5 Best Axial Capra Upgrades and Mods for ultimate rc rock crawling

5 best upgrades and mods to make the Axial Capra crawl like a goat
Axial Capra - snp.link/006233d5
1) Mod the shocks to lower the ride height
snp.link/07ecbbc9
2) Use a brushless motor
Hobbywing 2300kv - snp.link/865b68cc
Hobbywing 1800kv - snp.link/896bdd5c
Castle Slate 2280kv - snp.link/7d128142
3) Use a powerful servo
Savox 1210 - snp.link/1874c784
Savox 2290 - snp.link/5520cd6a
4) Lock the DIG transmission if you're not using it
5) Use heavy beadlock wheels
Vanquish beadlocks - snp.link/798c382b
Bonus: Use a small, powerful 3s lipo battery
tatu 1550 mah - snp.link/0be17bea
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[@RCReviewChannel]

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[@scottcooper3161]

I have watched dozens and dozens of people doing reviews your channel is the best . Thank you .

[@billderas3420]

Francis. All good points. Started off with the Reefs 444 (steering) and 99 Micro (DIG) Servos on my rig. Both running at 7.4V. Awesome servos. Yes, I do have super tight turns at Wingfield Park in Reno that the locked-out DIG is able to do with grace. No problem setting the DIG up and operating it with my Rugged radio. Was running the soft springs from the kit all-around. Today will be trying Axial Spring AXI233004 (13x70mm 0.72 lbs/in Purple Soft Soft) which is the softest optional spring from Axial.

[@MCsCreations]

Really fantastic crawler, dude. Amazing! 😃 Thanks for all the tips!

[@MolocHlevel30]

Great! Would be nice to see it with the 2300kv little bashing. i know its a rock crawler but a little bashing is always fun.

[@generalcaeser9176]

I might have watched this video 20x (and most likely will watch again) just to get it all done correctly. I did 80% of what you got on this video and I couldn't be happier. Thank you for the excellent information!

[@Charlieoil]

I love your presentation. I just got my Capra build. Thank you.

[@BSalc]

Awesome content! Thanks...Now, You’re making me think of getting this kit lol.

[@hillie47]

First thing I did when I built my SCX10.2: heavy wheels. Never used the kit wheels. Straight to heavy steel. Also added a bit of brass at the bottom of the shock and wherever possible. Plus Hyrax predators, very nice tires. But I figured out that I'm not that much of a scale type of guy, I much more prefer to climb the craziest stuff, so I'm strongly considering the Capra. My son kind of took over the SCX10 anyway, he loves it. :) Suspension tuning is something everybody should figure out. The spring rate is mostly dependent on weight. If the car sits too high with no preload (the adjustment ring that precompresses the spring), get a softer spring. It's better to sit a bit low and raise it with some preload than sit too high. If the rig bounces too much, consider the oil, both level and thickness are things you can experiment with. And if you have different "discs" (more or less holes), work with those too, it's basically damping adjustment. Unlike nice motorcycle suspension, there's no adjustable compression and rebound damping, but fortunately these shocks are easy to work on. :) I love your videos, you always seem super excited, but still highlight any cons. Very nice!

[@RCReviewChannel]

hyrax ftw.

[@operation11charlieinc]

Awesome brother like Always,, can't wait to start my building mine 👍✌

[@KTMcaptain]

For the springs, I run the soft springs up front and the mediums in the rear. Or, I'll run the mediums up front and the hards in the rear with my DSM kinetic recovery strap under both axles to provide a central negative spring as to not hurt articulation while being able to adjust it quickly.

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

I would absolutely LOVE this Kit!! First one that excited me since the Wraith! Sadly EVERYONE knows my situation by now... It ain't gonna happen. 😭😭 Might get lucky, don't really think so. GREAT overview Francis, as usual!! 👍👍 Carmine ✈🚂🚙

[@DrBleck35]

I just drove my new Capra RTR in the snow, it is a fantastic snow basher.

