Ca. Off Roader
Pebble Pounder
Been doing lots of reading and from what I can see, there are lots of ways to go with the upgrades...
My goal for the bomber is to make a high speed rig that's capable of crawling much like it's namesake.
In short a rig that can run fast & still crawl... LOL, yes that's a tall order.
So, here's my list so far. The priority for which I do first is still up in the air but I'm thinking steering first followed by the rest and ultimately speed last so I'll be asking about motors & esc's later.
2 Speed Transmission
So I will want to perform an upgrade to a 2 speed transmission. This part of the upgrade process seems pretty straight forward and I hope to use the stock steering servo to shift gears.
Steering Servo & Servo Horn
This obviously means I also want to upgrade the steering servo horn to an Axial clamp on horn but what servo to use? I know it needs to be a pretty high torque servo upwards of 250oz (?) so my question is, does a <$75 dollar servo exist that would fit the bill and still be reliable? I sure wish I caught the Holmes Hobbies clearance sale in time on the HV400's.
Sway Bars
And then there's the sway bars... there seem to be a few options.
Which one offers the best bang for the buck?
Do they offer different spring rates?
Also aside from cool factor, are the Currie Anti-Rock sway bars worth the cost ($45) or are the Axial ones good enough albeit less bling than the Currie units?
Steering Links
I see many of you upgrade the steering linkages and there are plenty to choose from between aluminum and titanium tubes.
Any pro's and con's (other than cost) to what you all are choosing?
IIRC from a metalurgical POV aluminum is typically stiffer and will flex less than Titanium but obviously lbs for lbs the Ti will be stronger. I assume having a bit of flex will help reduce shock to the rest of the steering system, but is that really needed at this scale?
So assuming Ti links are preferred... is the SSD titanium set (SSD Titanium Steering Links for Axial Wraith) for just $15 good enough?
Or are the Vanquish bars at $25 really worth the extra money? Frankly at that price it's not that a deal breaker but just curious about the difference.
Upper Links & Trailing Arms
When does one really need to consider upgrading them? I mean is this for someone who's running their rigs hard crawling really difficult terrain or making some really high speed runs?
Shocks, Springs, & Oil
How bad are the stock shocks/springs? I know from driving it around myself, I see the rig swaying like crazy which has it's pro's and con's depending on where I'm driving it but then that's one of the reasons i'm looking @ sway bars. Does Axial make optional valving for the shocks or is the stock valving sufficient?
Front and Rear Drive Train
Am I right in assuming upgrading this to some of the really nice aluminum options out there is the least of my worries and low on the priority list or is there something inherently wrong with the stock setup?
Sorry if that was kinda rambling. It's a lot to digest from my end so TIA for your patience & any insights you can share.
My goal for the bomber is to make a high speed rig that's capable of crawling much like it's namesake.
In short a rig that can run fast & still crawl... LOL, yes that's a tall order.
So, here's my list so far. The priority for which I do first is still up in the air but I'm thinking steering first followed by the rest and ultimately speed last so I'll be asking about motors & esc's later.
2 Speed Transmission
So I will want to perform an upgrade to a 2 speed transmission. This part of the upgrade process seems pretty straight forward and I hope to use the stock steering servo to shift gears.
Steering Servo & Servo Horn
This obviously means I also want to upgrade the steering servo horn to an Axial clamp on horn but what servo to use? I know it needs to be a pretty high torque servo upwards of 250oz (?) so my question is, does a <$75 dollar servo exist that would fit the bill and still be reliable? I sure wish I caught the Holmes Hobbies clearance sale in time on the HV400's.
Sway Bars
And then there's the sway bars... there seem to be a few options.
Which one offers the best bang for the buck?
Do they offer different spring rates?
Also aside from cool factor, are the Currie Anti-Rock sway bars worth the cost ($45) or are the Axial ones good enough albeit less bling than the Currie units?
Steering Links
I see many of you upgrade the steering linkages and there are plenty to choose from between aluminum and titanium tubes.
Any pro's and con's (other than cost) to what you all are choosing?
IIRC from a metalurgical POV aluminum is typically stiffer and will flex less than Titanium but obviously lbs for lbs the Ti will be stronger. I assume having a bit of flex will help reduce shock to the rest of the steering system, but is that really needed at this scale?
So assuming Ti links are preferred... is the SSD titanium set (SSD Titanium Steering Links for Axial Wraith) for just $15 good enough?
Or are the Vanquish bars at $25 really worth the extra money? Frankly at that price it's not that a deal breaker but just curious about the difference.
Upper Links & Trailing Arms
When does one really need to consider upgrading them? I mean is this for someone who's running their rigs hard crawling really difficult terrain or making some really high speed runs?
Shocks, Springs, & Oil
How bad are the stock shocks/springs? I know from driving it around myself, I see the rig swaying like crazy which has it's pro's and con's depending on where I'm driving it but then that's one of the reasons i'm looking @ sway bars. Does Axial make optional valving for the shocks or is the stock valving sufficient?
Front and Rear Drive Train
Am I right in assuming upgrading this to some of the really nice aluminum options out there is the least of my worries and low on the priority list or is there something inherently wrong with the stock setup?
Sorry if that was kinda rambling. It's a lot to digest from my end so TIA for your patience & any insights you can share.
