Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

I was going to revive one of the old threads already out there on this model, but they are all years old with basically no useful info.

I'm starting this thread to discuss the car, share mods, pics, post/answer questions about it, etc. I've had to figure things out for myself mostly, so maybe this can help other owners have a place to share ideas and upgrades they've done.

I have no idea how many people have these, but if the fact that Redcat is running out of their upgrade parts within about a week every time they are back in stock is any indication, there are at least a few.

Maybe it'll catch on, or maybe it'll just be where I post about my Camo. We'll see. Lol

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

To get things started, here's the start of my Camo. I have done a few more mods, but I'll get to those later..

https://i.imgur.com/5FkDury.jpg

First thing out of the box I painted the cage (hammered grey to match my Jeep), and made aluminum skins.
https://i.imgur.com/guVqfRn.jpg

Then I picked up a Tamiya Jeep yj body to fit on the front (again to match my yj). It took just a little trimming still needs paint.
https://i.imgur.com/RHEEvch.jpg

A few cuts later
https://i.imgur.com/R5dg2Rj.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/y1C1xMV.jpg

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

On to some performance updates. The car was fast out of the box. It was faster than I really expected for a $300 RTR, but I found the sensorless motor wasn't going to cut it for any slower rock runs I might encounter on wheeling trips.

I picked up a Hobbywing Quicrun bl120 esc and an old stock Novak 3900kv motor. Total cost was around $100.
https://i.imgur.com/regyvkT.jpg

This lead to the first problem. Once the sensored motor was installed I found the car ran backwards. This was when I discovered that from the factory, Redcat has the motor setup to run clockwise to move forward. Standard rotation for rc motors is counter-clockwise. My esc had no programming capability to reverse the rotation so I could either run sensorless (pointless), or order a new esc (expensive). I didn't like either option, but I ordered the cheapest sensored esc with reversing in the program (Hobbywing max 8 sct) and waited for the backorder to fill.

Thankfully, while I was waiting, I came across a video where a guy was reinstalling his front diff in the camo and mentioned putting it in backwards. I've never had a 4x4 rc where the diffs fit into the housing more than 1 way, but I checked and confirmed that both front and rear diffs in the camo could be flipped to the other side of the pinion. Doing this means I just reversed the rotation of the entire drive-line, and no longer needed to reverse my motor. I called Hobbywing and cancelled the esc order ($100 saved) and now have the sensored motor up and running.

Since that time I have also swapped to a different motor. I picked up a 3100kv HW 3650 motor. The 3900 was a little faster than I really wanted, and I was hoping for a bit more torque on the bottom end. That'll show up in pictures later.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Nice thread. I really like the Jeep nose on it.
I keep eyeing one of these, nice to see people hoping them up

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Thanks. Hopefully it'll gain some traction and others will add to it.

Next up from me is the battery. The stock mount location has the battery tray between the shocks in the rear. It's up pretty high, and all the way in the back. The stock tray also allows for mounting between the steering brace and spur cover. This moves it lower and forward, but I found it front heavy.

I made an aluminum brace to mount the battery tray about 2" back from the standard forward location. I feel it's a bit more balanced this way.

https://i.imgur.com/rB3RepN.jpg

I also found several instances where users had broken the front of the chassis on their Camo. No idea what they were doing when it broke, but I could see where the front of the chassis could be weak. I used the same material (2"wide 1/8" aluminum) to make a skid plate to better distribute any impacts to the front of the chassis.

https://i.imgur.com/2uXGpqb.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6yvMGEm.jpg

Still a few updates to catch up to current.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

The last post also shows the Traxxas gtr xxl blue springs I'm currently running in front. I'd like something stiffer, or a little longer but I haven't been able to find anything that fits the stock shocks yet.

I went ahead and picked up aluminum rear links from Redcat when I found them available just so I didn't have to worry about them. I'd at least recommend some uppers as they are pretty flimsy.

Next up i picked up some new wheels and tires. Chinese methods and axial treps.

https://i.imgur.com/jZg3BNb.jpg

This package was also to match up what I have on my Jeep. Note, I've swapped the Jeep hood off to paint it, but I might need to get another cage to run that. The car is tough to control and I don't really want to break the yj hood in a crash. Lol
https://i.imgur.com/c6EUf2s.jpg

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Next on deck is the rear sway bar. The stock bar is far too soft IMO. I bought a cheap bar from Amazon to try and of course it was crap. It fit fine but wasn't spring steel so if it actually twisted it just stayed there.

I wasn't finding dimensions for the yeti sway bar anywhere so I finally said screw it and ordered the axial bar set to try (AX31058 ).

I was pleased to find they are almost exactly the same dimensions. Also, the light yeti bar is significantly thicker than the stock camo bar. It took some minor fitting, but I was able to install the bar using the original arms and it made a big difference in the torque roll under acceleration. If I want more I can always swap to one of the stiffer bars.

