Best Upgrades?

[SCX10Dingo]

Just wondering what the best upgrades are for the dingos. I have only run mine a couple of times since building it, but will probably want to start upgrading it as I have a hard time leaving things alone. What do you guys think?

[k7zpj]

I would put weights in the wheels. I run 4 oz in each front and 2 oz in the rear.

Removing the bump stops on the shocks is another low cost mod.

Move the battery tray up front if it is still in the rear.

After that is 4-link and better links.

[SCX10Dingo]

Thanks for the feedback.

What 4-link do you run up front? I have installed the 4-link in the rear that came with the kit, but have not messed with the front. Wasn't sure if the other 4-link parts included would work up front with the steering servo.

[Jus]

The 4 link truss will fit in the front just fine under the servo plate. I couldn't tell you about the links though.. I made all of mine out of 8/32" threaded rod and Revo rod ends.

[05Fronty4x]

It depends on how you plan to use it, and what your goals are for the rig.

Lower CoG is always a plus. As far as front to back weight, I prefer to keep things well balanced with a slight bias towards the front. Try and keep weight as low as possible. If your battery pack is pretty big I'd be hesitant to put it up in the front on those tall spacers the way the instructions show as "optional" battery mounting. The rig will climb great, but will be very front and top heavy which induces roll overs during uneven descents. You can battle this by adding a significant amount of weight to the front tires (some on the back too) as k7zpj suggested. I've been extremely happy with the performance of having the receiver/esc up front, and a small 3s lipo on the rear to help balance. With this setup the overall weight is down, the CoG is low, and it's just slightly heavier in the front (maybe 2-3oz).

Removing the bumpstops allows for more than enough flex if you haven't done so already. If you are loaded up with accessories and a heavy battery pack the stock coils may be working out great for you, but I opted for the softest (red) axial springs in the front, and comparable springs on my rear Losi shocks. Your driving style will be the biggest factor in determining suspension setup. I've also 4 linked both front and rear and I like it a lot better than the Y-link setup. The included plastic links are the perfect length to 4-link the rear, but are slightly long for the front.

Other things I've noticed in the month I've had my Dingo built is that turning is a pain in the butt. With 4wd and locked diffs the front wants to just push and scrub instead of actually turning. You can get aluminum c-hubs and knuckles along with some universal axle shafts that allow more steering angle. This coupled with an over-driven front axle and/or under-driven rear will greatly help with turning and climbing.

Above all, don't stop looking around the forums, and search for things you think about and are concerned with. There's a lot of information and it really comes down to how much you are willing to spend on the rig because it gets pricey in a hurry.

[SCX10Dingo]

What kind of wheel weights do you guys use? Just the stick on kind?

Will the servo plate be ok with only two mounting points instead of three with the 4-link truss?

The turning mod sounds helpful.

Is it just mine that is super squeaky? I greased everything listed in the instructions. It must be the front axles and/or drive shafts.

I also noticed that the servo arm is a little loose on the servo. I think I remember seeing an aluminum arm somewhere?

[k7zpj]

Originally Posted by 05Fronty4x

It depends on how you plan to use it, and what your goals are for the rig.

Lower CoG is always a plus. As far as front to back weight, I prefer to keep things well balanced with a slight bias towards the front. Try and keep weight as low as possible. If your battery pack is pretty big I'd be hesitant to put it up in the front on those tall spacers the way the instructions show as "optional" battery mounting. The rig will climb great, but will be very front and top heavy which induces roll overs during uneven descents. You can battle this by adding a significant amount of weight to the front tires (some on the back too) as k7zpj suggested. I've been extremely happy with the performance of having the receiver/esc up front, and a small 3s lipo on the rear to help balance. With this setup the overall weight is down, the CoG is low, and it's just slightly heavier in the front (maybe 2-3oz).

Removing the bumpstops allows for more than enough flex if you haven't done so already. If you are loaded up with accessories and a heavy battery pack the stock coils may be working out great for you, but I opted for the softest (red) axial springs in the front, and comparable springs on my rear Losi shocks. Your driving style will be the biggest factor in determining suspension setup. I've also 4 linked both front and rear and I like it a lot better than the Y-link setup. The included plastic links are the perfect length to 4-link the rear, but are slightly long for the front.

Other things I've noticed in the month I've had my Dingo built is that turning is a pain in the butt. With 4wd and locked diffs the front wants to just push and scrub instead of actually turning. You can get aluminum c-hubs and knuckles along with some universal axle shafts that allow more steering angle. This coupled with an over-driven front axle and/or under-driven rear will greatly help with turning and climbing.

Above all, don't stop looking around the forums, and search for things you think about and are concerned with. There's a lot of information and it really comes down to how much you are willing to spend on the rig because it gets pricey in a hurry.

I agree that the COG is too high with the stock battery location and spacers. You can cut down the spacers or move the battery to behind the front wheels. I used the Jeven Racing battery plate in my SCX10.

Here is a picture my SCX10 with the battery relocated.

[k7zpj]

Originally Posted by SCX10Dingo

What kind of wheel weights do you guys use? Just the stick on kind?

I use the stick on weights wheel weights from the auto store.

Originally Posted by SCX10Dingo

Will the servo plate be ok with only two mounting points instead of three with the 4-link truss?

Yes, I have been running with the plastic 4-link truss in front for over a year now without any issues. I would upgrade to all metal links before the steering upgrades. The plastic links have a lot flex which also affects handling.

Check out the links from R2J. http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/chass...-scx-10-a.html

Originally Posted by SCX10Dingo

The turning mod sounds helpful.

