K10 Wheelbase and axle weight - do's and don'ts

[cowboyona426]

Trying to take what started as a hijack of the WB info thread and starting a new thread to not completely derail the original discussion.


As I drive my Ascender more and learn it's capabilities and limitations I'm starting to realize that extending the wheelbase and adding some weight to the axles would both be smart moves. My original question was, who has stretched their wheelbase on the K10, and what are the pros and cons? Here's the relevant info from the other thread that needs to be brought over here:

Originally Posted by Browneye

You can add the WB4 spacer kit to the K10 and extend the rear out, puts it right about 11-7/8". Works well, just limits turning radius a bit, but helps with steep climbing.

Outboarding the shocks also greatly helps, as does some kind of weight on the front axle, be it hubs, knuckles, beeftubes, whatever.

Originally Posted by Natedog

My K10 is on WB3, like Chris said. Started as WB2, stretched rear links to WB4, thus resulting in WB3, but with center skid and frame rails in different location.

Originally Posted by M1tch

I make my own links up, and had my K10 at stock wheelbase, so extended it 6mm on the rear just to help a little with climbing. It definitely makes a difference, I just didn't want to go the whole 12mm.

Front and rear axle weights help as well by lowering the cg.

Originally Posted by Browneye

Yes, and yes.
My best Ascender comp-crawler is WB4. It doesn't have any trouble with tight-radius turning on a course, and with weighted axles and hubs it will side-hill with the best of them. Now if I could just drive it. LOL


My K10 is pretty heavily modified as well - all of the free mods, body is lowered, beeftubes, RULR's, hub weights, 45T motor, upgraded servo and esc, outboarded shocks, tucked bumper, but the basic chassis and drivetrain are stock. Extending the wheelbase cants the shocks forward a bit, but I find it unnoticeable in running the truck. This one drives like it's glued to the surface. And with the standard PB RB's - the 4.45" size ones. With CI foams traction is phenomenal.


I have also done a few of my buddy's rigs and they prefer the 12" wheelbase as well. If you have a full body you have to match the wheel wells of your shell - but with a truggy rear you have much more flexibility. Virtually all of our local competitive C2 comp crawlers are truggies.

I hope this isn't jacking the thread too bad.

Here's a K10 extended:





And my WB4 Ascender:




Here are all three wheelbases - WB4, WB2, and WB3. I don't have a WB1 - the only one I know of that is was the early Bronco.

Let's see if we can keep the discussion rolling!

[HumboldtEF]

Well the only thing I can think to add is that extending the wheelbase is good for better performance on steeper inclines where a shorter wheelbase may roll over backwards.
One drawback is the break over angle (clearance to the skid) is reduced some, nothing I'd really worry about but worth mentioning.

I've extended my K10 using I think the WB4 rear links, its also got beeftubes and SSD weights (its quite heavy) and Proline G8 TSL's along with a rear sway bar. This truck out of many is still one of my favorites, it hardy breaks a sweat when I run it and makes everything it does look so easy. I did have SSD's rear axle weights too for a while but took them off to get more of a front weight bias, also the truck was just getting too heavy and I felt they might be holding it back a bit.

Posing at PLBTF

[smog]

I have not extended the wheelbase on my Ascender Truggy per se, but I do have three Ascenders. The Truggy(k10) having the mid-range wheelbase. To my eye, the longer wheelbase definitely runs smoother over obstacles. Much like a 1:1 would. As already mentioned my LWB is much less prone to tipping over backwards or forwards on steep climbs. That said my SWB Bronco is no less fun for me, but definitely more challenging to make look ‘realistic’ and keep tires down. I am a guy who likes to really crawl slowly over obstacles in an attempt to try and capture a ‘realistic’ scale Crawling pace. It’s harder to do with a SWB rig from my experience.

[rkj__]

I’ve thought about lengthening my RTR K10 wheelbase, but in my local terrain, I find the break over angle to be more limiting than most other factors. I’m pretty happy with how steep I can climb without tipping backwards.




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[Yeti.stealth]

I stretched and lowered mine so I could compete with the local guys and attack the bonus gates in the comps. Wheelbase seems to win out on the extra steep bonus gates most of the time.

[soze]

*sigh* I need to tinker with my son's Ascender some more, and hopefully get around to building the kit one of these days.

[cowboyona426]

Originally Posted by rkj__

I’ve thought about lengthening my RTR K10 wheelbase, but in my local terrain, I find the break over angle to be more limiting than most other factors. I’m pretty happy with how steep I can climb without tipping backwards.

Have you added weight up front on yours?


Thanks all for the input so far, this newb appreciates the discussion and insight from those with experience.