Losi Baja Rey 1/10th 4WD RTR desert truck

[CoolRunning]

Going on some of the recent VP 'issues' threads, I'd probably hold onto the stock stuff for the interim personally to see how it went...my totally stock RR drivetrain has thus far been solid so the VP gear would want to be bomb proof and have impeccable fit with zero monkeying around trying to get it operational (which seems to be contrary to many people's recent reports on VP housings).

[TheLetterJ]

Well that didn't last long! (2) 7.2ah packs later, I killed the rear gears. I haven't opened it up yet, but it let go instantaneously. It just locked up the rear wheels, made a bang, then freewheeled.

I sold my mini8 last night so I don't have to feel so bad about blowing money on toys. Since my front diff was already blown, this seems like a prime opportunity to stuff the RR gears in both my BR diffs. I know I'll need to do some clearancing inside the MC 3rd member, and I'll just go to a bigger pinion to compensate for the lower axle gearing.

[CoolRunning]

That is a bit scary and a bit Yeti like regarding the gears on the BR.

I have to say that after nearly 3 months my gears all looked in EC in the RR. Basically like I'd pulled them out of the packet they were that nice. Mine didn't even need shimming after all this time (no slop anywhere) and nothing was even gritty and needed replacing. Now I haven't run that much on 3S maybe 10-15 packs all up but it's had loads of 5000 2S packs through it. Sometimes 2 or 3 packs in a row and it might be at a BMX track doing jumps or racing up or down rocky hills etc at full clip racing a 3S Yeti. This is the sole reason I run 2S as otherwise it would blow the Yeti totally away; 2S for the RR is the exact same speed as 3S on a Yeti with the stock motors/gearing. I don't think 3S is needed for me personally as flat chat on 2S is plenty fast for rock racing and I'd be asking for some pretty terrible crashes with a 50% speed increase (the thing is usually pretty out of control at the top end of 2S speeds offroad anyway).

I wonder what is the major difference that is resulting is major angst for BR owners apart from the straight cut gears?

I personally felt the RR was in general a really beefy truck with heavy duty drive shafts and gears but I personally felt the centre gearbox housing and front gearbox housing were a bit flimsy myself. I was surprised that the front housing actually formed part of the hinge for the lower arms unlike the design of the Yeti which could put a lot of stress on the thin housing.

I know the 3800kv motor and higher toothed BR pinion is going to be spinning everything 30% faster than the RR and this possibly is causing the issues (though as the top speeds are similar, you may feel this would mostly be with bearings as whilst gear speeds are higher, loads would be ultimately similar enough). Though I do wonder in fact if the loading of the bigger RR tyres would be in fact worse than the smaller BR tyres and would actually put more stress on the driveline. Just wondering anyway.

Maybe the straight cut gears are all it comes down to as there must have been a reason HH/Losi went with them on the RR.

My RR has limited use on the road/asphalt and I also wonder if guys are running 3S hard on the roads and this is what is tearing things up.

I think you have to really let people know exactly what you are doing in regards to how brutal you are being with the truck (repeated BIG jumps, hardcore bashing and smashing across rocks and bad terrain without much mercy for the truck etc), how much sustained max speed 3S usage it's getting over what type of terrain and how long things are lasting...or not lasting as seems to be the case with some unfortunate owners.

I mean you may not be that hard on the truck and the helical gears are still failing.

I think it's worth other owners chiming in. It might be worth mentioning if you shimmed, how much slop developed how quick, packs used, driving style (easy, moderate, trying to kill the truck etc), environs they get run it etc.

Has any BR owner put in the RR straight cut gears?

If so, how'd they go?

Has any RR owner had the same problems?

I'm pretty sure I would personally buy a billet front bulkhead and centre gearbox as it wouldn't be that expensive and would ensure peace of mind. I currently have no issues with my rear diff so I'm not sure if I'll do much there. My truck just seems so tough compared to a Yeti.

[84yoda]

A good cheap option for rear is SSD 3rd member, any rear problems will be gone after that.

