WISH1965

Me and my son have a couple (will add two more real soon) of Traxxas E-Maxx Brushless #3908 trucks and we are looking for inquires regarding what parts/manufacturers we should purchase that will help with making our trucks bullet proof. Little background first; We have the Castle Link cable and have detuned the initial punch/torque of the vehicle by 30% and also use only 2S Lipo's to also help minimize the torque/punch, and have a new style Robinson Racing slipper clutch, all of this has helped minimize the breaking of the driveline parts but it still occurs. We often break the outer Traxxas steel CVD driveshafts, the center Traxxas steel driveshafts, even the Integy center driveshafts are prone to breaking, also the rear differentials tend to get wobbly and then break etc.

I am looking for recommendations on what are good center and outer driveshafts, and what can we do to the differentials to make them bullet proof? Before I get two more trucks I want to get two trucks bullet proofed first, then I will know what to buy and what not to buy. Currently I spend extra $$ to supposedly get good products so it doesn't break, yet the aftermarket Traxxas driveline products and Integy are not holding up to the abuse either??

Also what can I do to keep the tires from shredding as well, I have drilled 1/8 inch holes in the treads on opposite ends and that didn't work. Do I need larger holes or more than two holes?

Need help, I love the hobby, but getting tired of spending lots of extra $$ on aftermarket parts yet the aftermarket parts do not hold up either or is there other good aftermarket parts company's that can help me get these trucks bullet proof. Tired of fixing, we want to bash!!!!

RichardD64

Doubt I can help much. I keep mine at low speeds,under 30mph. I prefer crawling thru mud. I haven't broken any suspension or steering parts since upgrading to RPM parts. I am thinking of getting a lipo batt and seeing what happens.
the only problem I have is with the rear suspension squatting when accelerating. I have the aluminium big bore shocks with white progressive springs and preload shims. But it still squats. Thinking of getting threaded body shocks with blue springs and 70weight shock oil.

TheComputerGeek

Just go a little easier on the throttle. I honestly think that Traxxas just slapped in the upgraded motor then sold the truck. If you stripped the gears in the rear diffs like me, then you might try upgrading the bulkheads to aluminum. Here are the links.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXKVH1&P=SM

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXKVH1&P=SMhttp://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXKVH3&P=SM

Saw this site and thought you might be interested.

http://www.unlimitedengineering.com/SM7.5Diff.shtml

collector1231

My Feedback: (1)

Shim your diffs! Saves you so much hassle and parts.

supamegamanxt

Upgrade shock towers to RPM (rear at least) I broke 2 in two weeks with the stock shock towers. I did jumps 6-8' off the ground. Also go with some better shocks (I have traxxas big bore shocks) and stiffer springs (I have some 12 stiffness I believe that I got off ebay, I have 4 stock progressive and 4 super stiff) with a heavier weight oil (i'm currently at 70w). I'm also running 4S Lipos. Don't make holes in your tires, that increases shredding. Maybe you can make sure that you have a nice glued bead all around.

Maj_Overdrive

My Feedback: (11)

Tire shredding: I'm going to assume this happens while doing donuts and the inside tire looked like a pizza cutter? Not doing donuts to that extreme is the obvious answer to not shredding tires. The other is to tape the inside of the tires with strapping tape or gorilla tape. You only tape the tread portion to prevent the tires from ballooning and looking like pizza cutters.

Axles: I've never broken Traxxas CVD's but I only had one set for a somewhat limited time. MIP makes the strongest CVD's I know of.

Differentials: Traxxas gave the brushless editions of the Emaxx and Erevo the strongest versions of their diffs. To make them stronger shim them properly as Collector1231 said. To do this get rid of the Teflon shims and use steel shims of the same size instead. If I remember correctly the size you want is 8x6x.2mm or whatever thickness you can get. The Teflon ones are too thick to adjust the mesh in the increments needed and also crush or wear down ruining the mesh. You'll have to assemble the diff in the outer case, install the center shaft (or drive cup) onto the pinion and the axle cvd cups. Hold the Axle cvd cups to prevent them from spinning and turn the pinion back and forth while pulling it out slightly. You want as little play as possible here and you pull out on the pinion since the shims set pinion depth. Next allow the diff to spin, checking for binding and also checking for play around the entire ring gear. Once you're satisfied with the mesh see if you can push the pinion in and out at all. If you can push it in, remove the shaft or cup from the pinion and add shims behind it to prevent the pinion from moving in and out. Add just enough shims to prevent this movement and not add unnecessary drag or pressure to the bearings. If done right your Traxxas diffs are now as strong as they can be. The only way to make them any stronger is by using aluminum outer diff cases. The stock plastic diff cases can flex under power messing up the mesh between the pinion and ring gear.

