List of Upgrades to Strengthen a Stampede 4x4

[jackjohnson]

POST UPDATED: 1/10/11
Added new parts and part numbers, and clarified some options

I am a brand new pede owner as of x-mas, and I’ve been out of the hobby for almost 20 years. It’s good to be back! Unfortunately I only had my pede a few days before I destroyed many parts on the front end while bashing the heck out of it (admittedly my fault, not the truck’s). At that point, I decided to upgrade to the RPM a-arms because mine were shattered. As we all know this is a snowball effect, so I have decided to look at other upgrades to increase strength and overall durability.

I have started a list of what I think are worthwhile strength/durability upgrades, and would like to get opinions and add to it. I have no preference on brand, and I don’t necessarily want aluminum parts unless they add durability over the stock part. I’m not looking to save weight or add speed (with a 3s lipo, it’s fast enough!), only strength/durability. I couldn’t find a solid list in another post, but if I missed something please let me know.

Here is what I have so far. Let me know what you think, and I’ll update the list as we go. Thanks in advance for the help.

PLEASE NOTE: Some of the parts are also available in other colors. Also, I am not 100% positive regarding the compatibility of all of these parts, so use this list at your own risk.

1. Traxxas aluminum caster blocks - #6832X (aka. c-hubs):
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXYSN7&P=7

2. Traxxas aluminum front steering blocks - #6837X (aka. front bearing carriers):
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...837x&search=Go

3. Traxxas aluminum rear stub axle carriers - #1952X (aka. rear hub carrier / rear bearing carrier):
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...952x&search=Go

(Option instead of #3) - RPM rear bearing carriers - #80732:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXZZD5&P=7

4. Traxxas aluminum bearing adapter - #6893X (works with King Headz motor mount below):
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXAAHD&P=7

5. King Headz motor mount - #KHZ-TRX-6860:
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ount-w-Bearing

6. RPM front and rear a-arms - #80702:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXZHG9&P=ML

7. RPM front shock tower - #70392:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXARKZ&P=7

8. RPM rear shock tower - #70362:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXARKY&P=7

9. RPM Front Bumper for Slash 4x4 - #80022 (will fit but you will need to drill new top holes and lower it 1 hole length):
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXZJC6&P=ML

10. RPM Front/Rear Body Mounts - #73932
(you will need x2, and for the front it requires modification of your stock body holes as it does not align):
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...3932&search=Go

11. RPM body savers - #80332:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXEV38&P=ML

12. MIP Rear X-Duty CVD Kit - #10130:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXAAVF&P=ML

13. MIP Front X-Duty CVD Kit - #10132:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXAAVG&P=ML

14. Integy motor heatsink and fan - #T8074SILVER or #T8074BLUE:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXWMD0&P=7

15. Traxxas Velineon ESC cooling fan - #3340:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXSGV1&P=ML

16. Traxxas Big Bore Shocks - #5862:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...5862&search=Go

17. Rollcage - #HBSTP (not sure if the HBZ one work on the 4x4 – they are telling me it might):
http://www.hbzusa.com/hbz_stampede_vxl_rollcage.php

[pavmentsurfer]

Everything in this list looks great except I think there are some things you dont really need... for example:
-Front bearing carriers are the same as the front steering blocks
-The king headz mount is an amazing upgrade and DOES fit
-Body savers are up to you... not necessary IMO... just use body washers or get a better body (the proline hummer SUT is STRONG)
-I dont think you NEED the CVD's... try the stockers with your slipper just a bit looser and you should be fine... but if your having issues I guess theyre a worth upgrade
-The Integy motor heatsink and fan meant for any VXL motor will work.
-If by front skidplate you mean front bumper... get the RPM part for the slash 4X4 and lower it down 1 hole (youll have to drill new top holes but thats easy)
-I havent seen a front bulkhead for the 4X4's... if I did... I wouldnt buy the integy part thats for sure.
-I dont believe any rollcage will work at the moment without modifications... get a good body and you wont need one though.
-I havent heard anyone with diff issues yet so the diff housing isnt necessary unless you absolutely want it. This is a light truck and shouldent have diff issues.

Id add front and rear RPM body mounts, especially if you choose to go with a different body. Saves you from having to run modified stock mounts to lower the body and they are STRONG.

Id also add the traxxas aluminum slipper bearing adapter. Replaces a plastic part that can cause issues.

I have most of these upgrades youve listed on my truck right now... they all fit and work perfect.

[jackjohnson]

pavmentsurfer, first of all thanks for the quick and detailed response! I really appreciate it.

