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Kowalski86

Any thoughts on Traxxas?

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Without getting into the more controversal side of the company itself, Im curious to know everyones thoughts/experiences with Traxxas RCs.

I initially dove back intovRC by restoring an old Rustler that we had sitting around for ages...only for the oldvtransmission to go out during a wheelie. Later I got a decent deal on a used Stampede and a Rustler with a generous side order of parts.

But later I picked up a Grasshopper from the bay. After fixing the broken chassis and driving it I gravitated to Tamiya, that Grasshopper was so much easier to work on and it looks neat in action.

I've never owned nor driven a Traxxas Slash, they look more scale than Id expect but my LHS would always have a customer or two buying replacement parts. Some of the users here have some really cool builds though.

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Slash is fun, Slash 4X4 even funner :) 

TRX makes some nice slow stuff too, like the TRX4 & now the TRX6 Ultimate towtruck. 

NFI about the Drag Slash concept though... maybe just keeping up with Losi & AE no prep drags. 

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11 minutes ago, WillyChang said:

NFI about the Drag Slash concept though... maybe just keeping up with Losi & AE no prep drags. 

I never understood why they call them the "drag slash" other than using a few Slash parts. The stock Chevy truck bodies are nice from some angles but have some odd proportions at others (kinda too short and wide).

The crawlers do look neat though, but I'd porbably go.with an Axial if I ever went that route.

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1 hour ago, Kowalski86 said:

I never understood why they call them the "drag slash" other than using a few Slash parts.

ya same! Looks like it’s a LCG Slash tub with longer nose extension, but the drivetrain is pretty much swappable with Rustler etc afaik

TRX does neat design on their giant monsters too eg Xmaxx which has transferred down to smaller cousins like Maxx and Sledge. 
 

Pricey nowadays (for those of us outside USD currency zone; think the Drag slash is like 3X what I paid for my very first 2WD OG slash brushed) but they do feel premium. 

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My experience with Traxxas (mostly vicarious) is that they're very robust, fun cars, with more focus on bashing than anything else, but doing that trick very well indeed.

Obviously the TRX-4 and its siblings have changed that somewhat, they are very capable scale rigs and very popular on the trails and events, but they're the exceptions.

A friend of mine had an original E-maxx that was driven to destruction.  Except, it was never destroyed.  It was bashed, bashed and bashed again, and never broke.  He later got a brushless E-maxx and a brushless E-revo.  All got run seriously hard on 6S power and none ever broke anything serious, although the Revo did explode a tyre when running flat out on 6S on a long stretch of sand.  (The resulting cartwheel failed to damage any part of the car).

I bought the brushless E-maxx off my friend a few years back.  One of the shock shafts was slightly bent and the slipper had worn right through to the cast parts, plus the tyres had started to split away from the rims, but otherwise it was in perfect running order.  Despite being an older model now, I could still get the parts to fix it in a matter of days.  It wasn't as easy to strip down as a Tamiya - lots of parts had to come off to get into the transmission to check it over - but then it wasn't designed to be assembled by an untrained hand like a Tamiya kit.

Just last weekend, my friend said "hey, have my old brushed E-maxx for spares, I haven't got time to get it running."  I said sure, expecting a bag of broken parts.

I looked it over when I got home.  The motor cans have gone rusty (it was sitting in a bin bag for years), the rear toe tie rod is missing completely - I guess it was broken and was removed with the intention of being replaced - one of the shock bolts is missing, but otherwise it's complete and ready to run.  I was pretty amazed, given how hard he used to drive it.

It's entirely possible that people are in shops buying Traxxas parts every weekend.  This is because:

1) the cars are robust enough that people drive them really hard.  With that kind of driving, things are bound to break eventually.  Nobody would dare drive a Tamiya like that, and if they did, they'd be ordering way more parts than Traxxas owners.

2) you can actually buy the parts from shops.  If you have Tamiya, most of the time you have to order online because shops don't keep enough stock for all the huge variety of Tamiya cars in circulation.

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Not sure about all the Traxxas "Bashers", never been near one. However the TRX4. here are my thoughts.

My mate has a bone stock one from a few years ago, and my Bruiser is just as capable with its partially locked diffs in the wet and mud.

See Here: So, After 2 years of use, i properly Christened my Bruiser - Monster Trucks, 4x4, Wheelie Rigs and Crawlers - Tamiyaclub.com

 

And on Thursday, i went out with 2 mates with modded TRX4's with pretty much the full brass kit on them.

