My Traxxas Rustler 2wd build/project

[DavidB1126]

Here is my Rustler 2wd. Mostly Stock
Upgrades that have been done: Traxxas Anaconda Street tires and wheels, Traxxas Blue Wheelie Bar, Traxxas Aluminum Steering Bellcrank.
Plans for future: No plans for it right now, my rustler has been more reliable than my slash. The Rustler is 1 year old. My slash is 6 years old
Electronics: Stock brushed titan12t, XL-5 ESC
Album with pics and vids
Socials: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube

 

[Tunedfrog]

Great looking car. The Rustler is one of my favorite rigs in 2wd. they are incredible on a brushless system.

 

[WickedFog]

Here is my Rustler 2wd. Mostly Stock
Upgrades that have been done: Traxxas Anaconda Street tires and wheels, Traxxas Blue Wheelie Bar, Traxxas Aluminum Steering Bellcrank.
Plans for future: No plans for it right now, my rustler has been more reliable than my slash. The Rustler is 1 year old. My slash is 6 years old
Electronics: Stock brushed titan12t, XL-5 ESC
Album with pics and vids
Socials: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
View attachment 130920View attachment 130921View attachment 130922

Man that will drive nice and straight in a wheelie. Looks killer too!

 

[Greywolf74]

I've always been fond of the Rustler. I've got a couple of em. Heres my regular (albeit highly upgraded) Rustler.

 

[Doom!]

@DavidB1126 Looks great!

 

[DavidB1126]

Next for rustler:
RPM Front and Rear arms
RPM Front bumper
RPM Front bulkhead
RPM or Aluminum steering and caster blocks
New body - JConcepts 2012 Silverado
Shocks - Going to put my extra set of Traxxas big bores on

 

[Greywolf74]

Nice upgrades!

 

[JCsRCcar]

I have a few now. Let me know if you’re interested in knowing more about them. I love Rustlers!

1. RPM front and rear shock towers.
2. RPM steering knuckles.
3. RPM front bumper.
4. Fast Eddie bearing upgrade kit (a must have modification over the bushings)
5. Traxxas wheelie bar.
6. Traxxas VXL heavy duty steering end links.
7. Traxxas heavy duty adjustable camber links, front and rear.
8. Castle creations copperhead ESC and 3800 kv motor combo (sensored and awesome). Made a huge difference.
9. Pro-Line Trencher tires, front and rear.
10. Techno metal rear axles with upgraded rear Techno knuckles.
11. Hot racing sealed aluminum differential with 100k differential silicone oil (very good upgrade).
12. Upgraded steering servo (can't remember brand).
13. Traxxas TQi receiver and 2-channel transmitter (did this for the TSM).
14. Traxxas GTI shocks, front and rear with 50wt oil.
15. SMC Graphene 3S batteries will really wake up your RC with the Castle motor.

 

[Greywolf74]

What benefits are you seeing between the sealed diff and the stock one? I might look into one of those myself. I also love Rustys

 

[JCsRCcar]

What benefits are you seeing between the sealed diff and the stock one? I might look into one of those myself. I also love Rustys

With the 100k silicone diff oil in it the tire with the least traction no longer just spins in that situation (typical open differential action) so it acts more like a limited slip differential now. With 2wd this basically increases traction tremendously with seemingly little down side to it. On a dirt track I’m able to control oversteer/understeer with suspension geometry and different shock oil viscosities. A few weeks ago I was hanging with and even beating 4wd RC’s around the local dirt track. The Hot Racing aluminum sealed differential literally just replaces the stock Traxxas plastic differential.

 

[WickedFog]

What benefits are you seeing between the sealed diff and the stock one? I might look into one of those myself. I also love Rustys

The benefit of a sealed diff is that you have oil in there as opposed to grease, and the gears are submerged in oil rather than relying on a bit of grease getting flung around and getting caught in the gears. I have both setups on TT02's and don't notice any performance differences.

