got our MRC yesterday....I discovered 2 things....

[oldrichie]

...it's bloody addictive and my wife does not like 'rockerys' appearing in our garden without prior planning permission


My son (6) and I (43 going on 6) are new to RC and we like building kits etc together so next weekend we will start the following basic mods:

• Star cut the tyre foams
• add approx 35g of wight to the front wheels (using solder) and 15g to the rear
• reposition the battery to the steering servo
• limit the articulation with 10mm tubes on the suspension

Probably later on we will look at chassis kits etc.

A couple of questions though: to reposition the battery is it necessary to lengthen the wire? or should the ESC be moved so you don't have to (where to?)

Also - limiting the articulation - do you normally tweak that on front and rear?

Are there any other quick/cheap/free mods to limit torque twist?

Cheers,
Rich (and Dominic)

[neiloid1]

Hi Rich,

Good to see another UK 1.9 runner, good crawling near Leeds from what I remember. I want to get up there again soon to crawl.

Anyhow, Soundcolors' sticky gives great new user info -

Section 7
Suspension, links and shocks
__________________________________________________ ____________

Q. When I am driving around, or climbing up a rock, my MRC leans really had to the left side. What/Why is it doing this
A. You are experiencing Torque Twist. This is a common occurance in a shaft driven rock crawler (shaft driven meaning it has drive shafts going from the transmission to the axles). Torque Twist (TT from here on out) happens for alot of reasons, and there are lots of fixes, or helpers for it. You need to seriously consider doing one, or all of the following. Getting all of the weight you can as low as possible, using heavier shock oil, converting to a 4 link suspension, heavier springs.

Q. I hear that limiting your shocks is good, but I want lots of articulation, I think it looks cool... How, and wy should I limit it my shocks.
A. Yeah, it looks cool but its not very effective. To limit your shocks, you need to diss-assemble them, and slide a piece of nitro fuel tubing on the shock shaft inside the shock body The tubing needs to be betwee 1/4 inch and 3/8ths inch long. The reason for limiting your shocks is that while having tons of articulation looks cool, it actually hinders your ability to crawl. When you have as much articulation as the MRC has stock your suspension is actually losing control of the chassis, and allowing the weight in the chassi to push the suspension around. This causes huge problems in the vertical, sidehilling and descending departments of crawling.

Q. Why should I switch to a 4 link setup. Should I go 4 link in the front, rear or both.
A. A four link doesnt allow the axle to rotate freely. Instead it make the axle move in a very defined path. A four link will help fight TT because it no longer relies on the shocks and springs to do all of the work, rather it conrols the weight transfer of the chassis so that the weight is being forced to move directly forward or backwards instead of off to an angle (as the stock 3 link does). A rear 4 link will help alot with TT, and with climbing ablity, but a full front and rear 4 link setup will all but stop TT and really enhance the abiliies of your truck in every way.

Q. Can I make my own 4 link. What materials should I use.
A. Yes, you can make your own. Its not that complicated, however you should know this, you will be messing with suspension geometry and if you dont do it right, or the links are not the same length your axle will not work the way its supposed to, so if you are not comptent with a ruler and basic fabrication then just buy a kit. If you are going to DIY, then you can use 4-40 stainless steel allthread (with some alum, or brass sleeves to make it slide over the rocks better), You can use delrin, or anything else really that is strong and you can get some end links onto. You will need to come up with a way to mount your upper links to the axle. You can remove the stock rear servo plate and mount your links straight to the axle where the servo plate used to mount to, or you can drill a couple of holes in the rear servo plate and mount them there. You can also make your own rear plate if you want.

Hope this helps? The whole sticky is a great read.

Let us know how you get on and post pics.

[MRCCRAWLER1.9]

Originally Posted by oldrichie

A couple of questions though: to reposition the battery is it necessary to lengthen the wire? or should the ESC be moved so you don't have to (where to?)

