Ultra 4 style setup recommendations

[motas]

Hey all,

So I have been doing a bit of research on here but finding a lot of actual comp rigs which is not exactly what I want.
I just got my Poison Spyder Wraith today and am already looking to mod it.

I am looking for some recommendations on what to do for a ultra 4 style rig but still fairly scale. Basically I want to be able to drive round with some decent speed, hit some jumps, corners etc but still be able to crawl decent as well. And still keep it relatively scale looking.

Now most of my knowledge is from full size not RC so hopefully all of it translates pretty closely. Some of it is pretty obvious. Obviously I'll need to upgrade anything that breaks (ie suspension links, steering links, servo etc etc). I'll need a decent ESC, motor, gearing and battery to get some speed.

My questions are mainly about the suspension and drivetrain:
What shocks and springs should I be running? Quick spin with the stockers and I find the shocks are too hard and there is a lot of torque twist and roll. My guess would be some good aluminum shocks, lighter oil, progressive springs and at least one sway bar to control the roll and twist. Any recommendations on exactly what would be appreciated. Would like to keep it pretty scale looking as I said. Is there a good compromise between high speed handling on rough ground and crawling?

It is also very hard to steer around with the spool in the front. Is it possible to run an open diff in the front with a very heavy oil to act as an LSD? And is it worth doing? Am I going to be able to reach a point where it will still crawl up things but steer a bit better?

Alternatively can I run a dig on the front so that I have RWD? I've found in full scale it can help to be able to flick the back around and get a bit of a power slide which doesnt work so well in 4WD. And could just be a bit of fun to bash around anyway.

As for the steering whats better a diff mounted or chassis mounted servo? Ackerman or no ackerman?

Is there a good quality 2 speed box available? Again would be fun to bash around in a higher gear and then be able to drop it back into a low range for crawling. Similar to a real Jeeps T/C.

If anyone could help me with these questions or just give me some general ideas on the build thatd be much appreciated!

Thanks.

[SynisteR6]

I put the RC4WD 2 speed transmission in mine and so far I LOVE it... although at the same time I also added a mamba monster and sensored 4 pole... ;)