exceed rc maxstone 16 upgrades and tuning?

[jebster]

what did you use for you new transmission skid? looks like a plexiglass or lexan.

[Dizzle Chuucha]

Does the 4link get rid of the TT?

[toyotatrucks83]

The skid plate/motor mount is made from a 1/4" cutting board I bought at walmart for $3. I used a dremel to cut it out.

The 4 link helps a ton with the TT. From what I understand you will never get all the TT out of it because that is just part of having a shaft drivin truck. So I notice the TT when I am climbing something very steep and it has good traction. When I put in my really soft Losi Mini T springs it is a little noticeable on flat ground at full throttle. But those springs let it flex so nicely. Also there is a major side note here. I have not taken my shocks apart. I don't know what oil is in them or how much. I have not started on tuning yet. I'm not even happy with the placement of my upper shock mounts yet. As soon as I get the shocks where I want them I will start tuning them. I say this is a big side note because the Losi MRC is set up very similar to the maxstone16 and many guys are still running their 3 links on those trucks. This means there must be some tuning that can be done to help reduce the TT enough to make the 3 link very capiable.

[jebster]

i've been thinking about the TT too. when you look through the MRC thread many people still run 3 link but don't seem to mention TT. given how similar the maxstone is to the MRC i'm not sure why there is such a difference. normally TT is an issue of link geometry, not shock springs/oil. maybe the MRC stock shock oil/springs are so different from the maxstone that it magnifies the TT on the maxstone. once i get my new chassis and set up for a 4-link i'll have first hand experience on how much of a difference it makes.

[toyotatrucks83]

Jester, what chassis are you going to use? One of the. Guys I've been talking to is using the GC2 chassis on his MRC. He said itworks great. He even competes with that set up. Yet he says not all the TT is gone. He says it isn't even a issue anymore. As far as I can tell if you swap to a aftermarket chassis it will basically give you a comp ready Losi. It will just have "cheaper" drive train. And Losi MRC axle are the same as Losi.

My personal goal with this truck is to keep it as cheap as possible. So I'm piecing together cheap parts. And I'm getting pretty good results. If I like this size truck as much as I think I will I'll just go buy myself a MRC pro and start with that.

[creepr69]

i just started a new thread in general section everybody go post your pics.trying to flood the threads with exceed rc stuff to get our own exceedrc thread.thanks billy g.

[Dizzle Chuucha]

I think I am getting the same results with my set up. Still 3 link just put the hard springs on the back with a thin zip tie as a little spacer on the drivers side shock. I have limited the ride hight with a zip tie from the battery tray to the wish bone link. I only get a little TT when climbing but am still not liking the flex steering.

[jebster]

Originally Posted by toyotatrucks83

Jester, what chassis are you going to use? One of the. Guys I've been talking to is using the GC2 chassis on his MRC. He said itworks great. He even competes with that set up. Yet he says not all the TT is gone. He says it isn't even a issue anymore. As far as I can tell if you swap to a aftermarket chassis it will basically give you a comp ready Losi. It will just have "cheaper" drive train. And Losi MRC axle are the same as Losi.

My personal goal with this truck is to keep it as cheap as possible. So I'm piecing together cheap parts. And I'm getting pretty good results. If I like this size truck as much as I think I will I'll just go buy myself a MRC pro and start with that.

i'm going with the MVP from Adam at AB Designs (AB Design - "M"VP Chassis). i'm already using a 4VP chassis Adam made on my venom creeper and it is great and i expect a similar improvement on the maxstone. like you i'm trying to keep the overall cost down.

[jebster]

i've been trying to figure out how to set up a small course in the house for my son to use with the maxstone for the winter. i had a stack of short 4x4s laying around, leftovers from putting up a fence in the backyard. so, i decided to use them. i cut different lengths and glued and screwed them to 1x3 cross bars. it took only took about 3 hours to get everything together. i still need to join them all together but it works pretty well. with this setup i can change things up by changing order of the crossbars. i could lean it up against the wall to add some incline. here are some pics:

[toyotatrucks83]

Holy crap Jebster!!! Your indoor track is awesome!!! I have 2x4 laying around and I wanted to do something with them. I think you have got something good going. My wife is getting really made with me throwing down pillows and fire would everywhere. But I have to try out our new toys and new mods. Lol.

By any chance do you have any videos up of your Maxstone crawling?

I noticed I misspelled your name as jester. I'm really sorry about that. I was using my phone to make that post and it must have auto corrected you name to that and I didn't catch it.

[jebster]

Originally Posted by toyotatrucks83

Holy crap Jebster!!! Your indoor track is awesome!!! I have 2x4 laying around and I wanted to do something with them. I think you have got something good going. My wife is getting really made with me throwing down pillows and fire would everywhere. But I have to try out our new toys and new mods. Lol.

By any chance do you have any videos up of your Maxstone crawling?

I noticed I misspelled your name as jester. I'm really sorry about that. I was using my phone to make that post and it must have auto corrected you name to that and I didn't catch it.

first, no problem on the name. happens often.

i don't have any videos on my maxstone yet. i plan on doing it sometime but hasn't been a priority.

update: my new chassis should be getting shipped today. hopefully by next weekend my son and i will have had time to switch over. i'll get some pics and reviews once it is done. if you are curious about the chassis here is a thread of someone who tested it out on an MRC: MVP v2 build and test

for the price (i think he is asking $35) it seems like a pretty good deal.

