I Have a stock brushless 2wd Slash and want to upgrade to Anza LCG or Proline LCG chassis but keep everything else stock. I bash w/ some backyard racing. Which would you recommend?

I’ve looked closely at both BSRC reviews but Proline review was w/ completely upgraded parts & Anza was stock. I know proline is a sponsor and don’t want to create problems so will not post response. Any help you can give is much appreciated. Keep up the good work. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jerry H.

Cubby- Congrats Jerry, I proclaim your email as the “letter of the month”. Shoot Brian your snail mail (don’t forget your shirt size) so we can ship you out a new BSRC t-shirt.

Actually, both Pro-Line and Anza (Firelands/HobbyTown USA) are advertisers with us. Thankfully both “get it” and know we don’t hold punches for advertisers. If I said one or the other totally sucked I’m quite confident neither company would freak over it. They advertise with us because of who we are, because we aren’t afraid to say what needs to be said.

To get to your actual question- I’ve driven both chassis kits on Slashes that were bone stock. But… I’ve never driven them back-to-back.

Due to the fact we haven’t driven them back-to-back with stock running gear I can’t give you a real world, definitive answer on this one. Both kits improve cornering, both are well made, and both take a pretty serious beating in the field. It would really take a shootout to give you a proper first hand answer and I don’t see that happening any time soon.

However… if it was up to me (and cash out of my own pocket), I’d go with the Pro-Line. IMO it’s slightly more sano, slightly easier to install, and replacement parts can be found easier (Pro-line parts can be had by most any hobby shop in the country, where as Anza parts are a HobbyTown USA exclusive). But, and there is always a but, if you have a HobbyTown USA close to you and you like the look and/or price of the Anza, it is a quality unit, don’t hesitate to bust out the cash. To boil it down, both are very good, you won’t be disappointed with either.

Hi, so I put sand tires on my blitz and after the first time I drove it, the spur gear got destroyed, I mean, all the teeth got destroyed, the center of it got all messed up, and the slipper pads look like they melted.

It is all stock except for a strc motor plate, a sidewinder 3 system, 3s lipo, and aluminum rear shocks. Are there some upgrades, and techniques you guys know so that doesn’t happen every time I drive it in the sand. I really want to turn my blitz into a really high performance sand machine, that is very reliable.
thanks,
James D.

Cubby- Hey ya James, thanks for the email. Shoot Brian your info (Brian at BigSquidRC.com) so he can send you a BSRC sticker pack for your Blitz.

Ok, James, there are two things you can do here.
1. Extensively mod your Blitz by “bomb proofing” your entire drive-train.
2. Take some time and carefully set your slipper.

Route #1 is expensive and can take some serious wrench time, but in the end you should be able to drive your Blitz like it owes you money without any issues.

Route #2 just takes time.
At one time a slipper was used as a type of traction control coming out of slick corners on a track. Now days, under huge Lipo power, it’s used more like a shock absorber for your vehicles drive-train. But the problem is- setting a slipper on 2S is a snap, setting it for 3S is harder, and setting it for 3S on a high grip surface (like sand) can be a real challenge.

From your email it sounds like you initially had your slipper set too loose, therefore it got hotter than the core of the sun and melted down, eventually locking up completely. After it melted, becoming one mass of semi-molten goo, you ended up blowing out your spur gear because the slipper was no longer working.

My recommendation to you is to go the cheap way first. Put in the time to properly set your slipper for your power and traction level.
Here is the process-
1. Pound the gas from a dead stop. If it slips it’s too loose. Keep tightening until it doesn’t slip from a dead stop. If it slips from a dead stop it will get too hot under hard driving conditions.

2. Bust out a temp gauge. Seriously, trust me on this one, do not be tempted to use your fingers. Drive your Blitz hard for one minute (no more) then pull it in and check the temp of the slipper. If the temp is above 140 F, tightening it up a bit. If the slipper is ambient temp, it’s not working at all so loosen it up slightly. Keep driving for short 1 minute stints until you find the setting where it’s not getting too hot, yet is still actually working.

3. If you have to error, error on the side of the slipper being slightly too tight.

4. You’ll need to re-adjust your slipper for different traction and power levels. Time consuming yes, but just the way it is.

Have fun, go fast, and hook us up with some sweet 30 foot rooster shots of your Blitz when you get it dialed.

The Trencher X’s and Renegade combo make not only a very scale looking combination, but also a great performer out in the dirt. With them now being pre-mounted they save you the time and frustration of the entire gluing process.

