Crawler Innovations Review- Yeti XL Raceline 3.8" Wheel & 3.8" R35 BFG Krawler Tire

[Nova's Ark]

I am notoriously critical of Axial for their line of ready to replace vehicles. However, they do design and make some great parts. And to be fair, when Axial does something right, they deserve their respect for it.

I bought these Axial Yeti XL wheels & tires on ebay and paid full price. I needed them for foam design purposes. I was totally surprised when I received them.


3.8" x 2.375"



2.9" x 7.25"






Comparison Photo; 3.8"; 2.2" & 1.9" Axial BFG Krawler Versions:

[Nova's Ark]

There are several reasons why I am excited about this new wheel & tire combo by Axial.

1. Compared to the MT wheels we narrowed down in the past, the raceline wheel is fairly light @ 3 ounces:


2. I think the 3.8" Raceline wheel is a viable option for entry level super class wheels. No one has addressed it and made an affordable semi narrow wheel. This wheel could be still narrowed by the end user if desired, but it will work as is.

3. Mega Truck build wheels

[Nova's Ark]

The 3.8" BFG Krawler Tire feels great in the R35 compound.

Weight:



1. This tire comes at a perfect time! Pro-Line had already discontinued the Moab XL, but the Trencher was also discontinued recently. You can buy them in a Traxxas bead style, but that will not work on Rock Crawlers. Cut N Shut'rs were SOL. No we have an even better replacement

Inside view:




Here is the tire mounted on a 1.5" Narrowed Tech 5 Wheel for an affordable super tire option:

[winnerone23]

Awesome write up!
I've spent some time, on and off over the last week an a half - 2 weeks, looking for the right tire to use sidewall's off of, for my next cut n shut tire.
Thanks for doing the homework for us!

[mjderstine]

questions for you sir,

when you narrow a wheel such as that one, do you take meat out of the middle of the wheel and glue the two beads back together. and if that is what you do, what are you methods for keeping them together. i have narrowed wheels in the past and they always came apart after gluing them together.

[ROWDY RACING]

I need something to put a set of these on.

[Nova's Ark]

Originally Posted by winnerone23

Awesome write up!
I've spent some time, on and off over the last week an a half - 2 weeks, looking for the right tire to use sidewall's off of, for my next cut n shut tire.
Thanks for doing the homework for us!

You are welcome and thank you. That is exactly why I posted the review.

Originally Posted by mjderstine

questions for you sir,

when you narrow a wheel such as that one, do you take meat out of the middle of the wheel and glue the two beads back together. and if that is what you do, what are you methods for keeping them together. i have narrowed wheels in the past and they always came apart after gluing them together.

Yes, remove the middle, glue the two halves back together. I also add a piece of plastic to over lap the joint and cover all of it in either fiber glass and resin or a plastic epoxy. If you do not strengthen the joint, the wheels will eventually fail every time has been my experience.

Originally Posted by ROWDY RACING

I need something to put a set of these on.

Twin Force Axles would be perfect for them

[67mustang]

Can you tell us what the overall width (#.##) of that tire is on that 1.5" tech5?

[twissted]

FEATURES
Trail/Comp sticky R35 compound
INCLUDES
Two 3.8" BF Goodrich T/A Tires with Black Foam Inserts
SPECIFICATIONS
Width: 2.9" (74mm)
Outer Diameter: 7.25" (184mm)

I'm using a rc4wd Dick Cepek Bead lock wheels to mount the BFG Krawler to
It isn't as narrow but what I need is the 1'' offset that they offer. My build is a 1/5 Losi DBXL cage and body that is wide and I need the width that they offer. Also the 22'' wheel base keeps it looking scale and that is the reason I'm a fan of theses tires They work for a lot of reasons for a lot of people. I just can't believe that it took this long to get a 3.8 scale tire thats worth looking at that also offers performance. rc4wd has The Cepek MTZ but it is costly and fairly new also. I like the Dia. of the krawlers more also.
Specifications:
Plastic Injection Molded
Scale Wheel Nut Cover with Dick Cepek Logo
Fits 17mm Hex (Revo / Summit)
Unmatched Detail
Wheel Size: 3.8in
OD: 3.66in / 93mm
Width: 2.93in / 74.5mm
Center Hole OD: 0.47in / 12mm
Negative Offset: 1.02in / 26mm
Each Weight: 9.67oz / 274g

[twissted]

The RC4WD Cepek Beadlocks are the so easy to narrow that it's just a matter of cutting and tapping holes for the screws to hold the ring back on. That's it!!! Nothing to glue untill you narrow the center ring that locks the bead so it doesn't really matter if it is welded back together all that strong. Plastic can be a bear some times but these look simple to do. But if you had a leath it would even be better because then you would just turn down the center ring.


