I'm at a crossroads...truck selection

[mikemcE]

Just about everything on the rtr will need upgrades for 3s. The kit has some upgrades, but then your electronics and servo will be upgrades , not to mention suspension, axels,chubs..........diff in a yeti usually is replaced with a locker up front. it really adds up, but when there a very fun tough rig
Both my trucks have double the original cost invested, I can feel and see the difference ..... it's a rolling hobby !

Hang up and Drive

[DavidH]

Originally Posted by Lanky

Add a Losi Baja Rey and Rock Rey to your list....

I dunno about the Losi 'Rey, for what the OP is asking.

I'm following the owners on the Baja Rey facebook page, and it seems that there are still teething problems with that platform, and it is still nose- and top-heavy; perhaps a better recommendation in this case would be a Losi SCTE. It has better balance, better handling, and the potential for more speed.

The 'rey was on my shopping list last year, but no one in this backwater town (Vancouver BC) will stock them or parts for them. And, no 2-speed.

[smitty2919]

I'm intrigued by the rock racer style/suspension layout and generally higher belly clearance, but overall it seems like there needs to be servo/driveshaft/suspension link upgrads fairly soon to be bashable and somewhat quick.

Where the Slash 4x4 (with LCG downside of bad clearance and HCG downside of tipping over) but overall not many upgrades needed. MIGHT be able to "climb" with it given different wheel selection.

Or the Kraton that, aside from shimming the diffs properly, seems to be buy and drive. May research a "high clearance mod" (BarHarborBasher like) for Kraton and run some Rock Racer wheels (yeti XL?)

Yes I get crazy, if not stupid ideas LOL Don't get me wrong, I like to tinker and modify, but to buy a $400+ truck only to upgrade/modify so many things right off the bat to allow me to use it isn't fun. I'm not a 15ft jump style basher either lol.

[smitty2919]

Did some research of wheelbase and width of all trucks
Yeti 360 x 312
Score 360 x 305
Slash 4x4 324 x 296
Bomber 375 x 280
Rock Rey 381 x 323 (this is the rock racer size I like...but skeptical from DavidH's comment about possible issues)
Kraton 378 x 470
Yeti XL 470 x 414 (threw it in just because)

Always hard to ignore the support and aftermarket of Axial/Traxxas products.

[StatGSR]

all reports I have seen on the Baja Rey is that it is everything that the Yeti should have been. Drives better and doesn't break, aftermaket is pretty much limited to Losi aluminum parts. but who knows, maybe it wont old up as well in the rock rey platform.

[DavidH]

Originally Posted by smitty2919

I would agree....

2S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_QoOEq40143S
3S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh3KJwePO1U

I have no idea if this helps, but it is certainly not as boring as those ones.

http://youtu.be/yhqvgmhL_PI

[Ty1330]

Yeti kit gets my vote

I've been in and out of the hobby for the last 20 years and this truck even with its flaws is my favorite hands down. Love the fact I can trail run (crawling isn't really doable) with scx10's and wraiths, than go throw it off nasty jumps at the skate park, than take it to chew some lap times. It takes a bit of work to drive there and it's not an easy truck to drive but it's got charm. I don't see why everyone makes it out to be a horrible truck to jump, mine spends most of its time in the air (you can't hit jumps at wide open throttle like most other trucks) and it's usually above 8'. Its basically a Swiss Army knife, it won't do it all with precision but it will do it.

Big things to do for maximum yeti enjoyment, big power, MIP rear shaft, Crawler Innovations foams, Aluminum motor mount, beef tubes/aftermarket axle housing, upgraded locker, thicker shock and diff fluid, stiffer springs, rpm arms, 4mm or sleeved hingepins, and better wheels.

Id also check out the new losi Rock Rey too

[Lanky]

Originally Posted by smitty2919

What is it about the yeti that gets so pricey to get it durable/bashable/quick? Seeing the speed ability of the Yeti on 3s would be OK with me...but is the driveline being ripped apart at 3s?

I'm fine with upgrading spur gears to metal etc but if driveshafts are constantly breaking and if diffs are blowing out due to larger wheels/loads then down the rabbit hole you go LOL.

