Traxxas, Arrma, etc - the right tool for today's terrain?

[Mad Ax 9311]

Just a random thought that occurred to me earlier.  I went out for a walk in the woods at lunch, and as I stepped out of my van I spotted a neat little kidney-shaped track under the trees that the local mountain bikers have been using.  It occurred to me it would be a great circuit to practice bashing around - too narrow for racing as there's nowhere to pass, but great fun for a solo visit.

Then I wondered what I'd bring to drive.  The track is narrow - mostly around 3x the width of a 1:10 buggy with some narrower bits - the soil is a dark, heavy clay that is slippery as ice when it's wet and yet sticks to boots and tyre tracks like glue.  There are twigs and dead leaves off the centre of the track, lots of roots just beneath or poking through the surface, and the ground has been heavily churned up by walking boots, horse hooves and even some giant dog prints (the Beast of Coulston Hollow, perhaps).  It's a wood, so there's a fair few stout tree trunks and old stumps to avoid if you don't want to go home with a broken suspension arm.

In short - I think it's way too rough for a 1:10 buggy on 2.2 race wheels.  Any of the modern bottom-draggers like the DF02 and TT02B would be too low, a DF03 would likely run out of suspension travel and be thrown into the scenery.  Truggy variants would suffer the same problems and unless you custom-build one from a 4wd buggy, they only drive the rear wheels.  Tamiya's line-up of 2.2 wheels monster trucks are far too basic in the suspension and steering department and you really want 4wd over that sort of terrain if you don't want to be self-marshalling at every corner.  The Clod has enough tyre to handle the bumps but the suspension is too primitive, and I can't vouch for the TXT-2 but the TXT-1 was an ungainly beast in stock trim with too much torque steer to be a manageable racer over rough surfaces.

That leaves the WR01.  It's 4wd, plenty of torque, and independently sprung.  But in stock trim it's a bit of a compromise - there's not as much suspension travel as it pretends to have, it only has friction shocks and the steering geometry isn't good, which is a problem over bumpy surfaces.  I'm tempted to take my modified chassis to see how well it goes, but it's a long way from a stock Tamiya.

Having wandered through the woods, I came out on a vast open field with some short grassy sections for walkers.  A variety of Tamiyas would run well enough there, but with so much space they'd feel lost.  A bit like driving a kid's go kart around the Silverstone GP circuit.

Which got me thinking: this is the sort of terrain I don't struggle to find.  There's loads of it around here.  I go walking most weeks in almost-deserted places where I could happily have the peace to drive a Tamiya, but no Tamiya I own would handle the terrain.  My E-maxx, on the other hand, would dominate.  It's got the big wheels to ride over the rough dirt, it's got the suspension travel and the compliance to stay on track when the wheels are bouncing up and down, and if it does go off the track it can probably plough through the undergrowth to get back on it again, and it's proven fairly resilient at hitting solid objects too.  It's got the speed and presence to not get lost in a big open field.  If you find a natural ramp, it's an obstacle for a Tamiya truck to wheelspin over and provide some entertainment, but the E-maxx will get all four wheels off the ground and land right-way-up a few metres away.

Don't get me wrong - I'm a diehard Tamiya fan and 95% of what I own is Tamiya, but it seems if you want to go play in the real world without having a proper track or area of clear tarmac to play on, there really is nothing in the lineup that suits.  We say Traxxas et al have conquered the market by appealing to the want-it-now mindset and marketing their ridiculous top speed figures, but have they also got where they are by selling something that works on a wider variety of terrain?

[Robert5000 928]

I wanted to write a really clever reply on how the Vajra is the perfect answer to your question, but no matter how I tried it ended up foot in mouth rather than the desired tongue in cheek. 

[El Gecko 1343]

Well, I don't know about current Traxxas models, or the Arrma brand in general, but what you've laid out (except the 4WD bit) is essentially why I've cobbled my old Sledgehammer back together: I needed something with bigger tires and higher ground clearance than a Blackfoot for bombing around in the woods and rougher terrain. It's also really easy to swap pinion gears on the Sledge (10T pinion!), and the Blackfoot only really has one gearing option.

