wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

Just looking for everyones take on where to add weight and why.

I prefer a mix of adding weight to my axles via packing them with grease. Then I go through and balance my rig left to right through battery and electronics placement. Lastly I shift weigh just slightly foreward of center to bias it towards the front for climbing.
I run no wheel weight other than alloy rims to keep my rotating mass to a minimum.

In doing this I am able to keep some weight unsprung as well as limit the excess strain on my drive train.

How do you guys do it?

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

I forgot to add I use underdrive gears in the rear to help keep the front end down while climbing.

My new class one jk I just built has underdrive gears in the rear and an ounce of weight in the front wheels just to keep th front end planted...

BuIlT nOt BaUgHT!

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

My setup's..

in axle weight..

front axle..
beeftoobs
Steel locker
HD OD Gears = 4oz of weight

rear axle..
Steel locker
HD UD gears = 2oz of weight


forward weight bias
by installing Lcg battery plate across front frame rails just in front of tranny/just behind front shock tower.

no weights in wheels,less rotating mass = better efficiency for electrics.

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

Awesome responces ty for contributing to the discussion. My motive behind the discussion is to find out what people prefer and why. The second part id like to add is what breakage you have encountered with these setups
I have a almost bone stock og tr honcho. The only aditions are a novak balistic 18.5 combo, rc4wd steelies with og pitbull rockbeast 2.2's and some purple internal spring integy shocks. This is my wifes rig with about 75 thunder power 5400mah 2s packs run through it. It has had zero breakages although the stock plastic axial links are starting to degrade and deform. The only thing negative I can say is it is a little top heavy with the high stance, and the novak esc will brown out if you put the front tires in too much of a bind. http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/y...7/bcf2f59a.jpghis machine will climb over parking curbs and rocks like childs play and give about 4 hours of run time with 14/80 gearing with the 5400'shttp://i790.photobucket.com/albums/y...7/369c89af.jpg

I had an og kit version of the honch I modified with dna 6 shooter 1.9 and pitbull rockbeasts, tekin rs /17.5t redline with the 18mm torque rotor. Wb8 drivelines from my old wraith, axial alloy c's and knuckles, hd ring and pinions front and under drive rear. Stock trans and internals with the exception of full acer racing ceramic bearings. I ran a hitec hv series high torque servo w ti gears ( model number eludes me). I upgraded my shock housings to the alloy axial bodies and kept the stock pistons running tlr 35wt oil and stock progressive springs.
I ran this rig with plastic knuckles and hubs for a while but kept breaking them from doing foolish things like jumping and backflipping off berms. My esc was tuned with just enough drag brake to slow my descent to a crawl. I had zero timing dialed in for general crawling and my turbo setting to .02 seconds delay and max timing boost on activation. Geared at 18/80 this rig easily pushed 20mph at top speed. I eliminated as much weight as possible and located my electronics up front in a 4x2 project box and my batteries were mounted on axial battery plates attached to the top of my skids. I saddle packed twin max amps 2250 2s. Weight was distributed evenly left to right and my front to rear cog was about 1" fwd of center skid. This allowed me to keep a minimal nose down flight when hopping over obstacles and launching off the lip of hills.
I got approximately 2 hours of run time with 4500mah 2s setup. Over the course of about 2 years I broke 1 hub 2 knuckles a rear axle housing, bent a rear axle, broke 1 rear shock hoop, and a few plastic rod ends.

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

That orange truck is in some pretty gnarly crawling "thumbsup". I agree with the weighting of the wheels, I much rather put it elsewhere. I'm running 6oz on the front axle, and 2 on the rear. In the front i have 4oz placed literally on the axle (not scale) and the last two are placed atop the servo which is still axle mounted.

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

I used to weight the wheels and decided to change the way my truck was set up and ditch the weighted wheels. My truck is set up with a mix of sprung weight and axle weight. Both axles are aluminum KMC wheels, Vanquish axles with VP cvd's, VP Knuckles and chubs, steel lockers and HD gears. On The truck the battery is mounted low on frame rails. All steel winch bumper with winch.

Shock and tire foam set up is just as important as weight placement. Crawler innovations has my vote on tire foams right now.

Best advice I can give you is get some stick on wheel weights and section them off into pairs of different weights and go crawl your local spot and change the weight around to different places on the truck and see what works. Change shock oil and positioning of shocks and see what keeps the front end down on climbs.