I literally have no money into the drive line of my yeti.... I do believe a bunch of people have TONS of money into the yeti, that is unjustified. The more weight you add, the more you will be breaking parts, the worse the buggy will handle. My truck has been on HV 4s backs, MMX/3500KV 16/64 for at least 20 battery packs (5000mah). I have broken 1 rear short side axle(completely my fault).

Build a Kit, dont waste your time with the RTR. The 2 speed is completely a gimmick. Modern brushless systems you can have your cake and eat it to, as far as top speed/ crawl. I would much rather see you put money into a proper sensored brushless system then into a 2 speed and another servo.... (thank me later)


From a kit build you will need tire good tire Foams, Revo Balls at minimum, id suggest revo complete rod ends. you'll need to shim the servo saver to get it to be a bit stiffer. Personally I run Proline powerstrokes as I had them for a different build, along with spring kits for them, so I went that route. Out of the box, the stock springs are under sprung, both the front and rear need more spring rate. So you'll be adding springs.

The best "mod" I did to the yeti is put it on a diet. Loosing the cage (high weight) made a TON of an improvement, and added fun factor to it. It now will slide, not traction roll. I am actually amazed at how much of a difference. 2nd improvement would be tire foams.



I personally have a Yeti, A bomber, a Baja Rey, a Kraton, a Slash Platinum, a very well setup brushless 1/10 Summit and many other monster trucks, buggies, short course, even a few 1/8 onroad. I have a Rock Rey on "pre-order". I can confidently tell you, the Rock Rey if it maintains the steering of the Baja Rey is superior to a yeti. 3 of my buddies from my LHS all sold there Yeti Scores after 1 battery pack through my Baja Rey. Since I have put 2.2 tires on it, the thing is a blast. The bearings are Junk and undersized, but all RC's have their Achilles heals, you can always add a better bearing, you cant add more steering angle.

[DavidH]

Originally Posted by smitty2919

I'm intrigued by the rock racer style/suspension layout and generally higher belly clearance, but overall it seems like there needs to be servo/driveshaft/suspension link upgrads fairly soon to be bashable and somewhat quick.

General purpose vehicles are full of compromises. How fast do you need them to be? 30 mph? 50?

Keep in mind that many that complain of the apparent fragility of the chassis may not have only doubled the power of the truck, but may have almost doubled the weight. Axles designed for 7 lbs will not be happy with 12 lbs with big air and crash landings.

Where the Slash 4x4 (with LCG downside of bad clearance and HCG downside of tipping over) but overall not many upgrades needed. MIGHT be able to "climb" with it given different wheel selection.

With open diffs, the slash will not be able to climb very well. With locked diffs, high speed stability is compromised.

Or the Kraton that, aside from shimming the diffs properly, seems to be buy and drive. May research a "high clearance mod" (BarHarborBasher like) for Kraton and run some Rock Racer wheels (yeti XL?)

Having seen the Arrma product first hand, it makes the others seem slow and fragile. But, you need the right space in which to use it.

Yes I get crazy, if not stupid ideas LOL Don't get me wrong, I like to tinker and modify, but to buy a $400+ truck only to upgrade/modify so many things right off the bat to allow me to use it isn't fun. I'm not a 15ft jump style basher either lol.

I thought of my $400 rtr truck as a means of testing the "RC waters", to see if I liked it. I have no idea why anyone would think they should get a virtually indestructible general purpose truck for that price.

On axial's pages, they describe how to build a robust yeti from the start; it's not how I would do it, but it gives you an idea of what they think should be spent on their truck to move into the bulletproof class.

Axial Racing - Yeti SCORE Trophy Truck Full Option Kit Build

And a slash will still jump better and go faster.

[Lanky]

Originally Posted by DavidH

I dunno about the Losi 'Rey, for what the OP is asking.

I'm following the owners on the Baja Rey facebook page, and it seems that there are still teething problems with that platform, and it is still nose- and top-heavy; perhaps a better recommendation in this case would be a Losi SCTE. It has better balance, better handling, and the potential for more speed.

The 'rey was on my shopping list last year, but no one in this backwater town (Vancouver BC) will stock them or parts for them. And, no 2-speed.

I have a Baja Rey, and a yeti, I also happen to have owned a SCTE 3.0. If the OP wanted a track racer no doubt a Short Course truck is the way to go. For his use, Id point him toward a slash 4x4.

