New to R/C. Bout a Slash 4x4, need a little help please.

[Badmunky]

Ok so a few days ago I bout a slash 4x4 RTR. An extra 4200mah Venom NIMH battery, a set of Dynamite machined hex drivers, a Duratrax Onyx 245 duel battery charger, and a rally tool box that I stocked with a few things the guy at the R/C shop said I should get.

So far I have run both battery's threw the truck one time.

And have had one easily fixed problem. (Set screw on the motor drive gear backed off during the first battery.)

I have never had a hobby grade R/C before this, but have had several "toy" R/C cars.

I am having a few problems I would like some help with.

1st: truck flips over vary easy on pavement. And rather easy on dirt/grass as well.
2nd: motor and battery seam to be getting vary hot after 15+ min of run time. (Its around 95* here.)
3rd: truck seams to want to lift the inside front tire when ever I turn at any kind of speed.
4th: truck is a bit twitchy, IE steering the truck is hard at times. (Hard to explain)
5th: I seam to be hitting the lower front shock mounts on curbs. Is there some kind of shield for them I can get?
6th: in revers the truck will shake its front end back and forth if I go to fast. This will cause the truck to spin, or flip, depending on the surface it is on. This seams to be due to some play in the steering/ suspension and wheel bearings????

I intend to use this truck for 95% bashing and 5% racing. There really is no place to race close to me so it will be a rare thing for me to go to a racetrack with it.

I have made some adjustments to it already as well. I have added 2x the stock preload to the springs, and moved the front tie-rods to the front holes on the steering knuckles. I have also changed the upper shock mount positions in the front to the inner holes, and the rears to the outer holes.

This stopped the truck from bottoming out so much on the ruff stuff. Stock I was rubbing the rear tires on the body badly.

I have also adjusted the steering linkage as the truck did not track true from the factory.


Are there any mods you guys recommend? Or any thing I should watch out for? Where do you guys buy your parts from? what brand of parts do you guys like? What brand do you guys not like?

And lastly what all will I need to do to run LIPO 3C battery's?


FYI I am not a kid, (30+ years old) But I did suffer a savvier head trauma 10 years ago that forced me to relearn to spell, read, and wright. So if you are having a hard time understanding something I have posted please ask and I will try to better explain it, and/or fix the spelling.


Thanks for the help!

[El Sob]

Welcome to the forums and the addiction! You ask a lot of questions so I will answer some for you. If you get sway bars your truck should handle better. You putting the shock spacers on made the truck not bottom out as much but you rose the center of gravity. That makes it want to roll over more often. This truck is a lot of trial and error. We are here to help. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

[Badmunky]

So removing the shock spacers and installing better shocks with stiffer springs that will soak up the hits better without raising the truck would be a better option then?

What about leaving the shock spacers and moving the lower shock mounts out to the 3rd farthest hole?

Thanks!

[bballa20]

maybe you need to remove your shock spacers, try to change the oils in your shocks. also the higher the ride, the higher of a chance of a flip. one more thing, you should have a seed controler, try to change the speed settings. thats all i got

[Badmunky]

maybe you need to remove your shock spacers, try to change the oils in your shocks. also the higher the ride, the higher of a chance of a flip. one more thing, you should have a seed controler, try to change the speed settings. thats all i got

When I removed the spacers the truck leans more and seams to flips just as easy, but then it bottoms out to.

FYI I am jumping this truck 2-3 feet off the ground right now.

I am moving the shocks lower mount out 1 hole front and rear for now to see if that helps.

I will get roll bars as soon as I can.


Edit: Moved the lower shock mounts out 1 hole from stock and left the shock spacers in place. Truck drives much better now on pavement, but bounces around a bit on ruff stuff.
Still seams to soak up a jump the same even though the truck sits lower.

Much less likely to roll now. It lowered the truck about 3-4mm. I'm shocked that suck a small change to the suspension made such a large change in how the truck drives.
Its clear I have a lot to learn.

[DriveItLikeYaStoleIT]

Welcome to the slash 4x4 forums and club. Until you get used to turning, the speed of the RC, etc., I would set the dual rate steering on your radio. The factory steering setting is 100% which can cause the RC to turn over very easily. It's a quick fix until you get your sway bars installed . . .I hope this helps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pL_e...feature=relmfu

[vxlrocket]

I am having a few problems I would like some help with.