The off set is going to be the problem unless you a have narrow axles.

[twissted]

also Loctite 0.85 fl. oz. Plastic Epoxy-1360788 at The Home Depot
PlasticWeld | Plastic Repair Epoxy Putty

[twissted]

3.8 BFG Krawler tires in action Video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Q_je4Ko3k

[Nova's Ark]

Here we go:







Size comparison:

[rockhugger]

C.I.

Do you have any videos of this tire and foam setup running? It would be nice to see the handling characteristics of this nice setup.

Thank you

[Nova's Ark]

Originally Posted by rockhugger

C.I.

Do you have any videos of this tire and foam setup running? It would be nice to see the handling characteristics of this nice setup.

Thank you

No. I do not own a Yeti XL, but here is a Traxxas E Revo on 6S Lipo, on the ICE, with a Castle Creations MMM & 2200KV. The principles and physics are the same in terms of vehicle weight and size.

C.I.'s Traxxas E-Revo test truck for Deuce's Wild Monster Truck Foams, ProLine Bad Lands MT Tires glued to Traxxas rims. The rear axle has a JB Welded / Locked hardened steel rear diff, runs on 6S Lipo (24Volts); Castle Creations ESC & Motor; RRP steel 65T spur gear; Hitec servo, no sway bars; RPM arms, and many other aluminum upgrades. The truck is work to drive with the locked rear axle and 6S and regularly breaks parts. The video was filmed on a rare snow day in East Texas on 3.3.2014. If 24 volts was ever going to explode a high rpm spinning tire, this would be it. Watch the tires and foams. Very little growth at full RPM free spinning on ice!

[Nova's Ark]

I had the opportunity to test this set up today in a 18 pound, 1:5 HPI Savage with The Crawler Store chassis kit.

Castle Mamba Monster ESC
Castle 2200KV motor
2x 3S Lipo = 24volts :-D
Holmes Hobbies Servo
Futaba TX & RX

Pics:










..Uploaded from the lab @ the C.I. Compound...

[Nova's Ark]

A short video via YouTube Capture; iPhone 4S; CI Compound; testing the Axial Yeti XL wheels, R35 3.8" Krawler TA tires; with Crawler Innovations Deuces Wild 3.8" XL tire foams. Test vehicle is a 1:5 HPI Savage with The Crawler Store 1:5 chassis kit. 24volts total, castle Monster Mamba and Castle 2200 KV motor, and it weighs 18 pounds RTR.

[Szczerba]

Wow, that is a massive rig. Looks like the wheels/tires and foams did good.

[ftj_85]

Hey i have to stock rtr bf goodrich krawler on yeti xl and even on 4s lipo they about slung off and wobbled crazy at higher speed, would the foams that are cwr-3009 meant for up to 7.50 tall tire cause it to handle better and alot less swelling? I could use gorilla tape but still yet mine are spongy. What you think? Im also changing diff fluid around to 200k front and 500k rear

[Nova's Ark]

Originally Posted by ftj_85

Hey i have to stock rtr bf goodrich krawler on yeti xl and even on 4s lipo they about slung off and wobbled crazy at higher speed, would the foams that are cwr-3009 meant for up to 7.50 tall tire cause it to handle better and alot less swelling? I could use gorilla tape but still yet mine are spongy. What you think? Im also changing diff fluid around to 200k front and 500k rear

Yes.
Deuce's Wild part# CWR-3009
You will notice a huge difference with the CI closed cell foam. I don't think you will need the duct tape or gorilla tape. CI does not use any tape inside of our tires. We also run the big rc's on 6S.