Yeti is more top heavy then the Baja rey and narrower

My Baja Rey has been Straight Flogged by my 2 Nephews and my Son. all 3s HV use. Out of the box, I sold the Transmitter/RX/Servo back to my LHS, and got a Savox 1270TG, and Castle BEC. Ive Replaced the front and rear pinion bearings, and "upgraded" them to ones I had on hand from my Losi Eight T 3.0 Truggy I had on hand. Other then the pinion bearings, and a stripped rear drive couple, zero issues. Center Diff is also a huge benefit from a track tuning option. I simply put 1m fluid in it, and greased the front diff making it spin free.

2-speeds are cool on brushed summits, or a super low geared scale crawler. However, in my humble opinion to add weight to a yeti is nuts, and to add more electronics/ another linkage / and moving parts in the transmission is making it more of a headache. Why not add a better sensored brushless syetem. It will crawl awesome, and have more top end, be less complex, have less parts to break, and not need any maintenance?

[mikemcE]

Gee why do I love the heavy 2 speed option with my brushless sensored tekin. Because it makes the truck useable. Now it will go when you need to, but still go up some grades and ruts


Hang up and Drive

[Lanky]

Originally Posted by mikemcE

Gee why do I love the heavy 2 speed option with my brushless sensored tekin. Because it makes the truck useable. Now it will go when you need to, but still go up some grades and ruts


Hang up and Drive

I can dig it. for my use I honestly don't see the point. I've tried the 2 speed for a week, and it has been sitting in the parts bin since. For me it didn't do anything but add weight, and take up space.

I challenge myself to throw it back in and try to love it, I challenge you to take it out, we'll both report back

[Rumpelhardt]

How about the 2 speed AND a sensored brushless system. I wanted a good low speed trail car with the ability to go reasonably fast on the longer smoother sections. This seems to fill the bill so far on the very few short runs it's made.

[smitty2919]

Originally Posted by Lanky

I literally have no money into the drive line of my yeti.... I do believe a bunch of people have TONS of money into the yeti, that is unjustified. The more weight you add, the more you will be breaking parts, the worse the buggy will handle. My truck has been on HV 4s backs, MMX/3500KV 16/64 for at least 20 battery packs (5000mah). I have broken 1 rear short side axle(completely my fault).

Build a Kit, dont waste your time with the RTR. The 2 speed is completely a gimmick. Modern brushless systems you can have your cake and eat it to, as far as top speed/ crawl. I would much rather see you put money into a proper sensored brushless system then into a 2 speed and another servo.... (thank me later)


From a kit build you will need tire good tire Foams, Revo Balls at minimum, id suggest revo complete rod ends. you'll need to shim the servo saver to get it to be a bit stiffer. Personally I run Proline powerstrokes as I had them for a different build, along with spring kits for them, so I went that route. Out of the box, the stock springs are under sprung, both the front and rear need more spring rate. So you'll be adding springs.

The best "mod" I did to the yeti is put it on a diet. Loosing the cage (high weight) made a TON of an improvement, and added fun factor to it. It now will slide, not traction roll. I am actually amazed at how much of a difference. 2nd improvement would be tire foams.



I personally have a Yeti, A bomber, a Baja Rey, a Kraton, a Slash Platinum, a very well setup brushless 1/10 Summit and many other monster trucks, buggies, short course, even a few 1/8 onroad. I have a Rock Rey on "pre-order". I can confidently tell you, the Rock Rey if it maintains the steering of the Baja Rey is superior to a yeti. 3 of my buddies from my LHS all sold there Yeti Scores after 1 battery pack through my Baja Rey. Since I have put 2.2 tires on it, the thing is a blast. The bearings are Junk and undersized, but all RC's have their Achilles heals, you can always add a better bearing, you cant add more steering angle.

Originally Posted by Lanky

I have a Baja Rey, and a yeti, I also happen to have owned a SCTE 3.0. If the OP wanted a track racer no doubt a Short Course truck is the way to go. For his use, Id point him toward a slash 4x4.

