Soze's Enduro Trailwalker RTR

[soze]

So... I picked this rig up early in the year when there were coupons galore. I wish I would've waited even longer though, because that 2 for $499 deal is pretty damn good.
Anyway, I'm keeping this one as a smaller tire rig, and I also put the IFS kit on it for now.

Follow this build on YouTube

(most product links are to eBay). As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase.

Kit:

Element Enduro Trailwalker RTR - https://ebay.to/3pbjdhF (eBay)

Parts:
Element IFS Conversion Kit - https://ebay.to/2LHwDV2 (eBay)
Gearhead RC Slot Mag V1 1.9 Wheels (discontinued) - https://ebay.to/3qadMku (eBay)
Pro-Line Class1 BFG KM3 G8 Tires - https://ebay.to/2MOCt7P (eBay)
SSD RC Enduro Brass Knuckles SSD00357 - https://ebay.to/2NkMiKB
Element Enduro Yellow Springs - https://ebay.to/3jJA8qs
Club5 Racing High Clearance Links for Element Trailrunner - https://ebay.to/3d4KzDT (eBay)
Associated #7430 Red Springs (3.90) - https://ebay.to/2Z77ne7 (eBay)

Electronics:
Hobbywing WP-1080 Brushed Crawler Esc - https://ebay.to/2Z8RiVm (eBay)
DS3235 35kg Servo (ebay) - https://ebay.to/3rINqXe
Turnigy GT5 Radio - https://ebay.to/2Z7FSRx (eBay)
Turnigy FS-BS6 Receiver - https://ebay.to/3tS1C1O (eBay)
HobbyStar 3700mAh 3S - https://ebay.to/2Nob1xl (eBay)


Tools:

Versachem Brake Caliper Grease - https://ebay.to/3p8bIZ7 (eBay)
Noleen SF3 Grease (available on eBay) - https://ebay.to/3jN9vB9
Permatex Anti Seize Lubricant (ebay) - https://ebay.to/3qpTbsN
Associated 1656 FT 1/4 in Driver Handle - https://ebay.to/3d31t5O (eBay)
Tamiya Side Cutter - https://ebay.to/371SAWb | https://bit.ly/3gHggSm (Amain)
DEWALT DCF610S2R 12V MAX Cordless Lithium-Ion 1/4 in. Hex Chuck Screwdriver Kit - https://ebay.to/3tQqXcr (eBay)
MIP Metric Speed Tip Set MIP9512 - https://ebay.to/3qdBMTU (eBay)
Bob Smith Industries Blue Thread Locker - https://ebay.to/3jDR8i9 (eBay)
ProTek RC Shock Pliers (available on eBay) - https://ebay.to/372Lscs (eBay)
Duratrax Shock stand - https://ebay.to/2MOyJ6l (eBay)
Hakko FX-888D Soldering Station - https://ebay.to/3aXFmLj (eBay)
Multistar Rubber R/C Work mat - https://bit.ly/2T3F4Zo
IWISS Crimping Tool - https://ebay.to/3jGKZll (eBay)
Universal Servo Cable Wire Connector Crimp Pin Kit - https://ebay.to/3tSAAaW (eBay)
E6000 Adhesive - https://ebay.to/2MZwtZV (eBay)

[soze]

The first thing I'm doing to this Trailwalker is Element's IFS Conversion kit.




Here's everything that comes in the package of the IFS kit.




Here's some of the stuff I love about the Element packaging.






The IFS kit instructions have 12 "Gates" (steps).


Gate 1






Gate 2






Gate 3

For now, I'm using a repurposed PowerHD 23kg servo that was in my son's Ascender until he broke the ears off, which I replaced recently.








Gate 4






Gate 5








Gate 6




So glad I had a 1.3mm hex driver I bought for a Hot Bodies D413 build I did.






Gate 7






Gate 8






Gate 9








Gate 10




Solid front axle removed. I can definitely save this for another build!






Leave the screws loose here for the time being




Gate 11

For this step, you're supposed to move the front shock tower with the panhard mount to the rear passenger side.
I did not want to cut that panhard mount off, and I did not want a panhard mount dangling in the rear.
Luckily I had spare shock hoops from my Enduro Sendero RTR when I replaced the rear shock hoops with IERC shock towers.




Gotta put those stiff ass springs on






Screws for the front skid plate






Now you can proceed with tightening the screws up.