Here's some comparison shots of the camo and the light yeti bar.

https://i.imgur.com/iGYz8dd.jpg

Camo
https://i.imgur.com/7p1V03f.jpg

Yeti light
https://i.imgur.com/rkdRt2a.jpg

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

the camo is a cool rig but its timing was alittle off it came out right as people were getting tired of the yeti and its week points the camo being a clone already had a strike against it
when it came out it was almost as much as a axial yeti that wasent selling vary well ether so thats 2 strikes
and the aftermarket never got on board so you have to modify axial parts to fit and cross your fingers that the parts work strike 3

if the price was closer to say the gen7 or gen8 price point they would have sold alot more in my opinion but with used yetis being so cheap now days it makes more sence seing as how aftermarket upgrades bolt on and you know there gona work there realy isent a reason to buy the camo

if i found one at a decent price used i might pick one up but tha5s a big IF

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Timing was the reason I did end up with it. At the time both the bomber and yeti were discontinued. I really wanted a bomber, but at $400+ brushed it was hard to stomach (still is, and I still really want one). I also was looking for used and everything I found in the couple weeks I shopped were either clapped out for basically retail price, or fully built for $700 and up. Of course in the couple months since I got the camo I've come across a few nice yeti's, and one bomber. My wife would not be happy if another one shows up at the house. Besides, I've had to drop a few bucks into the real Jeep (new seats) so I'm keeping my rc spending in check.

For the time being I'll keep messing with the camo and share info with others who have, or are thinking about getting one.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

So I think this post gets to the current state of my Camo.

I decided to build another skid plate with a few changes this time.

I was looking over the rig and realized the front "bumper" that bolts to the front of the chassis doesn't really do anything besides hold the hinge pins in place. Well that and give more leverage to break the front of the chassis as I've seen a few people post.

The plan was set. I removed the bumper. I swapped in some titanium hinge pins I had from an old slash that are a little longer. This let me run e clips on both ends so the bumper wasn't needed any more. Next, I trimmed ~1cm from the front of the chassis before starting the new skid.

I made this skid from the same material (1/8" aluminum). I extended it about an inch further down the chassis and tied into the steering bolts.

https://i.imgur.com/IdvOSTm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/p8IwPY9.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5uzM44x.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/32Ftg6n.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5uzM44x.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6bxt4uW.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/QCYfqM6.jpg

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

I have a camo x4, and rarely run it due to constantly losing driveshafts. The pinions just have a flat milled on them, and no through hole. The driveshafts also set the gear mesh on the ring and pinion. So as the drive shaft loosens up, the gears get sloppy. I've used lock tite, and it doesn't seem to make the difference. The next step, I'm going to try to drill the pinion.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

i wounder if there is anyway you could get a axial gear set in there

if not ive had good luck using red lock tight on the shaft aswell as the set screw i have one shaft on a redcat i did that to and now i cant get it off with out melting the transmission case they have been mated together so long now its time to replace bothe the shafts and the trans
drilling hardend steel isent alot of fun but i can be done with the right tools and alot of patience and some good cutting oil but even just making a divit it the flat will help alot and thats not that hard to do

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Try sticking a soldering iron on the set screw for a few seconds. Should be safe for the trans and melt the red.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

the entire shaft is soked in red lock tight a soldering iron dosent get hot enuff and the only time i take the shafts off is to replace the transmission it self at $12 for the complete set up it just makes sence to replace the entire unit when i do remove them i use a blow torch works great lol
point being the shaft wont come off on its own

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Can I play? �� First post, and my forum-fu may not be what it used to be, but I hope I’m not outta line posting up stuff in this thread.

I’ve go a Camo X4 that I picked up used for a screaming deal, and I really like it so far. The bumper was smoked when I got it, so I ordered up some T-Bone Racing stuff; the bumper, link skids and diff skid. I’ve had some of their stuff on other rigs, and love it. Modified the bumper to use the stock brace.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Next, I moved the battery tray, but thought the rear frame members were a bit too flexy, so I made some quick aluminum braces to stiffen it up. I’ll make some that fit into the pockets on the frame proper sometime; these just bolt into the existing battery tray mounts. The tires were also punched, so I picked up some Hyraxes.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Not at all. I made the thread to share info since I really didn't find much elsewhere when I started messing with my camo. Hopefully others will contribute as well.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Cool. I really dig the chassis / battery tray brace you made that relocates the battery. Mind if I steal that?

I was also wondering what you needed to do for fitment of the Yeti sway bar. I also would like something a bit stiffer.

