Traxxas Slash 2WD upgrades. Traxxas or RPM?

[biggman100]

I want to upgrade the following parts on my 2WD Slash, caster blocks, steering blocks, rear hubs, and lower arms, so, real world experience, which is better, Traxxas or RPM? The reason for doing this is to take the slop out of it that it currently has. I am also going to change all the links to Traxxas adjustable links, since the one i have has the plastic fixed links. Last question, only because i haven looked yet, are there any upgrades that arent aluminum for the steering bellcrank?

 

[Chubaka]

I would do rpm arms, the trx aluminum on each corner, or use a nut.

I had slop in mine. I got rid of it some by putting a locknut behind the caster blocks and the stub axle carriers. This stopped the screw from losening.

Traxxas offers alumnum and steel links to replace the plastic camber sticks. Other companies offer aluminum, steel, and even titanium.

 

[pug]

RPM arms and aluminum caster blocks, steering blocks, and rear stub axle carriers.

 

[biggman100]

RPM arms and aluminum caster blocks, steering blocks, and rear stub axle carriers.

I would rather stick with plastic for everything except the links. Those i am going to do the blue Traxxas links. Since Traxxas makes the heavy duty arms in blue, I'm back and forth on Traxxas or RPM for those. The reason for this whole thing is because it already has a ton of Traxxas aluminum parts, and everything onn it is loose and sloppy, even with loc-tite, and I'm not a fan of aluminum anyway, especially for suspension and driveline parts, except for driveshafts. My plan is to replace the aluminum arms, rear hubs, front caster and steering blocks with all heavy duty plastic parts.

 

[pug]

I would rather stick with plastic for everything except the links. Those i am going to do the blue Traxxas links. Since Traxxas makes the heavy duty arms in blue, I'm back and forth on Traxxas or RPM for those. The reason for this whole thing is because it already has a ton of Traxxas aluminum parts, and everything onn it is loose and sloppy, even with loc-tite, and I'm not a fan of aluminum anyway, especially for suspension and driveline parts, except for driveshafts. My plan is to replace the aluminum arms, rear hubs, front caster and steering blocks with all heavy duty plastic parts.

I would go with RPM then, their caster blocks, rear stub axle carriers, and arms have been "bulletproof" on my Slash 2wd.

 

[Chubaka]

I would go with RPM then, their caster blocks, rear stub axle carriers, and arms have been "bulletproof" on my Slash 2wd.

The rpm castor can do a number on factory hinge pins.

 

[pug]

The rpm castor can do a number on factory hinge pins.

Good to know, mine haven't bent surprisingly.

 

[biggman100]

I would go with RPM then, their caster blocks, rear stub axle carriers, and arms have been "bulletproof" on my Slash 2wd.

I have heard that a few times, that RPM is better than Traxxas. This whole thing started though because i bought another used Slash 2WD yesterday, that, to run it, only needed a motor, so, i swapped the motor, and ran it today, and the thing is all over the place, and now i know why. I also now know why it was so cheap, since i paid less than $100 for it. Anyway, it has the same cheap eBay aluminum kit in it i was thinking about getting for my other Slash. I'm glad i didnt. It has so much slop, nothing stays adjusted, and the front end, even after adjusting it, is so loose, its nearly unpredictable. It also has plastic bushings in the steering bellcrank, and brass bushings in the hubs, so, i think i am going to start by replacing the caster blocks, steering blocks, and rear hubs, as well as put bearings in the hubs and bellcrank, since, the bellcrank is loose, but the links arent. Then run it again, and see what happens. The only thing i am confused on, if you look at the diagram for the bellcrank, it shows a bushing or bearing at the top and bottom, but, there are also 2 washers under the bellcrank that show a part number for the washers, but, says, optional part, which the number turns out to be the same bearings as the bellcrank takes, so, doea that mean those washers could be replaced with a bearing as well, making it so the bottom of the bellcrank has two bearings?

