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Losi Baja Rey 1/10th 4WD RTR desert truck
- Thread starter grunt95
- Start date
TheLetterJ
RCC Addict
Who else is running the RPM a-arm set? They make a point out of mentioning that they took some camber out of the front end, but in actuality, I gained more! Ugh. I also notice that the truck is quite toe-out, I don't recall it looking like that before, so either I'm trippin' (good possibilty) or they changed frontend geometry more than advertised. This wouldn't be an issue except that I'm still running the stock, non adjustable tie rods. I had no reason to switch to turnbuckles before, but now I might just have to.
My stock uppers had become so flexible that the dogbones were able to bottom out in the cups and turn themselves into bananas. I didn't realize the arms were the root of the problem until I had to replace the 2nd set of shafts after 4 laps and no crashes. I really wanted to go with the Metal Concepts arms, but a friend of mine broke one recently in a not so spectacular crash, so I decided to try the RPM's (which are known for having some "give".) The upper arm is no doubt more rigid than the stock upper arms, and the lower seems about equal in flexibility to the stock lowers.
Since the truck was apart anyway, I replaced most of the bearings with rubber sealed since many of them were starting to feel gritty. I took the motor apart to replace the bearings and found a surprising amount of ferrous gunk in there. I've got to assume that was picked up from the soil and just passed through the extra mounting holes in the motor? Either way, I put a piece of tape over those holes and the other end of the can.
For the first time ever, I got my motor hotter than I'm comfortable with after running 3 consecutive races with e-buggies, so I ordered a smaller pinion to address that (from 15 to 14, running Rock Rey diff gears so it's not as fast as you might be thinking.) I will say, I was definitely in my groove that day and the Baja Rey holds it's own in the speed/acceleration/cornering departments, but I had to scrub it off at the big jumps.
I also put an Exotek diff cup in the rear axle to match the front, just in the nick of time! The 12.9 m2 screws in the Hot Racing diff cup were on the verge of failure, still run down, but the threads were hammered allowing the ring gear to rock back and forth.
Treated the shocks to some fresh oil, and by the looks of the old stuff, they needed it. I serviced them just a couple months ago, and hadn't been running the 'Rey as much as I used to (maybe 5-6 packs through it since last service) which got me to thinking... What's everybody's thoughts on 1/8 scale buggy shocks on the 'Rey? Is there a set that fits especially well, with minimal modification?
My stock uppers had become so flexible that the dogbones were able to bottom out in the cups and turn themselves into bananas. I didn't realize the arms were the root of the problem until I had to replace the 2nd set of shafts after 4 laps and no crashes. I really wanted to go with the Metal Concepts arms, but a friend of mine broke one recently in a not so spectacular crash, so I decided to try the RPM's (which are known for having some "give".) The upper arm is no doubt more rigid than the stock upper arms, and the lower seems about equal in flexibility to the stock lowers.
Since the truck was apart anyway, I replaced most of the bearings with rubber sealed since many of them were starting to feel gritty. I took the motor apart to replace the bearings and found a surprising amount of ferrous gunk in there. I've got to assume that was picked up from the soil and just passed through the extra mounting holes in the motor? Either way, I put a piece of tape over those holes and the other end of the can.
For the first time ever, I got my motor hotter than I'm comfortable with after running 3 consecutive races with e-buggies, so I ordered a smaller pinion to address that (from 15 to 14, running Rock Rey diff gears so it's not as fast as you might be thinking.) I will say, I was definitely in my groove that day and the Baja Rey holds it's own in the speed/acceleration/cornering departments, but I had to scrub it off at the big jumps.
I also put an Exotek diff cup in the rear axle to match the front, just in the nick of time! The 12.9 m2 screws in the Hot Racing diff cup were on the verge of failure, still run down, but the threads were hammered allowing the ring gear to rock back and forth.
Treated the shocks to some fresh oil, and by the looks of the old stuff, they needed it. I serviced them just a couple months ago, and hadn't been running the 'Rey as much as I used to (maybe 5-6 packs through it since last service) which got me to thinking... What's everybody's thoughts on 1/8 scale buggy shocks on the 'Rey? Is there a set that fits especially well, with minimal modification?
edjo69
Pebble Pounder
I am running the RPM upper arms with the metal concepts lower arms and I too was disappointed with the camber reduction IE...NONE. Mine didn't get worse though either so that's good. I would like to get it all out since its a AWD but I admit I am still in the rebuilding phase so I wont know for sure how the setup works until I have put some time on it. What is another disappointment to me is that the camber stays the same throughout the suspension travel, they could have easily made it level out with a pivot position change, but at least it doesn't get worse, if I need to adjust it out I will get the MC uppers and go from there.
