"Phat" Axles Mini Review

[OSRC]

Boom racing "phat" steel axles.....steel axles? Alternative for beef tubes or expensive aluminum beauties eh? Plus some more weight down low? Sounds like a win/win. Maybe. I saw these pop up and figured they were worth a shot. I've seen nothing at all on these axles, so thought I'd post up a few quick impressions for those who might have some questions. I picked up a set of the high mass beadlocks as well while i was shopping overseas.

When they say steel, it's really a cast metal like the older Komodo axles if anyone remembers those. They must have taken an SCX10 axle, made a mold around them, and then cast these as they are EXACTLY identical to the stock axles. Here they are out of the box, I ordered mine in black.


So when I say molded exactly alike, this is good and bad. Bad in that they could have taken the chance to beef up some critical areas, or mold in some additional details. But good in that all the aftermarket stuff bolts right in, no hassle. If you want, you could even mod up and drop in your Beef Tubes!


I tore down one of my Axial rigs and started bolting them up. They went together with just 1 small issue and overall fitment was fine. I did have to saw off the posts like a stock axle to mount the rear truss - went fine. Soft metal cuts pretty easy. Up front, my RC4WD CMS parts bolted right on as well.


The small issue was when trying to mount the C's and lockouts, the paint applied was thick and they didn't exactly want to slide on. Plastic parts might, but mine are aluminum and there was no give. I assume this is since they molded the parts exactly the same size as a stock axle, so that when painted they are a bit oversized. I hit each one with a dremel flapwheel and then they slid right together.


So how heavy are they? I somehow deleted the pics of my "before" stock axle, so I don't have the before but the new rear axle weight in at 310 grams fully built. This is with aluminum lockouts and some kind of aftermarket locker. It's definitely heavy, and very solid when assembled.


If you wanted to get crazy, you could add the "high mass wheels" as well. Better have a torquey motor - that's almost 600 grams per axle. I passed on that, i'll be using wheels with no weight on this rig.


Mounted up...you'd never even know they were there.


Haven't run anywhere yet since it's winter and all the trails are either covered with leaves or snow, but looking forward to putting them to work in a month or two.

Given that it's shaped like the stock axle, I don't know how strong this metal will be. I'm a slow and deliberate driver for the most part, so I have no doubts they'll hold up.

These would be absolutely perfect on an otherwise stock SCX10 since you'd be getting some weight low, but not on any rotating areas IMHO. Once you start adding metal sliders and bumpers, you might be edging into too heavy territory, not sure. I'll weigh out my rig when it's ready to go and we'll see where it stands.

[Sammy J.]

Great job with the review!


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[Ditchrat]

Pretty slick. I'm curious about two things; why didn't you purchase the style without the mounts and why do you need to remove the mounts? I have the 4 link truss with an axle mounted servo and had no issues with it?


It is hard to tell from your pictures, but the grind marks do no show the typical air pockets of cast pot metal. Have you put a magnet on it to see if it is steel?

Thanks for the info.

[OSRC]

That style was not available when I bought these, or I would have got them instead. Must have come out later (I've had these for a while, just got around to posting them up)

I remove the mounts in the rear purely for aesthetic reasons... looks odd to me with the truss mounted. Fronts had to be removed for the CMS.

They are not steel, they are a zinc based pot metal. Similar to cast Komodo axles and RC Channel parts. They look and feel pretty good overall, time will tell.

[Ditchrat]

Thanks for the clarification

[OvrKll]

OSRC, would be great if you could post back your impressions on these axles when you get the chance to test them out.

Thanks

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[KenGerb]

Bought a set for front and rear. Got here in two days, nice...

All the stock plastic parts bolted right on, seems solid. Figure more weight low and less rotating mass won't hurt...

Stock - No BeefTubes 4-3/4 oz
Stock with BeefTubes 6-1/8 oz
BoomRacing - No BeefTubes 9-3/4 oz

[OSRC]

^ Very nice comparison shot!

[crazee horse]

You won't go out because of leaves or snow........... shocking.

[Highmark]

Great review - thanks for posting.

[OSRC]

Originally Posted by crazee horse

You won't go out because of leaves or snow........... shocking.

Jackass.

[XSRCdesign]

These have caught my eye a few times, I knew they had to be cast for the price though..

I struggle to figure out what rig I'd use them on though.

[KenGerb]

I just used them to replace the stock housings on two SCX10's. I'm pretty new at crawling but I have tried weighted tires, axle/knuckle weights, and beef tubes. Thought I'd try these next and see what I like best.

[OvrKll]

Hi guys,

Anybody has given some use and abuse to these axles that can give some feedback?

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[Fishbone.dk]

How strong is the tread in the 4 small holes on top of the axles? I need it to mount some leaf springs on my rig, and the plastic originals is pretty week.

[OSRC]

Feels pretty strong once bolted up. Much stronger then the plastic housing for sure.

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[QuesoDelDiablo]

Thanks for posting this review. I'm considering these axles and this is exactly the info I needed to help me decide.

[1967Typhoon]

Any reliability issues on these? Anybody have some feedback on performance? These are cheap and look to add some serious unsprung weight.

[OSRC]

Have only been out 2-3 times on these axles, but they are holding up fine for me. I like a heavy rig, and the weight down low helps for sure.

[Ditchrat]

I don't want to necro a thread, but a year isn't too bad.

I had to replace a set of stock housing and beat to death tubes, so I opted to give the phat axles a shot. There was a little paint that needed to be removed, and I opted to re tap the threads, they may or may not have needed it.

Other then that everything transferred over. Ran them hard for 3 hours yesterday, a good bit of bottom paint is worn off. However I think they are an upgrade over stock housings and tubes. I don't think I will switch the stock housing style for the new style on my existing rigs. Lets see how they do, before I replace the other 2 sets.

Anyone want to update their experiences?