Set-up help from Steve Slayden

[avconslt]

Slaydaddy,

Your setup is working great on the track! Now, I need to setup my grandsons 2wd Slash and was wondering if your setup will work on the 2wd or is there another setup guide that I should used? Thanks.

Richard

[MVB]

hello mister slaydaddy

If you would run a novak HV 4.5 and the MMP in the slash 4x4 what gearing would you recommend on medium tracks and large tracks?

[MVB]

one more question: How do you take care of the balooning of the front tires at high speed ?

[brett_dirtbike]

one more question: How do you take care of the balooning of the front tires at high speed ?

i have run stock RTR tires, and pro-line caliber M3 on 3s lipo, and i havent seen a whole lot of ballooning on 13/54 gearing.. nothing i'd be concerned about, and on 2s lipo it isnt really even noticable

the tires on my 4s ERBE balloon WAY more, and still no problems.. they spike up like pizza cutters when i do backflips

[MVB]

wel , if I run my HV4.5 I have quite a lot of ballooning with my proline calibers m3
with centerdiff

[yeti as3]

Slaydaddy,

Your setup is working great on the track! Now, I need to setup my grandsons 2wd Slash and was wondering if your setup will work on the 2wd or is there another setup guide that I should used? Thanks.

Richard

If you look on Traxxas site you can find Slayden's race setup for a stock 2wd Slash.
http://www.traxxas.com/products/elec...tm#setupsheets

[Naz53]

Hello,
Looking for some set-up help for a box stock 4x4 class. We are allowed to use up to PE edition mods & can change shocks oils & diff fluids but must run stock springs & stock tires. And also stock electronics (minus radio of your choice of course).

Looking for good shock oils weights & pistons, shock positions, sway bar set-up, diff fluids etc.

Thank you.

[avconslt]

Thanks Yeti! Just what I was looking for!

[Slaydaddy]

Naz53, The setups shown in this thread work great with the Velineon system. I've done most of my setup testing with the Velineon system.

I will note that if you're stuck with the stock springs, you may have trouble getting it to feel good in the rough and off the jumps.

The rears are ok and aren't that far off. The fronts, however, are very firm. There's not a lot you can do to compensate for that except for making the truck heavier.

Just swapping over to the 2wd Slash spring set puts you right there. I would suggest talking to your race director and let them know that the "out-of-the-box" setup was not designed for the track. The heavy front springs and firm tire compounds were placed on the truck so that the majority of the people buying them could rip up and down their streets and parking lots without easliy flipping over.

Plead your case, then ask them nicely if they'll consider allowing spring changes. If not then let me know and we'll see what we can do to make the stock springs manageable.

Outside of that you have everything you'll need to be legal and get a good track setup. Check back on this thread to the beginning then a few pages back I posted another setup and explained all about it.

Good luck!

[Slaydaddy]

avconslt, The link Yeti posted (Thanks!) is a great read for running in the stock spec Slash. Basically, read it through and set it up. The setup is still being used competitively today. The only thing that really changes is ride height and shock oil - and this is generally for ambient temperature changes and track condition.

[avconslt]

Slaydaddy,

I have an aftermarket front sway bar for 2wd Slash! Do you think it will help the roll tendancies, or is it a waste of time to install? Thanks.

Richard

[Slaydaddy]

MVB, I have not run the Novak motor, so I can't say for sure. However, if it's anything similar to the Castle 2650, then start around the 18/54 mark for starters. If it has a much larger KV rating then I would prolly start around 16t pinion. then watch how it works and monitor temps.

[Slaydaddy]

MVB, the ballooning of the front tires can be caused by several different different things. They're all revolved around wheel rpm. Here are things that can cause it:

- High-powered batteries/ motors
- Light center diff fluid
- super soft compound tires
- Heavy throttle fingers


Ways to control front wheel spin:
- lower gear ratios
- thicker center diff fluid*
- Firmer compound tires/ inserts
- smoother throttle control*


* smoother throttle control and appropriate center diff fluid for your driving style and conditions will be the most beneficial to you.

[Slaydaddy]

avconslt, I have not tried a sway bar on the 2wd yet. Try it out and let me know how it works, but pm me or start a thread in the 2wd forum.

I definitely think it would be worth trying on smooth high bite/ high-speed tracks.

[Naz53]

Steve,
Thank you very much for the reply & I will definitely be starting with your set-up here. I will see what they will do about spring changes (hopefully). I thought about trying a little lighter shock oil in the front but afraid it may bounce to much. Thank you again!

[avconslt]

Hi Guys,

Is anybody out there using the Proline Powerstroke shocks with Slayden's setup? I have noticed that they are a little bit longer and the front shock springs Slayden recommends are too short for the front shocks! Are you using the stock Powerstroke front shock springs? They are linear so I was wondering if they would work? Thanks.