1st: truck flips over vary easy on pavement. And rather easy on dirt/grass as well.
2nd: motor and battery seam to be getting vary hot after 15+ min of run time. (Its around 95* here.)
3rd: truck seams to want to lift the inside front tire when ever I turn at any kind of speed.
4th: truck is a bit twitchy, IE steering the truck is hard at times. (Hard to explain)
5th: I seam to be hitting the lower front shock mounts on curbs. Is there some kind of shield for them I can get?
6th: in revers the truck will shake its front end back and forth if I go to fast. This will cause the truck to spin, or flip, depending on the surface it is on. This seams to be due to some play in the steering/ suspension and wheel bearings????

Welcome! here's some more answers for you.
1) the sway bars will take care of this issue
2) get a temperature gauge it's vital to your motor and speed control life. Temps for your motor should never exceed 185 degrees) at 200 degrees they will incur damage.
3) again, this is a sway bar fix
4) if you stiffen up the front springs, you'll have less front traction and it won't be so twitchy
5) google t-bone bumpers. they might have a bumper that will be better for you than the stock one.
6) all of the slash models i have ever had did that. the only way to fix it is to go to an aluminum bellcrank.

here are my favorite places to get parts:

1) Tower Hobbies
2) A-Main Hobbies
3) Stormer Hobbies
4) Ebay (has a massive assortment of parts)

My favorite hop ups:

1) RPM front and rear a-arms
2) RPM shocktowers
3) almost anything RPM (axle carriers, bumpers, caster blocks,etc)

What do you need to do to run a 3S lipo?

buy a 3S lipo. your charger is capable of charging them, so it will just be a matter of purchasing one.
i recommend hobbypartz.com
you'll want atleast a 20C 3S 5000mah lipo. the higher C rating the better. I run 40C. the higher the mah, the longer the runtime. a 5000mah pack may last up to 35-40 minutes.


Any other questons, just fire away. all these guys are here to feed the addiction.

[iamsuperbleeder]

I think a good point to make here is that there are going to be different truck and suspension setups depending on the terrain that you're going to be driving on. Sure you can play around with settings and get it to do kind of what you want it to do in every situation, but it's never going to be perfect on every terrain with just one setup. If you're going to be bashing, you'll need to be set up with a stiff preload and maybe a loosened slipper clutch to absorb landings and keep from shreadding the drive train (landing a jump at wide open throttle is a common new rc driver thing that will KILL drive shafts and gears; loosening the slipper clutch a little lessons the stress on the drive train), but in doing so you're going to loose a lot of stability on pavement or on a track, and a slipping clutch is going to slow your acceleration (depending on how much it's set to slip). but then if you set up for the track for cornering and handeling, you're going to be bottoming out hard when bashing and jumping and landing on hard ground. so there really is no one single "magical" setup that is perfect for every situation.

just like many said, the sway bar kit will help with the roll overs tremendously, when bashing or racing.

best less expensive aftermarket upgrades would be RPM control arms, bumpers, and side nerf bars (the stockers tend to brake quick), and a motor heatsink and fan just for security; Integy sells a fairly decent heatsink and fan that many people use with good results (me included), and a Revo slipper clutch

medium priced upgrades, aluminum axle carriers (front and rear), wheels and tires (some suited for specific terrains), and LIPOs for sure!

more expensive upgrades, KingHeadz motor mount, MIP or TeknoRC drive shafts, and depending on how "hard core" you end up getting, maybe a Castle Mamba Max Pro ESC and 2400 motor combo


the options literally are endless with these trucks! best thing to do to get some ideas is to just browse the forum, especially the photos sticky at the top of the Slash 4x4 section

[BrabusBen]

Just my 5c - the guys above have highlighted most of your problems are suspension related - I agree - I found the quickest starting point is to read sladens set up above - without changing springs etc, just move the shock mount locations, camber and toe, and consider changing your shock oil. Agree anti-roll bars, they really work (sway bars) but also consider a center differential - really pulls th front end under control. BUT the first thing I'd recommend doing is getting yourself a uprated motor mount (King Headz etc) with a bigger & better bearing - the stock will eventually fail (mine lasted 3 runs).

Once you've played around for a whie you'll get a feel for what you need (mainly based on what you break) on 3s with stock electronics you will get heat problems with the motor and esc unless you are very careful with the gearing - GET A TEMP GUN - another vital piece of equipment - and use it ;0)

Welcome to the addiction ;0)

[Badmunky]

Thanks guys!

I just ran both battery's threw it again and with the changes I made listed above it is much better.

Also found out I had the steering set to 100%. So the slightest movement of the wheel resulted in a vary fast respons from the truck. I cut it down to 45% or so and it its much better.

Looks like I will be spending some cash on this thing soon! LOL.
Just need to get to the hobby shop so I can hand over my pay check. LOL.