Pro-Line has Trencher X pre-mounts available to fit vehicles like the Traxxas Slash and Slash 4×4, the HPI Blitz, Associated SC10 4×4, Pro-Line ProTrac Slash, and Losi Ten SCTE. Part numbers are #1190-13 and #1190-18, and you can hit THIS link for more information. Street price is $35 per pair.

How about some more short course truck news? Find more at THIS link right here on BigSquidRC.

The part number is #5814X and it has a retail price of $75. For more information on all of the fine products from Traxxas hit up their Official Website.

We’ve made it through another week, how about a TGIF Mystery Link?

* Hardened Alloy Steel for superior strength and Wear!
* American made High Strength diff rings!
* Precision machined for excellent bearing fits!
* MIP Team Tested and Approved!
* Does not include Diff Gear & Stock sealed Bearings!
* Quality made in the USA!

MIP didn’t forget about all you Traxxas Slash drivers, their new #12225 Super Diff pops right into your Slash and helps bring it up to competition level. Some of the features of the MIP Super Diff for the Traxxas Slash include-

* American made High Strength diff rings!
* Improves overall traction during cornering!
* Precision machined for Excellent Bearing Fit
* Hardened U.S. Grade Alloy Steel for Superior Strength & Wear
* Includes MIP Pin Screws for use with Traxxas Stock Drives, MIP X-Duty™, & MIP C-CVD™ Drives
* Lightweight to reduce rotating mass!
* 100% Quality made in the USA!

Retail price for the Losi diff is $35, while retail price for the Traxxas diff is $60. For more information hit up the official MIP Website.

Looking for even more MIP news? Click THIS link for more MIP news right here on BigSquidRC.

Pro-Line Racing keeps introducing more upgrade parts for the immensely popular Traxxas Slash platform. Today we’ll be taking a look at some of their newest performance parts to determine if they live up to Pro-Line’s legendary reputation and if they are worth your time and money. Come on, lets take a closer look…

From: Pro-Line Racing

Direct Link: Slash Pro-2 Performance Parts

Review By: Cubby
Pics By: Cubby

Parts Tested:

* 6095-00 Pro-2 front bumper and bulkhead ($9)
* 6096-00 Pro-2 hinge pin set ($22)
* 6100-00 4mm serrated wheel lock nuts ($8)
* 6099-00 Pro-2 ProTrak axle kit ($36)
* 6098-00 & 6097-00 Pro-2 clamping wheel hexes ($11 per pair)

Test Drivers: Cubby, Brian, Tim, Iron Mike

Test Venues: RC Outlaws in Collinsville IL, DirtBurners in St Louis Missouri, backyard and a city park

Review Platform: We used our Pro-Line modified Traxxas Slash for the review. Our Slash doesn’t have many stock parts on it anymore- it sports the Pro-Line chassis kit, ProTrak suspension kit and Pro-Line shocks. A Castle brushless motor and speedo was used, the servo was from Hitec, a 3S Dynamite Lipo provided the juice, and a Futaba 4PK Super-R controlled the beast.

Installation: All the new Pro-Line gear bolted up without issue. There weren’t many stock Traxxas parts left on our Pro-2, so we were mainly bolting up Pro-Line parts to other Pro-Line parts. We did not experience any binding or need to modify any parts for a proper fit. To bolt the right side outdrive on (the spur side) we drilled a small hole in the rear of the battery box to make for easier hex wrench access (shown in third picture of gallery 2). All in all it took around 2 hours to switch out all the parts.

Durability: The highest ambient temperature our Pro-2 saw during testing was 48 degrees Fahrenheit, the coldest test drive was conducted at 12 degrees. We did manage to break one of the few stock Traxxas parts that remained on our truck, but didn’t break any of the new Pro-Line parts, even in the extra cold weather.

Issues: We did not come across any issues while testing the Pro-Line performance parts.

Misc Notes:

Pro-2 front bumper and bulkhead- The Pro-Line front bumper saved some weight and was smartly designed to absorb frontal impacts.

Pro-2 hinge pin set- Stock Traxxas hinge pins are made out of butter and like to work their way loose. The Pro-Line hinge pins are arguably the best $22 you can spend on your Slash and I can’t recommend them highly enough.

4mm serrated wheel lock nuts- Yes, these look trick but they aren’t just a bling part, their heavier serration makes them much harder to come off.

