Help taming the VXL Beast!

[peb]

I recently upgraded my 9 year old sons 2wd slash with the Velineon ESC and motor. He wanted to go fast so I geared it 23/86 and we bought a 3s 5400mAH LiPo battery.

He loves it. I didn't realize what I was getting into! The power going through the rear end is incredible.

First it stripped a spur gear. I did not have the pinion tight enough. The allan key that comes with the kit is too small to get enough tork. So I put on a new pinion and got a proper tool. Ten minutes later the spur gear stripped again! Took it to the hobby store and they said it looked like a rock got in there. So put on another pinion gear and a sealed rpm gear cover. Ten minutes one of a brand new set of rear tires just ripped apart! Reading up it seems I need to tape the insides of the rear tires with masking tape?

The motor also seems a tad too hot, so I was thinking of gearing down but then I'm thinking I don't want more low end tork on the rear end or I'll put more strain on the tires.

I never had these issues with the XL-5. Does anyone have some tips, so that my son can have fun and I don't have to be fixing it every ten minutes, and have fun driving my slash?

[jeff hughes]

A two cell lipo may be what you need. Very fast, fun, and controllable.

People tear stuff up with threes...

[Mud Puppy]

Put it in training mode

seriously, 3s is not usable. fun, but not really usuable.

[peb]

I have it in training mode now running on the old bald tires. It seems a bit quicker than the XL-5 setup but not a lot quicker. It is also hotter.

I'm going to try 100% power again when I get new tires and tape them this time.

A two cell lipo may be what you need. Very fast, fun, and controllable.

People tear stuff up with threes...

Yes I think I should have got 2 cells. If I do get a 2 cell now I have a $50 3s paper weight.

I'd like to try and get the current setup running reliably if I can. People talk about running a 3s setup, and Traxxas advertises you can, but no one says its an unreliable setup.

[CarGuy7a]

Don't use masking tape for the inside of the tires. It's not strong enough nor is it sticky enough. I've had good luck with just regular duct tape.

[peb]

Don't use masking tape for the inside of the tires. It's not strong enough nor is it sticky enough. I've had good luck with just regular duct tape.

Thanks, I meant to say duct tape. Do you think this will help the tires from ripping and keeping them glued onto the rim?

[CarGuy7a]

Thanks, I meant to say duct tape. Do you think this will help the tires from ripping and keeping them glued onto the rim?

Absolutely. When the tire balloons, it stretches and puts all that stress on the bead and glue and usually results in a dismounted or ripped up tire.

When you tape it, the tape will help limit how much that tire expands. Don't get me wrong though the tire will still balloon some even with it being taped but it will take alot of that expansion away.

[pavmentsurfer]

Gearing down wont necessarily give you more torque. A brushless motor isnt like a gas motor, it makes the same torque all the time, under load or not. BUT... gearing down will give you quicker acceleration, which isnt really the same thing as torque. You would need to gear down quite a bit if you want the truck to actually go slower on 3S... 3S is just SUPER fast no matter what you do. And, because of the extra power on tap, its also harder on spurs if you dont get your mesh perfect. If you want to not ever worry about stripping gears again, you can go to a 32p setup... gear it 12/58 and it should be mostly controllable. You wont strip spurs anymore and it will run a tiny bit cooler as you wont need to run a gear cover. A 32p setup doesnt cost any more than a 48p setup and since you need a new spur, might as well switch over now.

A 2S battery would be a better choice though in the long run. It will allow your son to run wide open and not worry about excessive speeds (though still more than fast enough) it will also keep the heat down. If you charge your 3S to storage levels and put it away, even for a month or so while your son learns how to run a 2S, youll be able to pull the 3S out later and he'll be much more capable of handling the power.

As for tires, taping is one option, but a higher quality tire is another. Glue them well and avoid excessive burnouts and, the mother of all tire killers, the one wheel burnout. When the truck lifts the inside wheel and it starts to spin on its own, let off the throttle. THAT will kill your tires every time.

[IndianChief1000]

Funny, I had a brand new 3S 5000 Lipo lying around and we slapped it in my buddies slash with the Velineon ESC and motor. It was hilarious how fast it was - the stock tires looked like pizza cutters. That is, when we weren't doing backflips at 40mph.

In all seriousness - I think the 2S is what you're after. The 3S was just wayyyyyy too much. Fun to do once, but just not controllable at high speeds.

Plus, your Spur / Pinion is pretty hot for that setup - if you want to try to control it, maybe try the 18T that is stock. I mean, it's still gonna be silly fast, but it might be a little better.

[BIG DADDY]

I have the same set up and made the switch to 32p gears. Still running the same spur 2 months later. I use 2s and 3s lipo's with no gear problems at all.
Emaxx pinions and jato spurs work awesome and around $3.00 each.

