Rear upper links positions

[Reezo]

I apologize if this has been answered somewhere else: I have looked everywhere and could not find anything, so I decided to post it here.

On my SCX10 III Gladiator (and I believe, on the SCX10 III in general) part AXI231009 attaches to the skid and offers 3 positions for the upper rear links. I am currently using the lower hole of that 'triangle', but I was wondering what other people were using. The user manual doesn't seem to mention anything about it.

I am thinking, given the stock links and how it's looking right now, the lower hole is granting me a pretty parallel pinion angle, which stays parallel over the whole length of the suspension travel.

I have set my rock racers this way, where the rear links basically end up being connected at the skid, their mounting points are at the same height, so to speak. But on my rock crawlers, I tend to experiment a bit more, especially with straight axles, because the anti-squat seems to give me a bit more push 'down' when in a crawl and this lands me, apparently, a bit more traction on both front and rear, as the car seems to want to 'splat' itself onto the rocky uphill surface.

I know there is no hurt in trying, I am kinda leaning to use the upper left corner in order to make my rear pinion look 'up' a bit. This should make the rear axle want to 'push' to the ground when rotating and could help in the same manner. The thing is that the Gladiator I have is on portals, so I am not sure portals are going to behave the same way as straight axles, with geometries like these. I know I can also turn the links to lengthen/shorten them a bit and work on driveshaft/pinion angles etc.

Thanks for chiming in and clarifying, I am far from being an expert, actually feel free to bash in case I wrote a bunch of nonsense

 

[ferp420]

people talk alot about anti squat and anti dive angles and whats best or what sucks but im my opinion its about what feels right to me and thats gonna be differnt from what feels right to you

if ya ask me what you should do i would say try it all and see what you like and thats gonna be the right set up for you

you can change the truck to meet your driving style
or
you can change your driving style to suit your truck

or alittle of both lol but it all come down to preference

 

[Reezo]

people talk alot about anti squat and anti dive angles and whats best or what sucks but im my opinion its about what feels right to me and thats gonna be differnt from what feels right to you

if ya ask me what you should do i would say try it all and see what you like and thats gonna be the right set up for you

you can change the truck to meet your driving style
or
you can change your driving style to suit your truck

or alittle of both lol but it all come down to preference

You are absolutely right, Ferp. As I have hinted in the OP, I will try it and see, as there is no substitute for that. Real testing makes sure all the variables are there and you can feel them (that's the beauty of the hobby, the variables keep it interesting and never obvious).

On a parallel path I was trying to see if I have misunderstood or overlooked something. Thanks for reaching out with reinforcing a philosophy I am close to and agree with. Well put!

 

[Goro Majima]

If I'm doing a scale build, I'll keep the rear axle as level as possible or keep the driveshaft angle as straight as possible throughout articulation.

If it's about function, I'll try to pitch the rear diff upwards more than normal so the driveshaft doesn't get exposed on articulation and also the pumpkin (depending on style) won't snag as much.

Those few extra link hole options help a bit but if I'm looking for more options I'll just cut some sheet metal, shape it and add some holes to mount to that existing piece.

 

[diezel666]

Generally with "kit builds" and RTR's - The Manual is setup for the most neutral depending upon parts used. Everything in suspension is a complete variable, with many factors weighting in and any specific factor greatly can affect all of the other variables.

The advice given so far is fantastic. And really the most spot on is: Your driving style and needs will dictate the most of where your setup needs to go to be suitable.

 

[Reezo]

If I'm doing a scale build, I'll keep the rear axle as level as possible or keep the driveshaft angle as straight as possible throughout articulation.

If it's about function, I'll try to pitch the rear diff upwards more than normal so the driveshaft doesn't get exposed on articulation and also the pumpkin (depending on style) won't snag as much.

Those few extra link hole options help a bit but if I'm looking for more options I'll just cut some sheet metal, shape it and add some holes to mount to that existing piece.

Generally with "kit builds" and RTR's - The Manual is setup for the most neutral depending upon parts used. Everything in suspension is a complete variable, with many factors weighting in and any specific factor greatly can affect all of the other variables.

The advice given so far is fantastic. And really the most spot on is: Your driving style and needs will dictate the most of where your setup needs to go to be suitable.

Once again I cannot but agree with this, and I am glad to read you are kinda sharing my approach. One thing I haven't cared much about is having the driveshaft clear over the links (meaning negative pinion angle), as I usually go for positive, if any. But again, I see why that would be beneficial. I think I just love the sound of scratching and bent lexan X-D. But seriously, it all makes sense in the context of: "you gotta be there, see it, feel it on the transmitter and just get it." The theory is sound, we know we have the facts down, but it's all on paper until you actually drive it. I have made the mistake of watching videos and ignoring - as an example - the type of 'land' one is on. I enjoy watching all types of Utah rock crawling and reviews, but then I have to realize that here in Bavaria, the crawling is going to be completely different. Tread patterns, temperatures, etc. it all changes. Yet, I don't know how many videos I've watched over completely different landscape, to try and decide over a type of tire that had nothing to do with the terrain I crawl on. Sometimes it worked regardless, but most of the time it was just "this thing is the worst tire I have ever tried"

Same applies for link geometry. In general, it's all about testing it for real.

I drove the Gladiator over a rocky 'stair' that I have used often as a test, and my TRX-4 Sport, with its recent tuning and upgrades, destroys or compares to LCG crawlers in the elegance in pulling itself over the hardest breakovers etc. The Gladiator today did equally good, it didn't tip or flip, it did not need to 'invent' or look for a line most of the time, it just drove straight up with its longer wheel base. I had to find a couple different angles because of it, but all in all it immediately told me that the rig is working as I want and now it's the last 10% that I can only absorb once I have built some muscle memory on the rig itself. It's that spot in which you can only do a change after a day or two of intense crawling.

So, the baseline is good, this thing is killing them lines, I'll let you know as soon as I have a feel for it how it goes when I move myself to the top left corner (that's going to be my first spot I'd be interested in).

I got so many mosquito bites and one tick... they all added to such a realistic "Overlanding adventure" it almost felt like I was driving through some kind of swampy jungle... boy, do I love this hobby.