My Bruiser has a "mildly" modified suspension travel, Tamiya bead locks, and I fully locked the front diff for this as we went proper rock crawling. 

My Bruiser was easily 80 to 90% as capable as the TRX4's, only failing in some of the steep loose climbs, and that was for 2 reasons. 

1: The rear bumper has a lot of overhang, so reduces the angle of attack. Sorting that out ASAP.

2: I fitted what I thought was a good motor. 80x2 wind. My word, that was slow!!! 

If it had been been a less wind motor with more "Clarkson Mode" it would have been closer to 100%

I had much fun, and will post pictures soon.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

It wasn't as easy to strip down as a Tamiya - lots of parts had to come off to get into the transmission to check it over - but then it wasn't designed to be assembled by an untrained hand like a Tamiya kit.

It's entirely possible that people are in shops buying Traxxas parts every weekend.  This is because:

1) the cars are robust enough that people drive them really hard.  With that kind of driving, things are bound to break eventually.  Nobody would dare drive a Tamiya like that, and if they did, they'd be ordering way more parts than Traxxas owners.

2) you can actually buy the parts from shops.  If you have Tamiya, most of the time you have to order online because shops don't keep enough stock for all the huge variety of Tamiya cars in circulation.

Same with my Rustler, working with that wasn't too bad til I got to the rear axles/transmission (hence I have up), but I was surprised that I could get fresh parts for it.

Your last two points are true, Im easy on my Tamiyas. I dont launch my Traxxas stuff 20 feet or anything crazy but they do see their share of off roading.

 

 

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i would never dare to drive my Tamiya cars like the slash. the slash rolls over or hits a bump wrong? do a quick once over  for damage and keep on driving it.  Tamiya?? im slowing it down a meter or 2 before i can ever hit similar objects and im more mindful to potential damage. its like comparing cars that are supposed to look nice and perform well to a drift missile where you expect to get damage eventually, just bang out a few parts, replace some parts and the drift missile is back in action

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The first thing I would do is to stop comparing the two (Tamiya and Traxxas) in most scenarios. Its apples to oranges in many segments. You could argue the CC02 and TRX4 both compete in the trail truck market, but the TRX4 goes so far beyond the basic, and long overdue, CC02, is it even really a fair fight? The companies are distinctly Japanese and American in their image and thought processes, which is why I admittedly probably prefer Tamiya. Aside from the oddity of the original TXT-1 sharing a body post hole pattern with the early Maxx trucks, I don't think Tamiya even looks at Traxxas as a competitor.

I think Traxxas does very well at what Traxxas does. They are rugged basher machines that offer good performance in their segments. People liked to hate ont the T/Emaxx trucks because they created a big paradigm shift in what was possible with RC BITD. Not only did it create a new segment but it hastened to move away from kit building at the time. Of course, a culture grew up around these trucks spread by Youtube shenanigans involving doing really stupid things with Traxxas vehicles and then marveling at their resistance to this. Of course there's backlash against anybody at the top, especially against a company with business practices like Traxxas. Thus, plenty of message boards and reddit threads will espouse the virtues of competing brands like Arrma. Honestly, devoid of all that drama, its impressive to pull apart an old Emaxx and see just how inventive and different it was at the time of its introduction.

They have the "legacy" models built up from the Stampede, Rustler and Bandit. While they have beaten these designs into the ground more so than even Tamiya has with something like the WR01/WT01, they stand the test of time because they were good designs from the mid 90's that still provide enjoyment today. That's no easy feat. Traxxas also pushes into new markets and it seems, when they do, they make waves, like the TRX4 and X-Maxx. I think if Traxxas took a swing at the solid axle monster truck market, they would crush it (pun). 

The big thing, aside from their distasteful business practices, that keeps me away, is their lack of kits. RTR is just a commodity to me with no soul or investment from the owner like a kit has. 

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I've never owned one of their kits, but the REVO drive shafts make awesome replacements for the TXT centre drive shafts, and I've got REVO diffs in my War Rig, my home built 10Kg skidder, and I've used them in my 4wd tractor I'm building. As far as I can tell they're completely bombproof, I've never managed to shear off a single gear tooth, and the skidder and the war rig both have brushless motors in them the size of coffee cups, and have pulled a lot of weight with them. I also like the summit diffs, and they have a servo selectable diff lock, but I'm always hunting around for alternative diffs / axles with selectable diff locks that are not stupid expensive.

 

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1 hour ago, Saito2 said:

The first thing I would do is to stop comparing the two (Tamiya and Traxxas) in most scenarios. Its apples to oranges in many segments. 

