Noob rig. Need lots of advice.

[sim]

I just got my first crawler, an Axial ARTR.

I'll be throwing in what I already have: KO Propo 2174 servo, LRP Phaser Comp receiver, Moped Bravo (red), 40-turn homebrew motor, some 2S 2200 mah Lipo.

I have 3 questions:

Q1-
I'll be looking at getting another motor in case the one I wound turns sour. Should I go with a 45T or 55T? I can get Integy (the light blue lathe cans, Venom Fireball or Tekin (machine wound) and almost nothing else without paying a lot extra. I've no experience with crawling but for bashing and racing (i.e. dry applications), I did like the convenience of the newer style motors with the capasitors on a small chipboard so you never need to solder caps. I'm not looking to spend a lot for now.

Q2-
The springs that came on this thing are stiff! What springs and oil weights are a good starting point, if I'm not going to change the shocks? What shocks are popular replacements?

Q3-
I'll bash the Proline Hammers that came with the crawler but want a 2nd set of tires to play with. I've read lots of good things on here about the Panther Cougars and the Hotbodies Rover mediums (blue) so I want to choose between the two. Problem is I can't easily get my hands on alternative inserts. Are these tires okay with their own inserts or should I not bother with them if I can't find better inserts? About the only wheels I can get are Proline 8 shooters so will probably go with those. Do people still put ball bearings in their tires (like I read about 4 years ago on here)?

Thanks in advance.
Feeling a bit lost.

[JeremyH]

1) I'd stick with the 40T. Personally, I like the wheelspeed.
2) The new Axial aluminum shocks are nice. Losi Crawler shocks are also a good bet...sometimes they leak though.
3) Out of the two, the Cougar and F400 foam is the best "stock" tire and foam setup. I use stick on wheel weights in my tires (like those used to balance car tires).

[sim]

Wow. that was quick! Thanks!

In LiquidRC, where I was planning to buy, the Cougars were part number PAHT485SM and described as having memory foams.
http://www.liquidrc.com/index.php?ma...ducts_id=56444

I see on PantherTeam.com, you can select from a choice of no foam, memory foam, white foam and grey foam. Under the foams section, the F400 is described as white.

So I guess that solves it, I'll need to buy my cougars from another place.

[sim]

Oh ya, just to make sure... The F400 foams work without cutting, right?

[GTCharles]

Q1- I personally prefer the wheel speed I get with my 35 turn but a 40 or 45 is also a great choice

Q2- Your weight oil and spring set up all depends on the weight of your rig and your driving style. I personally use the Axial 72-103mm comp shocks Axial 72-103mm Aluminum Comp Shocks, they come with super soft springs so I run the super soft on all but the back left which I have a medium spring in. I have heavy tires so I run 60W oil in all of my shocks. The best thing to do is play around with springs and oil until you find the right set up for you.

Q3- I prefer the rovers but I run oversized 2 stage proline foams in them. So as far as running the foams that come with the tires I don't know which is best. I do know that the proline 8 shooters have a hard time keeping a bead. I found that the proline titus wheels don't have that problem and they already come vented and weighted. You can also get a tuner kit for the weight in them from proline off of there website.

[oldhippie]

I really think the rovers are the best tire out there right now. The panthers with stock foams are terrible sidehilling and they won't hold a bead with 8 shooters. A 45t motor is a great starting point. I'm not a fireball fan. Ya can start with some soft springs in the front and med ones in the rear with 80w in the drivers rear (maybe even keep a hard spring there) and 40w in the rest. Losi, traxxas big bore, hpi and the rtc shocks are all good ones.

[sim]

I did give the Titus wheels a hard look but a friend adviced against them because the weights weren't easily adjustable.

Would that be an issue? I know they come with 8 oz weights and you can also buy the 4 and 12 oz weights as tuning sets. Do people add their own weights to get the in between weights or is there no need?

Mostly, I was attracted by the price of the 8-shooters more than anything but now I'm thinking I'll stay away from them.

[JeremyH]

Originally Posted by sim

Oh ya, just to make sure... The F400 foams work without cutting, right?

Yeah, they will work. However, I like to cut a shallow channel down the middle of the front foams.

Originally Posted by oldhippie

The panthers with stock foams are terrible sidehilling...

We'll have to disagree on that one. Which "stock foams" were you using?

[70duncan]

Here is some good info to use .

Axial tips and tricks

Also, some people try to keep there rig light. So only use a few ounces in the front wheels to do this, While others like a heavy rig with several ounces in the front and a few in the rear.

[GTCharles]

Originally Posted by sim

I did give the Titus wheels a hard look but a friend adviced against them because the weights weren't easily adjustable.

Would that be an issue? I know they come with 8 oz weights and you can also buy the 4 and 12 oz weights as tuning sets. Do people add their own weights to get the in between weights or is there no need?

I personally use the 12 in the front and the 4 in the rear and like it. I've never tried adding more weight to the wheels. I think it would be easy to add stick on weights on top of the weights in it, but if you wanted less then the 4 oz weights it would probably be next to impossable to get the weight to stick in the almost V-shaped channel the weights sit in.

[sim]

I ordered the Titus beadlocks and will dig around ebay for some Panthers with F400. Will also get my hands on a 45T as a backup motor and try the shock oils and springs suggested.

Thanks heaps for all the help, guys.

[sim]

My self-wound 40T seems to really haul the crawler along, so much so that I had to dial out some top speed using the transmitter EPA, to allow my finger more movement when I need to go slow on the rocks.

So I guess my question is - what does everyone mean by 'wheel speed'? Because my crawler now has more speed than I need.

[GTCharles]

Originally Posted by sim

what does everyone mean by 'wheel speed'? Because my crawler now has more speed than I need.

The right amount of wheel speed depends on the drivers preferance. It's important to be able to crawl but sometimes a little speed can help you get up something steep, keep from rolling over when going down something steep or help push you over an obstacle.

[bigflex]

For springs I would run some softs up front a mediums out back. I would go with either panthers and F400's or blue rovers. The stock foams in the rovers work good, but I like the Proline 2 stage crawler foams a little better. As for the motor I would get either a 45t or a 35t for it. It just depends on what kind of wheel speed you want. If the 40t has enough speed then go with a 45t and step up a tooth or two on your pinion. If it doesn't have enough wheel speed for you then get a 35t. You can always drop a tooth or two if needed with the 35t. I would start with full weights up front and none out back and see how that does. If you find you need more weight then add some to the rear as needed and you can always do like was already said and put some stick on wheel weights on up front.

[sim]

Thanks for all the help, guys. I think I get the idea now. Will get some wear out of the hammers and 40T and try out the other tires and motors soon enough

[gmosher1]

As far as wheel speed goes, I use the rule of thumb that a fast pace walk at full throtle
about 5 mph