RCCrawler Forums

crawlerswede · 08-09-2009, 10:43 AM

Witch are the weak points on the mrc ? and what parts need's aan upgrade ? I'm thinking of buying an mrc and i whant it to crawl more than wremching so i'm going to upgrade it :O)

fa1rch1ld · 08-09-2009, 10:54 AM

Lockers in the axles. Get the hot racing or similar ones because it replaces all the plastic parts. Than you can replace the plastic gears in the trany.

soundcolor · 08-09-2009, 12:41 PM

Short answer, that depends on just how hard, and how often you are going to run it. LOL, no seriously, I hope this helps

1st. The lockers are a seriously weak point. They give up and fail so fast its almost stupid. So plan on getting at least the front and rear lockers (thoght its wise to go ahead and get the center as well. since your doing it).
2nd. The servo. If you leave the stock servo saver in place, and dont add more than about 2oz of weight to the front wheels then it will get the job done for a while. However, it wont allow you to turn the wheels when in a bind, and on top of that, it just doesnt have the power to get the job done. So go ahead and plan on getting a full size metal geared servo. The Hitech 645 seems to be the gold standard.
3rd. The tires. The stock tires are bad... really bad. What on earth losi wasted its time and money devolping a tire this bad is beyond anyone. It is universally agreed that they are the worst tire for crawling ever made. So they are going to need to be replaced soon.

Items that will make your crawling life even better.
1st. 4 link kit. At the very least, do the rear. Its better if you can do both front and rear, but the MRC has alot of torque twist, and there really is nothing that can be done to stop it with the stock 3 link setup.
2nd. Chassis. Whether you go with a full kit, or just some TVP's, just about all of them are better than stock. The stock has alot of flex in it, and just doesnt allow for a proper setup.
3rd. Shocks. The stock MRC shocks aren't bad for what they are, but they do limit the amount of fine tuning options.
4th. Electronic Speed Controller. Most people (myself included) dont have problems out of the stock ESC. However it doesnt have a BEC, and its drag brake could be better. Once you start adding more powerfull servos and motors, it really takes a beating.
5th. Motor. The stocker has loads of torque, but very little wheelspeed. Since you could gain more wheelspeed with a gearing change, it doesnt seem to be that big of a deal, but it comes at the loss of torque. So, you really need a good motor.
6th. Wheels. The stock wheels really arent as bad as people say they are. The bottom line tho is that they are not true beadlocks. They can be converted, but you still end up with just those wheels. Its best to get a good set of true beadlock wheels, and convert your old set to use some diffrent tires.

Other than that (and yeah, it does seem like a lot) its pretty good. Yes, when you are done, (and depending on just how far you want to take it) you will be left with only a few pieces of the stock crawler and custom just about everything. But, heres the deal, the mrc is complete... down to the charger and some simple hand tools, and even with the time you'll spend upgrading parts, you will almost always be in a running state.

crawlerswede · 08-09-2009, 01:46 PM

"Soundcolor"

hm.. if what you are saying are true then the hole truck seems to be a weakpoint :-( Maby i could buy a nother truck then ? But i'd realy like to try a small crawler

soundcolor · 08-09-2009, 01:57 PM

The whole truck is not a weak point.
But then again maybe it is.
If you are going to buy a rig to go win a comp with, then the best bet is to buy the pieces of the MRC that you must have.
However, if you are not going all out, balls to the wall, then for the most part the rig is fine.

I was trying to describe more or less what you were going to need to get your rig to run with the best rigs out there.
If however you are like many of the other people on this board then you really dont need to do any of that second set.

Most never do. I have seen a few MRC's with mostly stock parts walk all over some seriously built machines. Mostly due to driver skill.

So, I guess what I was saying was, they are great, and other than say the locker, and maybe the servo, there really isnt anything thats gonna break on you or keep you from crawling.

