RTR Rubicon, what upgrades first?

[big_poppa49]

I have the RTR Rubicon and I was wondering what upgrades you guys are doing either out of the box, or probably will be the first to break, OR just an upgrade all around. So far a friend of mine made me a set of metal links and switched out all the plastic "flex" links. Other than that I have switched to Axial beadlocks as the stock glue was already coming un done. So far I have not had a problem with the stock stuff. I also Plasti Dipped my ESC (heat sink exposed) and put my Rx inside a balloon and sealed up the Rx box some and made a drain hole for water. I also am running Zippy 5000mah 2s Hardcase lipos.

List some good upgrades and what brand to get.

[svt923]

Knuckles, c hubs, lockouts, servo horn, trans gears, axle gears, lockers, driveshafts, shocks. The list goes on and on until you have replaced all of the original parts. There are several threads about what upgrades to make in what order.

One upgrade you should make is to the waterproofing. Plastidip and balloons are prone to failure. Plastidip can actually shrink enough in the cold that it will pop small pieces out of circuit boards. Go to Amazon and pick up a bottle of conformal coating (either silicone or acrylic) for a much more reliable waterproofing method.

[Col_Sanders]

Metal transmission gears. Especially if you plan on adding weight and/or power. The idler gear was the first thing I broke on two rigs. I have been running Robinson Racing in one of my SCXs for a while and just installed a set of the Hot Racing lightweight gears in my Wraith. The Wraith has a nice brushless setup so it should be a good test of their durability.

After that, the rest depends on your budget and your mindset. How much do you want to spend and how do you like to drive it?

[1beatjeep]

Dont let these people scare you.Just change Cs & Knuckles. I run brushless and never broken any tranny parts...

[Col_Sanders]

Originally Posted by 1beatjeep

Dont let these people scare you.Just change Cs & Knuckles. I run brushless and never broken any tranny parts...

I've never broken a c hub or a knuckle Actually the only thing that I have broken is that idler gear. You run 2S?

Metal trans gears can be had for under $40. A small price for the peace of mind IMO.

[1beatjeep]

Originally Posted by Col_Sanders

I've never broken a c hub or a knuckle Actually the only thing that I have broken is that idler gear. You run 2S?

Metal trans gears can be had for under $40. A small price for the peace of mind IMO.

3cell with alot of power...never broken any tranny. only Cs & KNUCKLES

[big_poppa49]

Well, really just looking to upgrade the stuff that im prone to breaking, or that usually breaks first on these trucks. Every R/C I have had has had some weak points from the factory. I usually just upgrade what I break, and I might just do that, but if there was some upgrades that dont cost much, then I could go ahead and replace it.

I see those lockouts dont cost too much, are there certain ones? And will these be a direct replacement of stock?

As for C's and Knuckles, which brand is good for the price?

[Natedog]

Similar to what 1beetjeap said, not much required off the bat. I would do HR lightened steel tranny gears, aluminum c-hubs/knuckles (I like Axial high steer) and steel beeftubes front axle only. You already did metal suspension links so you should be good for the most part. Stock rear plastic lock-outs take a lot of beating, I ahve not broken one yet, but I have a pair of Axial aluminums in my toolbox for several years just in case.

EDIT: If you do high steer, you'll get more steering and then you'll need cvds, buddies and I have tried several brands and after breaking many of them I just bought VP stock SCX width cvd for mine. Or stay with standard low steer and your dogbones will be fine.

[MaFoDes]

First thing i did replace (even if i had the kit version) was the servo horn. But the rest of the list is long. Very, very long....
And it still isn't bulletproof.
The phrase: "it's a moneypit" comes to mind.

[Col_Sanders]

I ran STRC knuckles and C Hubs for a while on one of my SCXs and they fit and held up fine. BUT if you want much better steering, either look into the XR10 mod or high steer knuckles. That route will cost quite a bit more because you need universals and different steering links (and a not stock radio so you can play with end points) but the steering difference is night and day.

[Bananaclip]

Chubs and knuckles off the bat. Get a good set of stainless links next. Then enjoy and repair as needed. You can enjoy your rig for sometime with these upgrades.

[big_poppa49]

Any links for C hubs and knuckles? I see Axial is getting quite a penny for theirs, is there any other brands that are good? And are these easy to replace? Just a direct swap from stock?

[yotapower07]

Another vote for hubs and knuckles. I highly recommend doing the xr10 steering mod
How to do the narrow XR10 mod to Axial axles
While you're at it get a good strong servo too. I personally run savox sa-1230 it puts out 500oz/in. Having good solid and tight turning in these little rigs makes a big difference.

[mugenteg]

A set of good shocks, since the stocks ones leak like crazy. Either that or do an oring mod on the stock shocks.


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[k goodrich]

Tie rod then what ever you brake. My deadbolt has been through 2 G6 's and all I have done are tie rod and links.

[lonleycreeper]

I like the strc c's and knuckles. For a budget option I cannot recommend them enough.

[trig n tahoe]

Keep it light, what ever you do don't do to much. The truck wheels the best with less weight. Don't buy Asia tee or boom racing. GARBAGE.