Wheel Hex extenders

[xagoras]

I'm looking for some hex extenders that will fit the TRX-4. Preferably 25mm but 20mm will do if I can't find longer.


I've seen some options on Ebay, but people seem to sugest that they won't fit the TRX without drilling the hex.

[HumboldtEF]

Why do you need that much wider of a track width? I only ask because thats quite a bit wider which will increase the scrub radius which is not great. The farther the tire is from the (knuckles) pivot point the more the tire is actually getting dragged as you steer. Depending on the body you have this may (I mean very likely) also stuff the tires into the body at full lock in both directions.

The only widener I would recommend is the MIP 4mm offset kit which inlcudes a longer stub axle which allows the wheels to mount up just like stock https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/mip18260.htm

Most wheel wideners use a cheesy method of fastening and tend to unscrew themselves every 5 minutes or so. can not recommend.

[xagoras]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

Why do you need that much wider of a track width? I only ask because thats quite a bit wider which will increase the scrub radius which is not great. The farther the tire is from the (knuckles) pivot point the more the tire is actually getting dragged as you steer. Depending on the body you have this may (I mean very likely) also stuff the tires into the body at full lock in both directions.

The only widener I would recommend is the MIP 4mm offset kit which inlcudes a longer stub axle which allows the wheels to mount up just like stock https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/mip18260.htm

Most wheel wideners use a cheesy method of fastening and tend to unscrew themselves every 5 minutes or so. can not recommend.

My rig is mainly build for trail purposes and very speficic themed:





TRC D110 Defender hard body with 334mm wheelbase on the TRX-4. Never meant to fit that chassis, but made it happen. It's not really capable of any crawling because of the enormous weight, but that's OK, because that was not the purpose of that built.


However I was thinking of a way to actually be able to do some crawling with this chassis, without having to change the wheelbase everytime, so got myself this body:





Traxxas Ford F-150 Raptor, with the plastic goodies. 330mm wheelbase. The swap from one setup to the other only takes around 10 minutes. Front bumper, side steps, shocks and wheels.


Fits nice. Only issue is that the body is actually pretty wide and it looks funny looking at it from the front or back. So I was thinking to extend the track to bring the wheels exactly below the fenders.


What do you think?

[Phildirt]

From here it looks like the body is a little too long for that wheelbase but could just be the angle of the photo.

[xagoras]

Originally Posted by Phildirt

From here it looks like the body is a little too long for that wheelbase but could just be the angle of the photo.

Yes, probably the angle.







That's the reason, I'm looking for the extenders

[Benp]

I agree with Humboldt and that the MIP widening kit would be the best route to approach this.

For what you’re asking, this is above getting wider hexes.

Body looks nice! I think your rig will look really good once you get everything squared away.

[Phildirt]

Sorry I don’t think it is the angle. That wheelbase is about 1” or so too short for that body. On that side angle photo- set 2 extra tires about 1/2” further apart on each end and see how it looks, I’ll bet much better.

[high plains drifter]

100% agree with Phildirt as well as HumboldtEF. You can see that the wheelbase is too short at the rear as well as the front. Just one guy's opinion but that body is too long and too wide as well.

[xagoras]

I don't know why it looks like this in the photos. From up close it's where it should be. The body has 330mm wheelbase and the chassis is setup with 334mm wheelbase. I used Traxxas parts: 8057, 8149, 8150 to get from 312mm to 336mm and because it has the 90mm shocks, it pulls back a bit to around 332mm.

Anyway, the point is not the wheelbase but the track and how to extend it. This is an alternative body anyway, just for some light crawling. I just don't like how it looks from the front.

[Phildirt]

Look at the difference in space behind the front wheel to fender compared to in front of the front wheel to fender. It should be around the same. If you push the body back to make it the same I'll bet the front of the rear fender contacts the rear tire before you get it centered. That all means the body is too big.

I'm not trying to be hyper critical or anything but just saying if it was my decision (opinions abound here lol) I would find a smaller body. That one looks like it would be more at home on an E-Maxx or something.

I think you are going to have to run a way longer hex than will be practical to get the stance you need for that body. At a glance it looks like you need 40-ish mm. I have not been happy with my 15mm (per side) wider hexes because they come loose a lot (even with "casual wheeling").

[OnTheTrail]

The wheelbase may be fine as Xagoras is saying. Because the body width is so much wider than the width of the tires, a photo taken from the center of the truck may give the appearance of the too short wheelbase. It's the perspective coming into play and the fact that the fenders are closer to the camera then the actual tires. Imagine looking straight down through a clear body while you're visualizing the center of the camera lens and with straight lines from the lens to the rear of the front tire and then another line from the lens to the front of the rear tire.

