deviltrigger529

Hey guys, this is my first time venturing into the electric forum with a truck and I just got a Slash with the VXL system, 2 sets of wheels/tires, 2 bodies, and 5 batteries off ebay for $300 and I just went through a couple of the battery packs within about 20 minutes. 4 of the packs are 6-cell 3300mah venom NiMH and the other is a 7-cell 3800mah NiMH pack. I used one of the venom packs and the 7-cell pack and they were both dead pretty quickly so now I think I want to venture into lipo.

I've done some searching and found out that I want a 2s 5000+mah lipo that is rated for around 30C. I would just like some additional input from you guys and also where I can get something like this for a decent price with a traxxas connector pre-installed. And I would also like to know of a decent charger that also balances. The batteries I have now just seem like they are showing they're age and I dont feel like I'm getting the full experience of a brushless system.

I'm not really going for any extreme speed or anything, I would just like to have some longer consistent runs and I'm reading everywhere that lipo is the way to go for that.

Also, I noticed that with the wheels off the ground and I give it gas that one rear tire will spin faster than the other. Is that normal?

This is a used truck from ebay so I will probably need to attend to some things but it does drive real nice, I'm just wondering if one rear wheel spinning faster than the other is normal.

Druss

You should tear down and rebuild it since you bought it used.

As for lipos, www.hobbycity.com has a lot of good cheap ones under $50 and also some decent chargers.

deviltrigger529

Well I planned on replacing the skid plates and suspension arms with aluminum ones since those are pretty worn but like I said it sounds and drives real nice. I was just wondering if the one wheel spinning faster was normal lol.

Brainanator

My Feedback: (1)

Why do you need them to have the traxxas plug pre attached? They charge you more than it's worth, and that throws out most of the good cheap lipos....soldering on the traxxas connectors is a breeze.

deviltrigger529

Well I've never touched a soldering gun or soldered anything in my life and dont own one.

Brainanator

My Feedback: (1)

got any buddies that solder? or a hobby shop that'll help ya out? The Lipos on hobbycity.com are awesome for the price, the shipping is kind of steep, but even after that they are way cheaper than most else. But non will come with traxxas plugs. As for one wheel spinning faster than the other, there are tons of possibilities. Worn out bearing, differential issue, drive shaft blockage, some other stuff

burnineyes

You should definitely find someone to solder for you, or pick up a decent iron and do it yourself. The companies that sell Lipos with Trx connectors installed charge way too much. With the prices at Hobbycity you could prob save enough to buy a decent iron and do it your self.

These packs have them installed, and they perform well. But they are way overpriced if you ask me.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXWSS0&P=0

These will need a connector, but they perform just as well and save you money.
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=9437

As far as one wheel spinning faster than the other
The differential in the Slash is a gear diff. Whatever wheel is unloaded will get the majority of power, causing what you experience. The fix for this is to remove the diff and pack it with a heavy oil or grease. This will give more equal power to each rear wheel. The problem is that the diff is not sealed, and the lighter the oil or grease used, the faster it will leak out. This means you will have to remove and clean the excess grease every now and then, or it will build up and collect harmful dirt. Some guys have found ways to seal the diff, so that its a one time fix, but you will have to experiment with yours and see if thats something you want to do. I would suggest opening the differential and cleaning it out very good. Then reassemble, but before you close it up pack it about 3/4 of the way full of heavy grease. This should give you much better traction for several runs, and if you use a thick grease it will not leak out right away.

deviltrigger529

Ok I guess i'm gonna go with the zippys from hobbycity since they are like half the price lol. If none of my buddies can solder I'll just go to my LHS. So what about a decent balancer/charger?

About the wheels, it's not when one wheel is off the ground, it's when both rear wheels are off the ground that one wheel will spin considerably faster than the other.

Hotroder383

Soldering is really no big deal. All you do is pick up a decent iron, I use a Weller 40w. The lower watt the less heat they put out the longer it takes to heat up. I dont like to wait LOL.  Now the hard part, take the wire you wanna solder and the metal part of the Traxxas plug you want to join. Put them on top of a piece of scrap wood, I got a 1X4 thats 8" long I keep lying around. Put the metal part of the plug down, put the wire on top, there is a line they have on there that you CANT go above or the plastic wont fit. Hold these two piece's together some how. Me I put a metal block on the wire to hold it in place, then with the iron pluged in and hot hold it on top of the wire and let it heat up both the wire and metal plug, hold your wire filler or solder in the other hand and press it against the wire. When the wire heats up enough it will melt the solder into it and onto the plug remove iro and blow on joint to cool down. WAIT BEFORE YOU TOUCH IT!!! It will be HOT, a kind of D'UH, but I still do it every now an then =)~. When it cools down tug on the wire while holding the plug in the other hand, try to pull them apart. if you cant pull them apart you did good. Dont use alot of solder, the more is better rule DOSE NOT apply here LOL. Use just enough to cover the wire.  Here is a good video to show you how to do it, he solders two wires together but just replace a wire with your traxxas plug an you get the idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLfXXRfRIzY

Druss

I personally prefer the pretinning method myself and but to each their own.

