CR18P EVO PRO Upgrades - The Build Begins

In this video I install and test the first set of mods on the Hobby Plus CR18P Evo Pro! This truck is great out of the box, but I am going to attempt to make it even better, plus strengthen the drivetrain with a handful of basic mods.
Wheels: littleguyracingparts.com/coll...
Tires: littleguyracingparts.com/coll...
Brass portal covers (front): amzn.to/49cLko6
Steering upgrade kit: amzn.to/3SeU7z1
Driveshafts: amzn.to/42nCYrO
Evo Pro RTR: amzn.to/3SAHv6P
Torque twist fix: • Hobbyplus Evo Pro Torq...
Cape Crawlers Merch: capecrawlers-shop.fourthwall....
Affiliate links:
Tower Hobbies:
Horizon Hobbies:alnk.to/aLFxP5n
Amain Hobbies:
FairRC: shrsl.com/3w3co
Discount codes
5% off RCAWD: rcawd.com/?ref=E5EBF8Fu - discount code CapeCrawlers
$10 off any order $100 of accessories: www.fmshobby.com/capecrawlers - discount code Capecrawlers
5% off any Injora products: www.injora.com - code Capecrawlers05
10% off any Little Guy Racing Parts products:
littleguyracingparts.com/ - code CAPE10
10% off any Flubberstufferz products: flubberstufferz.myshopify.com/ - code Flub10CC
10% off any Cow RC products: cowrc.com/ - code CAPECRAWLERS
Email me with suggestions or collaboration inquiries: [e-mail]
Follow us on Instagram @capecrawlers!
Timestamps
Upgrades: 0:48
Performance tests: 5:42
Indoor course runs: 7:06
Rock crawling: 12:55
Final thoughts: 21:35

[@CapeCrawlers]

Timestamps Upgrades: 0:48 Performance tests: 5:42 Indoor course runs: 7:06 Rock crawling: 12:55 Final thoughts: 21:35

[@matthewcopeland4441]

Love seeing what people are able to do with this platform. Best mini RTR on the market right now!

[@jonathanmcdonald5411]

The evo may be a mini crawler, but it crawls like a monster! I agree with you on the tire size. The 64mm tires give it a better stance. Nice job.

[@russellhudson6958]

I love your videos so much they have helped me with so many things in the rc world you have given everyone enough information to be able to build rigs from scratch and I'm about to do my first ground up build because of you! Thank you! Keep it up

[@CapeCrawlers]

Thank you, I appreciate that!

[@user-ho5vm9rv1e]

I never liked a brushed motor in my crawlers until I drove the stance. Not sure f it’s the gearing or what but it’s absolutely amazing and this rig looks similar

[@aaronbryant9908]

That thing is incredible

[@TheNeck-rc46]

Keep seeing reviews on this rig. I said to myself more rigs for awhile.but this looks like a beast.maybe one more

[@darkcloud4368]

Wheels and tires really changed the look for the better and really helped performance

[@jgiles1548]

I love swamp kings, so don't take it the wrong way, but you only theoretically dropped the axle height by 2mm with that tire change which is only 0.078" 😂. Probably more to do with the super sticky compound and wider width compared to the stock tires? I'm currently running the wide Max smasher tires in the snow and it really makes the truck a lot of fun, particularly in 2nd gear. I think the overdrive is definitely needed too to help it steer and pull the front end through tight spots.

[@dantrivett8435]

You need to watch Jay's rc he showed me how to fix torqe twist by just moving the rear shocks

[@The_Crawling_Channel]

I love these crawler vids!

[@outdoororiginal4364]

That was cool. I am waiting on my Evo and have ordered the parts you recommended and can’t wait to see what else you have planned. Thanks sir. God bless.

[@EricsRC]

Love to see what you do with this thing! I just got mine with the brushless motor in it. Keep em coming!!

[@andrewrichey7374]

Course is Looking awesome, yeah we just got hit with snow again just got rid of the snow dang it looking good out there in the rocks

[@gonracn]

Love this model and the footage as always

[@RyanRad01]

Please add rear steering!

[@richthebass]

I saw that. Thank you for the information!

[@davidconaway2830]

This CR18 EVO PRO outcrawls my Katana in every aspect. I still have some upgrades to do to the Katana but heavier wheels and LGRP Swamp Kings, while better, seemed to induce a lot of torque twist. I loosened the wheel nuts but still have a ton of torque twist. I also adjusted the shock springs to no avail. Bearings are next as well as swapping my LGRP Black Labels from the CR18 to the Katana and see what happens. Thanks for another informative video!

[@cechylton4027]

Love the wheels and tires 👍

[@Casitascrawlers]

Nice I hope you continue with the testing & upgrades I have the Furitek version & the first thing I did was get Meus wheels n tires but so far it’s stock I’m going for the metal axles because it gives you the ability to switch the drive shaft mount to the second mount which I hear helps with torque twist. I’ll definitely have to get the driveshafts running the Furitek but so far so good. Mine came with a free light kit which I installed but being a comp rig so the wiring is kind of a pain.