[RockchalkJayhawkz]

Haha I think we have all felt like we are handing over our paychecks at some point. There are many upgrades you can do to these things so there is a lot of money that can be spent. Be real careful with the 3s on the stock motor/esc. They will get hot real fast. You should get some fans for both to prolong the life of them. When they do go out you should replace with a castle setup.
Also on 3s it would be a good idea to get a kingheadz motor mount and the aluminum bearing adapter. There is a lot to learn with these cars but this forum is the right place for it.
Just have fun with your car and upgrade parts as you break them.

[Badmunky]

LOL.


Ok so after a lot of reading and a bit of playing around with the truck I have decided on a few things I want to get for the truck.


1st: sway bar kit. There seam to be a few out there, not sure what kit I will get just yet.
2nd: Kingheadz motor mount. Every one seams t like this one.
3rd: aluminum bearing adapter.
4rd: fan kit for the ESC.
5th: Integy motor cooler. (Not sure how to wire this, there is only 1 plug on the ESC for a fan and this has 2 fans on it and the ESC will already have its own fan plugged in to it.)
6th: big bore aluminum shocks. (The Integy ones look nice.)

That is all for now, unless I brake some thing before I order this stuff.

[RockchalkJayhawkz]

plug one fan into the recieve...I hear a lot of people don't like the integy products except for maybe the rollcage.

[DriveItLikeYaStoleIT]

1st: sway bar kit. There seam to be a few out there, not sure what kit I will get just yet.
2nd: Kingheadz motor mount. Every one seams t like this one.
3rd: aluminum bearing adapter.
4rd: fan kit for the ESC.
5th: Integy motor cooler. (Not sure how to wire this, there is only 1 plug on the ESC for a fan and this has 2 fans on it and the ESC will already have its own fan plugged in to it.)
6th: big bore aluminum shocks. (The Integy ones look nice.)

The stock shocks aren't bad, especially if your are on a budget. They need stiffer springs (losi 2in front and 2.5 in rear) and traxxas big bore shock aluminum caps, (2)TRX part #2667. I use the Fr and Rr stampede suspension arm guards to protect my arms, shock turnbuckle and shaft, traxxas part #'s 6732 (fr) & 6733 (Rr)



I would purchase the esc and motor fan immediately. You may need a Y harness with one male and two female connectors to plug into your reciever. I would also upgrade your tires and replace everything else on your list as needed.

[Badmunky]

Well I managed to brake it already. Think I killed the bearing on the slipper clutch.
Ill post a vid as soon as I can.

[Jacksprogis]

Avoid integy at all cost's .

[CSTBOY]

Thanks !!!! I'm in the same boat

[Badmunky]

It seams I have also managed to bend a rear shock shaft and brake a front shock cap??? Did not notice it the other day but now I have oil all over the left front shock.

Link to vid of failed slipper clutch bearing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnQx1...&feature=g-upl

I'm off to the hobby shop to get parts for the truck so I can get it going again.
Good by paycheck, it was nice knowing you. LOL

[DriveItLikeYaStoleIT]

It seams I have also managed to bend a rear shock shaft and brake a front shock cap??? Did not notice it the other day but now I have oil all over the left front shock.

Link to vid of failed slipper clutch bearing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnQx1...&feature=g-upl

I'm off to the hobby shop to get parts for the truck so I can get it going again.
Good by paycheck, it was nice knowing you. LOL

It's probably the plastic slipper bearing adapter. Replace it with traxxas 6893x or if you get the king headz motor mount, then use the king headz (KHX-TRX 6893) or robinson racing slip bearing adapter

[RockchalkJayhawkz]

Get the alum shock caps too, the plastic ones break very easily.

[El Sob]

If you can get the Traxxas Big Bores or the Proline shocks it is a great improvement. I used to bend the shafts on the stock shocks often. I run both of the shocks that I mentioned and I haven't had any problems at all. My Proline shocks are doing great and they are close to a year old. No leaks or bent shafts so I am very happy. You will get your truck dialed in. Just takes time and patience

[Badmunky]

Thanks for all the help guys!

Ok so I bout some stuff for the truck last night.

List of what I bout.

1: Pro-line power stroke shocks. (Have spring kit on the way.)
2: Lucas Factory Team shock oil. 35, 40, 45, 50, 55w
3: Onyx 5000mah 25C Lipo battery. (Have 2nd one on order should be here in a week.)
4: Blue lock tight.
5: Heat shrink. (Drive shaft mod.)
6:Electrical tape. (Drive shaft mod.)
7: Traxxas slipper bearing adapter.
8: Hot racing motor mount. (Has over sized bearing like King headz.)
9: 2 extra bearings for motor mount.
10: Traxxas sway bar kit.
11: Tekno RC rear drive shaft kit.

