RCCrawler Forums

Harley

This thread will detail out what you need to get your XR10 running, different options to do so as well as upgrade parts you can get along the way. This thread will assume you are starting with the XR10 Kit. There are a huge number of options available and this thread will not list them all. This will just help to give you direction so you can pick and choose what fits your budget, style, and preferences.

Electronics



Radio:
Choosing your radio first is an important step. Depending on the radio you plan to use your setup can change drastically. If you get a radio with dual ESC mixing you will get the most out of your XR10. If you get a radio with only 3 channels and a 3 position switch you may be more limited in your setup. If you only have a 2 channel radio then dig will not be an option for you.



Recommended

• Futaba 4PL – Budget friendly 4 channel radio with all the features to get the most from your XR10. Built to run dual or single ESC’s.

Options

• Futaba 4PK – Higher end radio with more options and faster response
• Futaba 3PMx – Cheaper 3 channel radio will give you option for front and rear dig

Motors:
You will need 2 standard 540 sized motors. Brushed motors are most common and cost efficient.



Recommended

• Holmes Hobbies Handwound 35-45 turn – Amazing all around motors

Options Holmes Hobbies Sport 35-45t – Cheaper option with good power

• Tekin 35-45 turn – Cheaper option with good power
• Holmes Hobbies 454 Puller – Smaller motor for less weight but sacrifice some power

ESC(s):
Now depending on the radio you chose your options for ESC’s will vary. Your ESC choice is critical, an ESC without proper features and programming will make your XR10 much less capable and competitive. For setups that will only use 1 ESC please see the Dig section. Avoid the Novak M2 Dig ESC at this time, it has experienced massive problems and old drag brake technology makes it a bad buy.



Recommended

• Tekin FXR – Small ESC with great drag brake and easy field programming ability. Popular for both single and dual ESC applications

Options

• Castle Mamba Micro Pro – Small ESC with smooth startup and a very nice PC programming interface
• Holmes Hobbiese BR-XL – Powerful ESC capable of running high voltage and a huge internal BEC

Servo:
High torque servos are essential to a competitive crawler. It is rare to hear anyone say they have too much steering power. At least 300 oz/in is a good place to start. Weaker servos will work but for competition they are not recommended.



Recommended

• Futaba 9157 – High power for a good price

Options

• Hitec 7950 – High power with titanium gears
• Tower Pro CS170 – Great price for a high torque titanium gear servo

Servo Horn:
Often overlooked when ordering what it takes to put together a truck. The plastic servo horns included with your servo just won’t cut it.



Recommended

• Robotronics 1” – These beefy clamping servo horns will save you from stripped splines and bent arms

Options

• Racers Edge 1” – Cheaper clamping servo horn but not as strong

BEC:
Yes you need a BEC. Most ESC’s internal BEC will not supply enough amperage for a high torque servo. There are exceptions to every rule, the Holmes BR-XL has a large BEC that is capable of supplying enough power to many of the high torque servos.



Recommended

• Castle Creations 10amp BEC

Options

• Nothing else will do!

Dig:
If you are using a dual ESC setup you can skip this section. An electronic dig on a MOA crawler takes the signal from your radio to control electronic switches to cut power to the motor you chose.



Recommended

• Punk RC Dig – The industry standard for electronic dig modules

Options

• RC4WD Rocker Dig – Yet to be as proven as the Punk unit, improvements have been made sense release though.

Check this thread for some of the cleanest wiring jobs you've ever seen.
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showthread.php?t=295889

Harley

Video breaking down a dual ESC setup
This setup video goes through the programming of a 4PK aswell but the rest applys to all dual ESC setups.



Video for programming a 4PL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYR6jJznnPs


Wiring Diagrams

4PL Diagram:




4PK Diagram:

Harley

Wheels, Tires and Foams


Tires:
Your XR10 kit does not include tires as you may have already noticed. There is rarely a “best” tire choice for all terrain. Find local crawlers in your area and find what seems to be working for them. The following recommendations are what I have found works best for me at the various places I have traveled to around the US.




Recommended

• Hot Bodies Sedonas – Great tire with a great compound that works well on most terrain

Options

• Hot Bodies Rovers (White) – Proven performer all around
• Losi Boss Claws – Different approach to crawling tires, pin style

Foams:
Even more diverse than tire choices, the options in foam tuning have exploded. Each tire choice will perform differently and selecting foam based on that is important. The “king” of foam tuning is Crawler Innovations. The foams included with a set of tires will likely work fairly well but to get the most out of your XR10, look at upgrading.