 

[Chubaka]

I have heard that a few times, that RPM is better than Traxxas. This whole thing started though because i bought another used Slash 2WD yesterday, that, to run it, only needed a motor, so, i swapped the motor, and ran it today, and the thing is all over the place, and now i know why. I also now know why it was so cheap, since i paid less than $100 for it. Anyway, it has the same cheap eBay aluminum kit in it i was thinking about getting for my other Slash. I'm glad i didnt. It has so much slop, nothing stays adjusted, and the front end, even after adjusting it, is so loose, its nearly unpredictable. It also has plastic bushings in the steering bellcrank, and brass bushings in the hubs, so, i think i am going to start by replacing the caster blocks, steering blocks, and rear hubs, as well as put bearings in the hubs and bellcrank, since, the bellcrank is loose, but the links arent. Then run it again, and see what happens. The only thing i am confused on, if you look at the diagram for the bellcrank, it shows a bushing or bearing at the top and bottom, but, there are also 2 washers under the bellcrank that show a part number for the washers, but, says, optional part, which the number turns out to be the same bearings as the bellcrank takes, so, doea that mean those washers could be replaced with a bearing as well, making it so the bottom of the bellcrank has two bearings?

Both top and bottom have a washer and bushing. The bushing is 5x7x2.5mm I believe. Its the same size as the bearings in the traxxas aluminum wheelie bar wheels. Even traxxas 1/16 rocker arms can use it.

Tra5114 is the optional bearing
Tra2545 is the original and cheap cost method of bushing.

 

[biggman100]

Both top and bottom have a washer and bushing. The bushing is 5x7x2.5mm I believe. Its the same size as the bearings in the traxxas aluminum wheelie bar wheels. Even traxxas 1/16 rocker arms can use it.

Tra5114 is the optional bearing
Tra2545 is the original and cheap cost method of bushing.

Going through exploded vies, i figured out which bearings it takes, but, looking at the exploded view is where i got confused. If you look at where i circled, the washers are part #1985, and under that is says 5X8X.5 TW, and, under that it says 5114 opt. which are the 5X8X2.5 bearings, so can those washers be replaced with bearings? The bushing part # is 2545, and i know those can be replaced by the 5114 bearings, I'm just lost on why you would also replace the washers with bearings.

 

[Dan B.]

It’s the bushings on some models that will take the optional bearings, not the washers. There are tiny PTFE washers that must be used at that point. I see why this is confusing.
I highly recommend the Traxxas aluminum bellcrank. I’ve used several other brands and the difference is crazy. Zero slop, super smooth. Whatever you decide to do for the rest is up to you, but…
Replace all bushings with bearings. Every bearing in the truck needs that tiny PTFE washer on both sides of the bearing too, whether it shows it in a diagram or not. Especially important in the tranny. And after it’s built check every single suspension joint and interface and don’t be afraid to shim things even though (again) it’s not in the diagram.
If you stick with the factory tranny and front bulkhead I would also recommend the HD Traxxas arms. I like them much better than the RPM ones, but if you use a different tranny (I have a built up Hot Racing aluminum case with a spool and all hardened gears in one of my 2wd’s) they will need a little filing/fitting or they bind in the rear.
Shimming and fitting the whole suspension helps a lot with the 2wd’s, but these things are a handful anyway, especially on 3s. I’ve said before that if you fine tune your skills and can drive a 2wd Slash on 3s then you can drive anything!

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

I agree with Dan. I've broke far more RPM arms than traxxas ones. I do bash pretty hard, jumping and such, but I've went through half a dozen RPM arms over the years. The factory ones lasted longer than RPM did and now that I've switched to Traxxas HD arms, I've been on the same ones for over a year now. No more RPM arms for this guy.

 

[biggman100]

It’s the bushings on some models that will take the optional bearings, not the washers. There are tiny PTFE washers that must be used at that point. I see why this is confusing.
I highly recommend the Traxxas aluminum bellcrank. I’ve used several other brands and the difference is crazy. Zero slop, super smooth. Whatever you decide to do for the rest is up to you, but…
Replace all bushings with bearings. Every bearing in the truck needs that tiny PTFE washer on both sides of the bearing too, whether it shows it in a diagram or not. Especially important in the tranny. And after it’s built check every single suspension joint and interface and don’t be afraid to shim things even though (again) it’s not in the diagram.
If you stick with the factory tranny and front bulkhead I would also recommend the HD Traxxas arms. I like them much better than the RPM ones, but if you use a different tranny (I have a built up Hot Racing aluminum case with a spool and all hardened gears in one of my 2wd’s) they will need a little filing/fitting or they bind in the rear.
Shimming and fitting the whole suspension helps a lot with the 2wd’s, but these things are a handful anyway, especially on 3s. I’ve said before that if you fine tune your skills and can drive a 2wd Slash on 3s then you can drive anything!

