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tmaxx 3.3 upgraded brake

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Well my stock brake set up finally took a dump. The disc spun off the nut and completely stripped the nut down. I have MIP center CVD's installed and would like an upgraded braking system if its worth it. I have seen the RRP set up but it seems a little expensive. Is it really worth the $$?? If not what other options are available besides Integy, I hate Integy stuff, I have had bad luck with their parts. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
 
I was looking at the RRP brake upgrade myself. it looks as though the pads themselves are what wears out rather than the disc. could prove to be a useful mod since they are easier to replace than taking out your CVD to get a new disc on. I've even thought about combining the 2 (using the stock or another carbon fiber disc along with the upgraded pads) just to see if the stopping power is better. the only thing I would have to do is keep the brakes a little bit more on the looser end just to avoid friction and unwanted wear while the axles are spinning.

I too would avoid Integy, in fact the stock system has proved itself for me so that could even be worth it, since its probably the cheapest brake system out there and best bet for your buck. but since you have MIP CVDs youll either have to order a brake adapter from them or go with new CVDs.. since you stripped the ring. most upgraded brake systems I've seen do not include the CVD adapter.

if you do upgrade to the RRP, be sure to post on how they perform
 
Thanks, see when I originally bought the Cvd's I didnt even know I needed an adaptor kit. I am just finding that out. The brake has always been weird since they were installed. The stock 3.3 setup has pads that wear instead of the disk as well. So I dont know how much of an improvement the RRP set up would actually be. I plan to build this thing for a BB conversion. Next few upgrades are going to be RRP gears and alum. diff covers, Alum tranny case and RRP tranny gears. Then comes the powerplant...
 
no problem.

In fact since you upgraded the CVDs and are probably still using the stock brake adapter, thats probably the reason why it slipped off and stripped. there should be very little play in the adapter when its on the CVD shaft. if given to much room to wobble when its not running, its only amplified when its spinning at fast rpms. It should fit nice and snug before you drop the set screw down into the shaft, not being held on entirely by the pin.

If the manufacturer of your CVDs dont offer a brake adapter to go with it specifically for the T-Maxx then i sould suggest switching to a different brand of CVD, preferably one that comes with the brake ring.
 
Yeah I think I stripped my rear drive gear in the tranny. The rear wheels dont move anymore but the fronts do. However if I spin a rear wheel the other rear will spin opposite. So I think the diff is fine. So with this IF it is the tranny I will change out to the traxxas center CVD's as I do like the booted ends better as well, on top of it being a traxxas upgrade it should fit the stock brake with out any adaptor or mods.
 
if you buy the Traxxas ones it will come with a new brake adapter that will specifically fit those CVDs. Be careful with that brand tho, yes they look nice but I had trouble getting them to fit right in my 2.5, they were just a hair too long and would bind up during short quick bursts of acceleration. MIP makes some, as do THS... and i think RR makes some too. the drivetrain is the same length for the 3.3 and the 2.5 so theres a chance you could have the same problem with the Traxxas ones. just looking out for your money, not every set could give you problems, its just I did with mine and i was forced to buy a different setup.

as far as your drives go, take out your tranny, open up the case and see if you have any split rods or stripped gears. if not then make sure the rod ends where the output yokes attach are still in good shape, so they dont strip again when you put in the new CVDs.

if your wheels spin opposite when you turn 1 wheel the internal gears in your differential are ok, if you spin both wheels and the drives dont turn it could either be the outermost gears (within your differential) or the drives themselves. inspect your tranny first before disecting your differentials
 
Well I tore apart the tranny last night and its fine. So I went to the rear diff. Low and behold it is the diff cup. So I would like to do a steel diff cup if they are made, all I can find is aluminum ones. We all know how soft aluminum can be especially when up against a steel gear. Any suggestions???
 
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I have another question, I see that people also offer a 3mm screw set with the 3mm diff cups. Is this a better route to go so I dont strip the screws from the cup again?? Do any modifications need to be made or do I need specific gears to use this set up??
 
well, you're wandering into foreign territory for me here, I've never had a problem with my differentials, so hence no need to replace them.

have you looked through tower hobbies for new gears? last I knew they had a lot to offer for replacing existing gears with steel. Robinson Racing specializes in that sorta thing and Tower carries their products. as far as the screw set goes, I would invest the couple bucks for new screws rather than stripping the old ones and creating new problems further down the road.
(afterthought, arent the traxxas ones made from steel anyway?)

upon thinking about this a little further, I dont think aluminum gears would be a problem. yes they are way less dense than the steel ones, but the gears inside are supposed to spin freely. upon years of use i could see a little wear due to friction, but if you snap a gear after that chances are youll have much bigger problems to worry about...
 
the gears are steel and the differential cups is what I want to be aluminum. I cannot find any steel diff cups. The screws that hold the ring gear to the diff cups are only 2mm steel into a plastic diff cup. I hear that a 3mm screw is better although you have to either modify the ring gear you are using or find a ring gear that has 3mm holes for the screws.
I have been on this all day if you can't tell, lol!!