Brainanator

My Feedback: (1)

I also find that pre-tinning works best/easiest for this application.

thzero

Just say no. Its far cheaper to replace the skid plates and arms as they wear with the plastic versions. Also the plastic suspension arms will flex and absorb impacts where as the aluminum ones will just bend.

Brainanator

My Feedback: (1)

I agree, the plastic RPM a arms and skids should last quite a while for ya, and they add extra chassis support (which is needed). Bad thing is that the stock rear bumper mount doesn't work with the RPM rear skid, so you have to buy the RPM bumper mount as well. Or you can test out the Pro-line rear skid, it has the bumper mount built in, which I think is awesome.

deviltrigger529

Ok then I'll just stick with the stock skid plates and suspension arms for awhile then and see how long they hold up.

As far as lipos go, are there any 8000mah 2s lipos in a decent price range? And also what is a decent charger/balancer?

gelbschnee

If you want upgrades, just bash hard enough to break stuff. then it's twice the fun

if you're looking for cheap lipos check this out. not exactly 8ah but 5ah is darn good. I've got some of these in the mail right now.
[link=http://hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9172]http://hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9172[/link]

I use this charger (for lipos when they come)
[link=http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/products_id/153130/n/Kyosho-Route-246-C-03-LiPo-Li-ion-NiMH-NiCd-DC-Battery-Charger-6S-5A-50W]http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/products_id/153130/n/Kyosho-Route-246-C-03-LiPo-Li-ion-NiMH-NiCd-DC-Battery-Charger-6S-5A-50W[/link]
it will do anything i need except charge over 5 amps (unnecessary)

you will need a power supply however.

Druss

You don't need 8000mah lipos, especially for the price maxamps charges for them... 5000mah will give you 20-25min of hard driving and you can buy 4 of the hobbycity 5000mah ones for the cost of 1 maxamps 8000mah. Since 8000mah would give you around 35-40 min of driving you can get twice the amount of driving with 4 x 5000mah compared to 1 x 8000mah.

deviltrigger529

Ok then I'll go with some of the hobbycity ones when i can then

That charger is nice but I wouild like something a little simpler and maybe a little cheaper because I just bought a decent charger for my NiMH batteries, so all I really need is just a decent straight lipo charger/balancer.

Brainanator

My Feedback: (1)

hobby city has good lipo chargers, check out the turnigy accucel 6 charger, great reviews on that one. (not sure on the name....so don't yell at me if it's different )

deviltrigger529

Alright I'll look at those later on my break(im at work right now) and see if I can find one. Also some good news, I have a buddy that I work wih that can solder for me so it looks like I'll be getting those zippy packs. So will I be able to notice a significant difference going from 3300mah 6-cells to those 2s lipos?

Brainanator

My Feedback: (1)

it will be like night and day bud
I went from a 6 and 7 cell 4200 NiMH pack to the 2S lipo, it's awesome.
I had some time and went to find that charger for ya
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...lancer/Charger

you'll need a power supply for it too though, or a car battery.

skippy7399

I have to agree with Druss, rebuild everything! I got myself a Slash as a roller this past summer. Everytime I looked at it something else needed to be replaced. I have since replaced all wheel bearings (not Traxxas), front bulkhead, and rear gear case due to excessive wear. Wear to the point the a-arm pivots were so loose the arms would move a few degrees. Now I have RPM arms f/r, hub carriers f/r, caster blocks, and f/r shock towers. Two things I would do again in a minute are replacing the front body mount with a Stampeed mount. It holds the body just a little higher so there is no rubbing with the front tires. Also with the additional power from my 2S lipo I changed to 32 pitch gears. If you ever decide to go brushless it wouldn't be a bad idea anyway. This is real simple, for stock gearing use a Traxxas Jato spur gear 58 tooth, and a Robinson Racing 12 tooth pinion. Traxxas also makes 32 pitch gears for the E-maxx if you need to change the ratio. You'll have to loose the gear cover, but with 32 pitch, who cares.

On a side note many of the upgrades were recomendations from my fellow club memebers. Including this last one. To get the best power out of your batteries, loose the Traxxas plug and go Deans.

matthew__ruane

I'm putting in my vote for pre-tinning and Deans, I'm a real noob to RC but I've been soldering for a few years, really helped when I started soldering on my own connectors. Theres a few good instructional vids out there and I'd be glad to offer help if you need it.

matthew__ruane

Go to pfmdistribution.com, they were sold to some military contractor early last month and are selling all their stock for about 35-50% cheaper. I got a 3s 2200 LiMN for 30 bucks last month, theres a nice 3s 2800 for 50 bucks.

Their front site has been screwed for like forever and they never got around to fixing it so just use this link directly to the batt.

http://pfmdistribution.com/secure/sh...d=211&catid=47

Also get this soldering iron, you should get one and be able to solder if you stick with electrics. Should be easy to find at your local Radioshack. Also check out the instructional video on soldering on Traxxas website.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062738

Don't forget solder

deviltrigger529

Alright cool thanks for all the suggestions and input guys.

I actually just remembered something that I was wondering about, why do the front and rear set of wheels say front and rear? They can't be switched? Why is that?

Brainanator

My Feedback: (1)

I was always curious about the same thing, there might be a little bit of offset difference in the rims, but I don't think I noticed it when I ran them rotated.