[@user-nk4ot4zh9o]

Thank you Francis. We have to differentiate trail trucks from dedicated rock crawlers. Two very very different things, minus bullies, customs, etc. No big advertising for crawler specific models that could really perform. Very upsetting to buy and have to spend the same to modify for pure crawling needs. Many of us only have rocks, not much trail. Thank you, you are the man

[@cbrmotovlogger2624]

Sounds like a revolver in the red capra. Exactly my plans as I've just ordered the motor and esc. Then will get the sweet looking cf body parts.

[@redline6871]

Got mine and extended the wheelbase to fit 2.2's better and I'm going to the 3 gear scx10 style trans instead. Always like your take on the rigs helps me decide what I am going to do. It gives me a good start and what to expect for my builds.

[@lifewithcarter9614]

What did you do to fit 2.2’s?

[@hairstonkyle5127]

Love your vids man 💯

[@mathieufournierauger7978]

Please could you specify what sw vanquish wheel you use on the capra because it is complicated to know which gives the right release thanks

[@snatch2236]

Best 5 upgrades: soft spring,tires,foams,Knuckleweights,change linkgeometrie

[@bryanlarsen2330]

I just bought the 550 Axe for my TRX4, can’t drop that much again right away. For now I’m going HW 1080/HH Crawlmaster Expert 540 13T geared down slightly. Reefs 444 and the Spektrum SX107 for starters them maybe upgrade to the Reefs 99 down the road. Still picking out tires and wheels.

[@ju2067]

great suggestions. Thank you!

[@user-zu6wj7gx5k]

I'd love it your review. 🙂🙂 What do you think to change pinion gear 11T ?

[@Rob-tl9md]

Reefs 99 servo will fix your dig. Its a beast of a tiny servo.

[@VictorMartinez-nj2cb]

Thanks for the Video, i love all your videos, quick question on the shocks that you recommend, there's two options on the springs, 0.39 and 0.61 rate, what would you recommend, TIA.

[@75Richg]

Can the stock dig servo on the RTR version handle 7.4v? Or is there a replacement that can?

[@braydenhall1835]

What do you think about the flysky fs-gt5 radio/receiver? Would it be a good budget remote for this rig?

[@ztwntyn8]

I am jealous of the little guy tbh. It looks so capable. Good mod ideas. Always the steering servo and motor. But brushless senators j haven’t tried. I see it’s stable and controllable at low input but also hopped off that rock to the grass and was impressive that way also. In crawling I don’t know that I want to be allowed to jump and just outpower obstacles. It’s all about traction to me. But that’s me. Good job, c-ya next vid!

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

Brushless senators are good!! 😜😄

[@snatch2236]

brushed motor is the way to go if you want to crawl!

[@crazyskullcrusha]

So did you install Traxxas TRX springs to lower the ride height? If so, which spring rate? The link in the description takes me to, "Traxxas TRX-4 PTFE Coated Aluminum GTS Shocks (2)".

[@Rc-Adventurers]

Two questions. How heavy do you recommend for wheels and where did you potions your upper links?. Which holes?

[@user-nk4ot4zh9o]

I'm not sure punch and wheelspeed are the answer. You're still the man :)

[@robbryan3044]

Great list of upgrades (I've, essentially, already done variations on all five)...but, you missed one majorly important one - the driveshafts. Several people (myself, included) have replaced the stock driveshafts work the Vanquish Incision driveshafts for the SCX10.2. They're not only a perfect fit, and stronger, but they also help lower the COG. As for your "Capra motor shootout", is like to suggest a third motor. In addition to the HW AXE w/ 2300kV, and Mamba X w/ Slate 2280kV, you should also include a Mamba X w/ HH PP 2200kV, as they're all fairly easily on the kV output (and, while you're at it, forget about the AXE 1700kV).

[@RCReviewChannel]

Really appreciate it!!!!!

[@zachcooper382]

I installed incision driveshafts when I stretched my wheelbase!