Im hoping to see an aluminum front (with bigger bearings) and center diff housing as well. After that, it will be damn near bulletproof.

[Arctic Cat ZRT]

My biggest worries are the differential housing myself as that seems to be a problem area, I'd like to see some billet housing myself. I will say for people that have repeated problems I'd say are abusing the trucks. Take a look at some Facebook videos and you'll see what I mean. I cringe when I see how some treat their equipment. I think people assume they can treat losi trucks the same as traxxas. Losi IMO is not a beginner truck and needs regular care. The only time I have ever broke items on my Losi or any RC vehicles is from abuse. But the fact they changed the mesh type may mean they realized the straight cut wasn't really appropriate. I haven't really beat on the truck yet so maybe I am too nice on my trucks. I haven't had any of the issues on my RR.

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[TheLetterJ]

I would absolutely not say that I beat on mine, aside from one jump session when the truck was brand new. Some here say that using 3s IS beating on it. Aside from the servo burning up, the only problems I have had, have been diff related. I've documented all of my setup and any breakages right here in this thread if anyone really wanted to dig for it. Also, not a beginner, and I'm (usually) pretty good about going over my cars pre/post run. My BR does see roughly equal run time on asphalt vs dirt. Much like my motorcycles, the higher performing ones require more maintenance and frequent race prep/ teardown type inspections. I thought someone else here said that they were working on it, but I never heard any updates...I'll be the guinea pig and give the RR gears a try.

[CoolRunning]

That's a bummer mate! I hope the RR gears fix it for you and any others having issues.

As far as I'm aware, helical gears are a touch stronger than straight cut spur style gears but...the big but for the BR...they produce much more axial loads.

So, with the thin diff cases, maybe this axial load increase over the straight cuts is enough to start deforming the case which quickly leads to mesh issues and chewed out gears even if they are HD.

I've run 3S at tracks and done extended whole 3S lipo max high RPM drag runs on grippy surfaces like hot grass etc and not even a screw has come loose. I am leaning towards thinking that it's not really the 3S usage or the strength of the gears or even the size of the bearings that is the problem and rather the axial loads are separating the case just enough to start the process of destruction.

Maybe HH/Losi produced the straight cut gears to sort out the design flaw in the thin front bulkhead and rear diff rather than redoing the housings as from memory it's much cheaper to CNC parts than it is to create moulds for plastic housings.

I think if someone (SSD, Metal Concepts etc) comes up with a front/centre billet housing to keep those HD hardened gears tracking true, the thing will be so tough. I'd still run the straight cuts as it's still very quiet compared to a Yeti or Bomber.

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

I would absolutely not say that I beat on mine, aside from one jump session when the truck was brand new. Some here say that using 3s IS beating on it. Aside from the servo burning up, the only problems I have had, have been diff related. I've documented all of my setup and any breakages right here in this thread if anyone really wanted to dig for it. Also, not a beginner, and I'm (usually) pretty good about going over my cars pre/post run. My BR does see roughly equal run time on asphalt vs dirt. Much like my motorcycles, the higher performing ones require more maintenance and frequent race prep/ teardown type inspections. I thought someone else here said that they were working on it, but I never heard any updates...I'll be the guinea pig and give the RR gears a try.

[84yoda]

The RR uses a different gear ratio too.

40/14t BR (2.85) vs 42/12t RR (3.5).

[CoolRunning]

Larger wheels, different motor pinion and diff gear ratios and motor kv. Quite a bit different all up but hopefully it shouldn't be impossible to get the BR geared right.

Originally Posted by 84yoda

The RR uses a different gear ratio too.

40/14t BR (2.85) vs 42/12t RR (3.5).

[tmart123]

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

Um... I decided to just make that grinding noise go away altogether by running another 7200mah of 3s through it. Pretty quiet now! Front shaft is still in place. The hard tires and 2wd definitely require some restraint from just hammering down through a turn, looked like Mariokart hitting a banana peel until I got the hang of it.

