If you read Part 1 of this guide (CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT) you may remember that for the Part 2 portion of “Upgrading Your RTR Axial SCX10″ I planned on limiting the budget to $100. Well, in the grand tradition of every single r/c project I’ve been apart of…we are going over budget! Besides, if your rig isn’t over budget then you aren’t a true scaler! Right?! Yeah, this excuse never works on my wife either. I digress. Click the “Read More” button to see what kind of trouble we can get into this time.
Pro-Line Interco TSL XL 1.9 Tires -$52
Upgrading your tires/wheels is a very important decision. Not only do they play a significant role in how your truck handles, but they also play a big part in what it looks like. A macho rig ain’t a macho rig without macho tires. Hey, I didn’t make the rules I just follow em’. I’ve used a wide variety of scaling tires over the last couple years and this recommendation doesn’t come lightly. Heck, I think over the last year and a half I’ve spent over $300 dollars on just 1.9” tires (not wheels) alone. The market is crowded with superb rubber but in my opinion the new Pro-Line TSL XL’s (Part# 1197-14) are the cat’s meow. I’ve used them for about 5 months now (both on my Ford dually and JK SCX10′s) and across the board they are my favorite.
The tires grip everything, clean out extremely well, and offer fantastic ground clearance. They are (IMO) second to none in the scale looks department and give any vehicle the look of a Top Truck Challenge performer. I highly recommend them.
Pro-Line FaultLine 1.9” Bead-Lock 10 Spoke Wheels – $50
The perfect compliment to the big TSL’s are Pro-Line’s new FaultLine wheels (Part #2748-15). They look trick, were made with the TSL’s in mind, and have such a tight grip on the bead that legendary wrestler Danny Hodge would be proud (here’s what I mean). Make sure you have a drill on hand though, as each wheel has a staggering 40 screws per wheel (front and back) and they are all functional. The wheels went together easy and the thick plastic/metal ring construction felt very robust.
Ultimately there are many nice selections out there when it comes to scale wheels but I give the FaultLine’s the nod because they are a quality aftermarket option that won’t break your bank.
Wheel Weight – 0$ to 10$
You’ll want to weight the front wheels with about 2/3 ounces of lead stick-ons to keep your front planted. You can score the weight from your local tire shop (many times for free if you are polite). You could also use model airplane balancing weight from your local hobby shop. I guess I should point out that not everyone weights their wheels anymore, especially people using big power plants (for the purposes of this series I’m assuming you are using the RTR Axial 27t system). Knuckle weights are also a viable option but due to my lack of personal experience with them I can’t make the recommendation in good faith.
Bottom 4 Link Bars – $36
The stock plastic 4 link bars on the SCX10 will do OK for awhile, but once you hit the point of upgrading the wheels and tires I recommend you throw down the jack for an aluminum upgrade. And while Axial offers a full aluminum link replacement kit for around $70 (AX30550), you can use the following part numbers to just do the important bottom links and thereby save around 30 bucks. The bottom links are vital because they are in constant contact with rocks and debris and it won’t take long for the plastic stockers to get bent up. This leads to bad cases of axle wrap and we don’t want that. You will need the following Axial part #’s:
AX30518 Front Threaded Link – 9$
AX30516 Rear Threaded Link – 10$
AXA186 M3 x 16 Set Screws – $5
AX80005 – Linkage Parts Tree – 6$ x2 (you may not need these if your truck came with extra sets)
In the world of scale r/c nothing makes me happier than a boss set of wheels and tires. Hopefully you feel the same. While these upgrades will make your wallet around $150 lighter, your rig should now feel/look a lot better out on the rocks. In part 3 we are going to drop our budget to around $50 and talk battery location. Look for it soon right here on BSRC!