[@johnnyhotshoe1292]

Great video Adam!👍

[@jrrenterg7334]

Awesome 😎

[@hbrc3867]

Just got into 10th scale crawling/trailing, I have been running scx24s for a couple years now. Great video I am running 2.2 traxxas canyon trails and have been impressed so far.im doing the tire cut everyone seems to recommend, I'd love to see how that compares to the pitbulls

[@seniorxj2931]

I'd say next mods are to get rid of torque twist, overdrive it and a bit more flex to stop the 3 wheel action. Later down the line you could do 4WS or just get a tighter turning radius.

[@JUSTHAVEFUNRC]

More flex is going to magnify the torque twist

[@seniorxj2931]

@@JUSTHAVEFUNRC you mean multiply..

[@JUSTHAVEFUNRC]

@@seniorxj2931 no I meant magnify. In this context magnify and multiply have roughly the same meaning.

[@seniorxj2931]

@@JUSTHAVEFUNRC I know, I was just trying to be funny lol

[@JUSTHAVEFUNRC]

@@seniorxj2931 oh… whoops

[@jgiles1548]

To help others: I had a lot of trouble with the 2 speed transmission servo binding at it's travel limits and quickly draining the battery. The servo would be very hot to the touch and the OE servo ended up failing. I swapped it with a HiTec and spent a lot of time moving the link location as close to the center of the servo as i was able to, while still clearing the horn mount screw. This completely fixed the problem and now the servo is nice and cool like it should be. Curious if anyone else has noticed this? If you have a shorter than expected battery life, this could be the reason.

[@driven_by_rc]

Someone makes an aluminum rear axle that flips the diff and it really helps with torque twist from what I’ve seen in other videos

[@7kelush739]

Really nice video man keep it up, i have a question do the components of this model fit the normal cr18?

[@jakobscarbrough8038]

Nice

[@richardfleming9243]

they sell a new rear axle to fix the torque twist. great video

[@bobcatarizona4840]

Really looking at getting the brushless version

[@louie000]

Did you have to adjust the end points on the servo ? My servo went out and a new one is on the way so I know what to expect, thanks

[@Wild_Buggy]

Nice run! 👍 I was surprised you didn't get the brushless version of this truck, the price difference was not big.

[@CapeCrawlers]

I didn't want to wait for shipping from China, too impatient to try this thing! I did see a couple brushless ones last weekend and they were very impressive

[@DanielStaggsSix8]

man my driveshaft busted 10 mins out of the box on indoor easy terrain lol..that link the same driveshafts you put in the evo pro?

[@JN-qr4yt]

Any ideas on easily swappable bodies? I'd like to try to use a lc80 or some cool scale style body on this but I'm not sure how easily it could be accomplished

[@matthewwmullan]

get the overdrive front portal gears. I think hobby plus and furitek sell em

[@blakejmatthews]

I put in the metal drive shaft (in the links) after the “heavy duty” drive shaft broke the first time on the rocks. The round-hole drive shaft has introduced more drivetrain slop since there is no “fit” just a screw. I’m new at this so maybe I installed wrong but I can’t see many other options. Any tips or solutions? Thanks in advance!

[@RSchwara1]

I really wanted to get this truck but the front caster blocks are SO weak and break so easily. I have the furitek fx118 and have broken several. If you lose the little brass bushings the screw kit and the new caster blocks do not come with them so and you cannot find them anywhere. Buying the metal axle kit for 50 bucks resolves this issue. The other issue I have with the platform is the high clearance chassis links on the front are shorter than the plastic ones and seem to really prevent it from operating smoothly compared to my other 1/18 scales (TRX4m and Ascent 18). The last thing that annoyed me was the portal covers with the plastic hexes drag if you tighten the wheels at all and you have to really back off the nut to get them to move freely, I've ordered brass hexes on the furitek to see if this resolves that issue, if not I may try to dremel the covers a bit to see if it will help. It does perform well but honestly my Ascent 18 with the upgrades went together so perfect it's hard to go back to something that I know is not perfect and has issues even with upgrades.

[@Polskmofo]

Is there any way to get rid of that drive line slop?

[@shirleylarkan5654]

Hi Adam. Do you think its worth spending the extra $50 to buy the brushless version?

[@extrahandsdesign]

Enjoyed the video. That truck is a beast. What's the story with the Miami flask? That's my town. No hills, but plenty of limestone to crawl on. Also, never cold here.

[@CapeCrawlers]

Not sure about the flask. It’s still there!

[@xXKaWaSaKiXx64]

I have a serious question that I cannot seem to find an answer for.. so these run a jst ds battery plug. I have a smart charger and I want to balance charge my batteries but I've read that these run a reversed polarity battery. Wondering how I would make an adaptor for my charger. Or how I could test this. Hopefully someone can answer this

[@joshuasalisbury789]

Would trx4m drive shafts work until I can get myself some more driveshafts as just broke a driveshaft

[@seniorxj2931]

I think it's time to make your indoor course harder!👍🏼

[@CapeCrawlers]

Totally agree. It needs an overhaul!