The big thing, aside from their distasteful business practices, that keeps me away, is their lack of kits. RTR is just a commodity to me with no soul or investment from the owner like a kit has. 

Those are two of the reasons why I always buy used when it comes to Traxxas, I can enjoy the RCs and re-build them to my preferences without giving the company any money.

I have mixed thoughts on the RTR subject, but as an artist I understand the desire for kits. The RTR equivalent in art would be the guy who becomes an "artist" by copying whatever the latest anime is. He'd be skipping the learning proccess entirely.

Isn't a Bruiser kit a few hundred more than a TRX4? When I look at Tamiyas site its about $1500, while the TRX4 is just $500. I'd hope that the $1500 RC crawls better!

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2 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

Those are two of the reasons why I always buy used when it comes to Traxxas, I can enjoy the RCs and re-build them to my preferences without giving the company any money.

This exactly what I do when it comes to adding a Traxxas to my fleet. Buy used and build to my spec. I figure Traxxas already got someone's money, but they aren't getting mine directly.

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Firstly the Traxxas (have 3 2nd hand Stampede's in the family fleet as bashers) is not a kit, its a RTR that you ONLY work on if upgrading or fixing. Its not a kit you build and its not particularly easy to work on. BUT its as robust as. Brill for bashing and bashing.

Tamiya trucks will not handle anything like the Traxxas.

I replaced Tamiya bashers that did not handle particularly well, did not do well jumping, rolling or crashing with the 3 Stampede's which are just BRILL fun. Fast, handle well, jump fabulously, and crash with impunity. The two lads actually ran head first into each others trucks at full chat on 8.4V with 550 motors........both trucks spun away and then drove off, nout broken.

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I have a Slash roller and a cheap body on the way, figured Id buy a roller and build something with my spare Traxxas scrap sitting around. And if I don't like it they're really easy to sell.

Imo the Stampede is the best entry level Traxxas of the bunch, it sits up high so it doesn't scrape or bottom out like a Rustler, better tires, and the chassis mounts are sturdier. We'll if I change my mind once Ive tried a Slash out.

Since I was out of the RC loop for a few good decades, could someone explain when "bashing" became a big thing?

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5 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

I have a Slash roller and a cheap body on the way, figured Id buy a roller and build something with my spare Traxxas scrap sitting around. And if I don't like it they're really easy to sell.

Imo the Stampede is the best entry level Traxxas of the bunch, it sits up high so it doesn't scrape or bottom out like a Rustler, better tires, and the chassis mounts are sturdier. We'll if I change my mind once Ive tried a Slash out.

Since I was out of the RC loop for a few good decades, could someone explain when "bashing" became a big thing?

I'd say since Youtube became popular, with folks "sending" their trucks off ridiculously large ramps, attempting to flip or spin as many times as possible and hoping to land on the wheels. Definitely a more extreme (and expensive) version of the hobby, but I guess lots of people have money to burn.

Traxxas was new in the game back in the early 90s, and Tamiya was the established entry-level juggernaut, but Traxxas blew that all apart by starting to offer RTR in addition to unbuilt kits. RTR of hobby kits was unheard of back then--up until that, you had to build the whole thing yourself, but Traxxas saw that some people just wanted to drive and not necessarily build, so that is the market they catered to.

Their designs have always raced well out of the box, and only needed minor evolutions to really dial everything in. My Hawks, for example, are direct ancestors of the Rustler, and the Sledgehammer was clearly the inspiration for the Stampede (and later, the Slash). But the Sledge came in pieces in a big box with a Frog, so in my mind Traxxas and Tamiya are equals. I love driving them around, they're still fantastic cars, leaps and bounds better handling and adjustment than any Tamiya I've had, although the old plastic is a bit fragile.

As for new stuff, I had the pleasure of rebuilding my cousin's 4X4 Slash last winter, and I have to say they've continued to make things better. I was a little intimidated at first (3S lipo running a Velineon 3500 brushless system) but once I dug in, it was nice to work on, easy to understand, and everything went together smoothly, like I would expect it should. However I was not prepared for how big those trucks are compared to a "normal" 1:10 vehicle (aka Tamiya) but they are quite large. It's no wonder they need such power to get them moving. The driving experience is sublime, though.

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3 hours ago, El Gecko said:

I'd say since Youtube became popular, with folks "sending" their trucks off ridiculously large ramps, attempting to flip or spin as many times as possible and hoping to land on the wheels. Definitely a more extreme (and expensive) version of the hobby, but I guess lots of people have money to burn.