I have all of this installed and will be taking the truck out for a run as soon as the battery is charged!

I found that the factory installed Pro-line main springs are a bit to soft in the rear and both the helper springs front and rear are a bit to soft. So I have also ordered the Pro-line spring kit for the front and rear. (Should be here in a week.)

Right now I am running 40w oil in the front and 45w in the rear until I get the new springs then I will play with the oils a bit more to see what works best for me. But so far a drop test with the new shocks shows a big improvement!

[BAD RC]

Great thread! I'll be following along. New 4x4 Slash owner myself, coming over from the Nitro side.

Sent via The Village Idiot

[TraxxasGuyHere]

Sway bars always help with the rolling issue.

[Badmunky]

Ok so I ran the truck a few times now and its MUCH better! Jumps nicely, and with the Lipo its now much faster.
But I still can not pic the front wheels off the ground? Is it because of the stock tires? It looks like its just spinning the tires on take off.

I tried adjusting the slipper clutch to give it some more bite but that did not help so I changed it back.

So what do I need? New tires?
I'm running the stock gearing right now. Works good for bashing, but it still has some good top end.
Should I change the gearing? If so to what?

Right now the only things I know I want to change are the rear main springs and all the helper springs, and the shock towers. The stockers flex a lot more with the better shocks.

Also need to get a motor heat-sink as the motor is getting a bit to hot for my liking. Not helping that its in the high 90s here right now ether. The ESC seams to be doing fine though.

Few other little things I want to tweak but Ill post that stuff later.

[Badmunky]

So I took the truck for another run on the Lipo. Man this thing is so much fun with a Lipo in it! I think i am going to sell the other battery's I have for it and buy more Lipo's!

Still will not lift its front wheels off the ground. But after a bit of adjustment to the shocks I have it able to go off a ramp that is 7 feet long and 3 foot high used to load motorcycles on to trailers and it will make it to about 4.5 feet off the ground, sail for 20-25 feet and land smooth without even braking a sweat! The rear is still a little softly sprung, so if it lands dead level the rear will almost bottom out. So I try to get it to land just a bit nose low.

That will be fixed when the new springs get here.

[Badmunky]

Ran in to a problem today.
I tried to remove the motor plate to replace it with one that has a built in heat-sink and one of the screws has a stripped head.

Any Idea where I could take it to have it removed?

[RockchalkJayhawkz]

Can go to lowes and get an easy out. It's a tool for taking out stripped out screws. Get a small one then drill a small hole in the top of the screw just enough for the easy out to grab and take it out.

[Badmunky]

Ill give that a shot.
Thanks.

[Badmunky]

Have not had time to mess with the Motor mount plate but I wanted to show you guys how I have my suspension set up. My front is not like any thing I have seen and I thought you guys might get a kick out of it. Look at my upper camber link. And yes it works vary well like this. In fact it works better then mounting it in the stock location, and it gives you much more clearance for big shocks to!

On to the pics.






Front suspension.

[Badmunky]

Rear Suspension.

[Badmunky]

Chassis.







And I noticed some oil coming out of the front diff.


What should I do about that?
Just take it apart and refill and reseal it?


So what do you guys think?

Keep in mind this is a bashing Slash. Not a racing Slash. It will likely never get raced.

[Badmunky]

For a bashing truck what oil would you recommend for the front and rear diff?
When the truck starts to go up on 2 wheels some times in a hard turn I lose power as it spins off threw the 2 tires that in the air. Any way to stop it doing that without messing up how it turns?

[Badmunky]

So I took the whole truck apart to clean it up and such and fixed the leak in the front diff housing.
Also regreased it when I put it back together.

Have not had a chance to go run it yet thou.
Been to hot here.

And I need to replace the bearing that's at the front of the rear diff housing as its failing. I think it got wet and is rusting inside.
Need to find a bearing packer and get all my bearing packed with grease.

[BAD RC]

My Slash was is also leaking at the same place. I was thinking maybe it was overfilled with oil. Hasn't leaked since. Checked the fluid. It's half full. (Or empty)

[Badmunky]

I have now installed RPM arms at all 4 corners and changed the springs on the ProLine shocks.
Also installed the new motor plate and changed the oil weight in the front shocks to 55.

Installed RPM nurf bars as I broke a stock one and changed the upper and lower shock mounting points.

Truck is getting better!

I tried to fix the leak in the front diff but it didn't work.

I also changed to 52 tooth spur gear.

And I just bout some ProLine trenchers on ProLine wheels. Have not run them yet thou.

Ill post some updated pics as soon as I can.