racemaxx24

I am thinking about maybe racing my t-maxx at the local tracks and I was wondering what is needed to make it competative. I need to try to keep it cheap also. Thanks.

MIKEA46996

I have 2 Maxxs and love them both got alot invested in them chassis suspension driveline motors.... so on and so forth. But in all honesty if you wanna race and do it kinda cheap scrap the idea of racing a Maxx. If you wanna MT race get a Revo. If you just wanna race go 1/10th Stadium or 1/8 Buggy / Truggy, will cost you less in the long run. The Maxx is a great basher but it's not racer. Sorry to burst your bubble. To the guys who are gonna flame me remember I LOVE THE MAXX... Greatest MT ever, it's just not a racer anymore, maybe 6 years ago but not now.

NitroBobby

a decent tune and driving skills.
you usually can't use reverse during a race, so you might want to do the forward only conversion (FOC).

most people at the local tracks aren't running top shelf equipment so you should be able to be competitive if you are a good driver. go to the track and find out what the restrictions of the monster truck racing class are. once you have that information, you can make your truck compliant with the rules. there is no trick or magical spell that will make you competitive. practice is the only way to improve. the rules are designed to level the field in terms of equipment, so all that's left are your driving and tuning skills.

you definitely don't need the biggest engine or the "hottest" setup to win. you need to not hit the walls or other cars. stay out of collisions and get around the track. if you can do that you'll podium more times than not at LHS races. if you advance to regional competitions you'll need to do more than that, but at the LHS level, you should concentrate on the driving skills.

racemaxx24

I have a pretty much stock .15 t-maxx but I did put an HPI .25 in it. Is that too big? [I do have a forward only so no worrys there]

RCCanuck

dude that thing will not hold up on a parking lot let alone a race track....I'm sorry but its time for a reality check....
Here is what I run on my local track for practice nights only
3.3 chassis
RPM arms
picco .26/sirio or THS pipe OS header
MIP centre CVD's
Robinson Racing FOC, DIff kits, Spur/Clutchbell combo
RC-one shocks 60 wt oil up front and 35 wt out back
ride height absolutley level A Arms with the ground
HPI dirt claws or Proline Mulchers
stock disrupter body or stock S maxx body
It hangs with Revos even leaves em on the straight when I run the HPI rims and tires....

NitroBobby

you are under the assumption that everyone who races is as good as the guys you race with. that's not the case. you don't necessarily need to upgrade a bunch of stuff to be competitive at a local track.

as far as the engine goes, it depends on the rules at the track. a .28 might be too big, but then again it could be an open or unlimited class. in that case, you'd be fine.

racemaxx24

Should I ditch it and get a 2.5 or 3.3?

racemaxx24

Would this be good for racing? http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=385401

nitro stan

why dose everyone make the por.15 maxx out to be so weak? everything on mine is stock except the steering servo and a 3.3, it holds up very well, until i get stupid with it, i even still have reverse

racemaxx24

I love my PRO .15 maxx but I want to race it so I need ideas on how to upgrade.

MAXXCHEVY

ok im going to do my best to make it short and too the point here is some insight that should help you.

Shocks im not big on the battle between 4 or 8 so im just goiing to use 8 i recomend stock coils, run two hole pistons with 60-80wt oil on hard packed, while rougher tracks i would say drop it down to 40-60wt oil to help smooth out the suspension.

Front toe. For racing you want to shoot for zero on the front end any more or less and your just scrubbing off speed. If you need to alter the trucks handling for a slightly more stable feel you want to toe-in, i personally dont but you can try it. OR a half degree of toe-out for a quicker responding truck.

Rear toe. A great starting point is 1.5 to 2 degrees rear toe. I wouldnt go anymore then 3 degrees. If you find your front end pushing and you dont want to change suspesion setting move the rear toe-in and you will gain more steering.

Tire selection. If the track is loose a not bad tie would be a step pin type, or for hard packed proline bow-ties do work well. The stock plastic wheels work fine i would never race with aluminum they are more for looks and heavier then stock plastic.

Gearing. if you have a short tight type track i would shoot for 16 CB and 72 tooth spur, i move back and forth between 16 and 18 CBs. the only time i would use the 20 is for top speed type tracks. OR if you want something in between i would say 16 CB and a 70 spur.

Setting a header pipe gap. Never butt the pipe directly against the header and loose metal to metal will cause vibration and glitching with your radio. try starting with a 1/8 inch gap and move up to maybe a 3/4 inch gap but no more. the further the gap the more bottom end will be produced. i personally run a 1/2 inch gap.