[@michaelgravlund9194]

Hi Francis. Could this Capra be a good choice to upgrade with GSpeed V3 chassis ?

[@Rc-Adventurers]

Can you use the dig as free wheel instead of locking it?

[@NiekkieNick]

Thanks for these tips! I am getting into crawling and stop with racing on the track! By the way.....those adds on KZbin are getting very annoying! Almost every two minutes the video is being interrupted!

[@medievalpossum6504]

I got mine all wired then I had a puff of smoke and I haven’t got it going yet

[@wildmangeorgesrcchannel6916]

It was the crawler of the year. Probly best crawler of this year too,

[@Cooldibs]

Which springs did you use on your Capra?

[@85_slorunner]

Any reviews on the new Capra 4ws models that just came out??

[@DB-qm4jx]

Treal or injora for brass and wheels for the Capra?

[@KTMcaptain]

Actually, locking the dig gives less control on descent vs a brake. The wheels slide and won't always follow the path the steering axle wants them to go. If your rig isn't point strait down then the dig axle can skid around the front. With a drag brake and fully locked drive line all 4 wheels have to slide in order for the vehicle to become uncontrolled. The front wheels holding most of the weight on a descent are less likely to skid than the rear wheels. So using a dig down hill makes the rig far less stable to maneuver. The same concept, locking brakes on a stop causes the vehicle to go strait regardless of steering angle... turn on abs and the wheels now turn with the ground and the vehicle can steer even under extreme braking conditions. You pretty much want your wheels to rotate with the vehicle and match the road speed. too much or too little can cause control issues. I would only use dig going down hill to help make a turn.

[@kevingoodrich3050]

Dig and 4WS are incredible been using them for years. You can also move the battery next to the trans. Another great performance mod is to shorten the front upper links about 10 mm . This will make turning with and without the dig better.

[@RCReviewChannel]

Very good insight!!!

[@sikolikhole]

Just bought one, the shock issue isn't stiffness its droop. This thing need a TON more droop and a little bit more height. It hangs up on the body too much.

[@dj070906]

Just bought hobbywing axe and for some reason has more power in reverse then in forward any suggestions?

[@RCPropaganda]

Just change the motor direction. Should be able to via the programming.

[@shanemattson1024]

I wonder how well a Losi Night Crawler could keep up with this thing. Could be an interesting shootout. What else would you consider pitting it against?

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

Good choice! It would KILL anything from TRAXXASS!! 😜

[@evoxer87]

I'm in agreement with you. Losi Night Crawler VS Axial Capra!

[@lowslowcrawlers1304]

I have both. The nightcrawler is a beast. It does lines the capra cant do. The capra does lines th er losi cant do. If I had the money I'd put a brushless on my nightcrawler and see how those nasty axles handle it. The capra has the full castle slate system, but its top heavy compared to the losi. I'll do a comparison video in a cpl weeks lol when I'm back home from out of town work Ill Put both rigs on the same crazy rocks. I live next to a really good testing spot

[@odomandr]

Except for the shock tuning, those are not upgrades. They are things that should be done when you build it.

[@wildmangeorgesrcchannel6916]

Do you put pen springs in all 4 shocks...oh I have modded mine and I now have a axe 550 combo in it a 3300kv it crawls very slow when I want it to and very fast when I want it to. I recomend using the d.i.g. I just hooked mine up after all this time and I love it. I love turning on a dime. No question it’s a good thing to have

[@pimpdaub]

How difficult was it getting the 550 to fit?

[@wildmangeorgesrcchannel6916]

pimpdaub not bad I got the treal skid and had to grind off a tab and re position the rear upper links but it fits and works great

[@evertyager]

Why on all videos I see that talk about dig never mention the freewheel ability. I set it up for all three positions. The freewheel is awesome for steep climbs where rear wheels want to flip you over

[@ompton1381]

is dig more useful than the overdrive provided by the sendero? also, what radio are you using? I heard spektrum radios sometimes don't work with savox servo

[@RCReviewChannel]

Definitely not. Overdrive is more useful in our opinion. Way more simple, intuitive and seamless too. Dig can be useful in Competitions were backing up or 3-point turn is not an option

[@KTMcaptain]

@@RCReviewChannel I never understood the arbitrary rules against reverse in competition ever existed. A dig unit seems much more of a cheat than reverse... It's like when kids play video games and they try and rig the match against their friends to suit their advantages. If a rig can do it with the gear it has in the lowest time then that's all that 'should' matter. Whoops, drank some water... disqualified...