[peb]

Funny, I had a brand new 3S 5000 Lipo lying around and we slapped it in my buddies slash with the Velineon ESC and motor. It was hilarious how fast it was - the stock tires looked like pizza cutters. That is, when we weren't doing backflips at 40mph.

In all seriousness - I think the 2S is what you're after. The 3S was just wayyyyyy too much. Fun to do once, but just not controllable at high speeds.

Plus, your Spur / Pinion is pretty hot for that setup - if you want to try to control it, maybe try the 18T that is stock. I mean, it's still gonna be silly fast, but it might be a little better.

The 3s is a lot of power. I must say though that I think my son is controlling it very well. He drives hard but is not rolling it. He doesn't punch the throttle but eases into it so it keeps traction. Its just the poor gears and tires can't handle it!

I have the same set up and made the switch to 32p gears. Still running the same spur 2 months later. I use 2s and 3s lipo's with no gear problems at all.
Emaxx pinions and jato spurs work awesome and around $3.00 each.

That looks like the way to go. Are you running 12/58 like pavmentsurfer suggested?

Gearing down wont necessarily give.....

Thanks for the tips. Are there downsides to 32p? Also what tire brand/models are high quality? We are using stock.

[Arakon]

32p is slightly louder, but the benefits are well worth it.

[Federally]

The only "downside" to 32p gears is that you can't run a gear cover, so that sealed rpm gear cover you bought is now only useful as a try to hold screws when you take it apart. It's only sort of a downside because the gears are a lot stronger, with much thicker teeth a gear cover isn't necessary anyways. I have 32p gears and I run in gravel pits with small pea gravel, run a lot in the sand and every other surface that could hurt your gears and mine have survived it all and look great still.

[peb]

The only "downside" to 32p gears is that you can't run a gear cover, so that sealed rpm gear cover you bought is now only useful as a try to hold screws when you take it apart. It's only sort of a downside because the gears are a lot stronger, with much thicker teeth a gear cover isn't necessary anyways. I have 32p gears and I run in gravel pits with small pea gravel, run a lot in the sand and every other surface that could hurt your gears and mine have survived it all and look great still.

The gears are noisier with the cover on so I suppose its a wash going 32p and no cover.

Will any dirt get into the differential or motor?

I see on some message boards people are saying a 50T spur will allow the cover to fit. Any issues going to a smaller spur, other than the overall gearing ratio?

[Federally]

The gear cover being off won't affect the inside of the transmission itself. It will just expose the pinion and spur to debris which isn't really a big deal to 32p gears.

Yes if you get the smallest spur available you can get the cover on if you use spacers but again it's not really necessary. In regards to the noise it's not a big deal, just something you have to get used to hearing so you don't mistakenly think something is wrong. IMO the added noise is cool, makes the truck really sound like it's movin

[peb]

The gear cover being off won't affect the inside of the transmission itself. It will just expose the pinion and spur to debris which isn't really a big deal to 32p gears.

Yes if you get the smallest spur available you can get the cover on if you use spacers but again it's not really necessary. In regards to the noise it's not a big deal, just something you have to get used to hearing so you don't mistakenly think something is wrong. IMO the added noise is cool, makes the truck really sound like it's movin

I'm sure my son would like more noise! So I'll give this a try. I can use his gear cover if I switch my 90T to 86T.

Any recommendations on tires? I'm going to tape them but what brands/styles are more durable?

[peb]

My son's slash has a proline baja bug body with the fake engine cut out. This leaves the gears more exposed to the air than the stock body. Do you think this will be an issue if the gear cover is removed?

[Vinny_Sabatini]

My son's slash has a proline baja bug body with the fake engine cut out. This leaves the gears more exposed to the air than the stock body. Do you think this will be an issue if the gear cover is removed?

No.
32p gears are so incredibly durable, I don't think you can possibly strip it.

[peb]

No.
32p gears are so incredibly durable, I don't think you can possibly strip it.

I'm sold! I just have to figure out what tires to put on. Any recommendations?

[Mud Puppy]

My son's slash has a proline baja bug body with the fake engine cut out. This leaves the gears more exposed to the air than the stock body. Do you think this will be an issue if the gear cover is removed?

It can actually be a good thing. A body that traps air also traps dirt and pebbles.

[peb]

I'm thinking of getting some proline switch tires and noticed they sell 1/8th buggy wheels and adapters for the slash.

What about 1/8th buggy wheels? Would they improve traction and performance compared to the smaller traxxas wheels?