 I love driving them around, they're still fantastic cars, leaps and bounds better handling and adjustment than any Tamiya I've had, although the old plastic is a bit fragile.

As for new stuff, I had the pleasure of rebuilding my cousin's 4X4 Slash last winter, and I have to say they've continued to make things better. I was a little intimidated at first (3S lipo running a Velineon 3500 brushless system) but once I dug in, it was nice to work on, easy to understand, and everything went together smoothly, like I would expect it should. However I was not prepared for how big those trucks are compared to a "normal" 1:10 vehicle (aka Tamiya) but they are quite large. It's no wonder they need such power to get them moving. The driving experience is sublime, though.

Thanks for the summary, I just have a hard time wrapping my head around "bashing", then upgrading everything to aluminum until your RC weights so much it overheats the motor. I get crawling (though I imagine its more fun doing the crawling than watching it).

Even next to a Stampede, Slash's are fairly big. The one thing that I consistently hear about Slash's is their bad handling so its popular to do an LCG chassis swap, basically turns it into a large Rustler. Wouldn't it be better to have a HCG chassis for bashing though?

 

 

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Slash handles well enough for intended market. :)  stock tyres are hard wearing
 

if you're trying to get it around a racetrack then yeah you’d want race rubber & some suspension tuning. Big body also “parachutes” over high jumps. 

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14 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

Thanks for the summary, I just have a hard time wrapping my head around "bashing", then upgrading everything to aluminum until your RC weights so much it overheats the motor. I get crawling (though I imagine its more fun doing the crawling than watching it).

Even next to a Stampede, Slash's are fairly big. The one thing that I consistently hear about Slash's is their bad handling so its popular to do an LCG chassis swap, basically turns it into a large Rustler. Wouldn't it be better to have a HCG chassis for bashing though?

 

 

I'm not sure how the HCG drives, but my cousin's LCG has big bore shocks and a good diff setup, not to mention all the adjustments/aids on the Tx, so his drives really nice, jumps really nice, and will do about 40mph on dirt. He only uses it for bashing, but could easily jump into a race with how well it's dialed in. His bashing isn't as extreme as the youtubers, but I've seen it launched higher than my head, land no problem and drive away, under complete control. The new plastics are really tough in most cases, and the only aluminum upgrades he's needed are the axle carriers, driveshaft, and most importantly motor mount. My vintage Traxxas cars are definitely not that sturdy, about the same as the old Tamiyas. I will also say that the bottom of his LCG chassis has held up really well for the most part, but the HCG would definitely take less of a beating on rough ground (probably more likely to roll over, though). In most cases it seems like LCG is the way to go.

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11 minutes ago, El Gecko said:

The new plastics are really tough in most cases, and the only aluminum upgrades he's needed are the axle carriers, driveshaft, and most importantly motor mount. My vintage Traxxas cars are definitely not that sturdy, about the same as the old Tamiyas. I will also say that the bottom of his LCG chassis has held up really well for the most part, but the HCG would definitely take less of a beating on rough ground (probably more likely to roll over, though). In most cases it seems like LCG is the way to go.

I guess they don't have metal driveshafts out of the factory? Sounds like he knows what hes doing though.

If I get tired of the regular Slashes handling I'll consider an LCG swap, I have some spare Rustler parts that should help. I doubt it'll be that bad on just a regular titan brushed motor.

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2 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

I guess they don't have metal driveshafts out of the factory? Sounds like he knows what hes doing though.

If I get tired of the regular Slashes handling I'll consider an LCG swap, I have some spare Rustler parts that should help. I doubt it'll be that bad on just a regular titan brushed motor.

I just assumed that he had upgraded that since he has other upgrades, but the Slash Ultimate does come with the aluminum center driveshaft as stock. His had gotten bent and so beaten up by rocks that it looked like someone took a grinder to it. So that got replaced with a new one.

As far as half shafts, he had his local shop replace the rears with MIP metal ones after he twisted the plastic originals and broke one. The fronts were also twisted and pretty wrecked overall, but they don't appear to bear the same forces as the rears so I replaced them with plastic again. We will see how long those last--may have to upgrade the fronts to metal at some point in the future as well.

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You can get the Slash as a kit, and it's really an incredible value for what they include:

https://traxxas.com/products/models/electric/slash-assembly-kit

Full bearings, a 2.4 ghz radio, waterproof servo and ESC, and their basic Titan 550-can motor, for $200. I've been sorely tempted by it for a while now.