I ordered up the Force RC Hammerjaw rear axles and spool I read about in another thread as a bit of an experiment. The axles are here, just waiting on the diff parts. I’ll be sure to post up the results here.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Use anything you like. Mine is a variation of a 3d printed tray I saw another guy make. I don't have a printer to make a custom tray so I made it the way I was able.

I'll get some pictures and post details on the sway bar soon, but it really just a matter of opening up the mount holes and arms enough to fit the thicker bar. I am going to try the medium bar so I'll get pics when I get into that.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Thanks.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Next hurdle is the outdrives. They wear out quickly from what I have and understand. I’m thinking about machining some press-fit sleeves to give a bit more beef, but I’m not sure if it’ll have the desired effect. If anyone has tips or tricks, I’m all ears.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

I haven't tried this to confirm, but i believe you could probably use axial yeti outdrives if you also swap in the diff gears (side gears at least).

AX30390 and AX30381

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

That would be cool.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

I finally found a spring option for the stock shocks.

Losb2963 is a pack of 8 (4 pairs). Losi ten scte rear tuning kit.

They are a good bit longer than the Traxxas gtr XXL springs i had initially tried for the front, but a lighter rate. Losi and Traxxas use different measurements for spring rates so i don't know the exact difference.

I initially only used the green springs in front, but last weekend I realized they are only slightly shorter than the rear springs, and stiffer as well. I swapped in the silver springs in the rear and it's much firmer. I'll try one of the other springs at some point.


2.7 rate Red springs
3.0 rate Orange springs
3.3 rate Silver springs
3.6 rate Green springs

Here's a comparison with the Traxxas XXL spring and the losi green.
https://i.imgur.com/60Y1rrW.jpg

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

There is a thread about outdrives for the Redcat Volcano outdrives here: https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/red...-upgrades.html

The differentials are the same as the X4, housing is slightly different but that doesn't matter. The only problem is the traxxas shafts don't work well in the X4 since the universal pivots don't line up with the steering hub pivots. I'm still searching for something that will fit the X4 stub axle, Axial WB8 shafts maybe?

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Nice find.

A guy on the camo fb group posted that hpi nitro rs4 diff cups fit in the camo diff and are harder than stock. I haven't had trouble with mine yet so I can't confirm.

Part number: Hpia558

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

I successfully installed Axial 13T/43T helical gears in my X4. It will require some shimming to get the mesh correct. This calms down the torque twist a little and gears the vehicle lower at the same time. Not many gearing options for the 0.6 Mod hardened steel pinions.



Anyway these pinion shafts have holes drilled in them so you can use the axial screw pins. I also used a TRX4 driveshaft (cheap and easy to find) for the intermediate shaft and replaced the crappy drive cups and dogbone setup.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

if you run the 38 / 13t gears set up front it helps keep the rig going in a straight line and makes the rig alot more controlable

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Spoiler: The Hammerjaw axle shafts are a different design and are not compatible with the X4. The center housing is the only thing they have in common. The HJ axle lockouts are shorter and the axle shafts are shorter too. The X4 has a wider axle and an extra bearing in the lockouts. Yeti rear axle would be the best upgrade / replacement.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

I've done the overdrive front on my crawlers, but never with a higher speed rig. Seems like this would cause a lot more binding in the drive train. What's your experience with this besides better control? I was thinking of trying a gyro / AVS setup.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

i havent noticed any downsides yet there might be some drag on pavement other than that i dont see any issues



it gives it a forward bias so it kinda feels like a front wheel drive

if you have open diff in the rear it will be hard to break the rear end loose

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Thanks for finding springs for the X4! I have been searching a while and couldn't find anything long enough. How much shorter are the Losi springs than the rear X4 springs?

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

I took a quick measurement.

Losi - 2.9"
Redcat rear - 3.25"

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Great thread and thank you. Ive got a Camo arriving tomorrow, and ive been thinking seriously about sending it right back and ordering a bomber. Change my mind? I really like the Camo. I know its not going to be perfect out of the box, but eventually i would like a good balance of speed and crawlability, strictly for fun. The main thing thats got me changing my mind is just the availability of parts. I have 2 local hobby shops and neither one carries anything by Redcat.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

I have ended up with both as I recently picked up a used bomber, so here are my thoughts.

First, the Bomber is awesome. I have a real rock crawler, and I'm an ultra 4 fan (Erik Miller and Miller Motorsports is my team) so having the rc based on a real ultra 4 buggy is great.

Second, I feel like my bomber has better handling, but its also not quite as fast as the camo so that plays a big part. Mine does have a sway bar, which I don't think are included stock, and it needs it when you add power. It absolutely crawls better than the camo. So much so that I'm thinking about adding a spool to the front of the camo to give it a little rock capability. Going to try some 200k diff oil first, once i can find it.

