Gonna buy a TRX-4 Sport. Your thoughts?

[ZaneC]

I hope to buy a TRX-4 Sport here soon (my dad says I have to get rid of a RC or two first) and I need some tips. Are there any things that need to be changed or upgraded right away? What are it's pros and cons? Stuff like that.

 

[Greywolf74]

pros:
Its another RC
Its a Traxxas
Its another RC

cons:



I'm just being silly. I dont own that kit

 

[Doom!]

I can't help with this one either but from what I have seen it's pretty solid right out of the box, no rush to upgrade until ya see something it needs or just plain looks cool.

 

[ferrebee88]

Nothing wrong with the TRX4 sport. I have never purchased the RTR version, but I have built a couple in kit form. Nothing really needs "upgraded" unless the upgrades will suit what you intend to do with it.
Personally, I upgrade 2 things: I put in the Bowhouse RC LCG battery tray and steering servo mount. I just put in the bowhouse servo mount because it makes it easier to put non traxxas servos in. I would highly recomend buying the kit version. It is very easy to put together and you learn a lot in the process. Then you can pick your own electronics.


https://www.amainhobbies.com/bowhouse-rc-trx4-steering-servo-mount-bwh-btx-0030c/p753648
https://www.amainhobbies.com/bowhouse-rc-trx4-molded-low-cg-battery-tray-bwh-btx-0060j/p865867

 

[ZaneC]

Thanks for your reply. I will definitely look into that.
Also, I've never known what Low CG means.

 

[WickedFog]

The center of gravity on any RC is one of the more important factors to having a stable RC. The lower you get the CG, the less likely the rig will tip over. In buggies, touring cars, etc, it also helps keep the tires planted for cornering. That's why race cars are slammed on the ground.

This image is a good representation if how it works. Once the center of gravity is moved outside the support (tires on our RC cars), the object will tip.

Another example.

 

[ZaneC]

That's pretty neat!

 

[WickedFog]

Yeah, it is. You can actually figure out where your CG is. That is, if you understand this ...
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/rocket/cg.html#:~:text=Taking the sum of the,produce the center of gravity.

 

[Xraycer]

The TRX4 platform is excellent! The sport body weighs nothing, so the lcg is already fairly low. Best lcg bang for the buck would be brass wheel weights.
Those Canyon Trail stock tires are actually really good for crawling, so really no need to upgrade those.
This is my much heavier and taller Defender TRX4 with just brass wheel weights and no other mods.

 

[ZaneC]

I've considered that myself. I'll probably do that in the near future.

 

[FJC_GUY]

The TRX4 platform is excellent! The sport body weighs nothing, so the lcg is already fairly low. Best lcg bang for the buck would be brass wheel weights.
Those Canyon Trail stock tires are actually really good for crawling, so really no need to upgrade those.
This is my much heavier and taller Defender TRX4 with just brass wheel weights and no other mods.View attachment 158973

I haven't tried it but I've read a lot of people have cut the very small lugs out of the center section and it makes a big difference.

I love my Sport, ran it pretty much stock for 2 years other than a Hobbywing 1080 and aluminum axle housings that were needed after I snapped a housing playing in the snow.

I can say that out of the box it outperformed my wife's mildly modified Redcat Gen 8 V2 and I've run lines with it that guys with similarly modded SCX10s are running. If I was going to get into comps I would probably start with a different platform but for what I do I'm very happy with it.

Here are a couple of pictures of mine as it sat a month ago with the stock body, and where it's going, the blue body.

 

[ZaneC]

Man! That's really cool! Both bodies are really nice. I guess it's proved it's waterproof ability.

 

[FJC_GUY]

Man! That's really cool! Both bodies are really nice. I guess it's proved it's waterproof ability.

I put a Hobbywing 1080 ESC in it shortly after I bought it because I wanted more control than what the stock ESC provides. It's a pretty cheap upgrade that provides big "bang for your buck" results in how it drives. Ran that with the stock motor for I think a little over 2 years. Up until recently I didn't stay out of water but I didn't play submarine much. That just happened to be right after I swapped in the Hobbywing Fusion Pro 2300 brushless and I decided to make sure it was watertight while it was new and the river was high.

If I was going to do a kit, which is a great way to learn about the truck, and wanted to stay budget friendly I would buy:

1) TRX4 Sport Kit
2) Hobbywing 1080 ESC
3) Holmes Hobbies Crawlmaster motor
4) Flysky GT3 Radio and Reciever
5) for LiPo I started with this charger which isn't the cheapest but it was highly recommended and has proven itself to be accurate in my use of it.
https://www.amazon.com/Common-Sense-RC-Multi-Chemistry-Balancing/dp/B07BFKG5H3?th=1
6) for batteries there are a ton of suggestions and everyone has their favorites, I've had really good luck with Zeee branded packs from Amazon. I have several and they all charge and discharge well and have stayed balanced

The blue body is the Sport Camper body. Some people paint it like I did to look like an SUV and some people paint it to look like a truck with a canopy on the bed.

 

[Paul_G]

I like my sport

 

[Jimbobjr]

Theres tons of free upgrades you can do to the trx4 sport. get rid of the battery tray and mount a small battery up front. get rid of the receiver box and mount it inside a balloon. remove the bumpers (theyre heavy and get caught on everything), the body keys on the bumper mounts. make some spacers and raise the sliders up at least 1/4" and trim the body all the way around. theres more i just can't think of them. great truck as is but to get it to perform a little better takes no money.
Great rtr or kit. only one i might like a little better is the Element rc ecto (got one and its pretty good)...look at the axial Base camp as well (dont own one of those...) many really like it. anotherone thats worth a look is the redcat gen9 (i do have a gen8...). can't go wrong with the trx4 but theres a lot more options now and the others are starting to catch up after 6 years or so the trx4 been out.
rock on!