Go ahead and take the plunge. You wont regret it.

soundcolor · 08-09-2009, 02:03 PM

Oh, one more thing.

On a whole, you can generally get the MRC to be one wicked little crawler for an extra 50 to 100 bucks. That, and a few hours.

rex cars · 08-09-2009, 04:42 PM

Don't shy away from the truck just yet. You don't need to change anything right away. I have heard a few 'just got it and it broke right away and i wasn't even doing anything with it' comments. Yeah right! You gotta pay to play. but seriously it is not a turd out of the box. Things are gonna brake eventually. Ever seen a formula offroad make it thru the season without any damage? Get it, you won't regret it.

Soundcolor gave a great description of both ends of the spectrum. Most of us here started out straight from the box, and have progressed to the other side

rotten · 08-09-2009, 05:06 PM

i got my mrc for 100$ and beat it hard the only upgrade i had to have was a servo and tires... it is my comp truck and im running stock everythng

other than tires servo and DNA SS

soundcolor · 08-09-2009, 06:06 PM

Ya know, now that I think about it, there are ways around breaking anything. It just requires alot of planning ahead with your driving style.
dont wont to break the lockers, loosed the slipper. Servo should last as long as you dont abuse it, Tires, well.... O.K. yeah...

gottorque · 08-09-2009, 10:40 PM

To me the mrc is like a taste of crawling in its stock form. I happend to be at the hobby shop to pick up another truck and it was between a slash and the mrc. The folks at the LHS told me how fun it is so i picked it up. Now two months later its just about fully decked out. The free mods were first on the list and they made a big difference crawling wise and thats what you shuld do before getting new tires wheels ect. When i had the stock tires on i could not break the lockers. So like soundcolor said its all based on your driving style that is the main factor of how long stock stuff lasts.

crawlerswede · 08-10-2009, 09:45 AM

i desided to order an mrc throu my work (a local rc-shop)

i got it for 350$ and that's cheap here in sweden :O) the costumer price is 418$

i could have ordered it from china or usa but with the shipping costs and costums and taxes and so on i don't think i would have saved mutch cash and i would have to wait for 1-2weeks to get it.

What do you gu's think about this setup for my mrc: spectrum dx3-r tx and micro rx,orion vortex (10kg of tourq and 0,09sec speed) it has the same lenth between the servomounts but it's about half as thick as a hs-645mg servo and it has mealgears, desirepower 850mah 2s lipo and cc-sidewinder micro esc ?

JeepinOR · 08-10-2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crawlerswede

What do you gu's think about this setup for my mrc: spectrum dx3-r tx and micro rx,orion vortex (10kg of tourq and 0,09sec speed) it has the same lenth between the servomounts but it's about half as thick as a hs-645mg servo and it has mealgears, desirepower 850mah 2s lipo and cc-sidewinder micro esc ?

In the U.S., one can get a Tekin FXR for a little more cash, which has some better ESC options; though the Castle will work fine. Most any ESC choices may need to be complemented by a BEC so your servo doesn't fry the ESC by drawing too much power. Castle makes a great BEC.

My quick thoughts: I'd recommend you put a bit of money into metal lockers and tires, first, then get the servo and BEC, then ESC and Lipo (if you're not going to add any accessory that needs a 3rd channel, you don't really "need" a different Tx/Rx). If I could stress anything, it would be "lockers and tires"...then, just drive it for a while.

Good luck. Have fun!

bigflex · 08-10-2009, 11:26 AM

just point at any part of it and that is a weak point.

These are a lot like tlt's. You have to upgrade almost everything to keep them form failing on you.
That being said I still love the little guys. First things first though. New lockers for the axles and the trans is the best place to start. That and put a 645MG up front.

After that I would look into new shocks. Unless you do what I did and get a DNA SSS chassis. You won't need the shock with it.

