exceed rc maxstone 16 upgrades and tuning?

[darkwolf]

hi i have one of these two first time getting in to rc crawling i also messed upmy cs but it riped the c out of the axle lol fed getting the aluminum ones so far thats been the weak point for sure also intrested in a cvd since it was the dog bones poping out at full steer

[toyotatrucks83]

Alright guys. I'm being a total cheap ass because this maxstone cost $85. Therefore I don't want to buy anything expensive to fix it. I keep breaking c hubs and nitro rcx sells the aluminum ones for $35! Losi sells some of their aluminum c hub for $15. So here is what I'm getting at. Losi also sells 2 axle housings for $10. I'm almost thinking I'd rather spend more money and build a Losi cvd axle and adding aluminum c hubs rather than buy one upgrade part for the maxstone at $35.
Any thoughts?
I can see from some of jebsters expermenting that Losi parts dont swap easily. Does anyone know if the bearings, diff, knuckles from the maxstone would swap to a Losi axle housing?

[jebster]

Originally Posted by toyotatrucks83

Alright guys. I'm being a total cheap ass because this maxstone cost $85. Therefore I don't want to buy anything expensive to fix it. I keep breaking c hubs and nitro rcx sells the aluminum ones for $35! Losi sells some of their aluminum c hub for $15. So here is what I'm getting at. Losi also sells 2 axle housings for $10. I'm almost thinking I'd rather spend more money and build a Losi cvd axle and adding aluminum c hubs rather than buy one upgrade part for the maxstone at $35.
Any thoughts?
I can see from some of jebsters expermenting that Losi parts dont swap easily. Does anyone know if the bearings, diff, knuckles from the maxstone would swap to a Losi axle housing?

if you went this route i'm guessing you would end up putting together MRC axles to get the job done. i haven't priced up what a complete axle would cost. not that it is a bad idea, especially if it fixed the weak points with the front end (c-hubs, dogbones, turning radius). i'm not sure if the MRC and maxstone axles are geared the same so that could be an issue.

maybe looking through the for sale section might lead you to some cheap MRC axles.

[jebster]

by the way, i don't consider it being cheap when you are looking for the least costly solution to a problem. that being said i bought my venom creeper for $100 and after adding electronics, new chassis, tires, dig, remote diff lock, etc. i probably have $600 - $700 in it total (6x the kit cost). so, if i start with a $85 maxstone 16 and add an additional $100 - $150 (2x the original cost) to get it to a level i'm happy with i don't think that is too bad! this is not a cheap hobby!

keep us posted on whether you go through the mods or not.

[monkeyracer]

I have been looking at these for a while as an inexpensive option... But, went to a RC swap meet this last weekend and picked up a MRC roller for $65, that came with CVDs, aluminum lockouts, and a few other upgrades. No electronics though (which is fine, I would get some anyways if I had the maxstone) but, I got a great deal on it.

Parting together losi axles is more expensive than buying a whole brand new kit, the For Sale section often has great deals on the mrc axles, usually between 60 and 100 depending on upgrades, etc.

I think your idea of just getting the housings is actually a good one. The ring and pinion *should* fit, and the bearings, etc, all *should* fit. This way would probably be less expensive than the Exceed knuckles - btw, why are upgrades so expensive for this thing, exceed sells the truck for dirt cheap, why price the upgrades so high?


I might still get one of these to get my brother into the hobby, but get the Losi housings and aluminum knuckles/hubs. I'd be interested to know if this works or not.

[toyotatrucks83]

Where do I find these "MRC for sale"? I would love to score a rolling chassis for $65. Lucky! But seriously, is there a for sale spot on this forum?
I will be ordering the losi axle housings tonight. I will make sure to keep everyone posted on how that goes.

[monkeyracer]

Originally Posted by toyotatrucks83

Where do I find these "MRC for sale"? I would love to score a rolling chassis for $65. Lucky! But seriously, is there a for sale spot on this forum?
I will be ordering the losi axle housings tonight. I will make sure to keep everyone posted on how that goes.

