New RS10XT Owner

[polbit]

Hi everyone,

I've been into robotics and RC helis for quite a while, but decided to get into RC crawlers as seems like a perfect combination of fun and safely introducing my 5 year old twins to the RC world.

So, after some research, I bought the RS10 XT. I have two initial questions while I'm starting to read everything there is to know about this crawler...:

1. I understand that the servos are the first thing that breaks. I have a bunch of Hitec 645MGs that are just sitting in a box, are these a direct replacement? Are they much better? Or should I be looking at something better, digital?

2. The stock tires seem to be pretty poor - what's the best, cost-effective upgrade for actual rock crawling?

Thanks!

[cabron]

such easy questions

any servo is better than the stock ones specially if they have metal gears.
I use the towerpro 946 12.5 kg servos at 9.00 each, your hightechs are more than good enough

tires same thing, almost anything is better but how much do you want to spend?
the rovers white dots are quite good tires and affordable. I like the sedonas and the panthers too
voodoos are out of my price range, the new rc4wd tires are a good alternative to the voodoos.
with the rovers I like to use the over size 2 stage memory foams.

I recommend getting some wheel wideners 1/2" will do well. the wheels/tires tend to rub on the
motor wires as well as the links and shocks.

lowering the cog cannot hurt. mounting the lower ends of the shocks onto the housing is another
mod I would recommend and with the wideners you would also have room to fab some brackets.

there are build threads to look at if you want to spend time scanning them
either way enjoy and feel free to ask questions and post pictures.

[jsowens]

I used a 645mg servo in my RS10 for the longest time until I came across a servo with higher torque. It worked fine and didn't give me any issues, but keep in mind with softer comp-style tires an underpowered servo will have a hard time turning them. Since you have some of them, that's what I would suggest using for the time being.

As for tires, I liked the rovers with a good foam set up. They worked incredibly well. Pretty much any aftermarket tire would be a massive improvement over the stock tires, IMO. Pick the one you like the look and price of and I'm sure you'll be happy.

[polbit]

Thanks guys, been reading a lot as well, I think for now I'll just wait for the servos to blow and will change them out with the 645s, and I'll order Rovers, they seem to be a popular tire choice. Also got a 5000mAh battery en route. Finally will need to pick up few bodies, I want to do scale with one of them, good way to get my kids involved early.

One thing I feels really cheap is the controller. I know most people say it's actually a decent one, but I've never used RC car controlers before, and I'm used to air radios. I have a Spectrum DX9, and it feels like night and day. Once I end up buying another car, I think it will be time to invest in long-term radio...

[cabron]

I use a dx7 myself. I had horizon hobby convert the throttle to center
and they did it for free.
the stock rs10 controller lets you switch between the steering modes and some guys
have hacked them to do other things. I like a stick radio, plenty of channels for the
4 wheel steering as well as two escs and if I want, I can add a wireless cam with
pan and tilt capabilities. plus the memory - I can do all my crawlers with the same radio
and the orange receivers are under 10.00 at hobbyking.

you got a spare air radio?