How to crawl tutorial available?

[StomperCrawler]

Crawling n00bz need tutz on how to crawl. Any experienced-types willing to help train us up? Some of what I've learned so far from y'all + limited experience:

1. Not all crawlers are created equal:
   A) Rock Racers (EXO Terra, Wraith, Twin Hammers) are made for speed and not crawling
   B) Scalers (RC4WD, SCX10) are not Comp Crawlers but can crawl OK
   C) Less-expensive Crawlers (RedCat, Exceed) are fun for trails and can crawl OK if modded slightly (upgrade servos to MG high-torque for $12, tires, etc)
   D) Comp Crawlers (AX10, XR10) are slow and precise​
2. Setup matters:
   A) Sticky & soft tires are a necessity for crawling
   B) BEC is required for upgraded servos unless you want to fry your ESC​
3. Managing weight matters:
   A) Keep COG (Center Of Gravity) low
   B) More weight should be on the front axle​
4. Crawling is more than just pulling the trigger and steering:
   A) Pulling the trigger when stuck breaks things
   B) Turning (with a high-torque metal-gear servo) can un-stick you
   C) There are invisible lines/routes that are better than others (but how to find them?!? :???: )​
5. Comp Crawling has rules like:
   A) Rear-steer = prohibited
   B) Front/Rear DIG = encouraged​

Please add your how-to-crawl tips here; feel free to refer to other RCC threads in your posts.

 

[jp823]

An ESC with a drag brake is your friend.

 

[SwampDawg]

love my dragbrakes....especially when i watch my buddies rigs roll down an incline and mine sits on a dime as i either waitr for them or pick my next line. lol

aside from dragbrakes...love my dig!

 

[gmorg]

Comp rig & "limited budget" don't belong together.

 

[Gravebane525]

limited budget doesn't belong anywhere in the conversation when it comes to crawling. even the cheap cars need to be fixed before people think they can crawl.

 

[StomperCrawler]

Comp rig & "limited budget" don't belong together.

Agreed
.

limited budget doesn't belong anywhere in the conversation when it comes to crawling. even the cheap cars need to be fixed before people think they can crawl.

'fraid I'm going to have to disagree with ya there; enjoying crawling for a while now with my sub-$200 RedCat RS10-XT.

 

[SwampDawg]

Agreed
.
'fraid I'm going to have to disagree with ya there; enjoying crawling for a while now with my sub-$200 RedCat RS10-XT.

ill have to disagree with this^
unless you have a servo alone that is up and around 400 oz its useless in the rocks imo. and these run up and around 125.00+ alone from what ive seen. Then twisting...youll need solid shafts like that of the MIP's which run at 80.00/set. This is already at 200.00, and theres still a s$$tlist of stuff to make it "crawler status".

.02 "thumbsup"

 

[KnoJa]

I would add that not every rig has to be blinged out. I had a stock XR and one of our better drivers drove it like it was his. Drive time goes a long way.

Don't get discouraged. Everyone has to start some where. At my first comp, the very first course I hit 3 gates before I even progressed gate 1. :lmao:

It's suppose to be a good time. Slow down and breathe! "thumbsup"

 

[FRIZZLEFRY]

ill have to disagree with this^
unless you have a servo alone that is up and around 400 oz its useless in the rocks imo. and these run up and around 125.00+ alone from what ive seen. Then twisting...youll need solid shafts like that of the MIP's which run at 80.00/set. This is already at 200.00, and theres still a s$$tlist of stuff to make it "crawler status".

.02 "thumbsup"

Way to be a negative nancy.

If you absolutely need all that to go out and crawl n have fun,you need to learn how to drive.

"Crawling" means different things to different people. Telling noobs they need to drop a bucket of money into their crawler before they can go out and enjoy the hobby is retarded.

 

[Gravebane525]

well you can go out and enjoy "crawling" on a limited budget... but you won't be "crawling". I've been having a blast playing with my nearly stock ridgecrest. it can pull off some stupid lines with the major buys being used tires and some xr10 kit castoff beadlocks. I'm going to run it in a 2.2pro comp in a few weeks for the hell of it. I know its severely handicapped, but I've never run a comp and I'm interested to see how it matches up with the 2k+ comp crawlers.

 

[ROWDY RACING]

Practice, nothing you can buy beats it.

 

[SwampDawg]

Way to be a negative nancy.

If you absolutely need all that to go out and crawl n have fun,you need to learn how to drive.

"Crawling" means different things to different people. Telling noobs they need to drop a bucket of money into their crawler before they can go out and enjoy the hobby is retarded.

wow!
not stating you need to go out and buy every alloy part on the shelf, mearly that some of the stuff required needs to be upgraded. Get into a bind on the rocks and tell me that plastic driveshafts or a standard plastic servo will suffice.

.02

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

Way to be a negative nancy.

Agreed. There was a point in time before 400 oz servos and everyone crawled along just fine. Now that there are 400 oz servos, people still crawl along just fine without them.

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

wow!
not stating you need to go out and buy every alloy part on the shelf, mearly that some of the stuff required needs to be upgraded. Get into a bind on the rocks and tell me that plastic driveshafts or a standard plastic servo will suffice.

.02

There is nothing wrong with plastic shafts if you prepare them properly, and you don't have to spend $125 to get metal gears and usable torque in a servo.

 

[Calderwood]

ill have to disagree with this^
unless you have a servo alone that is up and around 400 oz its useless in the rocks imo. and these run up and around 125.00+ alone from what ive seen. Then twisting...youll need solid shafts like that of the MIP's which run at 80.00/set. This is already at 200.00, and theres still a s$$tlist of stuff to make it "crawler status".

.02 "thumbsup"

That's more than double what ax10 MIPs cost. Give me a break...

 

[SwampDawg]

so the MIPs are cheaper then 80?
my LHS are asking this price! lol

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

so the MIPs are cheaper then 80?
my LHS are asking this price! lol

Yep.

 

[TSK]

I still believe this is a much better upgrade than MIP's

32 Pitch - 5mm E-Maxx Drive Shaft Upgrade Kit for Axial

 

[Meatwad]

http://www.tcscrawlers.com/mip-c-drive-spline-set-for-axial-ax10-scorpion-2-each-8101.html

Toss in another 10 or so for 32p spur/pinion, makes for a not so expensive setup. Maxx shafts are nice and light but can have clearance issues in scalers.

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

Axial yokes + Stampede shafts + Axial rings = really good driveshafts for not a lot of $.