I think I am going to go with the alum diff cup, but might try a 4 spyder gear set up instead of 2 spyder set up it has stock. I just need to find the kit/pins that hold the spyder gears in place. Chris the owner of BYT actually suggested this in another thread
 
Five-Head said:
if you buy the Traxxas ones it will come with a new brake adapter that will specifically fit those CVDs. Be careful with that brand tho, yes they look nice but I had trouble getting them to fit right in my 2.5, they were just a hair too long and would bind up during short quick bursts of acceleration. MIP makes some, as do THS... and i think RR makes some too. the drivetrain is the same length for the 3.3 and the 2.5 so theres a chance you could have the same problem with the Traxxas ones. just looking out for your money, not every set could give you problems, its just I did with mine and i was forced to buy a different setup.
Click to expand...

If your 2.5 uses the black transmission (not the optidrive) then it does not use the same axles as the 3.3. Traxxas does not offer cvd axles for the 2.5 with the black transmission. That is probably why you are binding. I am using the trx cvd's and have had no binding problems.

I also had the same problem as the OP when my front plastic driveshaft went kablooey the rear wheels would sit and do nothing while the engine revved. But when I spun them by hand everything seemed fine. The problem was 3 of the 4 2mm screws that hold the ring gear to the carrier (plastic cup) snapped off so under high torque the ring gear would flex away from the spiders and spin.

The aluminum diff cup is the right upgrade. Steel adds extra rotating mass you don't need and the weakness to the t-maxx differentials is the 2mm screws. Upgrading to the 3mm screws will fix the problem.
 
gravdigr said:
If your 2.5 uses the black transmission (not the optidrive) then it does not use the same axles as the 3.3. Traxxas does not offer cvd axles for the 2.5 with the black transmission. That is probably why you are binding. I am using the trx cvd's and have had no binding problems.

I also had the same problem as the OP when my front plastic driveshaft went kablooey the rear wheels would sit and do nothing while the engine revved. But when I spun them by hand everything seemed fine. The problem was 3 of the 4 2mm screws that hold the ring gear to the carrier (plastic cup) snapped off so under high torque the ring gear would flex away from the spiders and spin.

The aluminum diff cup is the right upgrade. Steel adds extra rotating mass you don't need and the weakness to the t-maxx differentials is the 2mm screws. Upgrading to the 3mm screws will fix the problem.
Click to expand...

so you think it would be better to just drill and countersink the stock gears in the diff and go fo the 3mm diff cups??
I too twisted the rear center shaft when driving at the beach, I only had fwd and that is why I went with the MIP center CVD's.
 
The aluminum diff cups should come with the screws and a new ring gear ready to go. Just move your spiders from the old cup to the new one and you should be fine.
 
gravdigr said:
The aluminum diff cups should come with the screws and a new ring gear ready to go. Just move your spiders from the old cup to the new one and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

There are no cup/ring gear kits. Maximizer is discontinued them. So if I want to run the 3mm cup I have to either drill the stock ring gear or drill out a RRP gear. Neither of which I would like to do. I would much rather have a set. But I cannot find anyone who offers them anymore
 
gravdigr said:
http://www.addicted2rc.com/T_maxx_parts.html scroll to bottom
http://www.rcdiscounts.com/acbhpusa/showdetl.cfm?&DID=1&st_id=13&Product_ID=970
http://www.rc-monster.com/proddetail.php?prod=maximizerdiff&cat=45
http://www.rcbros.com/cart/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=36

Well, you get the point :)
Click to expand...
Why couldnt I find those LOL!! Thank you!!
I have only been in to this hobby for about a year and am just now getting in to the heavy stuff. Thanks a bunch for your help!!
 
NP, the official t-maxx forums at the traxxas site are also a good resource for stuff like this. Where do you think I found those links :arrr:
 

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