Plastic axles with severe rock rash

[Jus]

I have a bit of a dilemma. I do a lot of trail running and rock crawling with my Wraith... The front pumpkin and diff cover are severely worn down... The bottom of the diff cover is nearly worn through to the inside and the axle isn't far behind it... Should I just buy a new plastic axle and an aluminum diff cover for when it wears through or would an aluminum axle be worth it in my case?? Lets see, a new plastic axle $12, an aluminum diff cover $20-$30.. Or an aluminum axle for $70...

[crawler nut]

i will be buying them. for a crawler its an extra 3oz front and rear that is down low. and i have always had probelem with the screws stripping out the plastic housings. for the strength and insurance of not breaking them its a no brainer to me.

[Jus]

Fair enough. I've never had a problem with screws stripping out... All screws that go into plastic I use super glue on them.

My main concern is this severe rock rash on the pumpkin literally eating it's way into the pumpkin... I'm leaning towards a new plastic axle and hoping an aluminum diff cover will keep the wear in that area to a minimum... On that thought, which of the aluminum diff covers are the thickest???

[Solitaire]

The replacement Axial axles are really quite cheap and very durable. If I had to replace one, I'd go the same. As far as diff covers, the ARB ones look stout (can't say how thick they are) and they are rounded which helps with not getting hung up on stuff. Plus they look scale.

How long have you had your Wraith to wear that much?

[meatmonkey]

No way around it, the aluminum isn't going to slide as nice as the plastic housings. But since the Wraith has large tires and, typically, lots of power it isn't as much of an issue as it would be on, say, an SCX.

I went with Beef Tubes, AL knuckles and C-hubs, and JB welded over the stock cover, helping smooth it's transition to the bottom of the axle housing. Works for me.

In the end it probably would have been better to have just bucked up and gotten the RC4WD housings with C hubs for $90 and never have to worry about it, cause I still know that the plastic housing is going to be the weak point when I finally do break something.

If your stripping the threads on plastic housings then you are overtightening them. I've had to take mine apart several times due to breakage (before upgrades) and all the threads are still perfect because I'm very OCD about just lightly snugging the bolts, and then torque checking them after a few packs. It seems like all the hardware has to "settle" in after a few packs of abuse and be snugged back up, but after that I haven't found any loose bolts.

[Jus]

Originally Posted by Solitaire

How long have you had your Wraith to wear that much?

IIRC I got it last October. It's got some miles on it between then and now, that's for sure..

[bmf24]

great question as mine is very worn also.
i replaced the front already and was thinking an alum cover would help it not wear so fast this time.

[Jus]

I've got a replacement axle and two different covers on the way, the Axial and the smooth version from VP. Along with the insane 2.2 Boggers I just installed make for a nice improvement in ground clearance...

[mtgrizzlymn]

Put a thin piece of aluminum under pumkin use servo tape and put screw in where set screw is works very well easy mod that wrks and looks good!

[Jus]

Well the verdict is in.. The axial aluminum covers are AWESOME. First of all they allow you to run the ring gear any way you want.. The VP wouldn't work unless I installed it upside down which would bother me.. More importantly.. The Axial is VERY stout.. It's REALLY thick. I'd say 2-3 times as thick as the VP. It's perfect for what I needed it for.

[bagged86]

You don't have to have th VP diff cover upside down you just flip the ring gear in both axles.

[nitrooxide]

Originally Posted by bagged86

You don't have to have th VP diff cover upside down you just flip the ring gear in both axles.

Ye like buy a diff cover end up at tear down both axels so vp can be right side up.!

vp shoud gimme 20bucks for that.

disappointed at vp atm, will soon post with pictures why.

[johnnyh66]

Some of the guys in our club have complained that the aluminum diff cover (axles too) get hung up on rock a lot more than the plastic.

As for stripping screws... I like Beef Tubes. They give you a nice chunk of steel to mount your CHubs to and then you can use LocTite... plus they add weight low and increase axle strength.

[Jus]

I've got no beef with VP like the guy above me.. Axial is the one who has this all screwed up... The RTR was installed one way and the kit shows the opposite... And the short shaft issue in the rear is why I guess.. And mine is modified so if I swapped around the ring gear I'd have to drill out the other side, umm no. The point is moot for me anyway, as I stated I like the Axial cover better.

[o0wiz0o]

I have the axial ones. They are thick and very smooth in shape so no hang ups. They will last a life time. When they do eventually wear just turn it upside down....years later just switch the back and front!

[Solitaire]

Jus, can you do me a favour and measure the thickness of the Axial diff cover? From where it mounts to the pumpkin to the face.

I'm using STRC covers and I like them, but they are flattish and will stop me dead if I hit a protrusion straight on. I need something with a shallow depth to keep clear of my tie rod.

Thanks

[Cableman]

Rpp has the axial covers on sale! Glad i just ordered therm Look sweet!

[Jus]

Judging from the tie rod on my truck, the Axial cover is pretty much identical to the stock plastic one...