Buying a 'pede VXL anything I should know?

[TheRandom1]

I just read the faq, but is there anything else I should know about Stampede's before I buy?

I'm going to be buying a Stampede VXL in the near future. I know it's going to be fast as all heck, and I'm going to be careful and make sure I figure out how it handles before I get going to it's full 65 mph potential... ok, well maybe I'll make a quick run right out of the box, but still.

I know I'm going to need batteries and such, those will probably be bought before the truck, as that's how money will present itself, and that way I can have them fully charged as soon as I get the truck home!

 

[offroadford4x4]

Well with the VXL, the 65+ mark will only be achieve with 11.1 or more volts, in other words, a lipo 3S. You could do it with sub c cells but it'll be heavy. I'd drive it a few times on a standard 6cell stick pack. They do good with that. once you get the hang of it then toss in the 3s.

And with the 3S lipos, 2 batts and charger will cost about as much the truck from what I've seen

 

[Savage03]

Do yourself a favor and stay clear of the 3s till your comfortable with it. I have mamba max pede and run 2s in it and I cant kepp the front wheels planted even after stretching the frame 2" and putting a huge fish weight on the front end. For kicks I got a 3s lipo to see what it can do and it last about half a charge and I said forget it, got a nice burn hole in my new body from sliding down the street on its lid. A wheelie bar is a must have! I dont know much about thetraxxas BL system but the mamba is very tunable and I even have mine set at its lowest and its still a monster.

 

[TheRandom1]

So stick with standard stuff in the truck at first, got it. Not a bad idea at all.

Now, with this system, even a standard 6-pack will make this truck faster than a regular Stampede, right? Or should I just go with a regular one and save 2 or 3 dollars?

 

[Savage03]

Naw go with the BL package, you will at some point want it anyways :wnk

 

[carcrusher]

to take a xl-5 stampede and upgrade it to vxl specs, it would be over 400 bucks plus the cost of the xl-5 stmapede. the tranny, bearings, turnbuckles, servo, and the brushless system itself are far and above worth the extra money for the vxl.

even on a 6 cell pack, the truck nudges 40 if the pack is good. i threw an 8 cell 3700 pack and a 30 tooth pinion on mine and it wouldn't even register on my hot wheels gun (which i believe maxes out at either 50 or 60).


just make sure you tighten the right rear wheel down super-tight. i lost mine at the end of my first pack because the torque loosened up the rr locknut. the thing wasn't really torqued down enough from the factory - as all of the locknuts needed about a full turn to make them snug.

 

[dbrier]

It will be amazingly fast right out of the box.

I get the idea that you are new to this kind of RC car from this and your other posts. The VXL will probably be more than you expect.

 

[tejotasbd]

its crazy to see what the stampede has become - from its humble beginnings, lol - it was my first "hobby" rc, bought the summer of 1996, had a year left of high school ( i feel sooo old right now ! ) the stampede then didnt come with a slipper clutch, didnt come with ball bearings, nore did you get the 20t stinger motor, let alone the 12t 550 or a brushless! lol, but i had a ton of fun with that truck - some kids in school had a real car, which i didnt, but i was sky high on my traxxas stampede - runnin the msc and a 7 cell duratrax battery! great times ! :trk

65mph out the box - who remembers Kent Clausen and the work he did just to hit 70 something? - that was the world record - lol, RTRs are creepin up on former world records

 

[TheRandom1]

I am new to electrics, yes. I have owned 3 HPI nitro stadium trucks, but I just couldn't get the hang of tuning them, so I gave the hobby up. Now I want to try again, but with electrics, and I think a monster truck will be more fun than a stadium truck anyways.

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[4u2nv]

Electric is the only way to go. I had nitros before as well now I won't even touch them. My Emaxx runs on a 9xl motor with 6s and is stupid fast. I have a Mamba for my pede as well but haven't installed it yet.

 

[TheRandom1]

After careful consideration, the VXL isn't the one I'm going with. Not right away, atleast. I'll get "just the regular" stampede for now, and once I get comfortable with it, and decide whether or not electric RC is for me or not... then I'll get the more expensive one.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have the new truck! Thank you, everyone, for your answers and advice!

 

[spinout180]

Other than the speed of the stock Stampede, which itsn't too bad, I think you'll have a blast with it! If you drop in a 7 cell, it'll kick up the fun even more. All in all, it's a tough, inexpensive fun truck. I would strongly recommend the RPM caster blocks and uprights which allow you to run bigger wheel bearings and increase the strength. Enjoy!
:trk

Troy.

 

[TheRandom1]

Picked it up today, and took it out in the yard for a quick bash run. This thing is pretty cool!

I got the truck, 2 3600 NIMH venom batteries (7.2 v) and a dynamite prophet sport charger for 300 bucks. Decent deal? I like the batteries, but can already tell I will probably try to go with a bigger one!

 

[Pedester]

Buying a 'pede VXL anything I should know?

Chicks dig brushless. :tong

I would upgrade to RPM carriers and maybe the newer RPM arms and C-hubs.
They make their parts from Nylon-Composite, so they are much more flexible than the stock parts.

Other than that, have fun!

 

[TheRandom1]

Is that stuff I can get at a regular hobby shop, or do I have to find it somewhere in particular?

 

[Pedester]

Your local shop should carry it. If not, it's available to them or to you online.

Excellent products from them and if you should break something, they replace the parts free of charge if you have the reciept.

The carriers use 5x11 bearings, which is most important.
These are oversize compaired to the stock 5x8 bearing. I cannot tell you how many times I have blown apart the 5x8's before switching.
Well worth the money.

 

[4u2nv]

You can also use nitro 4tec rear hub carriers they are cheaper and use the same size bearings as the RPM ones.

 

[Pedester]

True.

 

[spinout180]

I dont know much about thetraxxas BL system but the mamba is very tunable and I even have mine set at its lowest and its still a monster.

Just curious, which Mamba system do you have? The reason I'm asking is because I'm looking into getting one for my basher pede. Castle Creations seems to be the least expensive (from Tower Hobbies) of the bunch for the higher kV settups.

Troy.