freebird

iTrader: (3)

You'll get different opinions for sure; But I run nothing but Tekin ESC's in all my cars onroad/offroad. For this truck Tekins 4300HD with 14/15/16 pinions for different size tracks. Mostly 14-15. RX8 gen3 ESC.

Casper

iTrader: (34)

I have run the truck on 8th scale tracks and indoors with huge triples. They work great.

Thunder Trail

iTrader: (66)

You are 100% right. There are no instructions for the shims, motor plate or Akerman option. This is an advanced RC. When you buy a kit such as this TLR assumes you are an experienced racer and have an advanced RC skill set. It is a great truck, but you need a good mechanical understanding to get the most from it. Just read the forums, ask questions and and you will get this rig turning fast laps in no time. I do encourage you to seek out advice and help from locals that are racing the same platform if possible.

The X-Ray diff washers replace the Losi washers inside the diff. The diff being the case that holds diff fluid. The diff shims you see in the parts bag are only used to shim the ring and pinion gear inside the gear box. They go on the side of the smaller diff case inside the gear box. These are used to adjust gear mesh of the ring and pinion. The internal Losi diff washers just don't last that long for me. You are fine to run it until you change diff fluid or rebuild the truck later on, say 50 to 100 lipos. Then you will be able to see the condition of these parts first hand and remember there is something better.

The 14-15T pinion gears are all I ever use. You should be fine with the 14t on the 4300kv motor. Nothing wrong with HW. They have some great stuff that fits into the race budget better than Tekin. Tekin is top of the line and priced accordingly. That doesn't mean you can't do just as well with HW or Castle.

Feel free to send me any questions in a PM if you rather not post for everyone to comment. They are trying to help, but we don't see many questions from new RC guys on a truck like this.

Go make some laps with that rig and let me know if I can help with questions about anything RC.

djgrom

iTrader: (1)

Ahhh Okay I see I misunderstood what was being referenced.

evolution80

could you tell me what is the lowest T pinion i can use? i was thinking tlr 10T ?

Thunder Trail

iTrader: (66)

The lowest I have ever used was a 12t pinion with larger 10T tires. I really don't know of any reason to use a pinion gear lower than 13t. Maybe on a super small oval, maybe.

What motor are you using for such a low gear?

evolution80

i see - just read in the setup sheet on tlr.com that they had 11T - i looked up the original tlr pinions and figured 10T was the smallest

i never had any brushless/lipo models before - last two cars i had were 1/8 nitro kyosho buggies (inferno mp7.5 / mp9)

so i ordered what i read was recommended in a review team orion vortex 4P 4000kv and a vortex 10.1 esc...

since our 1/8 track closed and other tracks are 1-2hour drive away i am planning to practice on a small oval course in my backyard - so it really must not have a great top speed...

Thunder Trail

iTrader: (66)

Welcome to modern tech electric power that may turn you away from nitro forever. Brushless motors and Lipo batteries have been game changers for everyone in some way. All scales, boats, airplanes, helicopters and just about everything electric we use today including power tools and the car Mom drives use this tech.

Well, I know you can make anything work to a point. However, it is always best to go with the safe bet and use what is mainstream. Gearing is different for specific track, motor and driving style. You might like the small pinion for your track. Have a feeling you will want a larger pinion when you get past the driveway. There is no one pinion gear that works everywhere, but with todays powerful motors and lipos you can get by with 2-3 pinion gears and use the settings in the ESC software and your radio to dial in power that works almost anywhere as far as tracks are concerned

I think you will be pleasantly surprised with your trucks power. I do caution you to use a temp gun and keep tabs on your motor, lipo and ESC in the early days of ownership and again when you change settings or pinion gears. SET LVC on ESC before you run a lipo too low and destroy it. Check temps often to make sure you are not burning up expensive electronics from over gearing, too much motor timing or weak connectors. Use quality connectors. Change them once or twice a year or if they show signs of heat or wear, mainly the ESC connector will go first, they are used with every lipo over and over. Keep bearings clean, check drive train drag often and please follow safe charging practices. Lipo fires have burned down more than a few houses and destroyed a lot of RCs. Must respect these small sticks of dynamite! There is info everywhere about this so wont cover it here. Doing a few simple steps will keep the electrics alive and well for many months between major maintenance. Hope you enjoy this new world of Brushless Lipo power as much I do.

teekv1

my first major breakage this weekend....snapped a rear driveshaft (the pin that is machined to/into the driveshaft), which happened because the outdrive chipped/warped which warped the diff standoff in the process (because the pin went flying into it).

doesn't seem to be much out there in terms of HD upgrades, in fact amain only seems to offer the "lightweight" outdrives. my first reaction was to try and find something beefier on all fronts bause a) i just broke it all and b) i'm not really trying to save weight in this truck.

any thoughts on all fronts?

thanks.

LOSB3575
LOSB3564
LOSB3592

Casper

iTrader: (34)

The stock parts are the HD version from TLR. enough driving and they will wear and need to be replaced so for sure a "Maintenance part" but they last a good long while from my experience.

Thunder Trail

iTrader: (66)

I'm with Casper. These 3.0 parts drive line parts are tough and last a long time. You wont find a better compromise for performance.

How much run time do you have on them? Any idea how it got damaged? Might have got a rock in there or something?

djgrom

iTrader: (1)

I am going to be entering my first race here in the next two weeks. Any tips for the first race with this truck? I have it set up default set up and was just going to go from there. It seems common though from reading this thread that the springs in the shocks normally need to be replaced with something better? I am going to be running on a clay track, but it hasn't been fully packed down yet as they are just putting the last touches on the design. Any tips for running on an ungroomed surface?

Casper

iTrader: (34)

Try it with kit settings. Depending on how old your kit is determines if you may have spring issues. Get the right tires and you should be close and have some fun.

djgrom

iTrader: (1)

I just got the kit last week but I have no idea how long it has been on the shelf of my LHS. I have set of Positrons and Electrons. Honestly though when I look at the tread design I have no idea what the real difference is.

Thunder Trail

iTrader: (66)

Tire selection is the #1 problem racers face on every track. No tire will be perfect all the time. The new track will change after every heat until the mains are run. What works now will not be the right tire once the track is broke in, smoothed out, swept and watered over time. That's why there are so many tire choices to cover all the possible conditions to include track temp and moisture content.

Knowing what tire is going to work for current track conditions is a big part of racing that can take a lot of time and money to figure out. I suggest asking the guys who are turning fast laps to help you find the tire that works good. As temp and conditions change the optimal tire choice will as well. I don't think anyone can recommend the perfect tire, but the fast guys will have the best insight on compound and tread designs that work as they are racing on the track in question. If you always race the same track the best tire choices will be well known by the local fast guys. Make new friends and ask all of them what works.

If you must go at it alone, choose softer compounds in cold weather. Stick to one brand of tire. Get a few different tread designs with different compounds all from the same company. That way you will have some idea from testing what each tire in the lineup can do in certain conditions and you will know how your rig will handle with each different tire. Swapping to different brands can work after you are tire smart, but it will expand your tire bag and often complicates tire selection. It also cost a lot of money to keep fresh tires on hand for all conditions.

Now that I have you as completely confused as I am, you can see it's just as simple as matching the right rubber to the dirt you have today, tomorrow or maybe 500 laps from now.