GEN 8 purchased & testing

[X-Tal_87]

Hey guys made the JUMP! to Redcat Gen 8

I was heavy into Axial scx10 /Vaterra Ascender camp and first off Im no pro and still run NIMH packs for the weight Im a casual rc modder and am a full time 1:1 guy

So besides regretting selling my scx10 comp bronco that was a absolute blast to drive I purged all my crawlers except a little rat RGT Bronco thats endured everything,

ANYWAY I bought a black friday Gen 8 RTR 239$ usd good deal considering and it was blue, I really want a trx4 but I get bored easy and Besides that sunset body is to nice, I watched every video on the gen 8 after my order naturally it arrived last week and I went to work, I charged a pack swapped over terminals and went out for a yard cruise i have a bunch of rocks and logs and dirt so it was a good test,

Off the bat the TIRES!!! UGH like a rock in 32* NJ weather, So I ordered Foams still waiting DEC 9 I get them and along with some axial wildpeak 1.9s I've used them in the past and like them, I wanna try HYRAX out on nicer rims thou

I didn't like the speed of it way to fast on a 3000mah NiMH , great punch and power the speed is to much, I like to crawl at a walking pace 1/2 throttle and when I need the punch for Obstacles Ill have it, So I usually run 35t or 45t motors I only had a cheap rc4wd 45t slapped it in and stock 17t pinion its much slower but I need a little more nuts up top looking at a 21 or 23 pinion or a 35turn or stock motor with a lower pinion, we shall see

I moved the back axle links further back as someone else did to center the axle on the body, looks better and I gained a little wheelbase so that a plus,
and on the bandwagon I ditched the factory radio/receiver and stole a flysky fs-gt3b more for the control of the truck, it was a little jumpy

Other then cosmetic of clearing the windows and painting the top black, I did Grease the crap outta the portals and carriers with Nissan MolyKote/Lube

I just took it crawling this morning in 36* weather with the stock tires outta the box and it did a good job on nj woods terrain sandy dirt pebbles rocks roots and moss and a bunch of vertical climbs steep pitched , I also swamped the thing to the doors in a creek, I never do that to any crawlers but its waterproof it survived and It was kinda fun, Now
wanna build a creek beater

I wanna get tires or foams in the thing and report back, No negatives besides the Steering horn was loose when I first got it ,

P.S first 5 minutes I crawled right through a fresh pile of dog Sh!t that was a plus those tires gripped that!!!!

[mgputer]

Welcome to the Redcat family. There's not a lot of us but still a good bunch of guys.

I am on my 6th Redcat Gen8. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine.

Sent from my Vivo XI+ using Tapatalk

[ferp420]

take the foams out of the tires for running in the snow or sand or realy cold at least till you get your new foams

[AK KRAWLER]

Sounds like a real winner and I have caught the bug, again...

I create a spresdsheet with the Gen 8 and some upgrades I would want to do, as well as a comparison with the Gen8 Axe Edition.
Pretty sure I am going to wait for the Axe Edition. It has a bunch of the upgrades already done and seems to be a pretty good platform.
Only problem is... I am impatient. I could order the Gen8 that is available now, some of the upgrades and be the same money as the Axe Edition, minus the Brushless setup.

Choices, choices, choices...
The current $299 price point is pretty good, but if I saw it for $239, I probably would have scooped it up too. Sweet deal!

[mgputer]

Originally Posted by AK KRAWLER

Sounds like a real winner and I have caught the bug, again...

I create a spresdsheet with the Gen 8 and some upgrades I would want to do, as well as a comparison with the Gen8 Axe Edition.
Pretty sure I am going to wait for the Axe Edition. It has a bunch of the upgrades already done and seems to be a pretty good platform.
Only problem is... I am impatient. I could order the Gen8 that is available now, some of the upgrades and be the same money as the Axe Edition, minus the Brushless setup.

Choices, choices, choices...
The current $299 price point is pretty good, but if I saw it for $239, I probably would have scooped it up too. Sweet deal!

They are available now on eBay

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[AK KRAWLER]

Originally Posted by mgputer

They are available now on eBay

Sent from my Vivo XI+ using Tapatalk

That's exciting!!! I just checked and they want another $50 to ship it to me (even the free shipping one)... Gotta love living in AK

I generally buy off of Amazon with Prime and find free shipping, but that means I have to wait.

That extra $50 is real tempting, but hard to swallow an extra 10% right off the top.

[X-Tal_87]

I saw the axe to much for me, ive been pleased with it, my dad has a Everest 10 since he doesn't like scale looks, he has alot of luck in stock form actually only a motor replacement and 1 rim

I'm down to be the underdog, but there really isnt much to upgrade. Servo is kinda week,

[AK KRAWLER]

Originally Posted by X-Tal_87

I saw the axe to much for me, I've been pleased with it, my dad has a Everest 10 since he doesn't like scale looks, he has a lot of luck in stock form actually only a motor replacement and 1 rim

I'm down to be the underdog, but there really isn't much to upgrade. Servo is kinda week,

That's awesome. My son has an SCX10 Deadbolt. He's had it for about 5 years and hasn't really had many issues other than beating up the steering link ends because he's a kid.

Still on the fence for which one I'm going to get. Honestly, either would be suitable for how much it would get used. No comps, we just run around the yard and take them on camping trips.

Nothing wrong with being the underdog, it can actually make you be a better driver.