I guess part of this is to get educated better on part names. So the front bearing carrier is the same thing as the steering block, but that obviously doesn't hold true for the rear. Do you use the RPM part for the rear and the Traxxas part for the front?

As for the CVD's, I only added them because I saw a few posts where people mentioned how indestructible they are. That's really what I am going for there. I guess I'm ignorant regarding how that affects the slipper clutch.

Do you have a pic of the Slash bumper on the pede? Just curious. I really like the wrap around front bumper of the pede (mean looking), but just wanted to strengthen the part underneath it.

You mention that you wouldn't buy the integy front bulkhead if it existed for the 4x4. I've seen a few posts where people bash Integy. Are they just crappy parts? Is the motor heatsink/fan not a good upgrade then?

As for the diff housing, mine cracked which is why I was wondering if there is a good upgrade. Can you point me to one thats stronger than the stocker?

I like the front and rear RPM body mounts, but I'm worried that it won't lift the truck high enough to mount some of the bodies I'm interested in. I know most people lower the pede, but that's not for me.

I'll add the aluminum slipper bearing adapter. Thanks for pointing that out. I want to make sure this is the right part:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAAHD&P=7

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks again for the help!

[pedemon954]

WOW all I can say is thankks a ton for the long and descriptive list!!! Great post, it will help a lot to learn the ins and outs

[pavmentsurfer]

The front bearing carrier is the term I use for the front steering block. They are the same part, some people just use different names. I would use aluminum for both and on my truck I use the traxxas aluminum rear bearing carriers... I prefer aluminum for these parts as I dont want any flex in these areas and RPM parts are designed to flex.

The slipper clutch is what limits the amount of torque the motor is putting into your drivetrain. It allows a bit of slip to soften the input from the motor to the drivetrain and therefore lessens the stress on your drive shafts. Generally speaking, if someone is having issues with driveshafts they can help solve those issues by loosening their slipper. Do it 1/8 turn at a time till you find the balance between good acceleration and being easy on your driveshafts. I believe the MIP parts are probably very good... but for $60 each end... they are VERY expensive.

The slash front bumper is a similar design to the stock pede bumper, just bigger. Heres a pic of my pede with the bumper installed and a hummer body:
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab7/pavmentsurfer/Stampede%204X4/th_DSC_0173.jpg (http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab7/pavmentsurfer/Stampede%204X4/?action=view&current=DSC_0173.jpg)http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab7/pavmentsurfer/Stampede%204X4/th_DSC_0174.jpg (http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab7/pavmentsurfer/Stampede%204X4/?action=view&current=DSC_0174.jpg)
The reason I feel its better is because it sticks out farther than the stock bumper so when you crash the bumper will hit the ground before the wheels, preventing damage.

Integy parts are known to be made of very weak white metal or poor quality aluminum. In general, integy aluminum parts bend and/or break very quickly and are NOT worth the money. With that said, an integy heat sink is a good part... its not under stress so it wont fail. They also have higher quality fans installed than many other heatsinks on the market.

Im surprised your diff housing cracked. Is this the actual round part the diff gears are mounted into and the ring gear is bolted on... or is this where the diff itself sits? Im curious. There are aluminum diff cups (the part the gears physically go into) availiable. The diffs on the Pede 4X4 are the same as a slash 4X4 or, believe it or not, a full size E-Revo. So any of those parts will fit (but check the exploded diagrams on the product pages and verify part numbers to be sure they are in fact the same)

if you like raised body mounts you may be right about the RPM body mounts. They are a bit lower than the stockers... but far more durable. They are adjustable and can be raised quite a bit... but maybe not enough.

Finally, that is the correct bearing adapter that youve linked to. it works perfectly in conjunction with the King headz mount.

[pedemon954]

yessiry bob installed that setup with kingz motor mount and the 4 buck traxxas heatsink...next I should get the fan for esc once gone lipo(2s)?

[Justin Thyme]

You have a great list going!

In reality, most of the truck is very well built. I went with the alum steering blocks, c-hubs and rear hub, along with RPM A-arms. If you add in the King Headz motor mount, I think that really covers the essentials. Heat sinks are always a worthwhile upgrade, especially if you're gonna run it hard and long.

There is a company called T-Bone Racing which specializes in bumpers. You may want to check them out. I'm not sure if you'd need the Slash 4x4 or Stampede version, but someone here could probably answer that.

