VS4-10 Ultra

[JatoTheRipper]

It was brought to my attention that the Ultra is 5mm/.2" wider than the Pro. The width looks close in photos, but is there anyway to bring those tires in more on the Ultra? I'm assuming the wheels are the imitating factor, correct?

I'm also contemplating throwing in the 21% OD right away, but I'm torn on that. It seems like the tranny is easy to remove. Thoughts?

Which size SLW hubs are used in the video on Harley's channel?

[Brandon]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

It was brought to my attention that the Ultra is 5mm/.2" wider than the Pro. The width looks close in photos, but is there anyway to bring those tires in more on the Ultra? I'm assuming the wheels are the imitating factor, correct?

I'm also contemplating throwing in the 21% OD right away, but I'm torn on that. It seems like the tranny is easy to remove. Thoughts?

Yeah I’m running Method 310’s and 225 hubs. I’ll have to take a measurement but it fits really well under the body. Definitely narrowed it up.

The 21% OD works well with this kit due to slightly less steering angle compared to the PRO. The Portals also have increased castor angle.

[Harley]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

Which size SLW hubs are used in the video on Harley's channel?

The video was completely stock with the #4 incision hubs. A 350 hub on a VP wheel would narrow it up slightly and a 225 tucks things in really well. I normally run 350 hubs.

[Harley]

Originally Posted by Panther6834

I'm curious about why the "lowered" specs on the VFD. If this is a "portal" version of the 'Pro', then why is it coming with the "VFD transmission kit" version of the trans, as opposed to the exact same version included with the 'Pro'?

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

Because the added cost of the portal housing machining, knuckles being more complex, more bearings, more shafts and 8 more machines gears would have made the price way higher. The sintered gears and molded bits of the trans kit have been rockstars though and never been an issue with failures. Not that we wouldn’t love for you to go buy the machined upgrade gears and all, but these sintered gears are pretty great. Everyone says they would pay for more and all but when that price tags says $969 vs $829, it makes a big difference. This truck is fantastic and I doubt many issues will ever arise from the transmission spec.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by Brandon

Yeah I’m running Method 310’s and 225 hubs. I’ll have to take a measurement but it fits really well under the body. Definitely narrowed it up.

The 21% OD works well with this kit due to slightly less steering angle compared to the PRO. The Portals also have increased castor angle.

Good to know since I have a second set of 310’s to put on the truck! Thanks.

Eek... decreased steering angle! Why did you give them more caster and sacrifice steering angle? I’m sure there’s reasoning behind it.

Originally Posted by Harley

The video was completely stock with the #4 incision hubs. A 350 hub on a VP wheel would narrow it up slightly and a 225 tucks things in really well. I normally run 350 hubs.

That makes me feel better not that the increased width bothered me that much anyway. Thanks.

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by Harley

Because the added cost of the portal housing machining, knuckles being more complex, more bearings, more shafts and 8 more machines gears would have made the price way higher. The sintered gears and molded bits of the trans kit have been rockstars though and never been an issue with failures. Not that we wouldn’t love for you to go buy the machined upgrade gears and all, but these sintered gears are pretty great. Everyone says they would pay for more and all but when that price tags says $969 vs $829, it makes a big difference. This truck is fantastic and I doubt many issues will ever arise from the transmission spec.

Understandable...and, thanks. I know a lot of people, in various threads, have complained about sintered gears. Honestly, I didn't even know what "sintering" was, until a couple of hours ago. After reading up on the process, advantages, and disadvantages, I see nothing wrong with it. It's still metal, and it's almost as strong. Sintered metal gears are even used in automotive engines, including those made by several luxury manufacturers (Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, etc). If they trust them for use in their engines, they should be more than strong enough in an RC transmission.

However, I (and many others) would still prefer the aluminum motor plate, and bearing plates. Quickly getting back to the gears, with the included gears, what is the final OD to the front (compared to the rear)?

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Joshs4x4toyz]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

Eek... decreased steering angle! Why did you give them more caster and sacrifice steering angle? I’m sure there’s reasoning behind it.

Good question, I would think it is just because of the use of CVD's as opposed to the Universals. But wonder if there is any involvement "kingpin" alignment or kingpin inclination? I believe the angles are the same so i would lean towards CVD's

[Panther6834]

I was just re-reading the emails I received from Michael Pham (at Vanquish) regarding questions related to using the VFD & VS4-10 chassis on an SCX10.2 based build w/ portal axles. Previously, I had shipped him off giving me "half answers" to questions I had asked. Honestly, I was a bit irritated, and I even vocalized my irritation in a could of threads. However, now, with the release of the 'Ultra', I'm understanding why he answered the way he did. For obvious reasons, he couldn't let-on about the upcoming release, but he also wasn't about to say "it can't be done".

Anyway, Micheal, if you're reading, please accept my apologies. And, if you're not reading this, if Brandon it Harley could extend the apology to him, if greatly appreciate it...just tell him, I'm the one who was inquiring about a potential 329mm build.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[mikemcE]

Originally Posted by Panther6834

I'm curious about why the "lowered" specs on the VFD. If this is a "portal" version of the 'Pro', then why is it coming with the "VFD transmission kit" version of the trans, as opposed to the exact same version included with the 'Pro'?

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

Price point was Brandon’s answer.


Hang up and Drive

[GA Dawg]

Here's Harley's rundown.

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

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by GA Dawg

Here's Harley's rundown.

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

Dammit! I don't think that was up last night when I was binge watching Harley and SBG until about 1:30 AM because I couldn't sleep. I'll definitely watch it tonight.