The For Sale section is avialable to all Star Holding members, as well as non-star members after 30 posts or 30 days. You've been a member since october, so you should be able to see it by now.

Here's the link (or go to the main forum page, and scroll all the way down):

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/#classifieds

Don't forget to check out the FAQ and forum rules before posting anything.

I'll be honest, $65 for a roller is a great deal, and partly because it was a local sale. Shipping would add probably $10 to that, but this all depends on what someone is willing to sell their roller for.

Good luck!

[toyotatrucks83]

Just put in an order for some losi axle housings. Lets see what Maxstone16 parts fit.

[toyotatrucks83]

Originally Posted by monkeyracer

The For Sale section is avialable to all Star Holding members, as well as non-star members after 30 posts or 30 days. You've been a member since october, so you should be able to see it by now.

Under Classifieds I only have "Feedback" and a topic option.

[monkeyracer]

I'd try again now that you have over 30 posts and 30 days:

Originally Posted by RCC Forum Rules

Classifieds

• You cannot see the entire classifieds section until you meet these qualifications:
• Be a member of the site for at least 30 days.
  and
• Have a minimum of 30 posts.
  or
• Purchase a star to support the site. See below.
• If you try to get your 30 posts in one day with saying "cool truck" in 30 different threads we will notice it, delete your posts, and give you an infraction.
• Do not put for sale or want ads in your signature.
• Do not put for sale or want ads in the tech sections.
• There are stickies describing the rules of for sale and wanted posts, read them or your ad will be deleted.
• Chit chatting in the Feedback section will result in a permanent removal form the classifieds.

[toyotatrucks83]

Nope. I logged out and back in. Maybe it will take a day or 2 to kick in. I'll hang tight and see what happens. Seems there are many rules up on this forum. Hope I'm not breaking them by "chit chatting" in this area. I appreciate the help.

Back to Maxstone16 stuff. I actually bought 5 of these trucks. 3 were gift and the other 2 for my son and me. Out of all these trucks one seems ok. My ESC caught fire. My sons has a "built in" 50-25% power reduction in reverse. My brothers just stopped working, and my dad's was sent back January 4th for no forward function at all. Still haven't got my dads back yet. I'm thinking there is a quality problem. LOL. Has anyone else done ESC/motor upgrading on these? I did the same on Jebster has. It works great and was cheap. But it is fast.

[monkeyracer]

Originally Posted by toyotatrucks83

Nope. I logged out and back in. Maybe it will take a day or 2 to kick in. I'll hang tight and see what happens. Seems there are many rules up on this forum. Hope I'm not breaking them by "chit chatting" in this area. I appreciate the help.

Back to Maxstone16 stuff. I actually bought 5 of these trucks. 3 were gift and the other 2 for my son and me. Out of all these trucks one seems ok. My ESC caught fire. My sons has a "built in" 50-25% power reduction in reverse. My brothers just stopped working, and my dad's was sent back January 4th for no forward function at all. Still haven't got my dads back yet. I'm thinking there is a quality problem. LOL. Has anyone else done ESC/motor upgrading on these? I did the same on Jebster has. It works great and was cheap. But it is fast.

A lot of the MRC guys get Losi Slider motors, or Holmes Hobbies Torquemaster motors, a few use the Losi Frenzy 370 or the Venom Fireball 370 motor.

For my MRC, I plan on using the Titan 380 from the brushed mini revo, with a Castle Creations Sidewinder micro (Adjustable settings like drag brake, etc.) and the nice smooth low speed crawling torque that brushless motors just can't do. I would have done the same motor/esc combo if I got the MaxStone. I'd be worried about the internal gears though.

I still think for the price, these things are a great deal.