I also got Proline's 17mm hub adapters, which allows me to run 8th scale wheels/tires. I have a set of 4 truggy tires on it now, and seems to work great. Eventually I'll get a set of street treads as well. You can see pix in my build thread:

http://traxxas.com/forums/showthread.php?8899135-My-Budget-Stampede-4x4-Build

Have fun with it! Welcome back to the hobby.

[jackjohnson]

pavmentsurfer,

Do you have the part # for the Traxxas aluminum rear bearing carrier? Can't seem to find it. I will include both the Traxxas aluminum and the RPM rear bearing carriers in the list for completion (though I'll likely use the Traxxas based on your advice).

Sounds good on the slipper clutch. I think I have mine on the factory setting and it's working fine (well, was working fine :) ). The only reason I asked about the CVD kit was for impact durability. It does seem quite expensive either way. I'll leave those up on the list for now so people can see the option. Both the front and rear kits fit, right?

Thanks for the bumper pic. I think this is what I'm going to go with. Can you confirm that this is the correct package?:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXZJC6&P=ML

Once you confirm, I will add it to the list and note that new mounting holes need to be drilled.

The front differential housing that cracked was Traxxas part #6881 seen here:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXYSS3&P=7

If you could recommend a good upgrade there, I would appreciate it.

I wish that I could put the extended body mount posts on the RPM body mount because I do like the strength of it. Do you know where I can get some other extended body mount posts?

Any recommendations on shock upgrades (re: durability), or are the stockers pretty strong?

One last thing, according to the RPM site, the rear body mounts fit but the front's don't. Can you confirm?

Again, sorry for the ton of questions!


WOW all I can say is thankks a ton for the long and descriptive list!!! Great post, it will help a lot to learn the ins and outs

No problem! I'm hoping this list will be educational for all of us, but especially the pede newbs like myself.


You have a great list going!

In reality, most of the truck is very well built. I went with the alum steering blocks, c-hubs and rear hub, along with RPM A-arms. If you add in the King Headz motor mount, I think that really covers the essentials. Heat sinks are always a worthwhile upgrade, especially if you're gonna run it hard and long.

There is a company called T-Bone Racing which specializes in bumpers. You may want to check them out. I'm not sure if you'd need the Slash 4x4 or Stampede version, but someone here could probably answer that.

I also got Proline's 17mm hub adapters, which allows me to run 8th scale wheels/tires. I have a set of 4 truggy tires on it now, and seems to work great. Eventually I'll get a set of street treads as well. You can see pix in my build thread:

http://traxxas.com/forums/showthread.php?8899135-My-Budget-Stampede-4x4-Build

Have fun with it! Welcome back to the hobby.

Thanks! It's good to be back. I thought this list might be useful for those wanted to beef up their ride. I know its useful for me (not for my wallet though). I'm like a kid in a candy store with all these upgrades.

I would actually like to run bigger tires, so the 17mm hub adapters may be perfect for me. However, people have said that the engine will overheat with bigger tires? Is that true? Are there any other downsides?

[pavmentsurfer]

I dont have a part number for the rear carriers as I got mine off e-bay. They are the same as the Slash 4X4 Platinum rear carriers (blue aluminum) I got the full set of aluminum carriers and castor blocks for about $45 shipped off e-bay and they included bearings.

The bumper you linked to is the one I used. On a side note, its available in Blue, Black, Grey and Chrome... for those that like options.

I dont believe there is an ugrade part for the diff housing you linked to. At least I havent seen one. If there was, it would be listed as a Slash 4X4 part (as most upgrade for the pede 4X4 are) and an aluminum part would likely be an excellent upgrade if one exists. Though, I havent had a problem with my diff housing, or even seen an aluminum upgrade available for that matter.

The way the RPM mounts work, you can put extended upright posts on the horizontal plate if you wanted to. They mount with a s c r e w through the bottom (much like the uprights mount on the stock mounts). The front and rear mounts fit on the Pede 4X4 no problem... the only difference is where the body post holes would line up with the stock body once installed. They would be much farther forward. Which works for me because i feel the pede body is mounted too far back in stock form so moving it forward about 3/4 or 1 inch would be ideal IMO.

As far as shocks go, the Big Bores from a Slash 4X4 work great. Thats what im running and have run on all my Traxxas trucks. Venom makes a nice looking set of shocks but Ive never tried them so I cant comment on durability. Proline also makes a set of shocks that are very nice but cost about $100 per set... for the difference in price compared to a big bore I see no reason to spend the extra money.

[beetroot72]

As far as shocks go... to save some coin I threw on the big bore caps w/ a little teflon tape to my stock shocks, thickened up the oil and all has been well! I think I paid 20 bucks for 8 caps on ebay. Just an alternative. I spent enough on the KHZ mount and alum blocks/carriers.