Pro-2 ProTrak axle kit- If you’ve never pretzel’ed out or ripped up a set of stock Traxxas drive-shafts then you’ve never put much power in your Slash. The Pro-Line units are nicely done, heavy duty, and felt exceptionally smooth when built. Oh and, they come with rings to keep the pins from backing out as well.

Pro-2 clamping wheel hexes- Bolted up to perfection and looked the part of a high-end after-market part.

Summary:

Time to Bash: A You are looking at a couple hours to bolt up all these option parts but the Pro-Line gear fits with perfection. No time was wasted trimming or mod’ing any of the parts to make them fit.

Car Show Rating: B Some of the Pro-Line parts (like the wheel hexes and nuts) are extremely bling’ish, while others (front bumper and CVD’s) are better looking than stock but not all anodized out like a true bling part would be. Still, good looking stuff from PL.

Bash-A-Bility: A All our review parts held up to a good beating with no breakage. It must be noted all our testing occurred in cold weather, an even tougher test than usual.

Value: B Lets take a look at some numbers. A stock Traxxas front bumper is $9, an RPM front bumper is $12, and the Pro-Line goes for $10. MIP CVD’s for the Slash go for $34, and the Pro-Line set goes for $38. Pricing for the Pro-Line gear is right in the mix and they offer arguably superior performance to anything else on the market.

BigSquidRC Rating: A- We found all the Pro-Line Pro-2 performance parts to be of excellent quality and well worth the cash to bash.

Part #6101 is a high performance PRO-2 Front Hub kit. This comes with all new Steering Knuckles and C-Hubs, it has extra camber adjustment holes, and is more durable than the stock parts. Expect a street price of around $25 on this one.

Part #6102 is their hard anodized pivot ball and rod end set. Stock Traxxas rod ends are prone to binding, the Pro-Line set-up is said to be buttery smooth. Street price $29.

Part #6104 is a hard anodized front hinge pin brace. This aluminum brace is light yet strong, and has the Pro-line logo laser etched on the front. Street price $10.

For more information on these and all of Pro-Line’s fine products HERE is the link to their official website.

We have a lot more Pro-Line news right HERE on BigSquidRC.

Aloha Guys,

Read all your shoot outs and reviews and settled on the Turnigy 2s 5800mah lipos. Cheapest because shipping is sore. Bought 3 and charging them all on my icharger 206b they all only charged up to 4200mah. All three. Made sure to check all my settings on the charger but everything looks good. Do you have any of your readers asking the same question or get the same switched battery like me?
Any way we have a small track that we are building on Kauai for the neighborhood so if you’re ever out, come bash some with us. I race my 9 yr old boy (stampede vxl) against my slash vxl and suffice to say, ” he crushes me every time , but at least we play together.
Mahalo,
Keoni Kahn M.

Cubby- Hey Keoni, thanks for the email, and be sure to shoot Brian your snail mail on the islands so he can totally hook ya up with an uber BigSquidRC sticker pack.

First off, I’d highly doubt you’d be emailing me if you didn’t know how to measure capacity, but perhaps for others out there this is how we do it at BigSquidRC (and they way most cell manufactures do it, when they actually make the effort to do so).
Fully charge pack at a 1C charge rate. Discharge pack at a 1C rate down to 3 volts per cell, measure capacity during the dis-charge- that’s how it’s done.

So let’s say you are dialed and indeed you received 3 mis-labeled battery packs. You ordered their 5800′s, and you got mystery packs with a 5800 sticker that are roughly 4200 mah in capacity. What do you do? Well…. you can- 1. attempt to return them, or 2. attempt to run them. Best of luck if you attempt to return, and if you decide to run them, treat them as 4200′s of unknown “C” rating. By this I mean, charge at a gentle 1C rate, and monitor temps during a moderate discharge to see if they will be able to handle the current draw of the application you will be using them in. Because they are mystery cells, you have no idea if they were intended for a 1/2C discharge in the medical field, or for a 40C discharge in an rc airplane, so be careful.

Oh and heck yes, if any of the BigSquidRC crew hit the beautiful islands of Hawaii we will totally come over for an uber-bash session.

I have a couple of questions, first

1) What is the best power system for my rustler that can get me to about 40 MPH thats under 50 bucks?

2) Can i use traxxas XO-1 tires and rims on it? i dont have a use for the offroad tires that came with it.

Thanx, a important follower

Cubby- Because we’ve been receiving this email every week for quite some time, yes, I’ll finally take precious time out of my busy schedule to finally respond.