TheLetterJ
RCC Addict
I took the truck for a quick test drive in my backyard to make sure all was well before I put the body on. My boys brought their Slash's out too, so we made a small loop with a plastic skate ramp (table tops) on each straight section. I was pretty pleased with my minor changes to the suspension and was running pretty quick for such a small area, but then... I got a little too frisky and waaaayyy overshot a jump, landed (on the brakes) and wadded it up. Now the servo is making angry noises and does not steer. I opened it up and cannot see gear damage anywhere, but I'll need to spend more time diagnosing that.
That servo is probably worth fixing (2+ year old mid-range Promodeler) but I've got a 4 pack of DS3218 "Pro" servos on the slow boat right now (ordered 2 weeks ago) that seem like they'd be worth a shot. Specs say 23.5kg/.09s @ 6.8v, so I'd imagine the speed will be tolerable at 6v.
I noticed a few cuts in my rear tires after the last track day, so I glued them shut. Well, my run today ripped most of those cuts back open, so it's time for new tires. My current RC4WD Baja Claws worked out better than anticipated, and they're cheap, so I could just go with another set of them, or...
Has anybody here run the Proline BFG AT "Desert truck" tires? At 4.75" tall, they'd give a nice little bump in ground clearance, at the expense of a bit more frequent body contact. I've also grown to appreciate a tire that doesn't have "velcro" level traction on this truck as I find having just a bit of slip is easier for me to control, so these tires are more appealing to me now than when they were first released. Am I seeing that right, they come with open cell foam? One of my complaints about my current RC4WD tires is that the foams are too soft. The other 3 sets of Proline SCT tires I have all came with their blue closed cell inserts. For those of you that run these Prolines, do you think the foams are too soft? Is tire ballooning an issue?
That servo is probably worth fixing (2+ year old mid-range Promodeler) but I've got a 4 pack of DS3218 "Pro" servos on the slow boat right now (ordered 2 weeks ago) that seem like they'd be worth a shot. Specs say 23.5kg/.09s @ 6.8v, so I'd imagine the speed will be tolerable at 6v.
I noticed a few cuts in my rear tires after the last track day, so I glued them shut. Well, my run today ripped most of those cuts back open, so it's time for new tires. My current RC4WD Baja Claws worked out better than anticipated, and they're cheap, so I could just go with another set of them, or...
Has anybody here run the Proline BFG AT "Desert truck" tires? At 4.75" tall, they'd give a nice little bump in ground clearance, at the expense of a bit more frequent body contact. I've also grown to appreciate a tire that doesn't have "velcro" level traction on this truck as I find having just a bit of slip is easier for me to control, so these tires are more appealing to me now than when they were first released. Am I seeing that right, they come with open cell foam? One of my complaints about my current RC4WD tires is that the foams are too soft. The other 3 sets of Proline SCT tires I have all came with their blue closed cell inserts. For those of you that run these Prolines, do you think the foams are too soft? Is tire ballooning an issue?
Odd, I'm running the RPM upper and lower arms and did not notice any significant changes to wheel alignment. There is a bit of negative camber throughout the suspension cycle, but nothing too concerning, IMO. The toe looks pretty straight-ahead also. I am definitely impressed with their durability, I'm sure you will be, too.
Yeah, this is certainly a fast truck. I've been running exclusively running 3s in it since purchase and I quickly switched to the included 10t pinion (from 13t) to get it under control. Still, I've got my throttle set to 70%. I'll be switching to the Rock Rey gearsets when I get my 3rd Exotek cup (for the rear)
The Exotek cups are the way to go, really. If you're running 3s/4s, they should be a required upgrade.
I rebuilt my shocks with 50wt oil. You may have followed my tribulations regarding my front suspension sag set up. I finally found a way to get my RTR Bomber springs to work on the Losi shocks. Not ideal, but they work for now.
Regarding replacement options, I'm probably going to try the Traxxas UDR front 134mm threaded GTR shocks on the rear of the BR, and the XXL GTR's on the front. I've heard great things about the Traxxas shocks and putting the 134mm shocks in the "auxiliary" location on the rear should work fine with 120mm limiting straps in the forward location, I think. It is unfortunate that the only way to get all 4 shocks the same color is to go with blue. I would love a set of 4 hard anodized bodies with Ti-Nitride coated shafts with the aluminum Fox-branded shock caps.
I'll probably be ordering a few of those (or the 3228 ) myself. Nice to have reliable spares when the main servo goes out.
I'm interested in the Proline tires too. I am probably going to get some of the Baja Claw TT tires, mainly because they seem to be so cheap, and put some different foams in I think.