My experience with Traxxas is that plastic parts are the way to go. Their plastic parts are much stronger than Tamiya's, and if you break a stock part, replace it with the RPM nylon equivalent (and they make almost everything for the old 2WD Rustler/Stampede/Slash/Bandit chassis) and never buy another replacement part again. (Seriously, the RPM stuff is that good.) I've not had good luck with Traxxas servos, but use it until it breaks and then replace it with something else, I guess. Great fun to drive, and you don't need to go as crazy with the power as a lot of folks seem to.

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11 hours ago, markbt73 said:

You can get the Slash as a kit, and it's really an incredible value for what they include:

https://traxxas.com/products/models/electric/slash-assembly-kit

Full bearings, a 2.4 ghz radio, waterproof servo and ESC, and their basic Titan 550-can motor, for $200. I've been sorely tempted by it for a while now.

My experience with Traxxas is that plastic parts are the way to go. Their plastic parts are much stronger than Tamiya's, and if you break a stock part, replace it with the RPM nylon equivalent (and they make almost everything for the old 2WD Rustler/Stampede/Slash/Bandit chassis) and never buy another replacement part again. (Seriously, the RPM stuff is that good.) I've not had good luck with Traxxas servos, but use it until it breaks and then replace it with something else, I guess. Great fun to drive, and you don't need to go as crazy with the power as a lot of folks seem to.

If I didn't have disagreements with some of the companies actions I'd say go for it, on ebay Slash rollers can be pricey, I only got mine reasonably priced because it was listed as a Rustler. Turns out it had a bad motor (corrosion), all stock no RPM parts. I'm not a fan of their "exclusive patented" water-proof box, the servo/ESC wires get caught when you remove them, which puts unneeded strain on them if you're working with them frequently, I'm going to replace it with something else at some point.

Since it didn't have a body I dropped a cheap ($19.95) Summitlink Baja bug body on it, I had to remove the nerf bars and trim the bodys motor to get it to fit but it looks good and I can throw on monster truck wheels without trimming it or messing with the body posts.  You could easily make a bigger/beater Sand Scorcher with one of these. I've tried turning a Rustler into a buggy then a Stampede (to create a Traxxas Monster Bug), but the Slash captures the look better than either of them.

I like how it drives out so far, I had to remove a few c-clips (PO had so many on the back there was little suspension travel), but the scale body roll looks cool, it soaks up bumps better than my Stampede, yes it will roll if I get wreckless but it jumps significantly better than my Stampede ever did (it loved to cartwheel, short wheelbase), and unlike my Rustler it doesn't scuff the chassis over jumps. I doubt that I'll ever get an LCG, I have a few issues with its design from a durability standpoint, and I like the stock Slashs very easy to access servo vs how the LCG buries it like the Rustler.

Imo Traxxas vehicles, at least the basic entry level 2WD ones, are best left brushed. The Stampede/Bandit/Rustler were built in a time when MSCs and NiMHs were the norm on top of coming with 20T motors. Traxxas has updated them with bigger motors, bearings in the transmissions, different wheels/tires, but their durability is more or less the same. I've run my Rustlers, Stampede, and Slash with a NiMH and I've yet to break any suspension/chassis parts (though I may have bent a shock on my Stampede), but I know if I started to throw brushless stuff and LiPOs at them I'd start breaking things.

That all being said, I do appreciate the Slash coming with bearings from the start!

 

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Just a quick update on the Slash

Initially I had trouble with it rolling over, but after adjusting the shock points and pre load clips it handles fine enough. It has more or less replaced my Stampede and its giant turning circle.

Im still not sure if I'd suggest it over the quicker, cheaper, much less scale, and better handling Rustler. Never owned one of its Senton/Torment/Losi 22S competitors.

 

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Final Update:

I'm not quite warming up to the 2WD Slash, its just way too heavy, not a fan of the shocks, nor the small wheels. Even with a 90t spur and 14t pinion the battery life is mediocre. I don't plan on an LCG conversion (shouldve been there from the start imo).

Imo, for bashing a Rustler/Stampede with a set of bearings would be the better pick.

For just being fun to drive (and no insane stunts), it doesn't hold a candle to a Grasshopper.

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Welp, finally broke something on the Slash, one of the rear hub carriers snapped where the plastic gets thin. I dunno if it ones one of the rollovers that broke it or jumping it off the curb into my front lawn (which I've done with many other RCs without issue). Replaced it with an RPM part, common part to break from what I've read.

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