Gate 12








Need these to outboard the rear shocks.




NOTE: I made a mistake in the pictures below. You need to mount the rear shocks where the links are mounted!




When putting the front bumper back on, don't forget to trim the bumper posts, or else they'll hit the steering rack.








And that does it, the IFS kit is installed onto the Trailwalker. Also gotta love the Trailwalker box that turns into a scale residential garage as well as the IFS kit that becomes scale items for the garage!

[djr01974]

Can’t wait to see it on the trails 👍

[MaX-D]

Originally Posted by djr01974

Can’t wait to see it on the trails

Me neither. I love this truck!

Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk

[B-MOW71]

Nice to see you decided to build up the TW with the IFS. Just in time, I'm also in the process of building one as we speak!

Excellent pics as always!

Quick question. Did you use the shock bumpstops in the front shocks? I couldn't tell by looking at the pics if you installed them. I'm rebuilding the shocks now and not sure if they are really needed.

Also, the front springs feel really stiff! Now that you have it built, does the front end feel too stiff?

Subscribed and following along!

[rkj__]

Interested to hear how you like driving it on the 1.5s. It looks weird seeing the suspension components hang lower than the wheel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[soze]

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

Nice to see you decided to build up the TW with the IFS. Just in time, I'm also in the process of building one as we speak!

Excellent pics as always!

Quick question. Did you use the shock bumpstops in the front shocks? I couldn't tell by looking at the pics if you installed them. I'm rebuilding the shocks now and not sure if they are really needed.

Also, the front springs feel really stiff! Now that you have it built, does the front end feel too stiff?

Subscribed and following along!

I did not install the bumpstops. They were optional, and I was too lazy to take off the rod-ends! LOL

I will decide whether to use them if I find softer springs though. The springs are stiff, but it would be about right if you were just making a scaler with a hard body maybe that puts some weight on top.

Originally Posted by rkj__

Interested to hear how you like driving it on the 1.5s. It looks weird seeing the suspension components hang lower than the wheel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Once I get it out, I'll know! The plan now is to actually run those new Pro-Line Class 0 BFG Krawlers with 1.9 wheels. I had tested some 1.9 wheels with the Class 1 BFG KM3s but that would require some significant fender trimming that I'm not ready to do yet.

[soze]

So, I was planning to use the 5-slots plus class 1 Pro-Line BFG KM3s that you see in the previous post, but I wanted to give the Trailwalker a little bit of weight down low.

I got these Gearhead RC Champ 190 wheels (eBay) on Black Friday with the purchase of my second Sendero for my son. (wish they had the buy 2 Trailwalker deal back then).




These wheels are a bit heavy, but that's ok, because the Trailwalker can use some weight down low, and I don't plan to do any fast driving with this rig at all.

I used Crawler Innovations Lil Novas for 4.0" diameter for my foams (eBay).




For the tires, I used some existing tires I had. These RC4WD 1.9 Class 1 Dick Cepek Extreme Country X2SS Tires (eBay) are the perfect height and width to go along wth the Champ 190 wheels. The only problem is they are X2SS compound, which kind of sucks. They've recently announced these tires in the newer X2S3 Compound, but I'm not about to buy another set of these unless I know the compound is good for sure. Pity, because the tire size really does look great with these wheels.








A shot of the rig after the tires/wheels.

[soze]

I finally got the Enduro Trailwalker with IFS out for a first run at CDM. It took some getting used to the IFS and Class 1 sized tires at first, but at the end of the day, I started getting better at it. It's definitely a completely different challenge from my Enduro Sendro which seems to climb almost everything. I can see a lot of wheel time for this rig in the future as it presents a whole different way of driving and picking lines.

One thing I confirmed is that these RC4WD 1.9 Dick Cepek Extreme Country tires are not good at all at CDM. These are the older X2SS version, and they just don't grab the rocks like Pro-Line G8 compound does at CDM.

















All in all... I'm going to go back to the KM3 + 5 slot wheels. I also need to trim the body a little bit more, but I'm reluctant to trim it too much. As many others have also discovered with the IFS installed... the rear stock gray springs are much too soft. I'll be changing those out to a stiffer spring as well.

[B-MOW71]

I really like the looks of the Gearheads and them tires! Too bad the tires didn't work out at CDM.