[spokes2002]

First I have to apologize for just comming into this thread. Next i must apologize for being a newbie at RC crawling. I have been doing actual rock crawling with jeep i built up for years... so i understand the geometry of rock crawling... But that was getting too expensive so i decided to scale it down. i picked up a maxstone 16 and i love it. Here are some thoughts on mods i will be doing in the next couple weeks. I will supply pictures when finished.
First, i picked up another stock servo and servo components, and a servo Y splitter with reverser, and will be implamenting true 4 wheel steering.
I also picked up integy high clearance lower links for an MRC, will use those as lower links on my maxstone. I then plan on moving the stock lower links up to the stock 3 link mounts on the chassis and then to the stock shock mount on the axle to achieve a 4 link. I will take advantage of the new 4 link to adjust my pinion angle down, as i think the axles are pointed up too far. I picked up some shock mounts that will then clamp around my upper links.
I think this will solve steering problems and maybe some TT issues.
Any comments will be appreciated!

[jebster]

welcome. first off it looks like a the MRC parts are nearly identical to the maxstone 16 so using them should work fine. once you make your link mods try posting some pics so we can better visualize. one caution i have is on adjusting the pinion angle. the stock driveshafts can't handle much angle before the u-joints start binding. basically they want to be straight from the transmisison to the axle. i was trying to do the same thing but decided to keep the high pinion angle. if you have better luck let us know.

[toyotatrucks83]

Welcome spokes. I think we are all happy to see someone join in on the maxstone16 talk. It seems we all want to see what people can come up with for this little guy. The Losi MRC aftermarket is all we really have to go on. So all the custom stuff is awesome to see. Please post pictures as you go and let us know how certain mods work for you.

[Dizzle Chuucha]

Here's my beater. bead locks are off getting rusty treatment.
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...a/DSC01909.jpg
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...a/DSC01908.jpg
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...a/DSC01907.jpg

[BowWow]

Another total noob here, been lurking for a couple of weeks. Just got shipping info on my 16 - I head out Monday for a 20 in 8 out rotation. The truck gets here on Tuesday....

I ordered it with the extra servo linkages and servo mount to convert to 4 link. I noticed the trick in the MRC to MVP post that he'd mounted one upper link high and one low to help address tt, so I'll give that a try. I'm also very interested in going 4WS in the future.

I was wondering if going full droop with internal springs (using ball point pen springs) would help cure the torque twist?

Another question: How do you get dig on a shafty?

I can hardly wait to get home to my new toy! I'll have internet access while I'm gone (I'm doing safety for a new oil sands extraction plant construction project in northern Alberta), so I'll be watching rcc with great interest! thanks for posting and feeding the fever!

[run2jeepn]

Has anyone mounted up any MRC Upgrades like CVD's, Knuckles, C-Hubs and Rear LockOuts? Anyone switch out the Tranny Gears for Alumn ones? I've searched around and everyones says they look like they will switch, but no Pic's of anyone doing it...

[toyotatrucks83]

Originally Posted by BowWow

Another total noob here, been lurking for a couple of weeks. Just got shipping info on my 16 - I head out Monday for a 20 in 8 out rotation. The truck gets here on Tuesday....

I ordered it with the extra servo linkages and servo mount to convert to 4 link. I noticed the trick in the MRC to MVP post that he'd mounted one upper link high and one low to help address tt, so I'll give that a try. I'm also very interested in going 4WS in the future.

I was wondering if going full droop with internal springs (using ball point pen springs) would help cure the torque twist?

Another question: How do you get dig on a shafty?

I can hardly wait to get home to my new toy! I'll have internet access while I'm gone (I'm doing safety for a new oil sands extraction plant construction project in northern Alberta), so I'll be watching rcc with great interest! thanks for posting and feeding the fever!

I'm not sure what you mean by mounting one upper link high and one low. I'll wait till you do it and post some pictures.
To get DIG on a shafty you have to have a transmission that is specially designed for a DIG. It works a lot like a part time 4 wheel drive transfer case in a real truck. There are no DIG options for the maxstone or the losi MRC right now.

[jebster]

Originally Posted by run2jeepn

Has anyone mounted up any MRC Upgrades like CVD's, Knuckles, C-Hubs and Rear LockOuts? Anyone switch out the Tranny Gears for Alumn ones? I've searched around and everyones says they look like they will switch, but no Pic's of anyone doing it...

i haven't made any of those swaps yet but i plan to give them a try once the stock parts break. i'll be posting pics later of my upgrade to a MVP chassis that was made for the MRC. coming out great!

[toyotatrucks83]

Originally Posted by run2jeepn

Has anyone mounted up any MRC Upgrades like CVD's, Knuckles, C-Hubs and Rear LockOuts? Anyone switch out the Tranny Gears for Alumn ones? I've searched around and everyones says they look like they will switch, but no Pic's of anyone doing it...

I have ordered a set of the rear one piece hubs for my Maxstone. I will let you know if they fit. My ESC caught on fire Friday, so my truck is under construction while I wait for new parts to come in. I also think I'm going to build a narrowed chassis like the GC-3.
I'm in the same boat as you and would like to see pictures of someone who has swapped in the losi parts into the exceed axles. I'll slowly do it. But it a lot of money to throw at a guess. Hopefully guys who do the swap will post here.