Yeti is more top heavy then the Baja rey and narrower

My Baja Rey has been Straight Flogged by my 2 Nephews and my Son. all 3s HV use. Out of the box, I sold the Transmitter/RX/Servo back to my LHS, and got a Savox 1270TG, and Castle BEC. Ive Replaced the front and rear pinion bearings, and "upgraded" them to ones I had on hand from my Losi Eight T 3.0 Truggy I had on hand. Other then the pinion bearings, and a stripped rear drive couple, zero issues. Center Diff is also a huge benefit from a track tuning option. I simply put 1m fluid in it, and greased the front diff making it spin free.

2-speeds are cool on brushed summits, or a super low geared scale crawler. However, in my humble opinion to add weight to a yeti is nuts, and to add more electronics/ another linkage / and moving parts in the transmission is making it more of a headache. Why not add a better sensored brushless syetem. It will crawl awesome, and have more top end, be less complex, have less parts to break, and not need any maintenance?

Thanks a lot for the long responses. I think I'll give up on the slash 4x4 due to low clearance, and if I go HCG then it tips over.

The more I look into the Rock Rey the more I get interested. It seems a little beefier/larger than the Yeti. Downside is it's a new release with little to no real world reviews YET. But people seem positive about it given the Baja Rey results. And I'm not 100% about the support/aftermarket/weak links yet. May have to see how these turn out when people start reviewing them after owning them for a while.

I agree, the Kraton will need room to run it which I would have, but it would ONLY be a high speed basher. Where Ty1330 mentioned a Yeti or Rock Rey will do a little of everything fairly well. It could do enough things to keep me interested and not get bored with it.

Yeti just has aftermarket/following/support out the A$$. I'm not in a position to really do hands on mods/pick parts from my "parts bin" since I don't have one LOL. Whatever truck I buy I'd like a good aftermarket to be able to buy upgrades/replacement parts when needed. Whatever Yeti issue I run into...SOMEONE has figured it out lol. Would the Baja/Rock Rey be too "new"?

[Vedo]

Originally Posted by Ty1330

I don't see why everyone makes it out to be a horrible truck to jump, mine spends most of its time in the air (you can't hit jumps at wide open throttle like most other trucks) and it's usually above 8'. Its basically a Swiss Army knife, it won't do it all with precision but it will do it.

I threw a MetalconceptsRC TT10 axle in my Yeti and that fixed the nose heavy problem. That diff is SOLID. Coupled with the Trailing arms for it, and Nose dives should be a non issue.

[smitty2919]

I came across this post about the Baja Rey...good info about correcting torque twist! I did not know enough about IFS/SRA tuning to know how to "fix" torque twist, but with this it makes me more willing to pickup the Rock Rey.

From FYRSTORMER:
A locked center diff would allow torque to transfer to the front axle more efficiently, actually -- it would force the front and rear axles to share the torque 50/50 at all times -- but that's part of the problem. After trying multiple configurations with my Yeti and Twin Hammers, I realized that solid-rear-axle trucks just don't work right unless the rear axle is locked, because otherwise you get horrible torque-steer every time the chassis twists when accelerating. That severely limits drivetrain-tuning options.

So, with a truck that has a locked rear diff AND a locked center diff, like the Yeti, there is no escape path for excess torque unless both rear wheels come off the ground. (i.e., when the truck is in the air, in which case handling isn't really a concern anyway.) That means, even if the truck corners so hard that the inside wheels come off the ground, the motor can continue driving the truck into the corner, because the locked rear axle is constantly transferring power to the outside-rear wheel, and the locked center diff is ensuring that the front axle can't "diff-out" by spinning faster than the rear axle.

You can see what I mean by lifting up one side of your Yeti and trying to rotate the front wheel that's in the air -- despite being connected to an open diff, it still will force all four wheels to rotate, because the rear axle is locked and the front axle is forced to rotate at the same speed as the rear axle. My Yeti and Twin Hammers were both impossible to drive on pavement, and difficult to drive on grass, without nearly-constant traction-rolling because their motors could drive the trucks into corners so hard they simply rolled over. It was so frustrating I actually entertained the fantasy of driving my Twin Hammers into a curb at top speed just to watch it smash to pieces. (I sold it instead.)