1. There is no BL power system that I would recommend to you for under $50. For your Rustler I’d recommend stepping it up to the Castle SCT Sidewinder 3800 kv combo at right around $120. Your Rustler isn’t exactly the free-est spinning truck in the world, the plastic motor mount sucks (I highly recommend the PL tranny, or at the very least the RPM motor mount), and you’ll be running high speed with it, that’s why I am recommending you pop for a quality unit at a higher price point.

2. XO-1 rims use a 17mm hex, the stock hex on your Rusty is 12mm, so no, they will not bolt right up. You can use hex adapters (I’d use the STRC units), but you’d be looking $50+ for the adapters, plus the cost of the XO-1 wheels and tires. And… the XO-1 tires are freak’n heavy, that means a lot of rotating mass to turn over at speed.

So let’s say you are looking to go an honest 40-50 mph with your Rustler, this is the set-up I’d recommend.

1. Brushless power system. I mentioned the Castle 3800 SCT system above, and it’s a great choice for your truck and application.

2. 3S 11.1v Lipo battery. I’d go with the Dynamite Speedpack that we reviewed HERE .

I recommend that pack because it’s hardcase and has proven itself to us over months of bashing abuse. This pack is taller than stock, so you’ll have to make some changes to properly secure it, but I assure you it’ll be worth the effort.

3. Street tires. For you I’d recommend Pro-Line Street Fighter 2.8″ pre-mounts. These are a street tread that should easily get you into the low 50′s.

4. Use Gearchart.com to make sure you aren’t gearing your truck too tall and use a temp gauge to keep from cooking any electronics. If you are looking to go 50, gear it for 50, not 110. Start slow, and slowly gear taller to increase your mph (if you want to save yourself loads of cash and wrenching).

Go straight, go fast, and don’t blow too much stuff up Mr VIP.

Do you have 2S lipo battery pack with 65C?
Or you have the best battery for electric car on road for the fastest speed?
Speeder
Sent from my iPhone

Cubby- Oh wow we get questions from some nut jobs out there…

So…. to answers your questions-
1. maybe
2. of course

(sigh)

Hello my name is BRANDON H. and I have been a rc hobbyist for about 3 years. I presently have a traxxas slash raptor edition. Everything on truck is custom. Except trans. My truck had the element combo from duratrax and castle creation. I wanted a
bigger stronger and faster esc and motor. So I bought the castle creation momba short course with the 2400 kv motor. Not knowing that it’s not recommended for 2wd. What will happen if I run this. What do I need to get for my truck to support this
motor?? I have pictures and I’m willing to send upon request.

Thank you for your time
Brandon H.

Cubby- Now see guys, this is how you ask a proper question. You give a decent amount of info, and say thank you are the end. Brandon gets it.

So Brandon, you have everything else uber’ed-out on your truck except the tranny. Hummm…. I think I see a Pro-Line tranny in your future. 1. Because how can you leave that the only stock part on the truck, and 2. because you are gonna need it if you crank up the power on that 1415 2400 kv Castle motor in your Traxxas.

To get to your direct questions-

1. What will happen when you run a Castle 1415 2400 kv motor in your Slash/Raptor compared to your previous set-up? Nothing bad. Your new motor is certainly capable of higher torque and overall power levels, but it is lower kv, meaning your truck won’t go as fast on the same gearing and cell count as your previous system. However, if you are gear taller, and/or jump to a higher cell count, you’ll be amazed at how much power you’ll have on tap.

2. What do you need to get your truck to support that motor? Nothing really, it will bolt right up the same way as your old motor. The 1415 is the same diameter as your old motor, but is slightly longer, which won’t be a problem in your application. However, with the identical set-up it’ll probably feel slower than what you were using, so if you leave everything else the same you won’t have to make any changes. If you do decide to unleash the power via gearing and/or cell count then you might want to seriously consider that Pro-Line tranny. Not only is the PL tranny capable of handling some serious power, but its metal motor mount really helps keep motor temps down. As always, if you do decide to go for big power, consult Gearchart.com to make sure you aren’t crazily over-geared, and use a temp gauge to make sure you aren’t cooking anything. Ideal temps are below 140 on the motor and below 120 on the battery pack.

We finally got some official news/specs on the Traxxas Robby Gordon Edition Dakar Slash. We have made a few posts about this vehicle now. We first reported HERE about a very trick Speed Energy Robbie Gordon Traxxas truck, and then we posted a bunch of pictures here. This time around we have a picture of a second body, and some details.

