Futaba 4PL steering stops mod!
 

I have a couple FHSS receivers I've been using from my 3PL and heard the
4PL is compatible with these recievers and has some extra features I want to use since I race touring cars.

The only thing keeping me from getting the 4PL is this issue I hear with the steering stops breaking.

Does anyone have a picture of these steering stops inside the controller they mind to share??

Are these stops something I can reinforce to make them stronger or is there a way to replace them if they do break??

I haven't heard of this mod but just FWIW, I race OffRoad now and use the 4PL as do about 50% of the racers at my local track and with people slamming the wheel back and forth from stop to stop way more than any OnRoad racer ever will (or should) have never seen a failure of any part on the TX. I would not let this "issue" prevent you from buying a 4PL.

I have not heard of an "issue," only isolated incidents. Mine has been working flawlessly for the past year.

Thx guys!

Ahh the denial....

There is an issue with the 4pl steering stops, it's caused by a weak point when the plastic on that side of the case is moulded, a lot of people don't have the misfortune of experiencing it, but when I had a 4pl, it had it, it failed, and Futaba Australia wanted to skip down the physical damage path quicker than you could blink. Customer service was disgraceful, bordering on insulting.

For that reason I will no longer use another Futaba Radio or Servo.

I will put this simply, many people have had no problems with a 4pl, but if and when you do, you have been warned.

BUY THE 4PL AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Look at the Airtronics MT4 in the same price range.

How is anyone in denial? All's that was stated is that they haven't had the issue, I also have the 4pl for several months now and its held up great, I've even dropped it at myThe M local track which is hard packed clay and not a scratch on it...........

You can drop an egg 2 or 3 times and have it not break, doesn't mean it's not fragile.

The issue really is not how it broke but how the breakage was handled. I can tell you though I am not the only one who has had the steering stops break, and I won't be the last one, and if you buy one, it could be you next!

Mine broke this past weekend at a race, was hoping for a fix in this thread but guess not... Luckily superglue has worked so far to re-attach the stop but it's only a temporary fix for sure.

Just a follow up that I ended up replacing the whole front half of the case, the part is called the "front grip", and it only cost $12 from my lhs. Was a bit of a pain to change as you have to move all the rocker switches and remove all the buttons etc, but sure beats having no stops!

Futaba wouldn't own up to any kind of problem with the 4pl case so the only thing they'd do was give me the part #.

Sounds familiar, when I took mine to the local Futaba Distributor for Australia they couldn't scream "Not Warranty" fast enough and wanted $80-$90 ish to replace that case half.

Maybe its an issue with the user and not the radio. My 9 year old can manage to use a 4pl just fine.... I suppose she's in denial too though.

The fact that it's a common issue means it's a problem with the product. I've used multiple other tx before and never had any issues like this. To be fair I bought the 4pl used though and have no idea how the previous owner treated it.

Never the less, the bottom line for me is that futaba is supposed to be "the best" and I expect better customer service from a company with their reputation. Futaba will sell the front grip for $7.95 which means their cost is likely even less. If they know it's an issue but not necessarily wide spread, they could at least offer to provide part for free and have the customer pay the shipping.

I switched away from spektrum for this tx, and when spektrum had issues with their tx they fixed them for free.

It doesn't seem to be a common problem in my club. We have about 8 4PLs in use over the past year and not one has had that problem. One broken antenna from misuse but that is about all.

I have had the steering stop break off an Airtronics radio but that was years ago when I was a rookie slamming the wheel from stop to stop.

Futaba has never been one to repair user broken merchandise for free. They are good if there was a manufacturing defect (not broken parts) within their warranty period.