Recommended

• Crawler Innovations 5.5” Double Deuce – I have found this to be a great all-purpose foam

Options

• Contact Crawler Innovations for personalized options

Wheel Weights:
The XR10 wheels included in the kit were designed to work with Vanquish Products wheel weights. These machined slugs allow you to quickly add or remove weight without removing a single screw. The kit also includes an internal weight system that you can adjust using optional Axial weight sets.



Recommended

• VP .6 Caliber SST Weight Set – Stainless steel slugs weighing 1oz each

Options

• Erik D'Lux Knuckle Weights - Not technically wheel weights. These mount to the knuckle and reduce rotating mass. It makes the crawler feel very snappy. These are only available for VP knuckles and require aftermarket wheels or modification to stock wheels however and are expensive. Well worth the money in my opinion however.
• VP .6 Bullet Weight Set – Add some style with a bullet casing shaped slug
• Axial Internal Weight Insert – 0.75 oz each and fits the kit included weight retainer

Upgraded Wheels:
The wheels that come with the XR10 are molded plastic and can take a lot of abuse. However there are many reasons people choose to upgrade wheels. New wheels allow you to chose things like track width, wheel width, appearance, weight and tuning ability. There are many wheel manufacturers each with many options. Find one that fits all of your needs. This is a list of what I prefer.



Recommended

• Front - Vanquish Dirty Harry Pro 2 – These wheels allow tuning of the wheel width and track width all in one wheel. Hubs are required to adjust track width. These wheels can also utilize the VP weight sets listed above. Both 460 and 585 hubs are common selections.
• Rear – Vanquish SLW – Super light weight wheels that hold the bead and allow for adjustments by utilizing different width hubs. Both 225 and 350 hubs are common selections.

Options

• Too many to list. Check the Vendors section of RCCrawler to find a manufacturer that suits your needs.

Harley

Chassis and Suspension


Chassis
The stock chassis included in your XR10 kit is a versatile design. It has incorporated things to help keep your truck looking clean and organized. The electronics tray and radio box in the kit allow you to setup all of your electronics outside of the truck and then install the whole tray as a package. The adjustable shock mounts allow for use of different ride heights without limiting your suspension travel options.

If you plan to stay with the stock chassis the following upgrades are a good choice:

Side Plates

• Axial Carbon Fiber Chassis Set – AX30750 – Light weight and stronger

Shock Mounts

• Axial Carbon Fiber – AX30752 – Light weight and stronger
• BWD Aluminum Shock Mounts – Stronger version of the stock mounts

Electronics Tray

• Axial Carbon Fiber Electronics Plate – AX30772 – Light weight but removes radio box and wire keepers

Upgraded Links:
The XR10 kit uses aluminum lower links and plastic upper links both using 3mm hardware. The plastic stock upper links were found to be an immediate weak point by many. They do not break but are flexible making it tough to predict the crawler’s reactions when in a tough bind. Replacing these links is a must in my opinion. When selecting links, you have many options but I am just going to suggest a couple different routes. You can also fabricate your own custom links which is another topic.

Recommended – Bolt-on links
Axial Stage 3 Aluminum Hi-Clearance Links Kit – AX30434 – This kit will replace your upper and lower links with new high clearance machined lowers and aluminum bent pipe uppers. These still utilize 3mm hardware and all your stock rod ends. For more strength, you can drill and tap each of these links to use 4mm hardware which I highly recommend if you have the tools.

Options – Bolt-on links

• Chaotic Crawlers - http://www.chaoticcrawlers.com/XR-links.html

Aftermarket Chassis:
The chassis is generally half of what identifies a crawler. A chassis is a mix of performance and style, some lean more to one direction than the other. A chassis needs to be designed with the axles it is going to be used with in mind so make sure you choose your chassis carefully.

If you would like to change your chassis it helps to make a few choices first of all.

1. Do you want to change suspension links?
2. Do you want body or bodiless?
3. Do you want to change your shocks?

Recommended – Bodiless

• Y-Town Crawlers Beetle Juice V4 – Versatile, stylish and proven design.
  • Requires new lower links

Option – Bodiless

• T1e XR10 Moonbuggy – Newly designed chassis with many tuning options
  • Includes new lower links
  • Recommends new shocks

Recommended – Bodied

• Will update when more info is available

Harley

Axles
The XR10 uses a familiar MOA design while introducing several new concepts. The design lends itself to many possible changes and upgrades to make the XR10 suit your needs. If you are building your XR10 for hard crawling or competition there are several upgrades that I highly recommend, each of which will be covered in the following sections.

