AnimalHippie's Trx-4 Adventure

[AnimalHippie]

Cut the small lugs out today on my lunch break. Only did the front 2 for now. It made them allot more grippy, but did soften them a little. With the stock foams I figured I needed to wait on the other 2.

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[Natedog]

Nice home course started, good to build with dirt and then add rocks, cheaper and easier that way. Nice tire cutting too!

[AnimalHippie]

Thanks Nate! I'm liking it so far. I still have more I'd like to do to it, but I kinda want to wait till I've added some weight & got the cog a little lower. I don't want to build it for my stock rig. Then upgrade my rig & it be an easy course. I like a challenge I like the way they look cut like that. Haven't gotten a chance to run them yet, but I'm sure they'll be better. I'll let you know. I'm not going to be buying tires any time soon. I would like to find some beadlocks & stiffer foams for it though. But once again gotta wait a bit. I'm seeing that this hobby is very easy to throw your wallet at LoL! Right now my wallet wouldn't even be a speed bump for my crawler Have a good night! Time for bed!

[CODYBOY]

Originally Posted by AnimalHippie

Thanks Nate! I'm liking it so far. I still have more I'd like to do to it, but I kinda want to wait till I've added some weight & got the cog a little lower. I don't want to build it for my stock rig. Then upgrade my rig & it be an easy course. I like a challenge I like the way they look cut like that. Haven't gotten a chance to run them yet, but I'm sure they'll be better. I'll let you know. I'm not going to be buying tires any time soon. I would like to find some beadlocks & stiffer foams for it though. But once again gotta wait a bit. I'm seeing that this hobby is very easy to throw your wallet at LoL! Right now my wallet wouldn't even be a speed bump for my crawler Have a good night! Time for bed!

I'll go through my parts bin for wheels, and see what I can find for you. Would be my treat!
Ernie

[AnimalHippie]

Originally Posted by CODYBOY

I'll go through my parts bin for wheels, and see what I can find for you. Would be my treat!
Ernie

Thank you Ernie, definitely wasn't expecting that. I would be more then happy to send you some $ for them. You have done so much already. It is greatly appreciated. Hope you have a great day! Thank you!

Justin

[AnimalHippie]

Was messing around a couple nights ago & made some corner guards for the back corners of my rig. They turned out pretty good I think. There's a few small changes I will make to them when I make permanent ones.

Also cheated a bit & put some weight in my front bumper last night. Might be a little too much, but I made sure I'd be able to remove it if needed. Man what a difference tho! That with the front tires being cut allowed me to take some different lines on my course. I'm beyond impressed with the Trx-4. How much weight would you say is too much in the bumper?

I think I will be doing the truck bed mod this weekend if I get the time to do it. Hope everyone has a great evening & thanks for checking out my build!

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[o0wiz0o]

Nice! Loose the spare wheel, bracket and all that. Really helps. Other than doing that, adding a RC4wd bumper (260 grams I think) and a LCG battery tray I have no other weight related mods and mine climbs very well. Suppose the alloys wheels add a little weight over stock though to. :-)

[high plains drifter]

I personally don't look to bumpers to increase my weight but rather to gain approach and departure benefit. Very happy with the minimalist design of my Hot Racing front and SSD rear as far as bumpers go.

For me it was a matter of removing the cargo rack & rear tire ( plus carrier and hardware), and adding steel 3pc bead-lock wheels, steel C-hubs, and steel portal covers. Add weight down low, towards the front, and at all four corners when possible.

[AnimalHippie]

I currently have 170 grams in my front bumper. I don't like adding weight on the shocks, but until I can afford the $120-$200 in brass parts it'll do. I like a minimal bumper for the best approach angle. Once I get some brass up front I'll be looking into a better bumper. I have a lower battery tray, but haven't installed it yet cause I think it might hit the rear upper links when flexed. I'm a flex freak. anything that might hinder my wheel travel is not an option in my mind. That being said.... What's the best way to go about getting more travel?

[o0wiz0o]

Flex is for show...really! You want enough to keep four tires on the ground most of the time. Too much flex and you have wheels dropping down holes and unbalancing the rig. Where as just right and the shock will extend but carry the wheel over. But then this depends on where you run. :-)

[CODYBOY]

Originally Posted by AnimalHippie

I currently have 170 grams in my front bumper. I don't like adding weight on the shocks, but until I can afford the $120-$200 in brass parts it'll do. I like a minimal bumper for the best approach angle. Once I get some brass up front I'll be looking into a better bumper. I have a lower battery tray, but haven't installed it yet cause I think it might hit the rear upper links when flexed. I'm a flex freak. anything that might hinder my wheel travel is not an option in my mind. That being said.... What's the best way to go about getting more travel?

Hey Justin, I agree with o0wiz0o on the flex. Having to much is way more detrimental than not having enough. But having said that, it is your truck and you need to run it the way you want. But it is kind of a trade off of looks over function.
Ernie

[AnimalHippie]

Thank you guys for your knowledge. Still brand new to this hobby. Didn't realize too much flex was a bad thing. In my 1:1 I was always looking for more flex due to not having enough, but with these trucks having allot out of the box there's no reason for more. I definitely understand where you're coming from. Thank you!

I have ran about 6 packs through my rig now & I think it's time for a wash & service. Going to go through the diffs, portals, shocks, etc in the next few nights. White lithium grease or regular grease for these parts? Starting to hear a little noise from some gears somewhere. It was completely silent other than then servo before. Also my rear shocks still have good return, but the fronts aren't wanting to return as well. You think this is due to the weight I added in the bumper? Everything I have seen says these shocks come stock with 30w oil in them. I've seen allot of people say you need to go with a thinner shock oil. What do you guys recommend as for oil? Going to go buy some shock oil today or tomorrow. I'm going to be doing the truck bed mod this weekend. Any recommendations before jumping into that project?