The strongest diffs for the Emaxx aren't made by Traxxas though. Many have put 1/8 scale buggy diffs in their Emaxx because they are stronger and there are basically three ways of doing it.
1. FLM Hybrid bulkheads which are made of aluminum and also have the outer diff housing built into them. They are available to fit stock diffs and just about any 1/8 diff including the Castor racing ones FLM includes as an option. FLM also has all the drive cups that you would need to mate with whatever axles, CVD's or center axles that you want to use. I built an. Emaxx with these bulkheads and Ofna Hyper 8 diffs and was very pleased. The one issue I had was the drive cups fitting the Traxxas center shafts. The slot in the 1/8 drive cup for the dog bone was larger than the dog bone on the Traxxas center shafts resulting in play between the two. This play quickly caused the drive cup to wear where the Traxxas dog bone contacted it. So not only was the drive cup wearing, the play introduces shock to the drivetrain, the very thing that kills drivetrain parts and what we try to eliminate by shimming the diffs.

2. Unlimited Engineering (UE) has aluminum outer diff cases that replace the stock cases and fit 1/8 diffs. These can be pricey but the Ofna Spider diffs they come with are very strong and since it's only the outer diff case you can use whatever bulkheads you like including the stock plastic ones. Last time I checked UE still sold these new but if they stopped finding used UE stuff gets expensive really fast.

3. Losi LST diffs and outer cases. The LST outer case is similar in size to the Emaxx. The key differences are at the pinion and at the sides where the case mates with the bulkhead. The LST case is larger in diameter around the pinion so the Emaxx diff collar needs to have the hole in it enlarged. The LST diff case is narrower on the sides so collars need to be made so it mates with the bulkheads properly. These are simple to make out of some PVC tubing. If interested in this swap just google "Emaxx LST diff" for threads with pictures on the subject.

Finally. How yo apply the throttle can have a huge impact on the driveline's durability. Mashing the throttle all the time shocks the drivetrain more. Try to "roll" on the throttle more and avoid things like standing backflips. I've trained my throttle finger to make initial application of the throttle a little slower, but still moving to full throttle very quickly after that. That slower initial application of power takes up the slack in the drivetrain at a lower power level shocking the drivetrain less, but still wheelying, breaking the tires loose or whatever. I had a Erevo (same drivetrain as Emaxx) with plastic shafts, bigger Castel 1520 motor on 6s with stock untouched diffs that lasted forever. I beat on it constantly, with more power than others had and parts lasted way longer just because of how I applied the throttle.

Maj_Overdrive

My Feedback: (11)

My previous post details bulletproof in the drivetrain of your Emaxx. This post is about the rest of the truck. What you deem necessary will depend a lot on how and where you drive your truck. But after owning about a dozen Maxx trucks these are the areas I believe need to be beefed up.

Bulkheads are always first on the list. They don't break that easily when the truck is stock, but adding RPM arms seemed to break them easier. Plus since there's so many screws to remove when replacing them it's not something you want to do very often. Great Assembly (GA) makes the best ones, they're solid without any pockets or anything machined in them so they will never bend in a bad impact. I've bent the Traxxas bulks up front where they are milled out to save weight. Avoid bulks that aren't solid. FLM bulks, including the Hybrid bulks are very strong as well. The Integy Super Duty bulks are solid without any pockets and would be the only ones from Integy that I would buy.

RPM arms are a must have. The stockers break, RPM flexes and absorbs impact unlike aluminum arms which will transfer the impact to the bulkheads. Avoid aluminum arms unless you're going with ones from Unlimited Engineering

Some will say next on the list should be shock towers or skid plates. But if you have aluminum bulks and rpm arms you need to replace the hinge pins. The best hinge pins are actually made from ejector pins. I do not have the website for them handy but google Tmaxx ejector pins and you'll find them. Stock pins bend, so do Lunsford titanium and once they bend they are not fun to get out of aluminum bulks. Don't want to cut your own hinge pins from ejector pins? FLM makes the next best ones.

Next for for me is skid plates. The stock ones break at the front leaving your bulkheads to smash into stuff. The best skids are the titanium ones from the now out of business Hardcore Racing. They don't bend like aluminum and always bounce back to their shape after an impact. They're ridiculously expensive on eBay though. GA also made their own titanium skids, not sure if they're still available. From what I hear FLM makes the best aluminum skids. The RPM skid plates are also very strong and add some protection to your truck. I never saw much point to them unless you were using the stock plastic skids though.

Shock towers are next. I put them lower since I usually land pretty good, plus I've only broken one during a normal landing. RPM shock towers only have a single shock mounting point which is why I always went with aluminum. GPM makes a nice tower that's similar to the New Era ones I like using.

Last is the chassis itself. If you're breaking the chassis the only real choice is FLM. They have 2 choices, one with stock center of gravity and then one with a lower center of gravity. If you don't mind used or the prices look for a Gorillamaxx chassis.

As far as brands for aluminum parts in general, Integy kinda sucks. The aluminum is on the soft side and not the 6061T6 they claim. Hot Racing belongs right with them. Don't get me wrong some of their stuff will serve you without issue (Integy super duty bulks and outer diff cases are good), but in general this is the way it is. If you're looking at used or stuff on eBay stay away from Dynamite. Their big block chassis for the Tmaxx is good , everything else they ever made for the Maxx is junk. GPM is better than both of them and FLM is about the best for new parts. New Era is quality stuff but finding it in stock can be a challenge. Great Assembly is great. Hardcore Racing stuff is high quality but the used market is the only place you'll find them and prices have been creeping up. Prices for HCR aren't at UE levels but they seem to have become collectible and valued like UE has, just not as expensive.