Upgrading Electric Stampede

[Mekong]

I got a new electric stampede with esc, what would be the best things to upgrade on it?

[adrcracing]

First, RPM bearing/axle carriers and ball bearings. Next I would get rid of those heavy unbalanced Traxxas tires.

[maxxamillion]

Then the aluminum 'Big Bore' shocks-wait till ya blow the stock caps though.

[Mekong]

Where is the best place to get these parts?

Also what type of bearings? Poly-amide?

Thanks for the help

[SS Pede]

To install bigger, stronger 5x11 bearings you need these (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXNY89&P=7) for the front and these (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXNY90&P=7) for the rear. Then any 5x11 size bearings will fit...what's Poly-amide? :)

[Mekong]

These are the poly-amide bearings I was talking about:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=44028&item=5911220115

are they any good? Any recomendations?

[kitty]

I'd skip on the big bore shocks and just get aluminum caps for the existing ones when it's time to rebuild them. Here's a link (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJG94&P=7) to them. I know it says for Big Bore shocks, but they're the ones I have on my stock E-Pede shocks. I treat my E-Pede like it owes me money and have never blown a shock cap since switching over to those.

Another item you may want to consider is a RPM wide front bumper (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXEV91&P=7). It helps you to bounce off things you run into instead of breaking suspension arms/pins. My best friend hit my E-Pede head-on going full tilt. My truck just bounced a 360; he bent the crap out of a hinge pin and broke a bulkhead.

<edit>He was driving his E-Maxx</edit>

[Mekong]

Yeah I had the truck for all of 30min before I went out nd got that bumper, it gets alot of use.

Are thoes bearings any good that I linked???

[SS Pede]

They probably are good bearings, but that is a set for the entire Stampede. To upgrade the wheels to bearings you need only 8 5x8 bearings, or 8 5x11 bearings if you upgrade to RPM bearing carriers. The tranny already spins on sealed bearings.

[kitty]

You really don't need anything fancy for wheel bearings. For my E-Pede, I just buy the 5x11s in a little "tube" of 10 by Duratrax. They're a bit cheaper than others and have teflon shields. Here's a link (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXD122) to them. When they get dirty, I clean then re-oil them. When they no longer spin freely, I just replace 'em and toss the old ones out.

[Mekong]

Thanks, one more question what is a CVD? The guy at the LHS was telling me I should get one of these http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAW51&P=7

[ososlow]

I would also recommend that you buy the rpm large front bearing axle carriers, it is completely pointless to buy the smaller bearings since they will bust on the first bit of stress put on them (at least thats how it was for me. Double the price also sucked) I had that RPM wide front bumper....... for 3 hours, the first nose-landing jump I took, it broke in half. I have run into many fence posts and not busted anything except c-hubs. The odd shock cap popping off is annoying, I fixed that with a bit of electrical tape and some hot glue (I know, I'm a redneck :D )
The best first upgrade I say is a little hotter motor. I have been out of the loop for a while so I cant recommend one. A 14 double works good with a 22/79 gearing though, melted my msc good :D .
The tires are kinda crappy, I installed some ST tires and it hooked up good. I had to build a wheelie bar out of my Meccano (sp?) set.

Those CVD's should really smooth up the drivetrain. I have had my half shafts for 4 years now and they have more wobble than a tire with foam inserts full of water.
If you keep the half-shafts, buy some hardened steel yokes (If they dont include them now-a-days) I broke more than my fair share of those. :rolleyes:

[kitty]

I may switch back to using the stock shafts on mine, along with a pair of the hardened yokes. I've been using the MIP CVDs for a while now and so far have bent three of them. They also use a different hex nut on the axles, which barely fits on so I have to put mine on backwards (nylock insert towards the wheel). Additionally, the little set screws that hold the outdrives on like to strip out and are apparently SAE while everything else on my truck is metric. The outdrives also tend to wobble easily.

Don't expect customer support from MIP if you run into any of those issues. Two different times I called them and spoke to two different guys. Both had the same answer to my question as to why they made the axles too short and of a different thread. To paraphrase their replies: "live with it." Neither could answer my question if there was a CVD axle made for another vehicle that had the same cup size, but with a longer threaded shaft, especially one that was metric. I asked if they had a chart available somewhere with the specs/dimensions of their CVDs so that I could cross reference for potential other parts to use. Paraphrasing again: "We don't bother doing that."

Some customer service, eh? I bought their CVDs for my E-Pede and a full set all around for my baby bro's E-Maxx. That was before I had to call them with the issues I was having and I can say for sure that never again will I buy anything from MIP.

[Mekong]

So what is it and what does it do (CVD)?

[maxxamillion]

Constant Velocity Drive. A smooth thin solid steel axle vs a hollow plastic stock axle. The outdrive cup at the outer axle works very smooth at all angles of suspension movement. Supposed to be smoother, stronger and more dependable. And rather expensive. The stock axles are adequate(maybe with the hardened yokes).
A good motor is the Chameleon Pro(19 turn) and a Novak Rooster ESC.
A couple teeth smaller on the pinion and it will run cold and be as fast as a GT gas truck. At least mine was(I mean my kids lol).
The bad thing about keeping the plastic shocks is; eventually the hole where the shock shaft slides through will become egg shaped and will not hold oil.
I also use nitro Stampede wheels. With less inset they make for a wider stance and more stability.
.02

[Mekong]

Thanks a bunch everyone has been a great help.

Okay about motors, I have heard that the mod-motors need alot of maintnance and wear out quickly, is this true? Can anyone expand on how quickly they wear out and the maintnance needed?

It seems to me that if it all possible cash wise, bushless is the way to go. How much should I expect to pay? Any recomendations on a bushless system?

[SS Pede]

Expect to pay over $200 for a brushless system, perhaps a lot more.

I have the Novak SS5800 system and I love it. One issue though, you might experience radio glitching with it if you use the stock traxxas radio. Then again, you might not. Sometime in the future an FM radio could fix that (that's what I plan on doing). The Novak is great because it is plenty fast for me (probably twice as fast as the stock motor, and waaaay more acceleration) and is also very efficient. Pretty long run times. It's easy to install because everything is all hooked up, no soldering.

There are other options out there, the Novak is just one of them. Check out the BL motor forum for more info. :)

[Mekong]

Are there any motors that I can get which would work with the stock ESC?

[SS Pede]

Not BL motors, but brushed motors work as long as they are 17+ turns.

[Mekong]

Are that would raise acceleration AND top speed? I think it has the right ratio of each, but it would be nice to have more of both.

Thanks for helping a newbie