[@seniorxj2931]

@@CapeCrawlers well then there's your next video! Lol

[@bobcatarizona4840]

Yes to building a new course

[@DanielStaggsSix8]

Purchased the Ghost beadlocks.. would small washers work to help tighten down the rims on the Evo pro?

[@CapeCrawlers]

Yes I think so. Anything to act as a spacer to secure that nut

[@mattjones2112]

Did you ever put the overdrive gears in the front? Wondering if they clear the RCAWD outer portal covers?

[@user-yn3fn7ti3c]

@mattjones2112 they don’t clear rcawd covers, you need the v2 covers by hobbyplus that also work with rcawd aluminum axels

[@teknolem7426]

Do you think the overdrive gears interfere with these portal covers like they did on V1 from Hobby plus? I am aware that they have V2 from Hobby plus but they do not have them on Amazon for like that quick shipping.

[@malcolmlester4585]

even if you get the v1 brass portal covers ...i did..its easy to make them fit...takes 5 mins.

[@CapeCrawlers]

We'll see! I am going to order them and hope they fit

[@teknolem7426]

@@CapeCrawlers i ended up ordering v2 portal covers $18 and OD gears $15 from helidirect which come from Indiana. Also fx118 parts come from indiana (furitekusa). Which are compatible with the cr18p

[@nathan3856]

Does anybody make links yet?

[@dougnicholson8325]

Did you end up needing the servo adapter? My brushless version came with a Flysky FS-R4P-BS installed that has normal servo plugs. I'm definitely going to grab the steering linkage and driveshafts though. I tried longer shocks to get a little more flex, but it's not really possible with the stock 3 piece driveshafts, they end up separating.

[@CapeCrawlers]

I didn't end up needing it because the stock setup has the adapters already installed, but I wanted it for an extra to have for other projects

[@dougnicholson8325]

@@CapeCrawlers gotcha, wasn't sure if that was another change between brushed/brushless or not, thanks.

[@guyshred3949]

Can you put those bushings on the inside to space out the wheels?

[@CapeCrawlers]

I tried that but the wheel isnt deep enough to seat properly on the hex

[@travispoulson1858]

Will other cr18p high clearance links work for the evo pro ?

[@user-yn3fn7ti3c]

@travispoulson1858 hobbyplus or rcawd high clearance links work perfect on it

[@RCCrawlerz209]

I run those same tires on my K10 currently. & I feel like the foams inside them are too soft. What are some good foams to help, combat that?

[@CapeCrawlers]

I like the crawler innovations lil nova foams. The proline dual stage foams are also a great fit inside these tires

[@RCCrawlerz209]

@@CapeCrawlers cool.

[@richthebass]

Hi, I’m thinking of ordering the LGRP Torq wheels with the Swamp Kings for my brushless Evo Pro but wanted to see if you know if they will fit, and if so, which hexs do I choose, scx24? Appreciate your input and enjoy your videos! Thanks again, Richard

[@CapeCrawlers]

They will fit the hexes, but see my note in the video about adding a spacer to the wheel nut. You'll need washer, spare bearing/bushing to tighten the wheel nut against

[@pauldub5767]

Have you messed with shock relocation yet ? What’s the best position for most flex ??

[@JayMillz517]

geez

[@GeezerGramps]

You didn’t say but I assume you went with 1” wheels & tires. The EvoPro is killer I may have to pick one of those up.

[@CapeCrawlers]

Yes that’s right. It’s a great truck!

[@JayMillz517]

What other size does LGRP make?

[@Real_rescuer]

Do the rock van parts fit this car??

[@CapeCrawlers]

They should as long as you can fit them under the little body

[@Real_rescuer]

@@CapeCrawlers I mean like the brass portal covers and steering components, and also the centre drive shafts?!

[@jayp10129]

Is there a different transmission motor combo that will fit in it ? Maybe a 1 speed? Thanks for any help

[@user-yn3fn7ti3c]

@@Real_rescuer you can swap all linkages, axels, portal covers but not drive shafts, rock van has 1 speed box transmission, a little smaller

[@user-yn3fn7ti3c]

@@jayp10129 you can use the single speed transmission of the fx118 fury wagon

[@fuse557]

Injora pin tires

[@JayMillz517]

Nah, DJ Crawler pin tires.

[@dantrivett8435]

JAY rcs

[@CommanderAstigRC]

Yup. Even more capable with smaller tires.

[@JayMillz517]

Nope

[@annasoming]

so much utterly wasted position, hp should have addressed those issues on this model that plagues its cousin fx118. if it had, those wheels would be so planted. that 2 speed also increases the slop in the system and is unnecessary. I could see this rig with that new injora esc and motor for good modulation and speed.