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

I really like your discussion.
I am newbie and was about to put great weight Inside the wheels. Now I am thinking twice about it. I did not think about strain on the gears and rotating inertia that could be restrain power or breaking response.

I will see how to increase the weight on knuckles or axle.

Thanks again for your experiences and thinking.

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

you will absolutely want to keep the rotational mass as low as possible( NO WHEEL WEIGHTS). this helps in not shocking the driveline and snapping a axle shaft from the inertia of a bigger rotational mass from a weighted wheel. Its like trying to stop a Big Rig with brakes from a Ford pinto.

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

Beef tubes & HD gears are a great way to add mass where you want it. However, if you are running a body with full interior & drivers, a chassis mounted servo, winch and steel bumpers etc..., you will likely need a little more weight down low.

For my 1.55 Bronco, in addition to from beef tubes, I run 1.25oz in each front wheel and 1oz in each rear wheel. I noticed a difference, not only in climbing, but also in steep descents; my rig stays planted whereas it used to topple head first.

I also now run very small 1300mah 3s packs located as low as possible right over the front axle. Even with the weighted wheels I get about 45 mins to 1hr on a 1300mah pack (with an AE-2 and Tekin HD 35t).

That being said, I run knuckle weights on my wraith to keep the rotating mass down, especially since the larger 2.2 wheels and tires place a lot more stress on the drivetrain than 1.55 wheels and tires do.

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

Blue Monkey Knuckle weights. Only downside, you do need a strong enough servo and run aluminum knuckles and C-hubs. You can add or remove weights, it's hidden more within the wheel so it doesn't drag on things, no rotating mass added and the weight is low where it should be.

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...3354-54908.jpg

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

Rc Bros weights on XR modded axles and I still put an ounce of lead in each front wheel and a .2 oz collar on each rear wheel

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps32d74c2e.jpg

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps69fc8088.jpg

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

Both the BMRC and RCbros setups pictured above are solid - take notes!



Here is my front wheel setup on the Bronco:

http://i.imgur.com/f5TP3zal.png



And on the wraith (could fit 1 more ring if I took off the disc brakes). I'm running the same system as Postclanker.

http://i.imgur.com/KVskZl9l.jpg?1

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

Has anyone run the Blue Monkey Knuckle weights with the axial or motoroworkz bead locks in 1.9? Want to run the weight just want to make sure they fit my wheels

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

i run 7.5oz in each tire with pit bull growlers, and brass beef tubes, havent broke anything yet and it stays planted.

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

I personally feel that adding weight to the wheel/tires
would be dependent on driving style and in what conditions
the rig will be used.

My rig is operated as a slo mo rock crawler...
where higher speeds are not relevant.
and throttle smoothness is within the operators control.

Rotating wheel mass will not really be of concern
unless yer bashing or hauling butt.

Two years since new...
and I'm still using the original WB8 drive shafts.
I did however fill the core of the male shaft (X2) with plastic doweling.

I did strip a few of the transmission's idler gears...
as I prefer the slipper tight.
So the transmission plastic gears were replaced with alloy gears.

for my Honcho... my choices include...

...4 oz inside each wheel/tire, all four corners

...beef tubes, both F/R axles

...alloy Chubs/Knuckles F / alloy lockouts R

...a denser tire foam insert is necessary to support the added wheel/axle weight.

...I utilize dual 3s 2200mah mounted "saddle pack" style to the sliders (parallel harness)

...I run a full Dinky interior as well.

...all of my electronics are mounted forward of the trans.

...sprung chassis weight bias 60F/40R is balanced by added bumpers, winch, e components up front, etc.

...for L - R balance, my dual Lipo's offset each other
and are mounted about as low as any battery could be.
I could use a smaller size/weight LiPo if I wish to reduce sprung chassis weight.

Tho' axle weight may be better then rotational tire/wheel mass/weight
many knuckle weights will require using high top/clearance knuckles
or rolling 2.2 wheels to make room for their fitment.

I keep and utilize a set of non-weighted tires/wheels
for when I wish to operate with more spirit.

Bottom line...

It all depends on how you roll yer junk.

Re: wheel weight vs knuckle or axle weight vs creative weight distribution
 

I prefer Beef Tubes in the axles and weights on the knuckles. Rotating Weight is something to be avoided at all cost!