Transmission Bearings:
The upper portion of the transmission uses 5x8x2.5mm bearings. Issues with the stock bearings used in the transmission have been apparent since the release of the XR10. The included bearings are not very high quality they are also fairly small due to tight clearances and manufacturing processes used to create other parts of the transmission. Since these bearings are small a high quality bearing needs to be used to hold up, however there is another option. Bushings can be used in place of bearings. This may seem contrary to popular thought but while they may have more drag than a bearing they will not fail on you. IMPORTANT NOTE – If you plan on changing your transmission housing and motor plate to units with oversized bearing this upgrade is NOT NEEEDED.



Recommended

• Vanquish Products Transmission Bronze Bushing Kit – higher drag but lower cost than high end bearings.

Options

• Acer Ceramic Bearing XR10 Kit – Smoother and more efficient than bushings however they twice as expensive and are not guaranteed not to fail.

Gear Train:
The gears in the XR10 are made by a process called sintering. In the case of the XR10 gears, sintering is the process of heating a metallic powder until the molecules adhere to one another. This process is efficient and inexpensive. However this process doesn’t produce a gear that is as strong as a machined gear. If you want an axle that is capable of taking some extreme loads then I recommend upgrading.



Recommended

• Axial Racing XR10 Machined 22T-48P Final Drive Gear – AX30767
• Axial Racing XR10 Machined Lightweight 36T-48P Final Gear – AX30768
• Axial Racing XR10 Machined 12T-48P Gear 1 – AX30769
• Axial Racing XR10 Machined Lightweight 36T-48P Idler Gear – AX30770
• Axial Racing XR10 Machined 12T-48P Gear 2 – AX30771

Options

• Hot Racing Light Weight CNC Hardened Steel Gear Set XR10 – This lower cost product has been performing well however history shows Hot Racing’s quality can be subpar from time to time.

Important note: It is strongly recommended that you replace your pinion gears. The stock aluminum pinions wear very quickly. Robinson Racing or Axial Racing both offer steel pinions, Axials are sintered but hold up well, Robinsons are machined and will last longer but may be a little more noisey.


Transmission Housing:
Transmission housing refers to the piece of molded plastic that bolts to the motor plate and supports one side of the upper gear train. For those people that are looking to build the strongest axle they can I recommend replacing this piece for a more rigid piece that also uses larger bearings.



Recommended

• Vanquish Products XR10 Transmission Housing – Milled from high quality 6061 aluminum. This unit uses larger bearings to allow a smoother and more efficient drive train that is capable of handling higher loads. Interference with stock steering has been reported, see Upgraded Drag Link section.

Options

• No experience with other options

Motor Plate:
The motor plate is the other supporting half of the transmission housing. The factory plate is a 3mm thick piece of stamped aluminum. Like the transmission housing, for those looking to build the strongest axle they can I recommend replacing this piece for a unit that can hold a larger bearing capable of handling larger loads. For those interested in a DIY solution, research the “9mm Mod”.



Recommended

• Vanquish Products XR10 Motor Plate – Milled from high quality 6061 aluminum. This unit uses larger bearings to allow a smoother and more efficient drive train that is capable of handling higher loads.

Options

• AX30787 XR10 Heavy Duty Gear Plate (Hard Anodized) - This plate is milled from billet aluminum and uses 5x9 bearings. Encloses the back side of the 2 first bearings.

Steering Knuckles
The design of the steering knuckles on the XR10 brought new features into crawling. The tilted kingpin design makes for nearly zero scrub steer. This means that the power from the servo is being used more efficiently to turn the tire. The steering arm on the front of the knuckle that the servo attaches to however is very short. The when distance from the kingpin to the drag link attachment point is shorter it requires more power from the servo to move a certain distance. This puts more stress on even high torque servos, increasing heat and increasing the chance of servo shutdown or failure. The strength of the stock knuckles has not seemed to be an issue thus far. If you do not want to replace your knuckles, at a minimum find a new longer front steering arm.



Recommended

• Axial Racing Aluminum Knuckles – Available in separately or in the Stage 1 upgrade kit. These knuckles are the same as the stock knuckles but in aluminum. A new longer steering arm is still highly recommended.

Options

• Vanquish Products XR10 Knuckles – These knuckles are designed for zero ackerman steering. This means both tires will turn the same amount. However these knuckles will not work with the stock wheels included in the kit. These knuckles do come with a longer steering arm, allowing you to get more power out of your servo.

Rear Lockouts
The stock lockouts on the XR10 have not shown any strength issues as far as I have witnessed. However they do allow the rear straight axles to have more side to side play then I am interested in having.


Recommended

• Vanquish Products XR10 Lockouts – Nearly completely eliminate any rear axle side to side play, also add strength.