It's been my experience that if the gears are shot, the plastic housing probably needs to be replaced too. I really was surprised by how much longer the front end stayed together this time, the only difference being that i superglued the new housing together focused around the outer pinion bearing.

I'll eventually order up some parts to make it 4wd again, but like I said, I'll wait it out for now in hopes of someone coming out with a new housing. I had emailed Michael (?) at Metal Concepts about it a few months back, and he said he'd be looking into it after getting the a-arms finished up.

I've got 8 other cars (1 of which is still being built and eating up waaaay more than its fair share of my toy budget) and the BR is totally driveable 2wd, just doesn't hook up like an SCT that left the factory as a 2wd.

So I ended up pulling the front drive shaft and put it back together and now it will only go about 2mph! it winds up and seems like it is just slipping... I was wondering if the Rey comes stock with a rear locker? If it does, why would it not run like a 2wd?

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[Rjohn929]

Originally Posted by tmart123

So I ended up pulling the front drive shaft and put it back together and now it will only go about 2mph! it winds up and seems like it is just slipping... I was wondering if the Rey comes stock with a rear locker? If it does, why would it not run like a 2wd?

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Need a center locker.

[tmart123]

Originally Posted by Rjohn929

Need a center locker.

Sweet thanks

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[lonleycreeper]

I just ordered one of these from my lhs, can't wait to get it home

[TheLetterJ]

My Baja Rey is still my favorite rc I've ever had. Not the fastest I've had (but PLENTY fast), not the best handling (but handles pretty good/consistently), definitely not the most expensive, but it is the most FUN to drive, it puts a smile on my face everytime I run it, and it's reasonably durable. Congratulations on your purchase, I think you'll like it!

[TheLetterJ]

Time for a little update. I just started pulling the rear axle apart to verify my last breakage and had a bit of a surprise. The ring and pinion are still good and all the bearings spin freely (I'll be replacing them anyway) but the ring gear/carrier screws had all sheared! That would explain the pop that I heard. They're all broken at about the same length, so I don't think anything backed out first (could be wrong) though there is a new "machined" groove inside the 3rd member.

I don't really think this is an area that needs upgrading since my last 2 packs were run in 2wd, on asphalt, pretty much full throttle the whole time, and I wouldn't consider that to be "normal" circumstances. It probably just went from ridiculous wheelspin to full traction in an instant and something had to give. I'll probably still order up the RR gears, but I'll do a little more digging to see if there's room in the case to put a slightly larger/higher grade machine screw in there.

[Orange peel]

Are there any happy VP axle housing owners out there? Id like to hear from someone thats been running one. I just lost another inner pinion bearing yesterday and im done investing in 5x10 bearings. SSD third member definitely an option im looking at but I really like VP's bearing caps in their other housings and the almost no gear deflection that comes with aluminum housings. Id appreciate any feedback.

[greengoblin]

Originally Posted by Orange peel

Are there any happy VP axle housing owners out there? Id like to hear from someone thats been running one. I just lost another inner pinion bearing yesterday and im done investing in 5x10 bearings. SSD third member definitely an option im looking at but I really like VP's bearing caps in their other housings and the almost no gear deflection that comes with aluminum housings. Id appreciate any feedback.

Sorry i dont have the vp axle. However i'm running the ssd on mine and love it.

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[RenoC6z]

I put Rock Rey gears in my Baja Rey with the ssd center section and the front diff lasted for about 10 3s packs before failure for those wondering.

[CoolRunning]

So are you saying you put RR gears with an SSD third member in the rear and that is going ok but the front diff then destructed after 10 3S packs with BR helical gears or that you also put RR gears in the front and the front still tore itself up...but again the rear end is ok?

What were you running on?

Originally Posted by RenoC6z

I put Rock Rey gears in my Baja Rey with the ssd center section and the front diff lasted for about 10 3s packs before failure for those wondering.

[Haziza]

Are there any metal cages for the Baja Rey out there? I would love to get one!!


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