In that same hard-cornering scenario with an unlocked center diff, when the inside wheels start to come off the ground, the center diff and front diff combine to give the inside-front wheel the freedom of movement to diff-out and release the torque from the motor. That means the motor can't keep driving the truck into the corner once the inside-front wheel starts to lift. Of course, having a completely open center diff would mean the rear axle would struggle to get any power from the motor when accelerating, because both front wheels would start to diff-out as soon as the truck leaned backward a bit, and that's exactly what the Baja Rey does out of the box; that's why I filled the center diff with 10K oil, to make it easier for the rear axle to get its share of the motor's torque, without making it too difficult for the inside-front wheel to diff-out in corners. It works marvelously with this setup; it can now climb diagonally over curbs, it can accelerate better because the rear axle can get more torque when accelerating, it can brake harder because the front axle can get more torque when braking, but it can still diff-out when cornering. If I were driving on looser terrain I might want 30K oil in the center diff instead, but I think in all cases that don't involve rock-crawling this truck benefits greatly from a completely open front diff. (and if you're rock-crawling, why are you using a trophy truck?)

The Yeti would benefit greatly from a center diff (does the one from the EXO fit, by any chance?), but the Baja Rey will still have a center-of-gravity advantage. In the Baja Rey, the battery and motor are both sitting right on the chassis plate, whereas in the Yeti they are both above the chassis plate by as much as an inch. Short of someone making a custom chassis AND gearbox for the Yeti, the Baja Rey will always be more stable because of its design. It also helps that Losi nailed the rear-suspension design, with the lower links connecting below the axle, giving the links lots of leverage to prevent axle twist, without needing tons of clearance above the axle for super-high upper links. The shock placement is perfect too; the rear shocks are so close to the rear wall of the chassis tub that even the small amount of sprung-weight above the rear axle is enough to give the rear shocks something to act against, so the rear suspension actually responds to bumps instead of tail-hopping all over the place.

The Baja Rey is much more of a scale-accurate, solid-rear-axle trophy truck (basically what RC short course trucks were supposed to be all along), rather than a fast rock-crawler like the Yeti, and that's fine with me. I tried for months to get my Yeti, and then my Twin Hammers, to be what the Baja Rey is; I wish I'd waited a year and bought this instead, I would've saved a LOT of money."

[mikemcE]

Originally Posted by Rumpelhardt

How about the 2 speed AND a sensored brushless system. I wanted a good low speed trail car with the ability to go reasonably fast on the longer smoother sections. This seems to fill the bill so far on the very few short runs it's made.

Yessir ! That was my thought and I like the versatility. When I built my 2 speed I used the "faster" combination for high. I've played with my pinion and can get both worlds. With my Tekin sensored it will walk up a mountain in low, when at the top hit high and spray rocks on the flat

[mikemcE]

Originally Posted by Lanky

I can dig it. for my use I honestly don't see the point. I've tried the 2 speed for a week, and it has been sitting in the parts bin since. For me it didn't do anything but add weight, and take up space.

I challenge myself to throw it back in and try to love it, I challenge you to take it out, we'll both report back

I could never take it out....It works.

Ran without it and it was fighting clutch and pinion trying to do it all....I will take all that extra weight...(50 grams)....that's 1.5 oz.....You can get that weight with a larger battery....non issue

Weight slows you down (crawling is slow anyways) but it also helps traction, where the servo and gears are, not above the CG...

[Lanky]

Originally Posted by mikemcE

I could never take it out....It works.

Ran without it and it was fighting clutch and pinion trying to do it all....I will take all that extra weight...(50 grams)....that's 1.5 oz.....You can get that weight with a larger battery....non issue

Weight slows you down (crawling is slow anyways) but it also helps traction, where the servo and gears are, not above the CG...

Hmm... My motor ESC setup "crawls" very well, not that I use the yeti for Crawling, yeti for me is more of a bouscer/ racer. I guess its a matter of terrain we have available. Even with the XL motor, it will stick like glue up a rock face, and then at the top, if I wack it, it'll just about do a standing back flip. If I went to any lower pinion gear or final drive, throttle gets touchy as there is too much gear. I guess we can agree to disagree

[mikemcE]

That magic equalizer..... terrain . Mine is more crawler / bouncer, if I want blinding speed I prefer my 4x4 slash, same basic size, totally controllable at 50 on most terrain here, it's IRS is the difference for me over yetis solid rear axle


Hang up and Drive