achieving consistent 6S usage on Axial Wraith with minimal breakage

[exwhyzed]

Hi All,

Watching the following youtube 6S Wraith on sand...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8HyQFyaBAk

it got me thinking...it would be nice to have a high-speed and scale-looking rig to run on generally flat-ish surfaces.

The comments on that youtube video say the wraith has:

- RTR Axial Wraith
- Tekin Redline 8.5T Brushless motor
- Castle Mamba Max Pro ESC
- Turnigy 3000Mah 30-60c 6cell (22.2v) LiPo
- Proline Badlands 2.2 Tire
- RC4WD 5 Spoke Alloy Wheels
- Custom Monster Energy Side Panels
- Turnigy GTX3 3chTx/Rx combo

But from everything else i've read on this site, 6S on a crawler drivetrain is like veggies in a blender...just going to turn it to mush.

Other than getting a more dedicated high speed capable platform, like a Losi Ten for example...is there any safe and non super expensive way to convert the Wraith such that it can consistently do 6S road and grass runs with minimal breakage?

From what i've seen on the forums, an Axial bomber transmission is more robust due to hardened gears here and there...in which case it might be better to start with that platform.

Also, smaller diameter and width tires should help reduce friction with the road/grass.

And finally, tuning the ESC to ease the accelleration when i pull the trigger full blast should help.

Can anyone shed some light on this issue of how to get a nice scale looking crawler to be capable of fast flat runs with out destroying it? Thanks!

[Duuuuuuuude]

Watching the vid, it certainly looked like there was some veggie blending.

[THX_138]

Watching the vid I would say it's hard to believe it's on 6s

Thing should have been doing instant back flips and rooster-tails ten feet tall not too mention moving a LOT faster then it was.

[84yoda]

8.5T and 6s? No way. Probably 2s, since tekin shows 5350kv for an 8.5T.

[OSRC]

Originally Posted by exwhyzed

...is there any safe and non super expensive way to convert the Wraith such that it can consistently do 6S road and grass runs with minimal breakage?

I don't know your definition of "super expensive" but you are looking at a lot of upgrade parts to make it even marginally acceptable with that kind of power. Assuming it's just a pavement pounder, you are looking at upgraded gears (transmission and axles,), axle shafts, and driveshafts are a must. Non crawler tires would have to be added...soft crawling compounds don't do well with high power and rotational forces. Lowered suspension almost to the ground.

I've built a "go fast" wraith, and it left a lot to be desired. Mine was only on 3S and a 4 pole SC system, 2.8 wheels , open diffs, and tires etc. and the truck was way fast - at least as fast as that video, maybe faster. It was also super squirrely at speed, and even with tuning handled like a dump truck compared to my Slash 4x4. The crawler based geometry of the steering as well as the offset of the front wheels makes the steering just awful. I had contemplated figuring out a system to move the tie rods to the back of the axle to get some ackerman into the steering, but in the end I just moved everything to my Slash 4x4 where it was much more at home.

Not to say it cannot be done per se, but not exactly cheap - that's for sure. I would also say the Bomber on SMT10 might make a better platform for it due to their longer WB.

Just my 2 cents.

EDIT: found pics of the old girl..

[WHITE-TRASH]

Originally Posted by THX_138

Watching the vid I would say it's hard to believe it's on 6s

Thing should have been doing instant back flips and rooster-tails ten feet tall not too mention moving a LOT faster then it was.

If it was running 6s it had to be running a sub 1200kv motor. At that point it's just battery bragging.

I ran my exo and bouncer on an sv3/4 pole 5700 on 3s plenty and either one would destroy that rig in the video.

[MattTheGenus]

In short, no not really. If you want a go fast solid axle rig with minimal fuss, grab a Kyosho fo-xx ve on tower for $470 shipped.

[altd896]

I have a 25mph U4 Wraith based rig & I've got a HPI Apache I ran on 6s that'll do 50mph & I can't imagine for a second the u4 rig doing 50mph.
If you really want to run 6s & have it not grenade into a million parts & handle the speed, my suggestion is find a 1/8 buggy, they actually can handle that kind of pace.

[exwhyzed]

Thanks for all of this helpful information all! Yes it does seem hard to believe that the machine in the video is running at 6S, and it looks like one of its wheels stopped spinning later on...damaged gears most likely.

That's a sharp looking build OSRC!

My gripe about amazing looking and fun to work on scalers is that they seem to get damaged easily from bashing, which is easily fixed by upgrading parts. And while tinkering is one of the most important factors that are drawing me towards this hobby, it looks like i'll have to get two rigs. One that I can build from a kit and conquer rocky terrain with, and one not-so-scale-looking to 6S bash in the mud and snow. I just hope i can find such a 6S basher in kit form.

It seems like a lot of the 1/8 scale powerhouses only come in RTR form. Like the Kyosho Fo-xx. Even many 1/10 bashers are RTR, like the Losi Baja Rey (and soon to be arriving Rock Rey), Losi ten SCBE. I'll keep doing my research for kit bashers. Thanks!