One of the first things i did when i got it was to go through the entire suspension and get rid of any of the slop it had, trying to tighten it up and make it more controllable. 2WD SCT's are my favorite type RC. I own a V1 Arrma Fury, Racers Edge Pro2, ECX Torment, two Slash 2WD's, 2 Losi 22S, and i just picked up a used AE SC10 slider to build another truck from. After years of running mainly those, they are easier for me to control than most 4WD's, but, i started out with 2WD Tamiya, Futaba, and Kyosho buggies. I did end up going aluminum for the caster blocks, steering blocks, and rear hubs, only because i picked up a trashed Rustler as part of a Slash/Rustler parts lot, and those parts were on the Rustler. They are all Traxxas parts, not Chinese eBay stuff, so, i figured why not use them. Then, just because i like to do things the hard way, as my GF says, i picked up a set of the Traxxas arms, and a set of RPM arms, and I'm gonna run them on the two Slash's i have, and see which one breaks first. As for the bearings, both trucks have a brand new rubber shielded bearing set, since one truck had brass and plastic bushings throughout ( i still think that truck started as a Bandit, and someone stuck the parts on a Slash chassis, since it had brass bushings in the hubs, and i have been told by several people the Slash didnt come with brass bushings, only the Rustler and Bandit did), and the other truck had metal shielded bearings, and half of them were seized up.

 

[JCsRCcar]

RPM uses a softer resin plastic so its good if you dont want to have parts break but not as good for stiffness and therefore increasing responsiveness. The RPM A-arms have been known to bend under long term stress/weight. The Traxxas brand aluminum parts are pretty good actually. Having done all these upgrades myself and learning a few things I’d either just get new Traxxas parts or get the aluminum front C-hub and rear hubs and keep the front steering knuckle plastic. The RPM steering knuckle has too much flex for me liking. Stick with the Traxxas A arms as they are a good mix of flexibility and stiffness. The RPM shock towers are ok though. Do not do Aluminum A arms but an aluminum front bulkhead is good and helps balance weight front to rear. If you are threading into aluminum then use threadlocker blue or the fasteners will tend to back out.

 

[biggman100]

RPM uses a softer resin plastic so its good if you dont want to have parts break but not as good for stiffness and therefore increasing responsiveness. The RPM A-arms have been known to bend under long term stress/weight. The Traxxas brand aluminum parts are pretty good actually. Having done all these upgrades myself and learning a few things I’d either just get new Traxxas parts or get the aluminum front C-hub and rear hubs and keep the front steering knuckle plastic. The RPM steering knuckle has too much flex for me liking. Stick with the Traxxas A arms as they are a good mix of flexibility and stiffness. The RPM shock towers are ok though. Do not do Aluminum A arms but an aluminum front bulkhead is good and helps balance weight front to rear. If you are threading into aluminum then use threadlocker blue or the fasteners will tend to back out.

Being an auto mechanic off and on for 30+ years, I'm well versed in thread lockers. As for the aluminum parts, the only ones i plan to do are the c hubs and steering blocks, and rear hubs, only because they came on a parts chassis i picked up, and are Traxxas parts. The rest of the truck, since i tend to bash it hard, and like to see it fly 20+ feet in the air, I'm going to stick with plastic to keep weight down.

 

[Addict Rc]

I want to upgrade the following parts on my 2WD Slash, caster blocks, steering blocks, rear hubs, and lower arms, so, real world experience, which is better, Traxxas or RPM? The reason for doing this is to take the slop out of it that it currently has. I am also going to change all the links to Traxxas adjustable links, since the one i have has the plastic fixed links. Last question, only because i haven looked yet, are there any upgrades that arent aluminum for the steering bellcrank?