The truck is actually available right now, it comes with the new TQ 2.4GHz radio, 7 cell NiMh 3000mAh 8.4v battery, metal gear transmission, speeds of 30 mph+ with optional 23 tooth pinion gear (included), Titan 12T 550 motor, XL-5 ESC, and is brushless ready with their new slipper clutch system.

Traxxas Model number is #5804.

Looking for other Traxxas news on BigSquidRC? Click HERE to check it out.

RPM Products is legendary in the bashing world and are proud to announce their new hybrid gearbox housing and rear mounts for Traxxas electric 2wd’s. The kit comes with a new gearbox case, a 3mm thick 6061 aluminum motor plate, and 0 degree and 3 degree rear mounts. You can get the kit in three different colors- blue, green, and black, and they have a retail price of only $30. Also, each kit has been designed and manufactured right here in the USA. Hit up the RPM Website for more information on all their uber-basher products.

Want to completely re-do the rear end of your Slash/Pede/Rustler/Bandit? Check out THIS link.

Looking for more RPM news here on BigSquidRC? Click right HERE.

What say you? What is the best 2 wheel short course available right now?
Keep up the good work
George F.

Cubby- Hey what’s up George, thanks for the email and shoot Brian your snail mail so we can hook ya up with a BigSquidRC sticker pack.

The word “best” is a very powerful word. Not that I’m going to skirt around the question, but the word “best” used in conjunction with short course trucks can have many different answers. For example, what is the best turning 2wd SCT? IMO it’s the Venom Gambler in mid-motor configuration. With proper tires and tuning nothing rails corners like the Venom can. What is the best overall handling 2wd SCT? For pure bashing I’d say the Slash, but for track use my vote would go to the Durango. For pure toughness, which is the best? IMO that would go to the ARRMA Fury. Which is the best value? My vote would go squarely to the Torment.

However… none of those “bests” mean a darn thing to you George, or any of our other readers out there. The only “best” you give a dern about is which of those trucks meets your criteria making it the best one for you and your specific needs. Your email you give me absolutely zero specifics to see how you would be using a new SCT, so I would highly recommend you read a bunch of our reviews and make your buying decision based on those.

But… as I attempt to never “dodge” a question, I will blindly say go for the ECX Torment if you are looking to save some bucks, or take home a new Durango DESC210 if you are looking for something for both bashing and track use. But those are just my personal picks, if you would ask one of the other guys sitting around the office I’m quite certain their picks would be different.

Hi Cubby,
I caught the bigsquidrc live show last night and I had to shoot your an email and say that was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Keep it real guys and thanks for taking rc talk to the next level.
Henry

Cubby- Hey Henry, thanks for the props on the show. It wasn’t ment to be uber polished, nor some super high buck production, what it was ment to be was just some good ole’ laid back rc bench racing, and I hope it came across that way. Well actually, I hope it was at least worth your time and kept you interested for at least 10 minutes.

First off, expect us to be doing more “BigSquidRC Live” shows each Wednesday evening, for at least a few more weeks to sort out if they are truly worth doing or not. So if you haven’t already made plans, make them now for next Wednesday evening 12/5. It might be at 10 pm CST, but we are also considering 9 pm CST to make it easier on our East Coast viewers.

We had talked for a long time about doing a podcast, but I rarely listen to them. In fact most of our guys don’t listen to podcasts as they take up a lot of time and most come across as boring. We had also talked about doing something video related, but that also sort of fell short of what we were looking to do.

Then… the Google Plus Hangout technology came along, and with most of us being “tech” types we latched onto it. We’ve had a blast over the past few weeks using the technology and we were hoping you guys would enjoy watching us goof around while doing some rc talk. The G+ tech also allows for soooo many possibilities in the future, the current set-up is cool, but I think it will really come to fruition when our readers can join in live on cam as well. Full live video chat between us and our readers is ultimately the goal I think.

We’ll be trying out a bunch of stuff in the coming weeks, everyone please shoot us an email telling us what you think is working, what is worth watching, and what’s not. I think as long as we are all having fun it will be entertaining. Yes certainly its needs some polish, and none of the BSRC staffers are models nor incredible speakers. But… what we are is average Joes just like most of our readers, and I think that relationship can make the “BigSquidRC Live” concept really take off.

That’s it for this week folks, shoot me your questions, rants, rants, or anything else in that deviant mind of yours to Cubby at BigSquidRC dot com! If your question makes the bigtime on the front page you’ll get a free sticker pack, if I proclaim your email as “email of the month” we’ll totally hook you up with a free BSRC t-shirt.

YOUR Cub Reporter