Upgrading to the universals and aluminum c-hubs/knuckles helped a lot. I also did the under drive on the front. If you do this, use good parts. It will be expensive but worth it in the long run.

Originally Posted by SCX10Dingo

Is it just mine that is super squeaky? I greased everything listed in the instructions. It must be the front axles and/or drive shafts.

Something isn't right. Try disconnecting the drive line for one axle at a time so you can locate the source of the squeak. It could be binding or bad bearings.

Originally Posted by SCX10Dingo

I also noticed that the servo arm is a little loose on the servo. I think I remember seeing an aluminum arm somewhere?

Get a clamp on style servo arm. Both Robitronic or Axial work well and hold up.

[05Fronty4x]

The drive shaft joints themselves may be squeaking, mine started within a week. I ended up taking all 4 of the joints back apart and put a very light coat of grease inside the "cup" and on the 2 pins(per joint) and wiped off any excess. No more squeaks.

k7, I like that battery position, and you run a similar sized pack. I may just cut a piece of styrene and sticky tape it to the frame rails there just to give it a shot before coming up with something more permanent.

[SCX10Dingo]

Thanks again guys for the good info and ideas.

I installed the included 4-link arms up from since I had them - have some issues though. The upper arms now hit the lower mounts for the receiver box, which really limits suspension travel. Also, the front cross-member for the battery mount hits the servo arm since the axle is now rolled forward a bit. Not seeing any easy way to resolve this since I have the battery mounted up front, and probably shouldn't remove the lower receiver box mounts. I wonder if the r2j links would resolve this?

[05Fronty4x]

This is why I mentioned that the plastic links are a bit too long for the front. Shorter upper links will help, or you can install some of the bent rod ends on the lower links which does slightly lengthen them to clock your axle correctly again. Then you will need to notch that crossmember so the horn doesn't hit.

As for the link hitting the box mount. Mine does too, but only when both sides of the suspension are compressed, this should not be hindering the articulation at all. If your SCX10 is a higher speed basher then this will be an issue. But if you are just crawling around it shouldn't decrease performance. Mine hits if I push down on the entire front of the truck, yet it will still flex until the shock bottoms out in both directions which ultimately is the travel a crawler should be most concerned with.

You can also move your box to the back.

[k7zpj]

As 05Fronty4x pointed out, the plastic upper links on the RTR tree are too long for the Dingo. Getting correct length links will correct the axle position and the servo horn hitting the cross member.

[Cr00zah]

I just did the 4-link front on my Honcho, made my own links w/ the 8-32 threaded rod + Revo ends then sleeved with 1/4" stainless (lower) and aluminum (upper). I made the lower 1-2mm shorter than stock, and the uppers about 1-2mm longer than "stock": this pivots the pinion up to get the pinion and driveshaft a bit of protection. I have Axial's aluminum front hubs and dialed in caster as well.

In the short time I've had my Honcho, by far the best upgrade is solid front steering links! I only run my Honcho in the rocks, and that plastic link flexes like crazy. I finally feel that I have proper control of the steering and the trucks performs much better.

[05Fronty4x]

Originally Posted by k7zpj

As 05Fronty4x pointed out, the plastic upper links on the RTR tree are too long for the Dingo. Getting correct length links will correct the axle position and the servo horn hitting the cross member.

Yup. I keep putting off making my own links, but it's inevitable. For now I left the plastic uppers on and trimmed the crossmember. I put bent rod ends on my front lower links which are a little longer than the straight ones. The flipside is that my wheelbase has grown to 11.7" or so for the time being, but nothing is out of whack.

You can do something similar SCX10Dingo if you really want to leave it 4-linked for the time being until you get/make a set of new links. You will need to trim up the crossmember to get full flex, and you will need to move the box if you need to have that up travel for higher speeds.

[SCX10Dingo]

Lots of options!

For now, I put the 3-link back up front. I noticed that with the bump stops removed from the front shocks the steering servo hits the frame and slightly limits full flex. Is a frame mounted servo a good fix for this, or not?

[05Fronty4x]

Yea it's a tight fit up there. I've got my steering link (the one connected to the servo horn) as low as I can get it with a bent rod end like the ones on the main steering link, and I've trimmed up the servo mounts a bit because they would contact the frame at certain points of articulation. I wasn't expecting to have to do these types of things, but it's the nature of the beast once you start modifying things which includes removing bumpstops. I wasn't exactly thrilled to start "hacking" a brand new kit, but ya gotsta do what ya gotsta do. Do a nice clean job when clearancing/trimming things, and you'll never notice.

Maybe someone else can chime in on the clearance limitations of a chassis mounted servo, if any.

[SCX10Dingo]

Yeah, I would rather do it right than to hack it up!

[05Fronty4x]

It's the price to pay for more travel as well as many other mods, and completely normal. A clean "hack" job would be considered doing it right in my book because sometimes you just have to. A 100 pack of fresh x-acto blades, an assortment of small hobby files, a dremel, and fine sandpaper should be in everybody's toolbox and ready for duty at a moments notice, lol. There are some concrete limitations in every mechanical contraption, and you can't always add stuff to overcome them, sometimes you have to remove instead.

[SCX10Dingo]

Makes sense!

Anybody make lift brackets for the bumpers? I don't have a problem making them, but some of this stuff is so cheap to buy...

[Soundlzrd]

Originally Posted by SCX10Dingo

Makes sense!

Anybody make lift brackets for the bumpers? I don't have a problem making them, but some of this stuff is so cheap to buy...

I was able to find some lift brackets from a company in the UK, forget there name right now. I emailed the about shipping to the US and have yet to hear back. They were a few pounds.