[jackjohnson]

Well it looks like I can't edit the original post. I noticed in the FAQ that there "may" be a time limit for edits. Mods, can you unlock this feature for me or tell me what I'm doing wrong? The whole point was to keep the post updated with new parts as the discussion continues. Thanks!

[ryan93civic]

CVD's are great, but once they are the stronger part the other parts not upgraded will start taking the stress.

[TrickTraxxas3]

Not all integy parts are cruddy. Just watch the rating of the metal. I've got some of their HD 7075 aluminum blukheads on my e-maxx and I've sent that truck through heck and back (hit 2 car tires) and havent messed them up ( cant say that about the rest of the truck!!) So IMO just be smart when buying parts.

[jackjohnson]

I dont have a part number for the rear carriers as I got mine off e-bay. They are the same as the Slash 4X4 Platinum rear carriers (blue aluminum) I got the full set of aluminum carriers and castor blocks for about $45 shipped off e-bay and they included bearings.

The bumper you linked to is the one I used. On a side note, its available in Blue, Black, Grey and Chrome... for those that like options.

I dont believe there is an ugrade part for the diff housing you linked to. At least I havent seen one. If there was, it would be listed as a Slash 4X4 part (as most upgrade for the pede 4X4 are) and an aluminum part would likely be an excellent upgrade if one exists. Though, I havent had a problem with my diff housing, or even seen an aluminum upgrade available for that matter.

The way the RPM mounts work, you can put extended upright posts on the horizontal plate if you wanted to. They mount with a s c r e w through the bottom (much like the uprights mount on the stock mounts). The front and rear mounts fit on the Pede 4X4 no problem... the only difference is where the body post holes would line up with the stock body once installed. They would be much farther forward. Which works for me because i feel the pede body is mounted too far back in stock form so moving it forward about 3/4 or 1 inch would be ideal IMO.

As far as shocks go, the Big Bores from a Slash 4X4 work great. Thats what im running and have run on all my Traxxas trucks. Venom makes a nice looking set of shocks but Ive never tried them so I cant comment on durability. Proline also makes a set of shocks that are very nice but cost about $100 per set... for the difference in price compared to a big bore I see no reason to spend the extra money.

Thanks for all that info. I'm assuming that these t-maxx long body mounts wouldn't work with the rpm front and rear body mounts for the slash, right?:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0095p?FVPROFIL=++&FVSEARCH=80172&search=Go

Or maybe these generic ones would work?
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXNTE4&P=7

I think I found the right part for the rear aluminum bearing carrier (which Traxxas calls the rear stub axle from what I can tell) Can you confirm this is correct? If so, I'll add it to the list:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0095P?FVSEARCH=1952x&search=Go

Do I need to buy separate aluminum bearings for the front/rear bearing carriers or do the kits come with them? Not sure what I need there.

Also, these are the Big Bore Shocks that I will add to the list. Let me know if they are not correct. Traxxas Big Bore Shocks:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0095P?FVSEARCH=5862&search=Go

Ok, I've picked your brain enough! :)

[beetroot72]

Im surprised your diff housing cracked. Is this the actual round part the diff gears are mounted into and the ring gear is bolted on... or is this where the diff itself sits? Im curious. There are aluminum diff cups (the part the gears physically go into) availiable. The diffs on the Pede 4X4 are the same as a slash 4X4 or, believe it or not, a full size E-Revo. So any of those parts will fit (but check the exploded diagrams on the product pages and verify part numbers to be sure they are in fact the same)

I could see it breaking the housing in a frontal impact. Remember where the stock bumper mounts?

[jackjohnson]

Post updated thanks to carraig042!

[becdino]

Great post but the links don't work anymore

[usinkit]

I think this parts list would make for a great sticky... Maybe a Mod can add it to the sticky portion of the 4X4 section..

[jackjohnson]

I think this parts list would make for a great sticky... Maybe a Mod can add it to the sticky portion of the 4X4 section..

Yea I tried that but they won't sticky it for some reason.

Also, I'm not able to correct the links because the forum won't let you update posts after a certain amount of time. That's mainly why I included all of the model numbers so that you could still find everything.

[becdino]

I think you where looking for this
http://www.teamstrc.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=53_62&product_id=535
Blue or sliver
http://www.teamstrc.com/image/cache/data/ST5381S-400x400.jpg
http://www.teamstrc.com/image/cache/data/ST5381B-400x400.jpg