[jupitertwo 1484]

53 minutes ago, Robert5000 said:

I wanted to write a really clever reply on how the Vajra is the perfect answer to your question, but no matter how I tried it ended up foot in mouth rather than the desired tongue in cheek. 

Heh, yeah   I love my Vajra, but it is rather delicate   It was a nice idea, but I think the wheel forces are just a bit too big for it? Body is a bit of a let down too!

I bought an Axial Yeti for this sort of purpose some years ago. Great fun, but it kinda scares me somewhat unless it's in wide open spaces. Lots of power, lots of plastic and metal hurtling at you. I reckon it would kill a small dog if they collided.

[Robert5000 928]

12 minutes ago, jupitertwo said:

Heh, yeah   I love my Vajra, but it is rather delicate   It was a nice idea, but I think the wheel forces are just a bit too big for it? Body is a bit of a let down too!

I enjoyed the build but the body is horrendous so I haven’t driven it more than 30 meters, if that. I am in the slow process of trying to pass it off as a King Cab as I’d prefer to drive it without having to avoid looking at it. 

[BJoe76 571]

I’d probably try it in my  Stampede or E-Revo, though the E-Revo has a Titan 775 brushed motor, it also has a tendency to rip the ground apart when driven hard, especially when geared appropriately for a track that size!

[markbt73 5315]

This is exactly the reason why an old Traxxas Stampede has become my favorite vehicle to take on camping trips. I know it can handle just about any terrain without frustrating me, it's durable and reliable, and I know it's fun to drive. But it's also essentially stock, including the old 20 turn Stinger motor, so it's not rip-up-the-ground fast, just fast enough to enjoy bombing around. (i'm not at all a fan of the new breed of "basher"-type vehicles that look like energy drinks on wheels and have more power than a Chevy Bolt. They're hideous, and I don't understand the appeal of such violent speed and acceleration.)

I might, however, try taking the G6-01 next time. It possesses many of the same qualities, with 3 times the traction.

[BJoe76 571]

“Looks like energy drinks on wheels with more power than a Chevy Bolt”

🤣 That sounds right on the money!

[ThunderDragonCy 7877]

I can totally see what you mean. It's no e-maxx, but my DT03 truck is pretty good beater for a bit of everything. Probably a bit fragile compared to traxxas, but it does for me. 

[SupraChrgd82 1425]

Get the crawlers out and make your own trails.

[87lc2 2663]

3 hours ago, markbt73 said:

This is exactly the reason why an old Traxxas Stampede has become my favorite vehicle to take on camping trips. I know it can handle just about any terrain without frustrating me, it's durable and reliable, and I know it's fun to drive. But it's also essentially stock, including the old 20 turn Stinger motor, so it's not rip-up-the-ground fast, just fast enough to enjoy bombing around. (i'm not at all a fan of the new breed of "basher"-type vehicles that look like energy drinks on wheels and have more power than a Chevy Bolt. They're hideous, and I don't understand the appeal of such violent speed and acceleration.)

I might, however, try taking the G6-01 next time. It possesses many of the same qualities, with 3 times the traction.

@markbt73 hit the nail on the head.  For what you're describing a Stampede is what you need.  I have a 2wd version and it's a blast, have never broken a part on it.  The 4x4 is nice also, that might be better suited to the location you're describing.  I am a Tamiya fan first as well and only own 2-3 Traxxas vehicles, but I think you really need a Stampede for this one. 

[El Gecko 1343]

1 hour ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

Probably a bit fragile compared to traxxas, but it does for me. 

Depends how old that Traxxas is... I nearly lost a steering screw pin (stripped) and then blew out a half shaft on the Sledge this afternoon, but this is a 30 year old truck we're talking about (and it was -10C ambient temp which probably made things a bit more brittle than usual)