Classic CK Issues, advice?

[HarrisinFord]

My $119 CK from Tower finally arrived the other day and I took it for the maiden voyage. I immediately had the notorious tranny clicking, even when accelerating from a stop. It displayed the high center of gravity and the classic suspension issues. I was disappointed even though I anticipated some of these issues.

But hey it is what it is and for the price what can I say? Above all I still see potential for my CK and enjoy upgrading and tinkering, thats the fun of the hobbie. That being said I'm in the process of installing the reduction gear box set (when I get a new pinion, had to drill the set screw out because it stripped during removal). Also have an axle servo mount on the way and planning on putting Tmaxx shocks etc.

Any advice on pinion size? Should I stick with stock or should I go with something that will give me a little more speed because of the additional gear reduction box? I've read that the gear reduction box is actually to slow causing the CK not to be able to accelerate out of an obstacle? Any advice other than scrapping the frame/tranny/shocks and building a hybrid using only the motor and axles?

[rottenbelly]

I would just get a better motor. I found the gear reduction box to be ridiculous. A good handwound motor around 35 turn will give you just as much torque and plenty of wheel speed. I was running a 12/ 96 ratio on mine with 3 cell lipo.

[crazyorigin]

If you run it w/ the stock shocks for a while, I recommend taping the spring cups to the shock w/ some electrical tape, they will fall right off. I lost 2 the first time I wheeled mine (also bent a link, fried the ESC and waterlogged the rx and servo haha, servo and rx dried out and work still tho). I also second the upgraded motor, I stepped up to a cheapp Novak 55 and it works a lot better than stock and isn't really too much power where I am woried about breakage.