Now to pile on for some feedback:
When I took it to a local-ish outdoor public track, it seemed very front-heavy in the air. I have added mass with the SSD front bulkhead, so it kind of makes sense. My question is; is it necessary to stay slightly on the throttle while the truck is airborne to keep the weight shifted back? I'm not a great driver, so I'll likely need a lot of practice to get it right and the track is over an hour away by public transit (I'm carfree).
Last edited:
BAJAREY2017
Quarry Creeper
The proline desert bfg’s work a lot better then I expected. I have several 3’s packs through and still holding up. I never drive mine on the street, mostly hard pack and sand and open desert. Tires perform really well. They do feel a little soft. I plan on putting some stiffer foams in them this weekend just to see how it handles. Once these wear out I’ll put another set in them.
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TheLetterJ
RCC Addict
Thanks for the responses guys, I was worried that everyone had left this thread for facespace!
elRayRay: It's not so much about what you do in the air, but more about what you do on the face of the jump. With pretty much any ifs/irs car you can come off the jump on the throttle, coasting, or even on the brakes and not have much trouble correcting its attitude mid-flight, but the 'Rey (and I'm assuming any other solid rear axle car?) really prefers that you mash the throttle on the face of the jump. That doesn't mean that you need to hit it at a zillion mph, rather anticipate the speed you'll want to clear it, scrub off a little speed right before the jump, then hit it hard. That's one of the quirks about driving this truck, along with squareing off the turns while cornering with the ass end way out.
BajaRey2017: I was playing around with foams last night and I'm curious to see what you come up with for the BFG's. The Proline blue foams leave a gap with my 4.5" 'claws (which I'd be okay with running), and the Panther's just barely fill it. Do you have a plan for the 4.75" BFG's? It seams like a little/ 1/8" gap might be okay, but but 1/4" is just too much... I'd rather not shred new tires finding out! maybe just cut a strip of open cell to fill it?
elRayRay: It's not so much about what you do in the air, but more about what you do on the face of the jump. With pretty much any ifs/irs car you can come off the jump on the throttle, coasting, or even on the brakes and not have much trouble correcting its attitude mid-flight, but the 'Rey (and I'm assuming any other solid rear axle car?) really prefers that you mash the throttle on the face of the jump. That doesn't mean that you need to hit it at a zillion mph, rather anticipate the speed you'll want to clear it, scrub off a little speed right before the jump, then hit it hard. That's one of the quirks about driving this truck, along with squareing off the turns while cornering with the ass end way out.
BajaRey2017: I was playing around with foams last night and I'm curious to see what you come up with for the BFG's. The Proline blue foams leave a gap with my 4.5" 'claws (which I'd be okay with running), and the Panther's just barely fill it. Do you have a plan for the 4.75" BFG's? It seams like a little/ 1/8" gap might be okay, but but 1/4" is just too much... I'd rather not shred new tires finding out! maybe just cut a strip of open cell to fill it?
BAJAREY2017
Quarry Creeper
I have a bunch of crawler foams, soft,medium and memory foam and some custom stuff Iv cut. I was thinking a combo of the pro line closed cell and glue something on top of it. Like the dual stage crawler foams.
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This is the only place for relevant discussion for someone (like me) who's not on FB.
I have literally zero experience with 4wd FIS vehicles, so I just started trying to do what I noticed in the youtube race videos...which are FIS vehicles. Thanks for clarifying the scrub. Makes a lot of sense. As far as cornering, again, with no experience with 4wd SC trucks, I rather enjoy the tail happy aspect of the locked diff and is really a big reason I chose the Baja Rey in the first place. "thumbsup"
"beer"
BAJAREY2017
Quarry Creeper
Finally got my rey up and running. Had some issues last summer with overheating so took out the 3600kv motor and put in a 3200. On 3s I’m running an 11t pinion but it almost pulls the front wheels up. I think I’ll adjust the timing and put in a 13 pinion. The 3200 has less topend but a ton of bottom. I need to lesson the initial hit and get a little more speed. It’s a blast to drive this way though. I’m hoping this will make it run cooler.
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BAJAREY2017
Quarry Creeper
So I but in a 13t pinion and it’s still way to fast. With the timing adjusted and punch at 3 at about 1/4 throttle it just lights the tires up and twitchy and hard to keep under control. I think I’m going to have to go back to running 2s. Does anyone else have this same motor? If so what is your set up. Don’t get me wrong it’s fun but usually ends up going end over end. In the sand with some paddles it would be a blast though.
