New Traxxas Raptor

[wwillmon]

Hey guys just got the Traxxas Raptor for Christmas today. Completely new to RC but so far i love it. Ive kind of searched around and saw a million different upgrades for these things.

With that being said can someone direct me towards the proper upgrades to make it more reliable first? Later on i definitely want to make it faster and i think with that i will need a new motor? Brushless i think? As well as different batteries.

Completely new to this like i said so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Justin

[Faucimike]

I personally recommend a proline body, rpm skid plates and front bumper. if you can somehow get a hold of a proline rear skid plate/rear bumper... DO SO!!! I run all of that and Traxxas powerstroke shocks/springs (black) and a integey roll cage. With this vxl set up and upgrades ive put my truck through **** and back and it still comes out on top.

[revoman78]

if you want water proof you can trade in your other set up and for $130 you can get a traxxas brushless motor + ecs. if you wnat a nice motor and esc combo go with castle

[deerhurst]

upgrade what breaks! RPM makes good arms. id go aluminum on the caster blocks. CVDs might be nice in the future.

id skip anything integy. a metal roll cage will also make it much more top heavy.

[revoman78]

what upgrades you buy depend on what you are going to do with it and how much you are willing to spend

[Electrocutioneer]

Congrats on getting a new Raptor! Very Cool Looking Truck. Upgrades depends on what you will be doing with truck in the future. Deerhurst gave some good advice with upgrading what breaks!

Pretty much all RPM products are good and are very durable. So if you break a stock part a good replacement is a RPM Part.

I would suggest Tires as being one of your first upgrades. The kit tires are universal and general purpose. Proline and JConcepts make great tires and rims. Beadlock Rims are cool and its easier to swap out tires.

Upgrading to a VXL system is a good choice and is Water Proof. Only about 130 bucks when you trade in your XL ESC and Motor. If you intend to race a Castle System is a good choice. Alot of guys run them so if you need any help you generaly can find someone to help.

The list of upgrades is almost endless and part of owning a Slash is being able to do whatever you like with your truck. Some guys bash and other guys race. So depending on what you decide to do I am sure you will find some good guys in here to help you out with opinions and suggestions.

Enjoy your ride!

[wwillmon]

Thanks for the help guys, still trying to learn all these new terms and everything so i have alot of reading to do! Right now im just messing around with the truck in the yard and street. Where im from i havent found to many people into RC Cars or the dirt track typ. If i could find somewhere to race it i think that would be pretty cool, but for now probably just bashing around in whatever terrain i can find.

I definitely will take yall's suggestions and check out the RPM products as well as some new wheels and tires. I do want to upgrade the motor to make it faster, would that be considered upgrading to a VXL system? And how easy is it to change out this stuff (motor, other parts, etc.) I just dont want to tear something apart and not be able to fix it.

[No One]

The casters is what I see broken the most. Aluminum is a good idea.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXTYW1&P=7

[Electrocutioneer]

Thanks for the help guys, still trying to learn all these new terms and everything so i have alot of reading to do! Right now im just messing around with the truck in the yard and street. Where im from i havent found to many people into RC Cars or the dirt track typ. If i could find somewhere to race it i think that would be pretty cool, but for now probably just bashing around in whatever terrain i can find.

I definitely will take yall's suggestions and check out the RPM products as well as some new wheels and tires. I do want to upgrade the motor to make it faster, would that be considered upgrading to a VXL system? And how easy is it to change out this stuff (motor, other parts, etc.) I just dont want to tear something apart and not be able to fix it.

Yes upgrading to a VXL System is going to the Traxxas Brushless Velinion Motor and ESC. If you have a Local Hobby Shop (LHS) they will most likely do it for you for free or few bucks. But it is pretty easy to do and I would recommend you do it yourself. As the more you do yourself to more you learn.

The kit comes with a new motor and ESC. All you do is remove the XL system and replace with new system. You may get lucky and when you plug in your battery and turn it on everything will work. But sometimes you need to cabibrate the ESC to the Recieiver. Instructions on how to do this are included in the kit.

Depending on what type of batteries you have ( NIMH or LIPO ) you may have to switch the ESC voltage cutoff on or off. If you run NIMH Batteries with Volatage Cut Off ON ( Green Light ) your truck will run for a minute or two and shut off. So you need to turn if OFF to use the Battery that came with your Truck

While on the subject of Batteries. That would be the next upgrade I would do after Tires and Motor Swap. Go to LIPO Batteries. They run longer and maintain their power longer.

Keep that in mind if your are buying a charger. Make sure to get one that charges both NIMH and LIPOs.

Just a few minor tips from my experience with the Slash.

If over time it seems to handle odd and you have a hard time keeping it going straight. Check to Rear Hub Carrier Bearings. Sometimes they go bad, fall apart, or get dirty. Causes the truck to handle erraticly

If you run in a dusty enviorment. When turning on a VXL ESC its a good idea to have a small brush to clean and dirt or dust off the ON/OFF Buttton on the ESC. I have seen some buttons stick when you turn the ESC ON. When this happens it goes into Program Mode. Which is a pain when you want to run your truck and you need to ReProgramm your ESC. If your button does stick you can have a exacto or utilitu knife handy to pry it up...Such a pain. lol

While this is not a common problem it does happen to some guys. Also I normaly only turn the ESC ON with the Button and when done unplug the battery. Which automaticaly turns off the ESC. Less wear and tear on the Button that way.

Keep a eye out on your rear drive shafts. Sometimes they get dirty and stick ( do not telescope in or out ) which affects handling.

All in All just some minor maintance and cleaning and you will have lots of fun. The more you get into it you will discover countless many MODs to do

[wwillmon]

Thanks for the help guys. I put the veloneon brushless system in it today and loving it so far. Now looking for the next upgrade, what would you all choose?

[tachikoma1373]

LiPO and Wheels/tyres if you want a visible difference in performance.

You will definitely break more now you've gone brushless.

You may be interested in my upgrades survey which is talked about here on this forum but the main thread is over at URC here.

[MAXXXMASHER]

An upgrade you can do is get a whole package at once. The Pro-Line Pro-Trac kit is a great value for what you get. You get to upgrade many of the trucks components all at once and it will immediately handle better. It also comes with a set of wheels, so all you need is a set of tires to complete the kit. Get RPM steering blocks and casters and you will be set. While you're at it, pick up a set of ST Racing's captured hinge pins since you'll have it all apart and you'll have a pretty durable truck for just over $100. Good luck, and check in again if you need help. Post some pics of your progress, too. We all love to see builds!