Curios to see which rear springs you end up with. I haven't really given the springs much thought. I'll have to take another look at mine. I need to get more run time to see how mine reacts and if they need to be changed.

Great pics and video as always! It was great to see the IFS Trailwalker out on the rocks and doing well!

[OSRC]

Looks great! I saw a few of those over the weekend and they look much better with the wheel wells opened up slightly.

[JatoTheRipper]

I love that wheel and tire combo!

Also, the more I look at your previous slot mag wheels the more I think they are the v1 from Gear Head.

[soze]

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

I really like the looks of the Gearheads and them tires! Too bad the tires didn't work out at CDM.

Curios to see which rear springs you end up with. I haven't really given the springs much thought. I'll have to take another look at mine. I need to get more run time to see how mine reacts and if they need to be changed.

Great pics and video as always! It was great to see the IFS Trailwalker out on the rocks and doing well!

I actually felt like it was doing terrible out there in that video, and it was because of the tires. I have another 2 videos of it running the class 1 BFG KM3s that I haven't edited and posted up yet. The first run I did with the class 1 KM3s in my next video to be released was the eye opener. That was the day I started to make it up some lines that it took a bit of tuning for my Sendero to make. The most recent run that I had this past weekend.... I started making it up a good amount of those difficult lines, albeit with a lot more careful driving as the behavior is definitely different. I'll post those updates here soon.

Originally Posted by OSRC

Looks great! I saw a few of those over the weekend and they look much better with the wheel wells opened up slightly.

Yeah, the wheel wells definitely need to be cut. I'm still not perfectly happy though, but I have some ideas of what I can do with it, but I need to find the right material to use.

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

I love that wheel and tire combo!

Also, the more I look at your previous slot mag wheels the more I think they are the v1 from Gear Head.

Regarding the slot mags, I'll go research those right now! It'd be good to finally know what those wheels are! As far as the Champ 190 + Dick Cepeks... yeah the combo looks really good. The Champ 190s are wide wheels, and the Extreme Country is a wide tire. They really go well together. Maybe I should give their new X2S3 version a shot.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by soze

Regarding the slot mags, I'll go research those right now! It'd be good to finally know what those wheels are! As far as the Champ 190 + Dick Cepeks... yeah the combo looks really good. The Champ 190s are wide wheels, and the Extreme Country is a wide tire. They really go well together. Maybe I should give their new X2S3 version a shot.

They are Gear Head wheels. Check out this link: Gear Head 1.9" Slot Mag Beadlocks coming soon.

[soze]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

They are Gear Head wheels. Check out this link: Gear Head 1.9" Slot Mag Beadlocks coming soon.

Finally! It's good to finally know what the heck these wheels are! LOL!

EDIT: You hit it right on the money. These wheels have SLW spacers on them, and now when I check the Gearhead site.... those spacers are there!

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by soze

Finally! It's good to finally know what the heck these wheels are! LOL!

EDIT: You hit it right on the money. These wheels have SLW spacers on them, and now when I check the Gearhead site.... those spacers are there!

You can't see it, but I'm doing my victory dance!

[soze]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

You can't see it, but I'm doing my victory dance!

I can see it.... it's in your Mario Avatar! LOL

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by soze

I can see it.... it's in your Mario Avatar! LOL

Touché!

[soze]

It's funny, now I have 2 sets of Gearhead RC wheels when I only thought I had one.

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by soze

I actually felt like it was doing terrible out there in that video, and it was because of the tires. I have another 2 videos of it running the class 1 BFG KM3s that I haven't edited and posted up yet. The first run I did with the class 1 KM3s in my next video to be released was the eye opener. That was the day I started to make it up some lines that it took a bit of tuning for my Sendero to make. The most recent run that I had this past weekend.... I started making it up a good amount of those difficult lines, albeit with a lot more careful driving as the behavior is definitely different. I'll post those updates here soon.

I noticed at first it was not doing well, but I thought by the end of the video it didn't look to bad. I noticed when I had mine out for the first time, it was a learning curve. I had to remind myself that there was a low hanging skid plate to watch out for. I didn't run mine much yet, but the little that I did I could tell it was going to perform well.

Looking forward to seeing how the C1 BFG's do! I have a set in G8 compound and I have been impressed out how well they do.

Originally Posted by soze

I can see it.... it's in your Mario Avatar! LOL

That's funny! Jato can't hide!