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bo_rc
Newbie
Finally got my rey up and running. Had some issues last summer with overheating so took out the 3600kv motor and put in a 3200. On 3s I’m running an 11t pinion but it almost pulls the front wheels up. I think I’ll adjust the timing and put in a 13 pinion. The 3200 has less topend but a ton of bottom. I need to lesson the initial hit and get a little more speed. It’s a blast to drive this way though. I’m hoping this will make it run cooler.
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Did switching to that motor/esc fix the heat issue? I just got the Raptor version and I can run for maybe a minute or two (literally) on 3s before it kills the throttle and overheats (I assume). The original ESC fan got sand in it (twice) and stopped, which I thought was the problem, but when I put a new fan it it still happens and I can barely drive.
I got a 10t pinion on order, but I dunno if that's going to do the trick. Really a bummer to not be able to even drive the thing right now because it overheats so much.
bo_rc
Newbie
Also (see post above with over heating issue), anyone has issues with sand getting into the ESC fan? I can't use a fan anymore because sand gets in and stops it. What are people using on 3s that's working as far as not overheating goes? My stock baja rey only runs about a minute before it shuts off.
TheLetterJ
RCC Addict
Are you positive it's a heat issue? The stock power system can pull A LOT of amps, which can easily brown out sub-par battery packs, none of my other 1/10 scales put the power down well enough to have that issue. That being said, I've run as high as a 15t pinion (may have even thrown a 19t on at some point?) on 3s in the dunes and never got the motor or esc hot enough to be a concern. I haven't had an issue with the fan on this esc (my Castle esc's on the other hand, have been through several fans in the same time period. Different cars/location on the vehicle, so it's not apples to apples) and I run in the sand quite a bit.
I switched to Rock Rey ring and pinions (slower) a year or so ago and was finally able to get it hot enough to make me drop down from a 15t to a 14t, hopefully that does the trick. I believe that would be roughly the same as stock Baja Rey R&P with a 11 or 12t pinion? That was after running hard on the track (maximum demand for a longer period of time than when just playing around) no heat issues under any other driving conditions. My 'Rey came with a 13t on the truck and a 10t in the box, do the new ones not get the spare pinion?
I switched to Rock Rey ring and pinions (slower) a year or so ago and was finally able to get it hot enough to make me drop down from a 15t to a 14t, hopefully that does the trick. I believe that would be roughly the same as stock Baja Rey R&P with a 11 or 12t pinion? That was after running hard on the track (maximum demand for a longer period of time than when just playing around) no heat issues under any other driving conditions. My 'Rey came with a 13t on the truck and a 10t in the box, do the new ones not get the spare pinion?
Hello,
I got my son a Raptor last week. First RC experience and it has been a blast. We have only done beach runs and dune jumps. The car is awesome and shure can take a beating.
We did encounter the same problems as you described. Both the esc-fan filling up with sand and the overheating on 3s.
Changing the pinion to the 10t that came in the box nearly solved the overheating problem. Now it shuts down only once sometimes twice before the 7600 mAh 3s battery runs down. With the 13t pinion it was literaly every minute.
I have an Ebay 550 motorcooler on order in an attempt get rid of the remaining shutdowns.
In 2s no problems however, still plenty fast for bashing.
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BAJAREY2017
Quarry Creeper
Yeah it did. I’m back to running it on 2s with a 13t pinion, might put on a 14 but it’s plenty fast and has awesome torque. I ran 4 2s 5000mah without letting the motor cool and no problems. I haven’t check to see what the engine or esc got to yet. I never had issues with 3s with the stock motor and esc, it wasn’t until I switched and only during the summer but it does get 110 so I’d think anything would overheat.
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edjo69
Pebble Pounder
Hmm, 2 new Raptors both with sand in fan issues, I wonder if something about the new body design somehow channels sand towards the ESC fan? Hadn't really heard much about it before the Raptor body...
BAJAREY2017
Quarry Creeper
It shouldn’t. The esc is in the same place has the same opening. When I still had the stock esc the fan quit working a couple weeks after and I called horizon and since they don’t sell the fan separate they sent out a new esc that I still have in the box. Iv cut my interior bigger to fit the hw esc and Iv got sand, dirt and mud in it and never had problems.
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BAJAREY2017
Quarry Creeper
Picked up some stock tires, couldn’t pass up 50% off. Also got some closed cell foams and some proline springs. Going to go a little stiffer on the tender and main spring. I have the first gen model so I’m going to try an open diff in the rear. I was going to try some 30k diff fluid. Does anybody know what they are using stock? If so how do you like it
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TheLetterJ
RCC Addict
Are those just the Proline closed cell foams like what's included with most of their sct tires? I've still not ordered new rubber, but I've been considering going back to my stock tires (still good) with my old Proline closed cell foams, but I got cold feet about running with an air gap. I'd like to hear what foam combination you land on.