I would also look into getting a better motor and esc for it at some point as well. You can get by for a while by installing a Castle BEC in it though.

crawlerswede · 08-10-2009, 11:51 AM

why are the tekin fxr better than the cc-sidewinder micro ? i'll have to order the tekin esc from usa because nobody sells them here in sweden

Were cabn i buy some goodies fore my mrc ?
i think i'l fab a glasfiber chassie fore it my self and make a mountingplate and new upper links for a 4-link setup and relocate the lower to the center or at least to the inside of the vcp's. And for the rearaxel i'm going to make a rx/esc mount . on the fron i'l fab a battery plate.

I allready have the spectrum dx3-r and micro rx,lipo's ... the vortex servo is waaaaay better than the hitec hs-645mg ! it's very fast,small and stronger !

bigflex · 08-10-2009, 01:54 PM

If you can get Novak stuff in Sweden I would Highly suggest getting the Mongoose Brushless setup for your MRC.

I am not a fan of Novak normally but the mongoose setup is awesome and it only cost a little more as a combo than the FXR by itself.

crawlerswede · 08-10-2009, 02:11 PM

yes we sell novak's products at my work

but i don't need to buy a cheap setup

i have a good rc-budget

bigflex · 08-10-2009, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crawlerswede

yes we sell novak's products at my work

but i don't need to buy a cheap setup

i have a good rc-budget

The mongoose is a good setup. I don't recommend it because of cost. The savings is just a little bonus.

soundcolor · 08-10-2009, 03:17 PM

spending more money doesnt always guarantee you get the best equipment

samdog · 08-10-2009, 03:22 PM

my mrc is all stock drivetrain with alum BL mini black widow chassie hitec 645 cc bec and some wide hex from the slash, stock lockers are still holding up great i run comp at least twice a month since the start of the season and i thrash on her a good bit. So dont let anyone discourage you from getting one and as far as wheel speed just run a seven cell pack you will get some more

bquin · 08-10-2009, 09:18 PM

mongoose was definitely worth the money for me.....and has worked flawlessly for 3 or 4 months now. One thing though was that it totally wasted my aluminum lockers and I had to swap to losi steelies.....no more slop

08-09-2009, 10:43 AM	#1
crawlerswede Rock Stacker Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: sweden Posts: 71	weak points on the mrc ? Witch are the weak points on the mrc ? and what parts need's aan upgrade ? I'm thinking of buying an mrc and i whant it to crawl more than wremching so i'm going to upgrade it :O)

08-09-2009, 10:54 AM	#2
fa1rch1ld RCC Addict Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: California Posts: 1,494	Lockers in the axles. Get the hot racing or similar ones because it replaces all the plastic parts. Than you can replace the plastic gears in the trany.

08-09-2009, 12:41 PM	#3
soundcolor Rock Crawler Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cottontown Posts: 880	Short answer, that depends on just how hard, and how often you are going to run it. LOL, no seriously, I hope this helps 1st. The lockers are a seriously weak point. They give up and fail so fast its almost stupid. So plan on getting at least the front and rear lockers (thoght its wise to go ahead and get the center as well. since your doing it). 2nd. The servo. If you leave the stock servo saver in place, and dont add more than about 2oz of weight to the front wheels then it will get the job done for a while. However, it wont allow you to turn the wheels when in a bind, and on top of that, it just doesnt have the power to get the job done. So go ahead and plan on getting a full size metal geared servo. The Hitech 645 seems to be the gold standard. 3rd. The tires. The stock tires are bad... really bad. What on earth losi wasted its time and money devolping a tire this bad is beyond anyone. It is universally agreed that they are the worst tire for crawling ever made. So they are going to need to be replaced soon. Items that will make your crawling life even better. 1st. 4 link kit. At the very least, do the rear. Its better if you can do both front and rear, but the MRC has alot of torque twist, and there really is nothing that can be done to stop it with the stock 3 link setup. 2nd. Chassis. Whether you go with a full kit, or just some TVP's, just about all of them are better than stock. The stock has alot of flex in it, and just doesnt allow for a proper setup. 3rd. Shocks. The stock MRC shocks aren't bad for what they are, but they do limit the amount of fine tuning options. 4th. Electronic Speed Controller. Most people (myself included) dont have problems out of the stock ESC. However it doesnt have a BEC, and its drag brake could be better. Once you start adding more powerfull servos and motors, it really takes a beating. 5th. Motor. The stocker has loads of torque, but very little wheelspeed. Since you could gain more wheelspeed with a gearing change, it doesnt seem to be that big of a deal, but it comes at the loss of torque. So, you really need a good motor. 6th. Wheels. The stock wheels really arent as bad as people say they are. The bottom line tho is that they are not true beadlocks. They can be converted, but you still end up with just those wheels. Its best to get a good set of true beadlock wheels, and convert your old set to use some diffrent tires. Other than that (and yeah, it does seem like a lot) its pretty good. Yes, when you are done, (and depending on just how far you want to take it) you will be left with only a few pieces of the stock crawler and custom just about everything. But, heres the deal, the mrc is complete... down to the charger and some simple hand tools, and even with the time you'll spend upgrading parts, you will almost always be in a running state.