[@JoeOvercoat]

@@KTMcaptain Agreed! I can understand giving bonus points for never backing up so that you drove the entire course in one long beautiful line. But if I’m driving a 1:1 Jeep in the woods I’m backing that thing up to maneuver or try a different line. Getting past the obstacle should be the metric.

[@greendiode5522]

Thanks for the review. What kind of runtimes are you getting with 1550mah 3S batteries?

[@RCReviewChannel]

With often on calling and not trail running we get about an hour of run time with our hobby wing 540 process motor.

[@hillie47]

I use 3S 90C 1500mAh Venom drone batteries in my fairly heavy SCX10.2 with a HH 2700kv and BLE pro ESC and can crawl for 1.5 to 2 hours. But don't go racing trails or anything. :)

[@justinfleming2683]

Hey Francis! When you say to use the pen springs inside, does that mean to put the pen spring on the shock shaft inside the shock to start lifting the piston inside the shock to stop the shock from fully extending? Lol I think I got my idea out in that question. I first saw this vid a long time ago but didn’t get around to grabbing the Capra till now.

[@RCReviewChannel]

Exactly. It makes the shock sit lower when in neutral position. It takes away a little ibt of travel so it's best to use a small pen spring that has a short stack height when fully compress (since that the travel it takes away).

[@justinfleming2683]

Brilliant, and thanks for the quick reply!!!

[@crashescrashes9267]

It's a kit aimed at comps the dig is very useful in those situations shock and link tuning is more beneficial as far as servo voltage a Bec takes care of having different voltages where needed

[@RCReviewChannel]

Perhaps. But how many of these Capras will actually be used in Comps? 5% is hour high estimate

[@travisgross9570]

use traxxas 90 mm white springs on stock shocks😊

[@wernervanrooyen4159]

Great review as always. What tyres did you use on the reddish / brown Capra?

[@miketye2805]

Werner van Rooyen looks like there teamottsix klr

[@wernervanrooyen4159]

@@miketye2805 thank you, they look fantastic.

[@miketye2805]

Werner van Rooyen oh yea man def one of the best. Def in top 2 or 3. If not the best

[@wernervanrooyen4159]

@@miketye2805 sounds good, I'm looking for something different. Think I'll pull the trigger on these. Thanks for the advise.

[@miketye2805]

Werner van Rooyen no prob, you won’t be disappointed that’s for sure

[@michaelzimmerman1361]

Element springs work the best

[@imemovengeance]

I'm wanting to see how TRX-4 shocks do on a Capra

[@RCReviewChannel]

We have that now and we ran it yesterday. Good for CG but articulation suffers a bit. We'll run it more today.

[@user-nk4ot4zh9o]

Also keep in mind, we have few specials. Brushless, reefs, 3 bros, mambas, etc. Just can't afford. My own problem i 'spect.

[@tomandrews5392]

Great information...I have been powering all my servos including the micro servo with 7.4 volt the small servo is still hanging in there....Castle Mamba X all the way ....I have setup 4 wheel steering on it and it is a different world....

[@lowslowcrawlers1304]

@@kevanray help

[@lowslowcrawlers1304]

I have the full castle slate with the new spektrum Rx with a dx5 I can't get my dig right! Basically it locks and unlocks super smooth. But I cant find the freewheel option! Can you help?!

[@tomandrews5392]

@@lowslowcrawlers1304 First you need a true 3 position switch or rotary switch ...set switch to center position and set up dig servo in free wheel position ....move to lock position set end point ...move to center check free wheel .. move to unlock position set end point ...test switch... I had to set center position first and adjust servo horn ion free wheel position...

