, but haven't quite caught up with the Bomber crowd. Why, I do not understand, but even without the added flexibility the Mamba's aux-wire offers, I am sure you will enjoy a 2-speed.

 

[CoolRunning]

I have the 2 sp Axial setup in an RR10 and it's great. I picked it up cheap on sale.

I have the CNC SSD AX10 trans for an SCX10 and that thing is so well made.

Both work exactly how you'd expect and allow high gearing for speed and really slow crawling. Just get a waterproof servo of decent torque (20kg etc) and when you shift make sure the truck is just moving very slightly with little load. Perfect shifts every time. I don't even use savers for my two trucks.

 

[NitroDarwin]

Ssd-
1st gear ratio: 2.34:1
2nd gear ratio: 1:1
Hot Racing- slowest and fastest gear ratios
1st gear ratio: 2.48:1
2nd gear ratio: 0.89:1
Axial-
1st gear is 2:1
2nd gear is 1.08:1(stock) or faster 0.93:1

 

[SSD]

A little history:
I released the two speed first before all others. Looks like HR copied and slightly tweaked the ratios, probably not noticable in use really as tiny difference.
Obviously Axial would have developed theirs first but were slow to release it. So I did it with my own deisgn work.

The story is similar for the SCX10 II two speed.

 

[NitroDarwin]

When I go 2 speed in my bomber its will be SSD

 

[mass-hole]

I wouldn’t get Hot racing simply because they have terrible customer service. Ive bought a few parts for my Rock Rey from them, and after many emails, have not been able to get replacement piece i need. They don’t return emails and i don’t know how else to contact them.

a complex item like a transmission is something i would wanna buy from a company with good response.

 

[Antsiranean]

A little history:
I released the two speed first before all others. Looks like HR copied and slightly tweaked the ratios, probably not noticable in use really as tiny difference.
Obviously Axial would have developed theirs first but were slow to release it. So I did it with my own deisgn work.

The story is similar for the SCX10 II two speed.

Respect. And that's part of why I recommend people to get yours or Axials. I got Axial's, because I wanted the plastic lever. Which I now know I could have gotten separately, to couple it with SSD. Would even have been cheaper.

 

[Discohair]

The AXE has an AUTO setting on the drag brake that changes the ramp rate based on RPM so you get instant when crawling and slow ramp when going fast.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[slmslvn]

So I got myself the axial 2-speed (mainly due to availability) and I have to say I'm a little bit undecided wether I like it or not. The main reason for this is that i lost acceleration speed and top speed although I chose the gearing to keep my gear ratio when in second gear. The motor does not get hot (or hotter, depending on the timing I use) then before, but turning the wheels by hand I can feel more resistance. On the one hand I'm thinking that's totally fine because of the added gears, but on the other hand I miss the wheelspin and agility I had before. For sure crawling in first gear is great and I love the resolution, but I was able to achieve nearly the same speeds and precision with just the standard transmission. And since I do not really have acces to a lot off rocky spots I find myself hill climbing sandy routy forest inclines with a lot of speed and wheelspin..

Specwise I'm running the robitronic Speedstar crawler esc with the robitronic platinum 17,5t brushless.

Am I missing something? I'm kinda undecided wether I should keep it or go back..

Cheers from Germany!

Gesendet von meinem Aquaris X5 Plus mit Tapatalk

 

[BroncoAZ]

I have the Axial in mine for a long time, I used the stock steering servo for it. I was initially concerned with the high gear in the SSD being too high, but I ended up going with the higher high gear in the Axial kit anyways. The low diff gears meant it was slow on the top gear with the 1.08 ratio. If I were buying again I would go with Axial or SSD.

 

[Freightliner28]

Can anyone help me with how I can install the 2 speed transmission on the Axial Bomber

 

[BroncoAZ]

The plastic parts needed to mount the extra servo in the bomber were included on my kit, I used the stock steering servo. For everything else you should be able to follow the included instructions from the 2 speed kit.

 

[Voodoobrew]

Can anyone help me with how I can install the 2 speed transmission on the Axial Bomber

What are you having issue with specifically?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[turbodan13]

Apologies for being a bit late to the party... Here's the set-up I used in my Yeti, which is the same transmission, etc. I'm running the SSD 2spd kit, which has taken a brutal flogging for the last 3 years, and has never skipped a beat!

Originally Posted by turbodan13 View Post
I was having the same issue, with the shift link sort of flopping sideways in its travel. I added in the small support arm/link from Axial's Hi/Low Components Parts kit, AX31183. This is just the plastic parts, not the entire 2 speed trans kit. I think it ran me about $12 from RRP. There's really only 3 parts you'll need from the kit, but the end result is a much more linear movement & positive shifts. There's a small cross shaped pivot pin gizmo that threads on to the shaft coming out of the trans housing, but it's sized for the Axial shift shaft which is a slightly smaller diameter. With a little patience, you can thread it onto the SSD shaft, and it works perfectly. I used a spare screw, same diameter & thread pitch as the SSD shaft, to enlarge the hole first, then it went on quite easily.

Compared to before, shift action/throw is 100% improved. There's still a few hang ups, leaving it in "neutral" but each consecutive shift is more precise & engages more positively. I'm sure after a few runs (and me learning the ideal point to shift) it will be smooth & easy going as things settle in and wear together.

Here's the parts I used:
AX31183-8
AX31183-4
AX31183-6

Hope this is of use to you.