Richard

[round]

Slaydaddy,
Thanks for all of your help! I have setup my RTR exactly as you recommended and since I have been back racing (4 weeks now), my truck is unbeaten. Just painted it up for this wed. night race.

[CR BOOM]

Slaydaddy, I'm running on 1/8 scale tracks, I'm running your setup except for the springs. It seems the rear keeps bottoming out on jump take -offs is there any thing I can do to help this?

[yotaman1991]

what exactly does he mean by lower shock position ft #2 and rr #3? how many holes in is that from the tire?

[yeti as3]

what exactly does he mean by lower shock position ft #2 and rr #3? how many holes in is that from the tire?

The # is the hole from the inside or the inner hinge pin side. #1 is closest to the inside.
In the front, the first hole is for the sway bar and the next 5 are for shock position.
In the rear, the first hole is for the sway bar and the next 4 are for shock position.

[pvalenti]

BUT...the first hole does not COUNT because it is for the sway bars both front and rear. So #1 is actually the second hole out from the inner hinge pin...just FYI!

[yeti as3]

BUT...the first hole does not COUNT because it is for the sway bars both front and rear. So #1 is actually the second hole out from the inner hinge pin...just FYI!

Thanks for clarifying. After I re-read what I wrote, I saw that it may have been confusing.

[yotaman1991]

thanks,thats alot of detail to follow there. i never put quite that much attention into my truggies. well maybe i did ,just never read it and did it. sorta just did it as i went along.so far i've got the oils,springs,tires,and gears set-up and won all 3 heats and main last week at our open practice race. i'm positive more competition is comming out though. the calibers alone shaved 6-7 seconds a lap. we'll see how the rest goes.

[jdrake19]

Thank you for the setup up advice. I learned the hard way that a stock Slash 4x4 is NOT meant for the track!

Next time should be a lot better.

[Dragonfueled]

Steve have you had problems with the hollow balls binding up? All mine are really tight and it's making tuning really hard. How do you loosen them up?

[Dragonfueled]

Two more questions, would using the rear hole in the plastic steering hole be the same as dialing out some steering travel on a good remote?

I noticed you said use the 2.5 rear toe carriers on rough loose tracks. I allways through more rear toe was better for loose conditions. Just wondeing cause I race on a rough loose fast track and was hoping the 2.5's would maybe help slide the turns a little more . Also still not using a center diff and doing pretty well. Just use allot of steering to get it to rotate

[Gadgeteer]

Hello Steve,

I tried your set-up, particularly for the front (shock length 95mm and camber links), I noticed with the increased droop, at full extension the tires seems to point inwards (toe in), is this how the set-up is supposed to work?

Is there a longer shock shaft that we can use for the front to give us the 95 mm shock length w/out unscrewing the rod ends?

Just asking because the extra down travel really helps on the rough stuff but when I had a crash, the rod end broke...

Thanks!

[aggie rustler]

Hi Guys,

Is anybody out there using the Proline Powerstroke shocks with Slayden's setup? I have noticed that they are a little bit longer and the front shock springs Slayden recommends are too short for the front shocks! Are you using the stock Powerstroke front shock springs? They are linear so I was wondering if they would work? Thanks.

Richard

+1 Same question.... I was installing the PL Shocks last night and a little concerned how they might affect my Slayden based set-up for front and rear.

[Slaydaddy]

Hey guys, I apologize for the delay. Hang in there. I've been gone for a couple weeks. I'll sort through your latest questions as soon as I can. Hopefully tonight. Thanks!!!

[round]

Slaydaddy, I got one for ya. I just built a 4x4 for my buddy following your setup. My truck and his truck are setup the same based on you setup except I am running the stock motor and esc and he has the castle 5700kv setup. The problem with his is that after gearing low enough to keep temps down(11/54) the truck doesn't have enough throttle left to pull up out of nose dives off of jumps. I am guessing there is a way to adjust the suspension to compensate but I am not sure how. I already have the 2s lipo mounted to the rear. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Alvin

[Slaydaddy]

Dragonfueled,

- hollow balls, yes they do bind on occasions. Some fit tighter than others and some bind after getting dirty, I use just a little bit wd-40 on all my rod ends and I'll back off a little on the screws holding them if the rod end is real tight. The suspension (arms & links) should fall under it's own weight when the shock is removed. It's not a bad a idea to buy an extra pack of rod ends and sort out the ones that pivot freely, and use just those.

- The rear steering location does reduce max steering angle and ackerman - the difference between the left and right wheel angles. It also has an effect on the rate and speed at which the knuckles rotate during steering. However, the overall effect that most drivers will feel is easier to drive with a little less steering. So, to answer your question - technically, no. but it will feel a bit like you did.

- Theoretically you'd want as little toe as possible, as this promotes less forward drag, better rotation and better bump handling. However, toe is critical for getting the power down, but you don't want to use anymore than you really need. My second setup posted here works great with 2.5 deg of rear toe. I try not to use the 4 deg carriers anywhere I go.

