rjackowens

So I recently bought a Traxxas Rustler XL 5 that has a brushless Novak Velociti 5.5t motor. I am running with a 5500 mAH Lip. I bought this car for offroad in the grass around my house, but for some reason this thing just won't go in grass. It won't even go in short grass! It just slips, the wheels are turning, but it stays on top of the grass and never even touches the ground.

What is the problem?

collector1231

My Feedback: (1)

RCs aren't made to go in grass, and if they do, it must be short, not long and lushous.

Eman77

I second that. Unfortunately, 1/10 RCs just don't have great ground clearance, and/or good grass tires. You could get some really deep lug treaded tires to improve grass grip, but they just sit too low and grass is a real burden on them - cause a LOT of drag, so lots of effort to get through.

Honestly, even my 1/8 scale which can get through it easier just isn't fun in grass. Dirt is where it's at with these things.

SyCo_VeNoM

you almost need 4wd for grass of any real height
run all my 4wd's in grass up to 1.5 inches fine after that and you start needing the 1/8th MT's or truggies which I find are fine up to around 3 inches depending on the tire you use.

my jammin truggiy with 1/8th scale MT tires throws grass rooster tails it rips it up so bad

rjackowens

Thanks guys! So really, I just need to run it on the dirt or road? Or will new tires make that much of a difference?

collector1231

My Feedback: (1)

New tires won't make too much of a difference. Yes, just run it on dirt or road. That is what the Rustler is for.

cumminspower5.9

My Feedback: (4)

If you run some Pro-Line Dirt Paws on the rear, you will be able to go right thru the grass. I had a Traxxas Bandit with dirt paws and it ripped thru the grass, even on a nimh. That is pretty much the only way to get thru the grass with the Rustler.

pritch

This is just a thought - are the tyres glued to the wheels properly?

But yeah, it's gotta be big for grass that isn't mown short.

rjackowens

Yes, they are. I guess I am going to have to either buy new tires or get a new RC. Thanks everyone for the help!

nitrosportsandrunner

biggest tires you can get for it....redcat earthquake 8e tires. 6'' tall tires with a 12mm hex.
NOTE: you will need metal CVD shafts to run these large tires. You will also want a smaller pinion gear.

rjackowens

I also just realized I have a strange gear setup. I am running 23/36. Would that make a difference?

nitrosportsandrunner

it wouldnt stop it from going threw grass. sounds like you have a 32 pitch spur gear instead of the stock pitch gear.
I plan on running a 32 pitch gear on mine, as my motor has a 5mm shaft and most pinion gears with that size bore are 32 pitch.

did you raise the ride hight as much as it will go? move the front and rear lower shock mounts in toward the chassis to raise the hight of it.

rjackowens

Yah, I raised both back and front as high as possible. I really think it's the tires now because it defnitely has the power (it flings gravel like crazy!), and now it is higher off the ground. It goes in the grass for about 3-4 feet and then gets stuck as the tires can't get any traction. What budget-friendly tires would you guys reccomend? (I am getting mixed opinions from people about how much new tires would help. I personally as a noob think it would make a huge difference)

nitrosportsandrunner

tires like the ones on mine (about the same size as traxxas Emaxx tires!) will clear much taller grass than any tire meant for a 1/10 model.
You can PM me for price on those.
But you will have to install metal CVD driveshafts, as the stock plastic shafts will not handle those larger tires. And you will want a smaller pinion gear as well to compensate for the extra diameter of the wheels.

Post a pic of the tires you have now. Its possible that other tires (even the same size) could have better treads that would grab even if doesnt have alot of contact on the ground.

A stock rustler vxl shouldnt have much issue with grass 1-2 inches tall. if you grass is 4-5 inches tall then only tires like mine will work. Even then, a stampede chassis or simillar high CG chassis will work much better than the rustler.