 

[Greywolf74]

With the 100k silicone diff oil in it the tire with the least traction no longer just spins in that situation (typical open differential action) so it acts more like a limited slip differential now. With 2wd this basically increases traction tremendously with seemingly little down side to it. On a dirt track I’m able to control oversteer/understeer with suspension geometry and different shock oil viscosities. A few weeks ago I was hanging with and even beating 4wd RC’s around the local dirt track. The Hot Racing aluminum sealed differential literally just replaces the stock Traxxas plastic differential.

I understand how diffs and diff oils work, I was asking what problem specifically did this solve for you that you were having with the stock diff. Is it increasing cornering traction, decreasing traction while cornering, increasing steering in coners? That kind of thing.

 

[JCsRCcar]

I understand how diffs and diff oils work, I was asking what problem specifically did this solve for you that you were having with the stock diff. Is it increasing cornering traction, decreasing traction while cornering, increasing steering in coners? That kind of thing.

I would say mostly traction in uneven terrain where before one wheel would spin and the car would get stuck and now it will power through that situation better than before. I used to get stuck in grass often and now I do not get stuck as often which is one example that comes to mind. I have a dirt road that gets washed out in rain storms and if one of the rear wheels were lifted because of the uneven terrain in that road then it would spin the wheel with the least traction and get stuck. Now it powers through that situation as it would if it had a light limited slip differential. If an asphalt road was a little wet and traction was low, before if I mashed the throttle one wheel would spin, but now both wheels spin equally.

Obviously you know high viscosity silicone oil acts against the spider gears causing resistance and thus sending power to the wheel with the least traction. Obviously you also know that adding high viscosity silicone oil to differentials is a tuning trick some racers employ too. At least this is what I've learned from talking to the guys at my local track.

I also employed this trick with my sons 4x4 slash where we installed 100k oil in the front diff and 30k in the rear. The traxxas slash already comes with sealed differentials. Before with my sons monster truck tires if he approached a curb at an angle, the vehicle would send power to the wheel with the least traction, and the 4x4 slash wouldn’t climb the curb, or would climb the curb but with lots of wheel spin. Now as soon as that front wheel starts to climb the curb at an angle it powers through better than before with little wheel spin. I would say its not nearly as drastic as a true limited slip differential but its better than just an open differential.

In conclusion I was not having a problem with the stock differential. I was just wanting to improve on the design by installing a sealed differential that would not leak out the silicone oil over time like the stock one would because it is not a sealed differential. I do not know if this modification has changed corning traction much, if anything it has increased oversteer a little, but I’m fine with that for the increased straight line acceleration I get in lower traction situations, and I can still tune with the steering geometry and shock oil viscosity, but I know you also know this too.

 

[Greywolf74]

I would say mostly traction in uneven terrain where before one wheel would spin and the car would get stuck and now it will power through that situation better than before. I used to get stuck in grass often and now I do not get stuck as often which is one example that comes to mind. I have a dirt road that gets washed out in rain storms and if one of the rear wheels were lifted because of the uneven terrain in that road then it would spin the wheel with the least traction and get stuck. Now it powers through that situation as it would if it had a light limited slip differential. If an asphalt road was a little wet and traction was low, before if I mashed the throttle one wheel would spin, but now both wheels spin equally.

Obviously you know high viscosity silicone oil acts against the spider gears causing resistance and thus sending power to the wheel with the least traction. Obviously you also know that adding high viscosity silicone oil to differentials is a tuning trick some racers employ too. At least this is what I've learned from talking to the guys at my local track.

I also employed this trick with my sons 4x4 slash where we installed 100k oil in the front diff and 30k in the rear. The traxxas slash already comes with sealed differentials. Before with my sons monster truck tires if he approached a curb at an angle, the vehicle would send power to the wheel with the least traction, and the 4x4 slash wouldn’t climb the curb, or would climb the curb but with lots of wheel spin. Now as soon as that front wheel starts to climb the curb at an angle it powers through better than before with little wheel spin. I would say its not nearly as drastic as a true limited slip differential but its better than just an open differential.