Make sure to be careful with how many metal parts you put on it the metal parts can break other plastic parts if your bashing do plastic if street car do metal

 

[biggman100]

Make sure to be careful with how many metal parts you put on it the metal parts can break other plastic parts if your bashing do plastic if street car do metal

I'm actually not one to do a lot of metal for either one. Even my on-road stuff is mostly plastic, but, all of my vehicles are 1/10TH, so i dont see a need for heavier components. My thinking on heavier components is that, until you get into the higher power ranges, mainly 4S and up, plastic works perfectly ok, and is cheaper to replace when it breaks versus replacing bent aluminum parts. Shocks are pretty much the extent of the aluminum on most of what i have. For years, the only vehicle i had that had any metal that wasn't stock was my Racers Edge Pro2, and the only metal on that were the C-hubs and rear hubs and shock bodies. I have 2 Losi 22S SCT's that i routinely run on 3S, and the only metal on them that didnt come stock are the shock bodies. If you look at some of my Youtube videos, I'm hard on my RC's, and for the most part, the plastic works perfectly fine. When i say for the most part, what i mean is, when i can run a used Slash on a concrete skate park, do jumps, crashes and flips with it, and only break a C-hub the first time, and a rear hub the second time, in the cold and snow, and break nothing the third time, still in the cold and snow, then plastic is good enough.

 

[Dan B.]

I'm actually not one to do a lot of metal for either one. Even my on-road stuff is mostly plastic, but, all of my vehicles are 1/10TH, so i dont see a need for heavier components. My thinking on heavier components is that, until you get into the higher power ranges, mainly 4S and up, plastic works perfectly ok, and is cheaper to replace when it breaks versus replacing bent aluminum parts. Shocks are pretty much the extent of the aluminum on most of what i have. For years, the only vehicle i had that had any metal that wasn't stock was my Racers Edge Pro2, and the only metal on that were the C-hubs and rear hubs and shock bodies. I have 2 Losi 22S SCT's that i routinely run on 3S, and the only metal on them that didnt come stock are the shock bodies. If you look at some of my Youtube videos, I'm hard on my RC's, and for the most part, the plastic works perfectly fine. When i say for the most part, what i mean is, when i can run a used Slash on a concrete skate park, do jumps, crashes and flips with it, and only break a C-hub the first time, and a rear hub the second time, in the cold and snow, and break nothing the third time, still in the cold and snow, then plastic is good enough.

I agree, but with the Traxxas 2wd Slash I feel the perfect blend is the HD Traxxas arms (cold weather plastic but fit perfectly and don’t sag like the RPM ones over time) with Traxxas aluminum bearing carriers/steering blocks and the Traxxas aluminum bellcrank. That bellcrank is outstanding and I’ll never buy another brand again for any Traxxas truck. That setup has worked very well for me and has been really durable.
But honestly I’m talking bashing and general fun here. On a track with an experienced driver my money is going to be on a properly prepared Losi 22 or an AE 10 every time. For the 2wd’s my fave is an AE SC10. Easiest and best handling non 4wd I’ve ever had. It can run circles around my Slash VXL’s without even trying, it’s so much more controllable.

 

[biggman100]

I agree, but with the Traxxas 2wd Slash I feel the perfect blend is the HD Traxxas arms (cold weather plastic but fit perfectly and don’t sag like the RPM ones over time) with Traxxas aluminum bearing carriers/steering blocks and the Traxxas aluminum bellcrank. That bellcrank is outstanding and I’ll never buy another brand again for any Traxxas truck. That setup has worked very well for me and has been really durable.
But honestly I’m talking bashing and general fun here. On a track with an experienced driver my money is going to be on a properly prepared Losi 22 or an AE 10 every time. For the 2wd’s my fave is an AE SC10. Easiest and best handling non 4wd I’ve ever had. It can run circles around my Slash VXL’s without even trying, it’s so much more controllable.

I dont race anymore, but, if i did, i would still pick my Arrma Fury over any other truck i own, including my Losi 22SCT and AE SC10. The Slash is an ok platform, but, takes too much to really make it competitive.