[jebster]

a couple things i've done to control the speed of the brushless system i dropped in:
- dropped down to an 11T pinion
- programmed the esc to the lowest punch setting
- i used an traxxas tq2.4 receiver i had in another rig so i could link it to that radio. this gave me throttle end point adjustments so i dialed down the max throttle quite a bit. i also used throttle expo to slow done the initial jump when my son pulls the trigger. he has to squeeze it all the way down to get top speed.

when i was using the stock radio i just dialed down the throttle expo almost all the way to bring the speed under control.

toyotatrucks83, sorry to hear about all the problems your pack of maxstones have had. it does sound like most are issues with the esc. i didn't run the stock esc very long at all so i can't assess the quality.

beyond the front c-hub issue i've had everything else (axles, driveshafts, transmission, shocks, etc) have been holding up to the abuse my son dishes out. i did realize last night i'm not going to push the steering angle as much as i had. after i upgrade the c-hubs i'm going to leave well enough alone. i have to remember i bought this to be an inexpensive starter for my son to see if he likes rc. he seems to be liking it so i want to save money to get him his next real rig!

[toyotatrucks83]

I totally agree that these trucks are a great deal still. I'm just looking at all the ESC problems I'm having and thinking that looks like the first upgrade I'm going to need to make. I should be getting my Losi axle housing soon too. So I can look to start fixing the c hub problem.

Thank you jebster for posting your tuning down of the brushless motor tips. I have done most of them. And I really like this motor/ESC. Hopefully it doesn't break the rest of the drivetrain. Lol.

Monkeyracer, thank you for the run down on some brushed options. I actually think I may run one of those and give the brushless to my son. He likes to go fast and I like to have control. How much is the Castle Creation ESC costing that you are talking about? And could I run that with my stock motor for a bit before I pick a more powerful motor to buy?

[monkeyracer]

The sidewinder micros go for about $60 new, and can work with brushed or brushless motors. Castle products are top notch, and I use the regular sidewinder in all my other vehicles. Strong drag brake, great tuning options, good power handling. You can run pretty much any 370/380 size motor and lower.

[toyotatrucks83]

Originally Posted by monkeyracer

The sidewinder micros go for about $60 new, and can work with brushed or brushless motors. Castle products are top notch, and I use the regular sidewinder in all my other vehicles. Strong drag brake, great tuning options, good power handling. You can run pretty much any 370/380 size motor and lower.

I just checked out this ESC. Looks to good to be true. But that maybe because I don't know what I'm looking at. Looks like the ESC is programmable. How do you program it if you don't buy the $25 Castle link USB programming kit. Looks like there is a way. Am I wrong?

[monkeyracer]

The castle link is by far a much better way to program it. You can program it using the transmitter, but it is somewhat difficult because you have to count led blinks.

What a lot of guys will do is find someone local that has a castle link or field programmer, and have them adjust settings for you.

[toyotatrucks83]

I agree that the castle link is the better way to program it. 2 problems. My wife is going to throw a fit about a $60 already. And I use macs not windows based pcs. The castle link wouldn't work anyways. I'm just starting out. So the best is not what I need. But I wanted to make sure I could program it a little with out the link. You say the transmitter. What is that? If I'm giving you a headache with my question just let me know. As long as I can program the ESC with only buying the ESC and there are directions in the box I'll be ok. I'm fine with blinking LEDS.

[monkeyracer]

The transmitter is the radio transmitter, with the throttle trigger and steering wheel. If you look at the user manual (Driver's ed guide at the bottom of the Castle product page) you can take a look at how you have to program it.

There is a portable field programmer for it as well, and some of the local guys near you might let you either borrow their castle link, or at least program it for you. Without the castle link though, you can't get full drag brake.

I have no problem programming yours if you pay shipping both ways (cheap with USPS) and let me know what your preferences are.

[toyotatrucks83]

Originally Posted by monkeyracer

The transmitter is the radio transmitter, with the throttle trigger and steering wheel. If you look at the user manual (Driver's ed guide at the bottom of the Castle product page) you can take a look at how you have to program it.

There is a portable field programmer for it as well, and some of the local guys near you might let you either borrow their castle link, or at least program it for you. Without the castle link though, you can't get full drag brake.

I have no problem programming yours if you pay shipping both ways (cheap with USPS) and let me know what your preferences are.

Thanks for that clarification on the "transmitter". I was just making sure you were talking about what I thought you were. Didn't know if the ESC came with some kind of card or something that was also called a transmitter. You never know when your a newbie.