[Federally]

1/8th buggy wheels won't do much to help handling since the actual contact patch isn't any bigger. 2.2 truck wheels will but some 2.2 rims don't fit over the bearing carriers. If you've only used the stock slash tires I would suggest you try some better SC tires before you go to something else entiely. Some good all around bashing tires are the proline trenchers and proline bowties. If you want them to last longer get them in one of the harder tire compounds, I have trenchers in proline's medium compound and I'm very happy with them, they have done me very well on a broad range of surfaces and have lasted a while. I also have the bowties in their soft compound and they are great on my track, since racing is all I use them for I can't tell you much about their durability.

if you want to improve the trucks handling greatly get proline's protrac suspension kit. It's about $60 and it will improve your handling across the board.

One last note it will be very hard to find any off road SC tire that will last on pavement especially on 3S. So you might want a street tire and an off road tire and swap them depending on what your doing.

[Lordsilas]

i also have the proline trenchers in m2 compound and they are much better than the stockers.

[cooleocool]

32p is slightly louder, but the benefits are well worth it.

32-pitched gears are also a little less efficient. The difference, however, would very likely not be noticeable to your average Joe Slash driver.

[Federally]

Less efficient? Didn't know that. My truck still does 40mph, clears the big doubles at the track and the gears survive when I mess up and land a jump on the throttle so the positives way outweigh the negatives

[cooleocool]

As I said, the difference is slight. 32-pitched gears are actually pretty old school on smaller vehicles. Back in the day, 32-pitched gears were used in trucks and 64-pitched gears were used for on-road vehicles. 48-pitched gears were introduced as a middle ground. They were more efficient than the 32-pitched gears, but more durable than the 64-pitched gears. Over the years, other companies have tried introducing pitches between 48 and 64 (namely, Trinity around 10 or so years ago). None of them really took off, though.

32-pitched gears are definitely more durable (hence, why they are used on vehicles like the E-Maxx), but they lack the precision of 48-pitched gears. With that being said, the difference is not likely noticeable to most people.

In my opinion, though, a properly setup vehicle of this size (correct gear mesh, slipper setting, etc.) is superior to running 32-pitched gears. That's just me, though... to each their own!

[Federally]

Thanks for the knowledge attack. I'm just not careful enough to get 48p to work well enough for me. So I use 32p to cover up my mistakes!

[cooleocool]

That's understandable.

I just thought I would shed some more light on the subject, as it's something that I often see overlooked on the forums. Back around 2000 when I was into racing, talk of gear pitch and its impact was more common.

[peb]

As I said, the difference is slight. 32-pitched gears are actually pretty old school on smaller vehicles. Back in the day, 32-pitched gears were used in trucks and 64-pitched gears were used for on-road vehicles. 48-pitched gears were introduced as a middle ground. They were more efficient than the 32-pitched gears, but more durable than the 64-pitched gears. Over the years, other companies have tried introducing pitches between 48 and 64 (namely, Trinity around 10 or so years ago). None of them really took off, though.

32-pitched gears are definitely more durable (hence, why they are used on vehicles like the E-Maxx), but they lack the precision of 48-pitched gears. With that being said, the difference is not likely noticeable to most people.

In my opinion, though, a properly setup vehicle of this size (correct gear mesh, slipper setting, etc.) is superior to running 32-pitched gears. That's just me, though... to each their own!

Thanks for the info it helps me weigh up my options. Everything is a compromise isn't it.

I think I'm going to get the tires sorted out and see how the current 48p gears hold up. They are set perfect right now. When they break again I'm going to try a 32p setup with lower gearing. The 48p's will probably break once he starts jumping!

[cooleocool]

Oh, I don't know... 32-pitched gears are incredibly durable. I have striped one, maybe two on my E-Maxx in the past 9 years and I have driven that thing pretty hard! I've taken one out on my Nitro Stampede, but that was because the engine slid in a crash. My older vintage vehicles (Sledge Hammer and Bullet) have never stripped a gear.

But you've hit the nail on the head... there's always a compromise.

[Federally]

Once the kid starts jumping he is going to strip gears when he lands jumps on the throttle. And if you ever get him racing having stronger gears means one less thing to worry about breaking and ending your race. Also make sure you use loctite on the set screw in the pinion! If the pinion comes loose it can easily shred your spur to pieces.

[LazyBoy42]

Gearing down wont necessarily give you more torque. A brushless motor isnt like a gas motor, it makes the same torque all the time, under load or not. BUT... gearing down will give you quicker acceleration, which isnt really the same thing as torque. You would need to gear down quite a bit if you want the truck to actually go slower on 3S

i cant see why thats true, i have a novak ss5800 and when its geared down it pulls wheelies, but geared up it wont. just like a normal brushed motor

[Federally]

Lazyboy, that is because lowering the gearing lowers the amount of torque needed to turn the wheels. So the torque produced by the motor is used to pop wheelies instead of being used to spin bigger gears. Pavement surfers point is that an electric brushless motor doesn't have a torque curve like a combustion engine. It always twists the output shaft with the same amount of force (torque), your gearing just influences how that torque gets used.