Thanks again for all your knowledge & help. You guys are great! Hope everyone has a great day!

[AnimalHippie]

Some sweet crawling out at the in-laws place! Will be shooting a video out there soon. Here's a pic. Was so much fun I forgot to take more pics. Lmao!

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[CODYBOY]

Originally Posted by AnimalHippie

Thank you guys for your knowledge. Still brand new to this hobby. Didn't realize too much flex was a bad thing. In my 1:1 I was always looking for more flex due to not having enough, but with these trucks having allot out of the box there's no reason for more. I definitely understand where you're coming from. Thank you!

I have ran about 6 packs through my rig now & I think it's time for a wash & service. Going to go through the diffs, portals, shocks, etc in the next few nights. White lithium grease or regular grease for these parts? Starting to hear a little noise from some gears somewhere. It was completely silent other than then servo before. Also my rear shocks still have good return, but the fronts aren't wanting to return as well. You think this is due to the weight I added in the bumper? Everything I have seen says these shocks come stock with 30w oil in them. I've seen allot of people say you need to go with a thinner shock oil. What do you guys recommend as for oil? Going to go buy some shock oil today or tomorrow. I'm going to be doing the truck bed mod this weekend. Any recommendations before jumping into that project?

Thanks again for all your knowledge & help. You guys are great! Hope everyone has a great day!

No problem, adding more flex is the first thing most new drivers want to do to their trucks! Shock oil, and shock rebound is a tuners preference thing. I would suggest getting 20w, 25w and 30w oils to start with. I think your truck probably has 30w straight from the factory. I think that your issue is more a droop issue than shock oil which can be adjusted with adjuster ring on your shocks. I run must all my crawlers with at least 50% droop, it gets the COG a little lower. Hope that helps answer your questions. This topic is one of those where if you ask ten different people what they think, your going to get ten different answers.
I see you got your tires and wheels this morning, we must have a direct line through the post office, because that was fast. I'll send you some info on what I sent you.
Ernie

These are the wheels, I pick these because of the clearance you have on the back side. My opinion SSD wheels are some of the best you can buy for the money. I added Vanquish hubs.
http://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/ssd00006.htm

These are the tires, 1.7 because they are about the same dia as the stock tire, and looking at your rocks these should work good for you. They have some of my home brew 2 stage foams in them.
http://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/rc4z-t0068.htm
Happy trailing!!!
Ernie

[AnimalHippie]

Originally Posted by CODYBOY

No problem, adding more flex is the first thing most new drivers want to do to their trucks! Shock oil, and shock rebound is a tuners preference thing. I would suggest getting 20w, 25w and 30w oils to start with. I think your truck probably has 30w straight from the factory. I think that your issue is more a droop issue than shock oil which can be adjusted with adjuster ring on your shocks. I run must all my crawlers with at least 50% droop, it gets the COG a little lower. Hope that helps answer your questions. This topic is one of those where if you ask ten different people what they think, your going to get ten different answers.
I see you got your tires and wheels this morning, we must have a direct line through the post office, because that was fast. I'll send you some info on what I sent you.
Ernie

I'll probably go pick some 20w up. just to change it & see the difference. I need to play around with the adjustments to get the most out of it. Just been running it & having fun.

They're at the house, but I won't see them till after 5 today. I can't wait I'm stoked! Yea that was lightning fast. Quicker then the priority mail you sent last time. 3 days Oregon to Florida not to shabby lol.

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[o0wiz0o]

If you intend to tweak, test and fine tune make sure you have a test bed. Something to run on the same over and over to check for progress. Some use planks and check the degrees climbed etc but you may just want to mark a really challenging route on your rock course and test that line for improvement.

I always try a tough line at least twice to make sure it was not sheer luck. Haha.

[AnimalHippie]

When I got home today there was a box from my good friend Ernie. Thank you so very much brotha! You're the greatest! my daughter's defender BPRO next to my TRX-4

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[AnimalHippie]

Originally Posted by o0wiz0o

If you intend to tweak, test and fine tune make sure you have a test bed. Something to run on the same over and over to check for progress. Some use planks and check the degrees climbed etc but you may just want to mark a really challenging route on your rock course and test that line for improvement.

I always try a tough line at least twice to make sure it was not sheer luck. Haha.

I have a few lines on my home course that I will use, a articulation ramp & a vertical climb that I'll use for testing.

Now time for a break down, clean & regrease

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[CODYBOY]

Originally Posted by o0wiz0o

If you intend to tweak, test and fine tune make sure you have a test bed. Something to run on the same over and over to check for progress. Some use planks and check the degrees climbed etc but you may just want to mark a really challenging route on your rock course and test that line for improvement.

I always try a tough line at least twice to make sure it was not sheer luck. Haha.

You mean maybe a crawling board with some obstacle like this.
It has small simulated rock on one side and flat on the other. The whole board has 3 coats of rubber spray bed liner. It should be fun to test tires and set-up.





Tires and wheels look good on your truck! Can you feel a difference in how it climbs?

Ernie

[AnimalHippie]

That board is cool. I need to make something like that. Definitely a difference! Those Ernie foams are the way to go! I love the wheels & tires they look great! Not sure about the irok yet seems like it might be a little more slick on the rocks, but I did only run for 10 mins. I'll be doing test runs on both tires with video in the future. Thank you so much! Have a good night