Oh and guess who pre-ordered a clear Ultra. I so wanted to go with black, but I just can't get over how bad it looks after scratches. If only Vanquish could come up with a proprietary, black aluminum alloy so the black anodize would scratch off to black aluminum underneath. That brings up a question, which aluminum alloy does Vanquish use for parts - 6061 or 7075?

I almost went for the Pro, but I chose the Ultra because it is most dissimilar to the Limited.

[Topher Builds]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

Oh and guess who pre-ordered a clear Ultra...

I almost went for the Pro, but I chose the Ultra because it is most dissimilar to the Limited.

Nice! Glad to see you’re back into building RCs again this year

[Jim85IROC]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

Dammit! I don't think that was up last night when I was binge watching Harley and SBG until about 1:30 AM because I couldn't sleep. I'll definitely watch it tonight.

Oh and guess who pre-ordered a clear Ultra. I so wanted to go with black, but I just can't get over how bad it looks after scratches. If only Vanquish could come up with a proprietary, black aluminum alloy so the black anodize would scratch off to black aluminum underneath. That brings up a question, which aluminum alloy does Vanquish use for parts - 6061 or 7075?

I almost went for the Pro, but I chose the Ultra because it is most dissimilar to the Limited.

If it was 7075, I'm sure they'd broadcast that far and wide.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by Topher Builds

Nice! Glad to see you’re back into building RCs again this year

Thanks! I definitely have the bug again. But, at the same time, I can't wait for spring and more motorcycling. I may also buy a new four wheeler this year which is my all-time favorite activity. That's a TBD though.

Originally Posted by Jim85IROC

If it was 7075, I'm sure they'd broadcast that far and wide.

Eh it's not as big of an advantage as people like to claim IMO. The same goes on in the AR world.

[Brandon]

Originally Posted by Panther6834

However, I (and many others) would still prefer the aluminum motor plate, and bearing plates. Quickly getting back to the gears, with the included gears, what is the final OD to the front (compared to the rear)?

Final OD in the VFD Spec transmission is 6.5%.

The plastic motor plate is 6mm thick, made from the best grade nylon we can source. (I dont like sharing exact materials)

The VFD transmission is designed to act as a triangulated brace when the skid plate and motor mount tabs are bolted together between the rails. And in turn the rails act as a giant brace for the motor mount/plate. The plastic motor plate will have zero issues, it will not break in its intended application when correctly assembled.

The decision to include these components in order to keep the Ultra price point in check were not made overnight. Lots of testing and planning was done even before the VFD transmission was released by itself.

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by Brandon

Final OD in the VFD Spec transmission is 6.5%.



The plastic motor plate is 6mm thick, made from the best grade nylon we can source. (I dont like sharing exact materials)



The VFD transmission is designed to act as a triangulated brace when the skid plate and motor mount tabs are bolted together between the rails. And in turn the rails act as a giant brace for the motor mount/plate. The plastic motor plate will have zero issues, it will not break in its intended application when correctly assembled.



The decision to include these components in order to keep the Ultra price point in check were not made overnight. Lots of testing and planning was done even before the VFD transmission was released by itself.

All good to know. I love having "choices"...tho, gotta admit, sometimes, too many choices "confuses" me.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[nissan_driver24]

Originally Posted by Panther6834

I was just re-reading the emails I received from Michael Pham (at Vanquish) regarding questions related to using the VFD & VS4-10 chassis on an SCX10.2 based build w/ portal axles. Previously, I had shipped him off giving me "half answers" to questions I had asked. Honestly, I was a bit irritated, and I even vocalized my irritation in a could of threads. However, now, with the release of the 'Ultra', I'm understanding why he answered the way he did. For obvious reasons, he couldn't let-on about the upcoming release, but he also wasn't about to say "it can't be done".

Anyway, Micheal, if you're reading, please accept my apologies. And, if you're not reading this, if Brandon it Harley could extend the apology to him, if greatly appreciate it...just tell him, I'm the one who was inquiring about a potential 329mm build.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

Apologies, accepted. 👍👍👍

[Brandon]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

Eek... decreased steering angle! Why did you give them more caster and sacrifice steering angle? I’m sure there’s reasoning behind it.

The CVD's are AR60 size and the same as the original portal design. Which was done to keep the width in check while reducing scrub radius which is typically a huge problem with portal boxes. I also didn't want the chatter of a Universal at max steering being translated through the portal gears.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by Jim85IROC

If it was 7075, I'm sure they'd broadcast that far and wide.

Originally Posted by Brandon

The CVD's are AR60 size and the same as the original portal design. Which was done to keep the width in check while reducing scrub radius which is typically a huge problem with portal boxes. I also didn't want the chatter of a Universal at max steering being translated through the portal gears.

And then you increased the caster on the portal axles to help with steering?

[sherbs]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

Dammit! I don't think that was up last night when I was binge watching Harley and SBG until about 1:30 AM because I couldn't sleep. I'll definitely watch it tonight.

Oh and guess who pre-ordered a clear Ultra. I so wanted to go with black, but I just can't get over how bad it looks after scratches. If only Vanquish could come up with a proprietary, black aluminum alloy so the black anodize would scratch off to black aluminum underneath. That brings up a question, which aluminum alloy does Vanquish use for parts - 6061 or 7075?

I almost went for the Pro, but I chose the Ultra because it is most dissimilar to the Limited.

A company called Caswell makes a black touch up kit for Aluminum, really works well on Vanquish Housing's. They do mail order from their page.