[X-Tal_87]

AK KRAWLER honestly thats how I am to, yard and trails and I go out to blow off some steam afterwork and when all the stuff around the house is up to par with the old lady, my 1:1 stuff always keeps me busy but I missed having a chance to go walk around the woods I wish my dog would stick with me in the woods she's to driven to let loose, My old boy actually would just lay down at a good spot if we paused for some crawiing

What are your thoughts about tires? If i don't like these with new foams I might just and spend some coin on hyrax and some nice aluminum bead locks I think this is my one and done truck but I am eyeing up a used Venture my buddy has, since i did sell my girls pink dingo

[AK KRAWLER]

Originally Posted by X-Tal_87

What are your thoughts about tires? If i don't like these with new foams I might just and spend some coin on hyrax and some nice aluminum bead locks

My son's Deadbolt is the only crawler I have used and it is still on it's stock tires, so no real experience here.

From reading on here, I would probably upgrade to one of the following, but not in any particular order.

Hyrax
Landmines
Something in the Pitbull line

[Jim85IROC]

Originally Posted by AK KRAWLER

My son's Deadbolt is the only crawler I have used and it is still on it's stock tires, so no real experience here.

From reading on here, I would probably upgrade to one of the following, but not in any particular order.

Hyrax
Landmines
Something in the Pitbull line

I would try new foams with the stock tires first, at least for the type of terrain that you were describing earlier in the thread.

It's been my experience that in dirt, on man-made wooden crawling fixtures and on abrasive rock (like I assume you have a lot of in AK), the stock Gen8 tires do a great job. The only place that I really see them struggle compared to other tires is on smooth rock like I have out here in New England.

The problem with the Gen8 tires is mainly in the foams. You need a foam that allows the tire to compress, which the stock foams obviously don't do. My Gen7 Sport has the standard squishy foams that the Sports came with, and I feel that those foams allow the tires to work really well. I replaced the Gen8 brick foams with Crawler Innovations 4.5" Lil' Novas and they fill the tire too much and don't allow it to compress. I'll be converting to 4.25" Lil Novas soon and once I do that I expect my Gen8 to crawl like my Gen7.

[Mudsplat79]

Foams were the first thing I chucked. Put some dual stage foams with some Hydrax tires and some bead lock wheels. Also I'd get a $23 25kg servo from Amazon which will make a HUGE difference in steering speed and power. Just doing that will make it very capable.

While you're add it throw a Hobbywing 1080 ESC and some metal tranny gears and you got a VERY solid rig.

[LincolnofDeath]

“first 5 minutes I crawled right through a fresh pile of dog Sh!t that was a plus those tires gripped that!!!!”

Awesome! I’ve got a big smile from your writing that part.

[AK KRAWLER]

Originally Posted by Jim85IROC

I I replaced the Gen8 brick foams with Crawler Innovations 4.5" Lil' Novas and they fill the tire too much and don't allow it to compress. I'll be converting to 4.25" Lil Novas soon and once I do that I expect my Gen8 to crawl like my Gen7.

I havent even ordered the truck yet, but already purchased a set of CI foams in 4.25". Sot for the front and medium for the rear

Originally Posted by Mudsplat79

Foams were the first thing I chucked. Put some dual stage foams with some Hydrax tires and some bead lock wheels. Also I'd get a $23 25kg servo from Amazon which will make a HUGE difference in steering speed and power. Just doing that will make it very capable.

While you're add it throw a Hobbywing 1080 ESC and some metal tranny gears and you got a VERY solid rig.

That servo and ESC are in my cart on Amazon. I will probably get them regardless if which rig I buy, only because they would be good for my sons Deadbolt as well.

All great suggestions fellas, thanks for all the great and positive feedback.

The OP is over in NJ, what would you more experienced crawlers suggest for the conditions and terrain he will encounter?

[Cr4wL_N_CL1mB]

I also bought mine over black Friday. So far, I've ordered a Holmes Hobby 27T trailmaster 550 motor, skid plate for the front, a scale V8 with cooling fans built in to go on top of the motor. I'm in the process of ordering a HW 1089 ESC but first I wanna see if the 27T motor helps with the start up crawls. Servo upgrade and LED lights are next. I'm thinking of taking the stock 17T can and putting it in my FEIYUE.

I do have a youtube channle, will post videos of it as I'm taking clips of the things I'm doing to it.

[coffeeaddict17]

If you remove the foams, soak them in water, wring them out and and let them dry, they loose their memory and no longer get hard when cold.

[djr01974]

Originally Posted by coffeeaddict17

If you remove the foams, soak them in water, wring them out and and let them dry, they loose their memory and no longer get hard when cold.

Does this really work? I’ve never heard of this before.

[Bob_in az]

Originally Posted by djr01974

Does this really work? I’ve never heard of this before.

It didn't work in my experience. They work well when they're damp, but when they dried out, they became hard again. They're currently sitting on a shelf in the cold shop, hard as rocks. Just replace them with CI or ProLine foams. The tires are pretty good with quality foams.

[Jim85IROC]

Originally Posted by Bob_in az

It didn't work in my experience. They work well when they're damp, but when they dried out, they became hard again. They're currently sitting on a shelf in the cold shop, hard as rocks. Just replace them with CI or ProLine foams. The tires are pretty good with quality foams.

They're pretty good with crap foams too. My Gen7 Sport still has the stock foams, which are similar to the stock Axial foams. The tires work well on that rig. Those foams might be too soft on a Gen8 though.

[X-Tal_87]

So guys little update, I bought ssd steel rims and the Amazon chyrax tires (they are good) I found my 45 t to slow even with a 21t pinion, so I have on order a 35t homles trailmaster, but in the mean time I'm runnning a ancient peak racing beware2 27 turn. Its an old roar motor and the stock 17t pinion, I like it alot this is on nimh also,

Ssd mounted on chyrax and I put on those mudflaps off eBay, thing is a blast I've wheeled about 10 packs thru all sorts. Of terrain and its good, I might switch to 30wt shock oil

Gen 8 is good no broken parts but I'm pretty easy when I'm out