4 deg of rear toe is really only needed in unique situations. It would be nice to have a couple extra toe options like: 2.0deg, 3.0deg and 3.5deg. It would be even better to have an adjustable unit.

2.5deg of toe is right there where we should be starting at anyway.

also keep in mind that extreme toe angles will pitch and kick the rear end in the rough stuff. both of the wheels are fighting to go across the chassis. With less toe the wheels roll and accelerate over the bumps more naturally and with less resitance - keeping your chassis more straight and consistent.

Just stuff to think about. Hope this helps.

[round]

Slaydaddy, I got one for ya. I just built a 4x4 for my buddy following your setup. My truck and his truck are setup the same based on you setup except I am running the stock motor and esc and he has the castle 5700kv setup. The problem with his is that after gearing low enough to keep temps down(11/54) the truck doesn't have enough throttle left to pull up out of nose dives off of jumps. I am guessing there is a way to adjust the suspension to compensate but I am not sure how. I already have the 2s lipo mounted to the rear. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Alvin

Where ya at Steve? Racing wednesday night, please help.
Alvin

[DoogieLee]

+1 Same question.... I was installing the PL Shocks last night and a little concerned how they might affect my Slayden based set-up for front and rear.

+2... I got my Powerstrokes in and filled them 50 front and 40 rear and it was like a flat rock skipping across a pond today.

I should have known better than to change something that drastic on raceday without testing, I ended up going back to my stock shocks as they were already setup and I knew what to expect.

Im thinking I may have to start around 35 all the way around to give it some plushness and keep it planted, rather than skipping, but I would love to hear what Steves opinion on it is.

Thanks for all the help!
-Doogie=

[NoBrainer]

Thanks for all the help guys!
Great thread with a lot of info!

[MDB]

Hey Steve---What about a Stock RTR Slash 4x4 setup---No swaybars and no center diff--- Basically shock oil and shock position---Ride height(front and rear arms or driveshafts level?).Hard packed "loamy" track surface (J-concepts Goosebumps are the best tire for this surface followed by Pro-Line Calibers).


Where can I find setup sheets for the Slash 4x4 (preferably blank)?

Later,

Mark

[aggie rustler]

Where can I find setup sheets for the Slash 4x4 (preferably blank)

here is a blank one for the PE

[Slaydaddy]

round, man I'm sorry. I must've just missed your post when I was on last time. The shorter can motors like the CM36 series work better in sub-5lb vehicles. It will get a little hot in the Slash 4x4. I use these motors for my Open Slash 2wd, which is just barely 5lbs and it's only 2wd.

I use the larger Castle 2650 motor in my 4x4 when I need more power than the VXL. The VXL is actually a solid motor that has good all-around power and is actually pretty fast.

I've run the CM36 motors in my 4x4 and found that for the 5700KV motor, I was happy with 12/54 on average size tracks. But, I was running a twin fan setup on the motor and I was only running for 5 to 7 min to simulate a race heat and temps were still under 200. Which is actually ok. You just don't want to run it any longer than the length of a race.

As far as power/rpm goes, I had had plenty with the 5700 geared at 12/54. The CM36 motors don't offer more torque than the VXL, but they do have a incredible rpm. I was happy with performance in the 4x4, but I just use them in my 2wd now.

If your rpm is down try going back to 12/54, heatsink or fan the motor and don't run run longer than a race (5-7 min).


If you're still down on power, then maybe your packs are soft.


RPM helps with keeping the front end up in the air, but it's mainly how you approach the jump and accelerate through it. I can take a perfectly setup truck and endo it all day if I don't take jumps correctly.

The main thing you want to keep your eye on with setup and jumping is ride height. Spring rate & damping and 2nd. You basically want enough ground clearance and spring force to keep the chassis (mainly the rear) from smacking the ground causing it to buck up.

Let me know if this helps.

[Slaydaddy]

avcon, aggie & doogie, I haven't tried the PL shocks on the 4x4 yet, but I have on the 2wd. They're nice shocks. I like the threaded bodies more than anything. However, They are a little longer than the stock shocks and they have firmer springs.

I would try starting around 40wt on the shock fluids and then work with shock angle and mounting position to get everything happy.

remember that moving the tops of the shocks inward will help decrease spring force at the wheel. This will help.

[round]

Thanks for the insight Steve. After some more testing and running we found that our problem was actually in the jump and not the truck. The middle of the jump was beat to death and needed to be re-faced. After that was done the truck jumps great.
Alvin

[BT_EMT]

Steve,
Now that Novak has a direct marketed Ballistic 550/Havoc system specific for the 4x4 Slash, plug and play, do you have any plans to run that ? HINT HINT, time for a Slash 4x4 Pit Pass article ?? Seems like the larger 550 Novak, or the Castle 2650 heavy duty motors are ideal for both racing and bashing. I look forward to those well done articles in the Pit Pass section and I'm sure everyone else does too. Keep up the good work !