In conclusion I was not having a problem with the stock differential. I was just wanting to improve on the design by installing a sealed differential that would not leak out the silicone oil over time like the stock one would because it is not a sealed differential. I do not know if this modification has changed corning traction much, if anything it has increased oversteer a little, but I’m fine with that for the increased straight line acceleration I get in lower traction situations, and I can still tune with the steering geometry and shock oil viscosity, but I know you also know this too.

Awesome. Good stuff. I might look in to getting one of those myself eventually!

 

[DavidB1126]

I haven't really did any other upgrades to the rustler since the last time I had been on this thread but here is some pics!

For the body I had got the traxxas clear one and painted it the same colors as my slash. I had upgraded to the traxxas big bore shocks. I also got a losi 25t servo horn since the stock one the spring keeps coming out. I have atomik rc aluminum castor/steering blocks and rear hubs. One time my uncle was driving it and the screw for the rear camber link came out. So what I did is add a longer screw and put some loctite on it since it was going through aluminum and a nut on the end. Still have it brushed but upgrading to brushless soon!!! I'm either going to get a hobby wing max 10 (the same one I'm going to but in the slash) Or to make it a little different than the slash maybe a castle system. Still have the stock tq rx/tx. Since upgrading to brushless I'm going to get a amazon rx/tx with a gyro. I was looking at the traxxas tqi but the amazon rx/tx has way more features than the tqi. I do have carpet tires for the slash when i go to the track but i dont have a set for the rustler so planning to get some carpet tires. With another set of carpet tires me and my dad can go on the track the same time and have more fun. Even with 1 set of carpet tires it will still be fun but with the street tires or the stock tires I wont have any traction.

 

[Doom!]

I'm not used top seeing an antenna sticking up any more. Looks great.

 

[DavidB1126]

I'm not used top seeing an antenna sticking up any more. Looks great.

I had actually did this recently with the antenna. What I did is I put more of the antenna wire into the receiver box and cut down the antenna tube. After the antenna wasn't really out of the body. Since i lost the stock blue antenna tube my dad bought a pack of 5 or so different color ones for about 2 dollars on amazon. Before I did the antenna wire thing, the antenna tube like cracked and broke off when I flip it over.(Probably because I'm bashing it more harder now) So thats why I did the antenna wire thing. Oh and after I cut down the antenna tube it still broke off so now I'm like whatever. It did do it with the stock one too. Back when I got it and flipped it over it broke the tube and the actual antenna so what i did is buy the same tq receiver and binded it up with the tq radio.

I'm trying to think of another way on how to route the antenna. I was thinking about getting the slash receiver box but it won't work because of the wire tie down. But with the slash receiver box the antenna tube is mounted to the box not the chassis like the rustler.
Slash receiver box

Rustler receiver box

 

[JCsRCcar]

I haven't really did any other upgrades to the rustler since the last time I had been on this thread but here is some pics! View attachment 148234View attachment 148235View attachment 148236View attachment 148237View attachment 148238View attachment 148239View attachment 148240View attachment 148241View attachment 148242
For the body I had got the traxxas clear one and painted it the same colors as my slash. I had upgraded to the traxxas big bore shocks. I also got a losi 25t servo horn since the stock one the spring keeps coming out. I have atomik rc aluminum castor/steering blocks and rear hubs. One time my uncle was driving it and the screw for the rear camber link came out. So what I did is add a longer screw and put some loctite on it since it was going through aluminum and a nut on the end. Still have it brushed but upgrading to brushless soon!!! I'm either going to get a hobby wing max 10 (the same one I'm going to but in the slash) Or to make it a little different than the slash maybe a castle system. Still have the stock tq rx/tx. Since upgrading to brushless I'm going to get a amazon rx/tx with a gyro. I was looking at the traxxas tqi but the amazon rx/tx has way more features than the tqi. I do have carpet tires for the slash when i go to the track but i dont have a set for the rustler so planning to get some carpet tires. With another set of carpet tires me and my dad can go on the track the same time and have more fun. Even with 1 set of carpet tires it will still be fun but with the street tires or the stock tires I wont have any traction.