Next, I mentioned the camo being slightly faster. From what I've seen, the Bomber is slow out of the box My bomber came with several hundred dollars worth of upgrades. I'm not sure the seller knew all the details, and I haven't added it all up, but its a lot. All metal links, savox servo, castle mamba x. Those parts would nearly double the price of a new bomber. If you mostly want to crawl, it should do that well with no major changes.

The camo, while pretty quick in stock form, is also going to need some upgrades for reliability. Metal links are among the top items, as well as a skid plate to beef up the chassis. I haven't broken mine, but I've seen several guys with chassis failures, from minor to snapped in half. No idea what they did to break it but I suspect either big jumps, or immobile objects played a part. The down side is, no one makes a proper skid plate for the camo so you'll be on the hook to make that. So far only redcat makes links. I think losi rock rey links are close enough (within a few mm) that you could use them, but i haven't tried myself. There are also other hsp and redcat models that parts can cross between for things like diff housings.

If i had to pick one of the 2 that I have, I'd probably go with the Bomber and here's why. I mostly (~90%) run around my house and the camo is really too fast for the space I have. I can rip it full throttle for maybe 2 seconds before I'm back on the brakes to avoid the fence. When I take it to the local rc track (rarely) it's great and I can really open it up (adv camo) . If I take them to the offroad parks on my wheeling trips, I will have loads of rock trails to run the cars on (adv bomber). Side note, working on the camo is so much easier than working on the Bomber (adv camo). Ex. I programmed the esc in the Bomber this weekend (rock racer/rock crawler mode is awesome). I had to damn near disassemble the entire car to get the receiver out so I could connect the esc to the program card.

Hope this helps.

Thankfully I don't have to choose and I can continue running both.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Thank you Yeah! Yeah man that totally helps....me to want them both! Lol naw since the Camo will be here today and I've been waiting impatiently for what seems like a week im going to keep it and get a bomber or maybe a Capra kit down the road a little. Then I can do whatever I want pretty much want to it right?
Short back story I haven't touched anything RC related since junior high age when I had a Tamiya F150 kit of some kind that me and my dad built. Had a lot of fun with it but eventually broke and I didn't have the skills then to fix anything. Fast forward 30 something years and I don't know what possessed me to buy one of these cheap WLToys buggies you see all over the internet. Holy shit i couldn't believe how fun it was. I proceeded to strip the diffs out the 2nd day and thats when my exploration started. Im not waiting a month for anything so locked diffs it was. Hit a car tire and broke the front diff housing and rebuilt that with JB weld and its better than stock, same with the front knuckles. The pins that hold the dog bones into the front hub broke and i got super creative with that too. Lol it was like every time I drove it, I broke it and just fixed it, but it was pretty fun anyways and I learned alot. I believe I burnt out the motor yesterday great timing because the Camo should be here any moment. Ill keep working on the little buggy just to learn more about motors and all that electronic stuff and for now the Camo is going to be awesome. Hey wait, is that the mailma............

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

BTW I noticed when I sent the Wendigo back, the drive train screws were loose as was the servo horn and some other steering gizmo. Anything I should loktite before I even go out? I don't have any extra parts and would hate to have my first run cut short. Oh I have the 25k servo arriving today and some aluminum servo mounts next week. Good addition?

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Bomber, I keep wondering if I should have bought one of those instead.

I know what you mean about the X4 being too fast for driving in your own yard. I run mine on 2S with the 13/43 diff gearing and I still run out of room pretty quickly. I think most people are running theirs on 3S which makes it 30+mph and that's probably why they are having chassis failures. Just because the ESC can handle 3S doesn't mean the rest of the vehicle can. I ran mine twice on 3S and broke something each time...no more of that.

I'm currently looking for a way to change pinion and spur gearing to something more readily available. Exceed / HSP makes an 81T 48P spur #70533 but it has been out of stock for quite some time. I think it is what originally came with the Camo as well before they went to 0.6 mod steel gears. The plastic spur didn't hold up well with the rear locker, seems fine on open diffs though. If anyone out there has any ideas, please post up!

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Finally came up with a fairly simple 48 pitch gear conversion. I used Axial slipper part AX30411 and cut a 2mm slot in the "nose" for the cross pin then stacked a few shims between the E-clip and the spur adapter. Axial AX30665 80T spur gear and a 17t pinion. This increases the gear ratio but I have 13t/43t diff gears to help even it out. An 83/15 combo would keep it about the same with the stock diffs, but may require elongating the motor mount slot.

The X4 is much quieter now with the plastic spur and it seems to be holding up fine (open diffs with macks earplugs). If you go this route, an SCX10 83T is probably the largest that will fit and they can be found in steel. I prefer plastic spurs because they are quieter and offer a inexpensive point of failure.

Re: Redcat Camo X4 info, mods, tuning thread
 

Great Thread guy's any more update's on the x4 I also picked one up too.