If he were to shoot two separate photos of the front and then rear axle where the lens of the camera is exactly perpendicular to the axle, we may see what he means.

[HumboldtEF]

If it were me I'd look into wide tires and wheels with a larger offset as well as a wider wheel. this way you dont have to deal with the funky extended hexes.

Locked up RC makes some nice wheel wideners that work with their wheels https://www.lockeduprc.com/19-Wheel-...-B_p_1670.html

a higher offset can be acheived with the design of the wheel itself or the hubs it uses, you'll want one of the taller hex hubs: https://www.lockeduprc.com/SLW-Hex-H...Raw_p_555.html

[Phildirt]

Zoom perspective lol. Could be

[xagoras]

Originally Posted by OnTheTrail

The wheelbase may be fine as Xagoras is saying. Because the body width is so much wider than the width of the tires, a photo taken from the center of the truck may give the appearance of the too short wheelbase. It's the perspective coming into play and the fact that the fenders are closer to the camera then the actual tires. Imagine looking straight down through a clear body while you're visualizing the center of the camera lens and with straight lines from the lens to the rear of the front tire and then another line from the lens to the front of the rear tire.

If he were to shoot two separate photos of the front and then rear axle where the lens of the camera is exactly perpendicular to the axle, we may see what he means.

I did what you said, just to pinpoint the obvious to me.

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

If it were me I'd look into wide tires and wheels with a larger offset as well as a wider wheel. this way you dont have to deal with the funky extended hexes.

Locked up RC makes some nice wheel wideners that work with their wheels https://www.lockeduprc.com/19-Wheel-...-B_p_1670.html

a higher offset can be acheived with the design of the wheel itself or the hubs it uses, you'll want one of the taller hex hubs: https://www.lockeduprc.com/SLW-Hex-H...Raw_p_555.html

That looks interesting, but I'm not really willing to start spending on this side-project. Since this is going to be limited use setup, I'm trying to achieve whatever I can with minimum cost.

[OnTheTrail]

Originally Posted by xagoras

I did what you said, just to pinpoint the obvious to me.


.

Wheelbase looks fine to me. Still have a lot of challenges on your hands to make this work. Even if you can make it work, you'd most likely be putting some extra stresses on your drive train. If it were me, I'd just grin and bear it and buy a Lexan body specifically designed for your TRX4 wheelbase and width and a couple rattle cans of paint.

FWIW, I went through the same thing. Had a first Gen ECX Barrage (1/12th scale) and wanted first Gen Brono body so bad. Did the WB measurements and found a Proline Bronco with a matching wheelbase. Body was way to wide. Fortunately my local hobby shop was nice enough to take it back.

[xagoras]

The choise of this body, was basically out of need rather than choise. The chassis wheelbase is 334mm as it is setup, so I was looking for something to match that wheelbase. As much as I searched I wasn't able to find anything even close to that wheelbase. So ended up with 2 options that would fit and looked kinda of decent on a crawler.

This Ford Raptor from Traxxas and the Toyota Tundra TRD from Proline. The Toyota is actually narrower than the Ford, but came unpainted and would have to sort out the front bumper, so the Ford was a oneway option really.

I like it, but the fact that it was made for a totally different class of RC cars brings up these challenges.

The MIP Kit looks like a very good solution, but it will permanently alter the track of the wheels and that would not suit my Camel Trophy themed Defender. I need something to be able to change it within a couple of minutes.

[ScaleLifeNewbie]

https://www.amazon.com/ZYCST-Aluminu...211372&sr=8-25


All kinds on Amazon, but can't say I'd run them. It's like stacking up 10 3" spacers on a 1:1 truck, creates a weak point and not safe(although saftey isn't an issue this small) and as HumboldtEF said, scrub radius would be horrible I would imagine. They vary from all sizes though if you do go that route, I think I even seen one for 40mm on each side

[JCM5]

Here’s some, Integy is in US it say for most Traxxas 1/10
https://www.integy.com/st_prod.html?...=#.YBhmVS3gGf0

This one is for TRX-4 definitely the size you are looking for, they’re in Hong Kong takes a while to get to US unless you gather enough parts to worth $20 on shipping Fedex int priority which get to the US in few days
https://www.asiatees.com/display?Tra...d=162835&pid=1

[Phildirt]

Originally Posted by xagoras

I did what you said, just to pinpoint the obvious to me.

Now now no need to get all salty lol. Just trying to help you out buddy. If you have it centered up on both wheel wells I'd say it is good to go and that was just one heck of a distorted angle due to how wide it is. Carry on

[JonnyUK]

Regarding wheels centred in arches, looks spot on to me. Camera angles, wide angled lenses etc can do weird things to reality.

I reckon it'll look loads better once those wheels are pulled outwards some.