Wow, these look nice and they are clean too. You did a nice job on the paint. The Castle Copperhead with 3800 is a nice combination for a light weight Traxxas 2wD such as the Rustler. The Mamba is really nice but the Copperhead is very good. You’ll love the adjustability, especially if you get the Mamba ESC and B-link with bluetooth app. Its great for on the fly changes. The Hobbywing setups are also very nice, I own both brands with the Castle also in many iterations. The Castle Brushless 1412 3200 kv motor is perfect for the Traxxas 4wd cars and bashing. Compared to that Titan 12t brushed motor a Castle brushless 3800 motor is going to make that thing literally fly and a lot more things will get broken too, lol. You’ll have to watch the motor temperatures when running bigger pinions but installing a motor fan helps put a lot. You will also eventually need to upgrade those light duty plastic axles to the heavy duty Traxxas plastic axles as the brushless motor will start to twist them and break them. Keep your slipper clutch adjusted correctly and they will last longer.

Also, for the money the Traxxas TQi radio and receivers with TSM are hard to beat solid performing radios and with the bluetooth module and app they have all the adjustability you need. I tried the Flysky and although it has more features it also isnt as accurate as the Traxxas radio nor as it reliable either. I personally think the Traxxas radio and receivers are much better performing. I ended up selling the Flysky and will never use one again. I originally had that Flysky and a Flysky reciever for my LMT, Rustler 4x4, Rustler 2WD, and Custom 6s Nitro electric conversion Rustler. Dont be surprised if it backs up weird and in a choppy manner which is the first sign its a POS or if the receiver you get is DOA. To be fair the seller is very good about warranty and is quick to respond. I’ve added the FlySky to my “too good to be true” list of you “get what you pay for” items.

 

[DavidB1126]

You will also eventually need to upgrade those light duty plastic axles to the heavy duty Traxxas plastic axles as the brushless motor will start to twist them and break them. Keep your slipper clutch adjusted correctly and they will last longer.

Right now on my slash I have the MIP X-duty axles. I do have a slight problem with the pins coming out but those are good for right now.

ont be surprised if it backs up weird and in a choppy manner which is the first sign its a POS or if the receiver you get is DOA

Right now with the stock rx/tx which is the TQ is sometimes it doesn't go in reverse and it did it from the factory out of the box. Once I did get a replacement TQ receiver and binded it up with the TQ radio.

Also, for the money the Traxxas TQi radio and receivers with TSM are hard to beat solid performing radios and with the bluetooth module and app they have all the adjustability you need.

I will look into the tqi rx/tx. Or since I am wanting to get into racing maybe I should look into some of the more higher stuff like the futaba 4pm. My uncle has a futaba 7pxr for his 4wd buggy.
Also when i did get my replacement tq receiver it still did the reverse thing. sometimes it doesn't like to go into reverse. So its either my controller or esc i think.

 

[DavidB1126]

@JCsRCcar are you talking about this castle system? https://www.castlecreations.com/en/...tion-w-1410-3800kv-sensored-motor-010-0166-10 Since I'm planning to go with hobbywing with my slash i think going with castle for the rustler will be great to have something a little different. The hobbywing I'm planning to get for the slash is the max10 sct 4000kv. When i was first was searching for brushless systems I was looking at the hobbywing 13.5 XRun justock. Looking at that system now it doesn't look like it would fit into the traxxas cars because 1. you have to solder the wires to the motor 2. The 13.5 system is more made for 1/10 scale racing buggies and the buggies are much lighter than the traxxas cars.
Also another reason to not to get the 13.5 system I'm talking about is I'm not sure if i would be able to run it on 3s because most racers run on 2s lipo not 3s.
Also another question. What about the castle sidewinder systems? Are they any good?