 

[ferrebee88]

Here is my TRX4 sport: bowhouse lcg battery tray and servo mount, savox servo, mamba x/2280kv motor, and front/rear selectable locking diff kit. I run it on a 3s shorty pack.

 

[Xraycer]

Another tip is that it's not necessary to run a large 5000mAh battery. A larger battery will raise your center of gravity. I run 2000mAh batteries with my crawlers, and it'll run for about an hour. This however, depends on how often you run at full speed.

 

[ZaneC]

Boy, this is great! All of this information will really help me. I'll definitely try out a lot of this stuff.

 

[Jerold]

It's good out of the box but there is one weak spot. The rest of this is performance oriented.

For performance this should help, just remember this is ALL Traxxas part and there are other options.
https://traxxas.com/news/maximize-trx4-sport-performance

Must Do
Servo Horn
If it's got the plastic servo horn throw it in the trash and replace it with aluminum while you assemble it. Mine stripped after the first 10 mins of running. Spend $10-15 and save some disappointment and wrenching later.

Better than Stock, but not Required
Wheels, Tires and foam
This is biggest performance upgrade in my book. The stock wheels are functional, but lack in performance. You can spend a ton of money on fancy SSDs or Vanquish wheels. As a cheaper alternative you can go for the knock offs. I use the Injora 1.9 Bead locks. They have an array of styles and a fraction of the price. Do they perform as well, I have no idea, but they are much better than stock. The downside is they don't have a brass ring option, if you want that.
https://www.injora.com/collections/1-9-wheels

For tires, Proline Hyrax Predator compound for the sticky ones or G8 for longer wear. I'm running the JConcepts Ruptures now, but I feel the Hyrax is better out of the box.

You can also modify the stock tires and save some $$.

The foams make a difference. I'm running proline dual stage foam. It's good but I think there might be better out there.

Adding Brass
If you add brass, buy the name brand. I bought some brass off Amazon and it didn't fit right ... at all. I ended up sending it back and buying Samix brass. It's more expensive but bolts right one with no fuss.

If you add weight (brass) to your wheels, it can strain the motor. My rig is about 9-10lbs, so keep that in mind and don't go crazy unless you are upgrading everything.

Battery Tray
On the non-sport versions there is a forward battery tray above the front axle. It's either Traxxas part number 8080 or 8080X, depending on what fits your rig. This creates a forward weight bias that is good for climbing. 60/50 forward bias seems to be a good number.
https://traxxas.com/products/parts/8080
https://traxxas.com/products/parts/8080X

You can make one yourself with some ABS plastic or 3D printed parts. Again trading $$ for labor.

I use a Protek or gensacearespammers battery, and they fit fine. Just watch your wires to make sure they do not rub.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/protek...po-battery-11.4v-4800mah-ptk-5116-22/p1370771
https://www.amainhobbies.com/gens-a...onnector-11.4v-3600mah-gea36003s60x6/p1336182

Servo
The stock Servo is OK and there are other ones out there that are better. If you want he mother of all servos, us the Protek 1KBL.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/protek...s-waterproof-crawler-servo-ptk-1ktbl/p1331854

If that's too much or not your thing, anything metal gear, water proof and high voltage capable is an upgrade. Francis from RC Review does some testing. I personally can't stand the Savox, they talk way too much for me.

BEC
If you want an external BEC I would not recommend the Traxxas unit. It only gives you more current to for things like lights. An upgrade in voltage (check your electronics can handle it) will make your servo stronger and faster. You will need to to some work on the install, but you get a better product.

Note that if you have the lockers and/or 2-speed trans the baby servos don't like more than 6.0V and you will need to wire around them. This my wiring.

If they are on your rig, you can upgrade the baby servos, with Yeah Racing which can handle 7.4V.Personally I don't know that it's worth the hassle and just worked around them with a new BEC.
https://www.yeahracing.com/waterproof-micro-servo-for-traxxas-trx-4-trx-6-ye-0030-00085735

Steering Link
After I added my brass I had less steering angle, because of the cover. I installed the Hot Racing steering link and got it back.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/hot-ra...offset-steering-tie-rod-hrastrxf49m08/p733464

This is the factory link is tight on the factory covers and it gets worse with brass.

The Hot Racing link

Bonus parts
Motor & ESC
The Titan motor is OK, but if you burn it out and want an upgrade, you can move to Holmes Hobby Trailmaster. It's about the same price as factory and better performance.

If you want to upgrade the ESC and stay brushed the HobbyWing 1080 ESC is a good choice. It's like $50 and far more capable than the stock one.

If brushless is your thing then the Hobbywing Fusion is a good choice.

Radio
This is really a nice to have and not required in anyway. If you don't have the lockers/2 speed trans, you might look at a radio upgrade. The TQI is Ok until you need to adjust something in the field. Without the magic manual impossible.

Mods
Bumpers
The front/rear bumpers are huge and limit your mobility. You can either remove them or modify them. I flipped the front and rear bumper mounts, trimmed the body and modified the bumpers to tuck every thing up tight.

Rock Slider Tuck
You may want to tuck the rock sliders up into the body a bit more and Traxxas will gladly sell you a kit and 3x18 mm screws #2583 for it.
https://traxxas.com/products/parts/2539
https://traxxas.com/products/parts/4365

However, I went to my local hardware store and bought the material for about $3 with no shipping cost. It did take a little bit of filling to get it all to fit correctly.

 

[Paul_G]

So many ways to build them