08-09-2009, 01:46 PM	#4
crawlerswede Rock Stacker Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: sweden Posts: 71	"Soundcolor" hm.. if what you are saying are true then the hole truck seems to be a weakpoint :-( Maby i could buy a nother truck then ? But i'd realy like to try a small crawler

08-09-2009, 01:57 PM	#5
soundcolor Rock Crawler Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cottontown Posts: 880	The whole truck is not a weak point. But then again maybe it is. If you are going to buy a rig to go win a comp with, then the best bet is to buy the pieces of the MRC that you must have. However, if you are not going all out, balls to the wall, then for the most part the rig is fine. I was trying to describe more or less what you were going to need to get your rig to run with the best rigs out there. If however you are like many of the other people on this board then you really dont need to do any of that second set. Most never do. I have seen a few MRC's with mostly stock parts walk all over some seriously built machines. Mostly due to driver skill. So, I guess what I was saying was, they are great, and other than say the locker, and maybe the servo, there really isnt anything thats gonna break on you or keep you from crawling. Go ahead and take the plunge. You wont regret it.

08-09-2009, 02:03 PM	#6
soundcolor Rock Crawler Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cottontown Posts: 880	Oh, one more thing. On a whole, you can generally get the MRC to be one wicked little crawler for an extra 50 to 100 bucks. That, and a few hours.

08-09-2009, 04:42 PM	#7
rex cars Pebble Pounder Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Tomball, Tx Posts: 168	Don't shy away from the truck just yet. You don't need to change anything right away. I have heard a few 'just got it and it broke right away and i wasn't even doing anything with it' comments. Yeah right! You gotta pay to play. but seriously it is not a turd out of the box. Things are gonna brake eventually. Ever seen a formula offroad make it thru the season without any damage? Get it, you won't regret it. Soundcolor gave a great description of both ends of the spectrum. Most of us here started out straight from the box, and have progressed to the other side

08-09-2009, 05:06 PM	#8
rotten Pebble Pounder Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 108	i got my mrc for 100$ and beat it hard the only upgrade i had to have was a servo and tires... it is my comp truck and im running stock everythng other than tires servo and DNA SS

08-09-2009, 06:06 PM	#9
soundcolor Rock Crawler Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cottontown Posts: 880	Ya know, now that I think about it, there are ways around breaking anything. It just requires alot of planning ahead with your driving style. dont wont to break the lockers, loosed the slipper. Servo should last as long as you dont abuse it, Tires, well.... O.K. yeah...