Fuel system. I would recommend a fuel filter (clear) so that at a glance you can trouble shoot any problems with out disassebling. Also give your self some extra fuel hose on the line for when it flips there is more fuel in the line to run off before someone can flip you over.

Since you have an older maxx you might not have the skid X braces i would recommend getting them (x-brace #3930) super cheap modd.

As for the skids i trimmed my front down to a small nub so that it still works but wont snap off in a crach also the rear skid i did the same too.

For the body mount it a little taller then the fuel tank to try and protect if from damage. And make sure it has enough venting.

racemaxx24

Should I ditch the .25 and get a 2.5? I do have RPMS skid plates too.

MAXXCHEVY

that 25 is a big motor you want something that will keep your truck light but still maintain good speed and durability. i have a 2.5 and i really have never had any trouble with it. I just recently broke an axle but i came down a little to heavy on the throttle. If you have your old .15 you might be able to pic up a 2.5 in the exp from traxxas.

MAXXCHEVY

[link=http://www.traxxas.com/products/nitro/erp/trx_erp_pop.htm#mostpopularoptions]ERP not EXP[/link] check out the link

NitroBobby

so far, only one poster has said anything negative about it so your statement is off the mark.

my maxx started out as a stock pro .15 maxx, but has been upgraded piece by piece to it's current (sort of a 2.5r/3.3r) configuration.

there is no doubt that the wide maxx suspension is just about a necessity here. if you have the original width suspension arms, get the wide maxx. the stability and corner speeds are a huge improvement.

you shouldn't need too much else unless the guys at the track are really good. but then it won't matter what you do to your truck anyway.

a good driver with a decent car will beat a lousy driver with a great car. the majority of racers at the LHS are there for the fun of racing, much like you will be. don't sweat the details before you've even tried racing it. to tell you the truth, you should just go race it like it is then you can determine what you'll need to improve on your truck.

jdiamond

This is a good thread. I too am more interested in racing than bashing, and definitely more for just the fun of it than being serious. Right now my mind is like this big sponge aborbing all this stuff and this thread is answering some questions I had planned on posting about. Good to know about the wheels, I had planned on aluminum 40 series rims with mulchers, but will probably go with plastic instead to keep weight down.

racemaxx24

So what kind of tires and wheels would be good for a hard packed track?

racemaxx24

For racing, would it be better to have a 2.5R or just a 2.5? Also, what kinds of wheels tires would be good for a hard packed track?

Oasis TR

..but a Revo with a good driver will still own you..

racemaxx24

HAHAHA very funny

RC 01 KID

Maxxchevvy already posted that for you bro.....

MaxxChevvy:
ok im going to do my best to make it short and too the point here is some insight that should help you.

Shocks im not big on the battle between 4 or 8 so im just goiing to use 8 i recomend stock coils, run two hole pistons with 60-80wt oil on hard packed, while rougher tracks i would say drop it down to 40-60wt oil to help smooth out the suspension.

Front toe. For racing you want to shoot for zero on the front end any more or less and your just scrubbing off speed. If you need to alter the trucks handling for a slightly more stable feel you want to toe-in, i personally dont but you can try it. OR a half degree of toe-out for a quicker responding truck.

Rear toe. A great starting point is 1.5 to 2 degrees rear toe. I wouldnt go anymore then 3 degrees. If you find your front end pushing and you dont want to change suspesion setting move the rear toe-in and you will gain more steering.
RIGHT HERE
(Tire selection. If the track is loose a not bad tie would be a step pin type, or for hard packed proline bow-ties do work well. The stock plastic wheels work fine i would never race with aluminum they are more for looks and heavier then stock plastic.)

Gearing. if you have a short tight type track i would shoot for 16 CB and 72 tooth spur, i move back and forth between 16 and 18 CBs. the only time i would use the 20 is for top speed type tracks. OR if you want something in between i would say 16 CB and a 70 spur.

Setting a header pipe gap. Never butt the pipe directly against the header and loose metal to metal will cause vibration and glitching with your radio. try starting with a 1/8 inch gap and move up to maybe a 3/4 inch gap but no more. the further the gap the more bottom end will be produced. i personally run a 1/2 inch gap.

Fuel system. I would recommend a fuel filter (clear) so that at a glance you can trouble shoot any problems with out disassebling. Also give your self some extra fuel hose on the line for when it flips there is more fuel in the line to run off before someone can flip you over.

Since you have an older maxx you might not have the skid X braces i would recommend getting them (x-brace #3930) super cheap modd.

As for the skids i trimmed my front down to a small nub so that it still works but wont snap off in a crach also the rear skid i did the same too.

For the body mount it a little taller then the fuel tank to try and protect if from damage. And make sure it has enough venting.