Comp News!

As I mentioned to the guys who showed up to the crawl we had a couple of weeks ago I would try and set up another one at the same spot but this time we would run the course and score it. I'm thinking since this will be the first time I have scored a course and for many others as well that we keep it really simple when it comes to the rules. Here is what I'm thinking. We score the course according to NSRCCA rules but we don't worry about vehicle size requirements at this one. We score only on your ability to get through the course, with all penalties in effect. That way everyone will get a feel for what it is like and it won't take us as long to run the courses. I think we could run two courses and get through them in a reasonable amount of time if we have the same group as last time( I think I would run the two courses we had setup on the top). So if you want to let me know what you about that idea let me know. Also this would just be for fun no prizes except the bragging rights that you cleared the course with no penalties or with the best time. I know a couple of you have super class size rigs and the courses we setup last time might not have worked for your rig I'm will to set up a separate course for you and score it as well. What I'm hoping is that we all learn from this one on how much time and effort it takes to run a real comp and then we can do it. As for a date and time I was thinking Saturday June 14th starting at 9am( that way if the Heat is with us again we can get done asap and not bake on the rock, I myself only want to crawl on it. So you guys let me know if your interested and if you think my idea on the way we run this one is ok with you.

Mark

Thanks to those who showed up for the crawling!

Thanks to everyone who came out for our little crawling event. The turnout was good and we plan to do a real comp at that same location in the next few weeks so keep checking this blog.

New goodies spotted at r/c trade show.

MIP CVD for AX10-These would be a nice upgrade to the stock one's MIP has a rep of making strong CVD's price is around $55.00 a set front or rear. Mid May Release

MIP Drive Shafts AX10-I feel these would be one of the best upgrades to the stock drive shafts. These are beefy and I can't wait to get them on my rig. These things are heavy duty and the output shafts are well protected don't think these will break. $55.00 for the set front and rear. Mid May release.

Proline-Flat Iron tires these look they could be a awesome tire, plenty of tread and even on the sidewall of the tire. They come with either stock foam insterts or memory foam inserts. Mid May $20.00 pair.

Proline-Hammers-Another great looking tire, reminds me of the Losi Rock Claws these are also avaiable in the standard and memory foam. Have these in the shop this coming week. $20.00 pair.

Hardbodz-New tube style chassis, you can see it on rccrawler.com in the section about the RCX show that was in LA. I have 5 total on order they make it in two models, same frame construciton but one is a pro model with carbon fiber mounted to the tube chassis. The frame includes the panels and decals or you can just paint it yourself if you want. These are not cheap, but is well built and should give you a ton of options for chassis setup. The standard chassis will come in around $165.00 and the pro around 190.00. Im hoping the prices might come down on these but will see. Should have them in the shop by the end of May.

Also saw a couple of companies that make some nice upgrade aluminum part like knuckles,hub carriers,transmission plates,ext. Good prices on these upgrade and quality was nice.

Just a side note the guys at Axail are awesome. This is a very small company met the pres and vp talked with them about lots of cool stuff. If anyone ever has a question call or email them they are more than happy to help out.

May 10th crawling

If interested we will be getting together next Saturday May 10th off Oasis Rd, if you need directions they are listed on this site or you can call 222-5679. We will be crawling from 3pm till whenever. Were hoping to invite as many people as possiable current crawlers and people who might be interested in getting started. Maybe we can setup a quick course and test our skills might be fun. Hope to see you there.

Digginit

UPDATE: we went out this afternoon and set up THREE complete courses with an average of 5-7 gates. Courses are fun but still challenging. We have never run a comp before so come on out and learn along with us. We hope to start having a monthly comp here in the Redding/Red Bluff/Chico area.

new axial ax-10 setup guide

I have gone through so many changes in the setup of my ax-10 I decided to blog about it so others can skip all the stuff in between that myself and others have done. Of course no setup is perfect but I have made some changes with little to no investment that greatly improved the crawling capabilities of my ax-10.

1st. Ditch the stock battery/electronics tray. You don't want any weight up that high anyway. You can dice it up and make other stuff out of it later :-)
2. Mod the skid plate and move the lower links inbound of the chassis. Not super important but it does give you a little more clearance for the front tires to turn. (can't hurt)
3. Everone to the front of the bus! as you will see in the pics posted I have EVERYTHING mounted in front of the motor. Battery, esc, receiver...EVERYTHING. (side note: many people choose to mount a split battery on the front diff to get the weight where it belongs. I have chosen to use a 2 cell lipo because of where it fits. in the chassis mounted low on one of the braces that was originally used to mount the battery tray (you can use the left over plastic spacers that are replaced by aluminum ones on the tranny, they work perfectly). Just bolt it in the spare hole and strap the battery to it. It's just out of the way there. I think the less things to get snagged on the better :-)
4. lighter springs, heavier shock oil. The stock oil is 30 wt. I have been using 60 wt. , just seems to keep everything in better contact with the crawling surface. Also very important! put the rubber shock bumper INSIDE the shock to lower the stance a bit.
5. Party in the front, foam in the back. I just use cut foams in the back with two holes drilled in each rim to let them compress and vent. On the front however I have added several ounces of a mixed weight of airsoft bb's. A bunch of the standard weight to add some mass and a little weight. Then about a third as many of the .20g weight. This seems to work very well!!!!
All of these changes are pretty much free and make for a great crawler!!

The obvious: all of you of course know that a decent motor, esc, etc is important but without the right setup all the high tec goodies in the world wont amount to a hill of beans :-) this info is meant for people just getting into crawling and building an ax-10 kit. These tips are only the tip of the iceberg. You will spend a lot more time and money improving your crawler. I'm just trying to help with a little head start that won't lighten your wallet!

CRAWL ON!!