Options

• Axial Racing Stage 1 Aluminum Upgrade kit – AX30432 – Includes knuckles, C-hubs and lockouts.

Tie-rod
The slide bar design used for steering was something never used before on a RC crawler axle. The design does its job but do to the amount of connection point in the system it can make the left wheel feel somewhat detached from the right wheel. A very simple modification to make is to replace this setup with a more traditional solid tie-rod. You will have to use some tools to remove the material that the stock slide bar was housed in but this is very simple and doesn’t need to be very precise. After you have removed the material you can purchase a new tie-rod or make one yourself.


Recommended

• Chaotic Crawlers Stainless Tie-rod – You must choose between straight and bent, this depends on if you run you’re C-hubs clocked. You also must choose a length based on if you are running Vanquish Knuckles or stock style knuckles.

Options

• Chaotic Crawlers Titanium Tie-rod – If you want to cut down on weight, for a little extra cash you can upgrade to this piece.

Axle Top Halfs

The stock axle cases are going to be more than good enough for 95% of people running an XR10. However they can be improved on. Being that we put so much stress on these axles the plastic can strip, deform, deflect, etc. I am not putting a "Recommended" section on this one because I don't find it completely needed but I am going to list a couple options for the competitors out there.

Options

• Shelby (4xford) came up with this very simple mod that will help put some extra confidence in your stock plastic housings.:

• Harley's Complete XR10 Guide
• The other option is to purchase the top axle housings from VP. These things are the top of line but will add a little weight and take a hit to the wallet. Check them out.

Harley

Tools

Harley

Harley

Miscellaneous

Battery Mounts:
The stock battery mount located in the chassis is handy when first building the kit. However it does place the battery higher up and further back then some other available options.

Recommended

• Rowdy Racing Topless Battery Mount – Budget friendly and fairly universal. Should work with most setups, may require some body trimming. This mount is just plain easy to use.

Options

• Rigron Customs BTA Mount – This places the battery as low as possible but limits your battery sizes more due to link clearances and such.

Harley

Awesome <--just in case

Krawler Kev

Will Brood motors work in a XR10?
Will a Spektrum radio work with a XR10?

There are other options available for people to use other your sponsors....

Harley

There are a million options, I listed 3. Holmes doesn't sponsor me, I just prefer his stuff. A spektrum radio will work, so would an Airtronics, Nomadio, Sensor, Hitec, Tactic, etc. A DX3R is more money than a 4PL with less features so I don't recommend it. I would be here all day listing every option that "would work". This is for a new buyer who needs direction, I am doing this to help them. My sponsors help me and I in turn take time out of my day to help them by helping others in a fair way.

Jeepkid

Of course, Harley is a futaba guy. Give him a break, he is posting what works for him. Nice start Harley Might need to edit in the other options on the market, but that would take all day. As there are millions of combos to use running the XR.

BC Racing

Upgraded links...

Jeepkid

Ah, the new wantAsummit dig a ma jig will make the Dx3R proportional. So everyone can see the market is heating up.

Harley

Yes, you could also use the Novak "The Dig" for normal dig with 3 channel radio and such. I haven't personally used one of the wantAsummit units or seen one in action personally so I probably won't list it until I have. At this point I have first hand expierence with every product I have listed and I think that is important if I am posting this as my opinion.

BEELZEBOB

Thank you Harley.

Good work doin all the foot work for us!!!

Much obliged man, and add some info on 4mm link hardware.

Jeepkid

Yeah, the wantAsummit dig is new. I got on the first order last week, should be here any day now.

nukegm426

patiently waiting for a post in this category

JustinThyme

You are basically saying right there that you are doing this to help your sponsors.

If'n I were doing this, I would try to ensure there is sufficient representation of other vendors. I think this thread is a great idea....I'm just not sure that it has started as unbiased as it could/should be.

A suggestion on something to add to each section might be a "Budget" option. Something that isn't top of the hill, but can get the job done for someone with limited funds to invest.

I look forward to seeing the rest!

Harley

I made no claims to say this is unbiased. I have a damn strong opinion and stick to my guns for the most part. Thats why I named this "Harley's XR10 Guide". I don't think if you had a single person in charge of just one section listed that they could get all the options listed.

I represent companies that I feel are the top of the industry, I don't want to try and defend a company making parts that don't perform at the top. When I feel there are options worthy of being listed that may even be in direct competition to my sponsors I will post them up if I have personal experience with them. For instance the Hitec servo is listed because I feel it is a fantastic servo for the money.

The Real Dogman

Haters!!!!

Good start Harley! cant please them all!!


gotta get the sponsors mentioned!! come on guys!!!