[@lowslowcrawlers1304]

@@tomandrews5392 I'll try it. My buddy had it working with his dx5c pro but my cheapy dx5c cant figure it out

[@JoeOvercoat]

@@lowslowcrawlers1304 I’ve been trying to figure out if I did in fact see a freewheel option on the Capra thank you for clearing that up. P.S. The Spectrum DX 3E has an adjustable third channel that should do the trick here, though I don’t know. That’s how I solved one of my Bombers’ shifting servo control issues (Flysky FS-GT3B for the other). End Point adjustment was everything for my setups.

[@ztwntyn8]

I am going to run over (monster truck style) the first one of these little wraiths I see with my 2.2 wraith... if I can catch it with the dig on or something 🤣

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

That's at least something I can do!! 😆😄 My 2.2 Wraith (SAD I now have to make that distinction), at 14.8lbs... Will CRUSH it!!

[@DR.ELEKTRIK]

I have $1,200 into the Capra and it's still not done!

[@jordanstanga1371]

It's already op what do you mean😂

[@isawul00k]

I recognize that climb! You’re local!??

[@RCReviewChannel]

local to where? :)

[@ulisesh2727]

@@RCReviewChannel to planet earth my friend😅

[@snatch2236]

Hm.... it´s still not a real crawler! Ever driven a Pro or Shafty Crawler? I also have one for a Capra-Cup,but it´s far away from a real comp crawler

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

I wouldn't put it up against my old Berg either... It would SHAME the Capra!!

[@Snowtrails11]

Most of your videos are pretty good, but this one misses the mark. Advising to add rotational mass, getting rid of a key feature such as dig on a chassis that is meant for competition like crawling, and adding a brushless motor? It has higher gearing than a trail truck, therefore much faster wheelspeed.

[@jslots2]

Love your videos but, please stop showing the vehicle climbing rocks when you have the vehicle in your hands and explaining things, we can't see what you are talking about.

[@1970scout800]

They need to upgrade that trash servo on axle setup!..lame!..and don't compare the capra to scale trail/rockcrawlers like the trx-4 or element enduro..they are different types of vehicles..

[@BrickTop1]

you cant get better steering than with servo on axle...

[@johnd3579]

It's not all that different....it's an RC car!! Sure it looks different but take off the flimsy poly shell and they look pretty similar. One has a far superior design to rock crawl and the other looks pretty splashing through puddles. Whichever one you choose is great, just have fun with it.

[@1970scout800]

@@BrickTop1 It looks like shit!..like a cheap ass Walmart crawler!

[@1970scout800]

@@johnd3579 One is meant to actually look a real vehicle to scale the other is not.

[@johnd3579]

@@1970scout800 rock crawlers are real vehicles. Have you ever been to a rock crawler event? The Capra looks like the real thing.

[@snatch2236]

learn to dig,don´t talk shit about it when you can´t control a dig...

[@douglaselliott8298]

The DIG is like 2-speed transmissions and remote-controlled diff locks. More electro-mechanical bullsh*t to go wrong, frustrate, anger, and give impetus to smashing the RC into tiny pieces with a 5lb sledgehammer and quit the hobby forever. K I S S !!!

[@user-nk4ot4zh9o]

You had my attn until you suggested brushless. Your answer too often is go brushless. Perhaps rightfully so, but many of us cannot afford brushless systems you suggest. What is wrong with a holmes 540, 1080 and a flysky? If you want to continue catering to the $ crowd that's your perogitive. For those seeking quality budget friendly reviews you need to decide which direction your channel will go. Apple or Android.

[@patricedavid1]

Use a brushless motor???? First time i see somebody say that a brushless motor is a good upgrade and specially on a crawler lol 😂 sorry but in my opinion your extremely wrong and a other thing....all vehicule shoud have the same tires when you do test between them your doing great video but sorry those test are no good