Also - limiting the articulation - do you normally tweak that on front and rear?

Are there any other quick/cheap/free mods to limit torque twist?

Cheers,
Rich (and Dominic)

1. Normally you would move the esc, but if you have a good esc position, just solder on some new wires..

2. The articulation stock is crazy stupid!! Limit it by adding a 1/4inch long nitro fuel tubing inside the shock.

3. No mods to really help with torque twist.. But you can try stiffining out the rear left shock and also add heavier weight oil to reduce the amount of TT.. helped me alot when I had the stock chasis.

[neiloid1]

Rich.

4 link plate and bent delrin lowers along with a front link plate on there way to you
This should help a little.

Cheers, Neil

[MRCCRAWLER1.9]

Originally Posted by neiloid1

Rich.

4 link plate and bent delrin lowers along with a front link plate on there way to you
This should help a little.

Cheers, Neil

instead of doing that, just get a new chasis.. it costs alot, but well worth it in the long run.

also a better chasis= better crawler..

my stock MRC couldnt crawl this 1 section, but dropped in a GC-3 and it managed to crawl and stay with the 2.2's!

[Pete dorito]

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I am also looking to reduce torque twist and limit articulation.
My question- is there a 4 link 'kit' available?
I'm struggling to find much in the way of mrc hop up parts here in the UK. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[a2hill]

For a four link kit you can get the mrcpro servo mounts they have the places to bolt the links for. You would need to either make some links or find some similar in length. not sure the size so dont want to point you in the wrong direction.

You could stiffen the left rear shock to help with TT but, until you get 4Link you pretty much have to live with it.

[mhflies]

2 limit the travel...take apart the shoks and unscrew the joint from the piston...add more plastic o rings...hard to explain it...but basically it limits the traval and keeps the front end lower on uphills giving it a better cg

[hillbillyrc]

Originally Posted by Pete dorito

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I am also looking to reduce torque twist and limit articulation.
My question- is there a 4 link 'kit' available?
I'm struggling to find much in the way of mrc hop up parts here in the UK. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

pro plates front and rear, rtr rod end at axles need 4 and traxxas 1942 rod ends need 4 of the long one from the 1942 package and 4 rtr lower links.

this is how mine is done in the rear the front i couldn't use it as i have a different steering set up that wont work.

check out my build it might help
Hillbillyrc rockin' it old school

[Pete dorito]

Thanks for the advice.
I've bought some parts today, so I'll get on with modding my mrc as soon as the post arrives!

[RickM]

If you are a newb to the MRC and are pulling stuff apart I would highly suggest pulling the trigger on the metal lockers for the front center and rear. They will go soon with weight in the wheels.

[ryandeputy]

best free upgrade

check out my free mods! they work sooooo good it should be illegal. no need for aftermarket chassis.

[lowridinjuggalo]

Originally Posted by mhflies

2 limit the travel...take apart the shoks and unscrew the joint from the piston...add more plastic o rings...hard to explain it...but basically it limits the traval and keeps the front end lower on uphills giving it a better cg

If u r talking about putting orings inside the shock that will limit travel but it will also lower the ride high of the truck.

If u just want to limit the articulation just take the ball end off at the bottom of the shock and add some nitro fuel tubing or something similar when u compress the shock the tubing will hit the bottom of the shock body witch in hand will not let the shock shaft go any further up in to the shock body

[Pete dorito]

Originally Posted by RickM

If you are a newb to the MRC and are pulling stuff apart I would highly suggest pulling the trigger on the metal lockers for the front center and rear. They will go soon with weight in the wheels.

Already thought about it! Front and rear lockers are included in the parts I'm waiting on. Didn't get a centre metal locker for now, as from reading the forum, they seem less prone to failure. Time will tell if I made the right choice on that!

Thanks again for all the info,
I feel like I've well and truly hijacked this original thread now, so I'm going to start my own build/noob learnings thread to keep you updated on my progress.