08-09-2009, 10:40 PM	#10
gottorque RCC Addict Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Ontherocks Posts: 1,980	To me the mrc is like a taste of crawling in its stock form. I happend to be at the hobby shop to pick up another truck and it was between a slash and the mrc. The folks at the LHS told me how fun it is so i picked it up. Now two months later its just about fully decked out. The free mods were first on the list and they made a big difference crawling wise and thats what you shuld do before getting new tires wheels ect. When i had the stock tires on i could not break the lockers. So like soundcolor said its all based on your driving style that is the main factor of how long stock stuff lasts.

08-10-2009, 09:45 AM	#11
crawlerswede Rock Stacker Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: sweden Posts: 71	i desided to order an mrc throu my work (a local rc-shop) i got it for 350$ and that's cheap here in sweden :O) the costumer price is 418$ i could have ordered it from china or usa but with the shipping costs and costums and taxes and so on i don't think i would have saved mutch cash and i would have to wait for 1-2weeks to get it. What do you gu's think about this setup for my mrc: spectrum dx3-r tx and micro rx,orion vortex (10kg of tourq and 0,09sec speed) it has the same lenth between the servomounts but it's about half as thick as a hs-645mg servo and it has mealgears, desirepower 850mah 2s lipo and cc-sidewinder micro esc ?

Sponsored Links

08-10-2009, 11:26 AM	#13
bigflex I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: drillin Holes for the man Posts: 2,736	just point at any part of it and that is a weak point. These are a lot like tlt's. You have to upgrade almost everything to keep them form failing on you. That being said I still love the little guys. First things first though. New lockers for the axles and the trans is the best place to start. That and put a 645MG up front. After that I would look into new shocks. Unless you do what I did and get a DNA SSS chassis. You won't need the shock with it. I would also look into getting a better motor and esc for it at some point as well. You can get by for a while by installing a Castle BEC in it though.

08-10-2009, 11:51 AM	#14
crawlerswede Rock Stacker Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: sweden Posts: 71	why are the tekin fxr better than the cc-sidewinder micro ? i'll have to order the tekin esc from usa because nobody sells them here in sweden Were cabn i buy some goodies fore my mrc ? i think i'l fab a glasfiber chassie fore it my self and make a mountingplate and new upper links for a 4-link setup and relocate the lower to the center or at least to the inside of the vcp's. And for the rearaxel i'm going to make a rx/esc mount . on the fron i'l fab a battery plate. I allready have the spectrum dx3-r and micro rx,lipo's ... the vortex servo is waaaaay better than the hitec hs-645mg ! it's very fast,small and stronger !

08-10-2009, 01:54 PM	#15
bigflex I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: drillin Holes for the man Posts: 2,736	If you can get Novak stuff in Sweden I would Highly suggest getting the Mongoose Brushless setup for your MRC. I am not a fan of Novak normally but the mongoose setup is awesome and it only cost a little more as a combo than the FXR by itself.

08-10-2009, 02:11 PM	#16
crawlerswede Rock Stacker Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: sweden Posts: 71	yes we sell novak's products at my work but i don't need to buy a cheap setup i have a good rc-budget

08-10-2009, 03:17 PM	#18
soundcolor Rock Crawler Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cottontown Posts: 880	spending more money doesnt always guarantee you get the best equipment

08-10-2009, 03:22 PM	#19
samdog Quarry Creeper Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Stink Grove Posts: 403	my mrc is all stock drivetrain with alum BL mini black widow chassie hitec 645 cc bec and some wide hex from the slash, stock lockers are still holding up great i run comp at least twice a month since the start of the season and i thrash on her a good bit. So dont let anyone discourage you from getting one and as far as wheel speed just run a seven cell pack you will get some more

08-10-2009, 09:18 PM	#20
bquin Quarry Creeper Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Glendale Az Posts: 384	mongoose was definitely worth the money for me.....and has worked flawlessly for 3 or 4 months now. One thing though was that it totally wasted my aluminum lockers and I had to swap to losi steelies.....no more slop

RCCrawler Forums

Thread: weak points on the mrc ?