Crawler Canyon Quick(re)view: Vanquish VXT2 vs. Vanquish Falken Wildpeak

My definition of "quick" might not fall in line with others. But I've got you know, things to say. I call these a "quickview" because it covers unboxing and initial testing. It does not speak to durability, longevity, etc.
This kinda ended up as a three-way combat. I feel like we got most of a result, and I had to cut the test at where it sits now because of a combination of issues-- the vertical camera was out of position twice, the horizontal camera was starting to overheat, and honestly-- I just couldn't change tires anymore.
IG: crawlercanyon

[@Brian_Mowry__BMOW71]

This was the tire test that I've been waiting for! Great test! Love the side-by-side vid showing the head-to-head line battle! Love the look of the new VP Falken Wildpeaks and glad to see that they performed well! Looking forward to the next! Canyonlander out!!!😉

[@CrawlerCanyon]

I scrubbed the Wildpeaks and remounted them on the oddball wheels for the GroundFox Origin, and they are REAL good. They hook up every bit as well as the Scalers, but look infinitely better (IMO.) I wish I could have done better on the side-by-side, but the idiot putting the cameras down messed up the placement more than once.

[@obsidiannightwolfe13]

"I haven't been able to find another set like these wheels" Me staring at my mn128 on the same wheels in blue

[@offroad1911]

I just ordered the VXT2 tires along with Crawler Innovations Lil Nova comp cut foams for my VS4-10 Pro build so I’m hoping there isn’t any body rub.

[@CrawlerCanyon]

😬 They're so tall. There's almost certainly gonna be body rub if you're running an Origin. I definitely have more rigs that the VXT2s won't fit on than rigs that do. I hope it's just location, and that you have better luck with them than I have on the OE foams. They've not yet managed to elevate themselves above "okay...ish." So I'm curious as to how they work out with better foams.

[@TheRCBuildersPost]

Would a simple green bath help with these any? Yeah, a sticky tire is nice, but I've found that a little simple green bath on my predator prolines have helped tremendously with wear, durability and traction. I was having trouble with wear and durability with the predators until I did this. Got the tip from my LHS.

[@CrawlerCanyon]

I'm going to have to wash them at some point anyway, because they came into the shop as filthy as any tire I've ever seen, from just one round of testing that wasn't even a full 1500 pack. JConcepts Green feels similarly sticky out of the bag, but doesn't hoover up the ground like the Vanquish Red. So they will indeed get a wash. Eventually.

[@philthy5058]

The VXT2's didn't hold up on my buddy's capra, after half a dozen packs or so the carcass was separating across the tread.

[@CrawlerCanyon]

As I mentioned-- the compound is like chewing gum and the sidewalls are THIN. I fear that these are gonna be something akin to a "raceday" tire. By the same token, it shouldn't be too big an issue here in the Canyon-- those tires will only be on one rig, and sometimes a rig goes two months without touching rock. So long as the Red compound doesn't gas out and start disintegrating (cough...ProLine...cough) the VXT2x will retain my "modestly positive" review.

[@brianmassey7563]

I bet Vanquish wheels would have mounted up like butter,! lol That extra $90 goes towards the R&D on "mountability". Maybe we should give a Frodo Baggins rating to some tires depending on sidewall thickness. Does that mean the VXT2 will end up on the "banned tire" list for SORCCA? VXT2 vs. Rupture in the future?

[@Jnichols77]

I’ve mounted the VXT2 on Vanquish and SSD wheels and it sucked equally with both…even with bubble juice.

[@fishnrc294]

Is the new chassis worth it seems like a good way to get into a Vanquish. And will either of these bodies fit it.

[@fishnrc294]

It’s so random sometimes they go on like nothing sometimes it’s just painful especially after doing so many & thinking you had it down. But you Learn little tricks after awhile to make it more doable. I have noticed the more expensive wheels tires tend to mount easier.

[@CrawlerCanyon]

I'm trying to remember what set it was-- I had a set of tires that were sticking to the hubs so aggressively that I had to resort to "tire mounting solution" to get them on. My choice for tire mounting juice is the 99¢ tallboy bottle of bubble juice from the WalMart-- the same stuff I use to mount tubeless bike tires. I would say that regardless of wheel or foam, Duratrax tires mount the easiest overall.

[@GiftedFingersSVS]

Nice test and good explanation bro......From Malaysia Rc Rock Crawler.

[@jayleeson8517]

where can I find a postal address to send some rc bits to you ?

[@CrawlerCanyon]

YOu can either contact me through Instagram (crawler canyon) or via the contact form on my website (doctorisotope.com)

[@fishnrc294]

Oh I see you won’t buy the expensive Vanquish beadlocks but what about the tires? 😂 Just bought another pair of Amazon 1.9 wheels. But to be honest I’ve stopped buying them because I found out that Intigy a company that has a bunch of RC products has some absolutely beautiful wheels & the price range is anything from Amazon prices to over 100$ but all the wheels are upper end & high quality. Also a bunch of tires & anything Crawler. The chassis they have are nice all metal everything. Check it out for sure. I live in the 805 area in Cali & I swear I got them in one day!

[@CrawlerCanyon]

Integy has been around a good long while-- they used to make the hands-down worst of the worst "shelfer" parts, because they wouldn't stand up to any abuse at all. Like, you could drop a rig from waist high and bend something. But that was YEARS ago, and they seem to have reinvented themselves a bit, much like Hobbywing has. You will indeed get fast delivery from Integy in SoCal, if memory serves they're down in Irvine.

[@chriscord6524]

Nice three screen edits.

[@brettskinner5824]

test the vx2s on the ryft please

[@CrawlerCanyon]

I honestly don't think a 1.9 will fit on the Ryft, at least not without going to maximum negative offset. They're also WAY too short. The VXT2 at 5.1" tall is big for a 1.9, but the Ryft needs something at or over 6" to keep the servos out of the rocks.

[@archerash6695]

W-peaks weight more cause the foam is heavy and is a different foam. Any money.. should have weighed just the foams while you had them out.

[@CrawlerCanyon]

Is this serious? Any single stage Class 2 open cell foam weighs about 15g. The color isn't going to change anything. Those are also the foams that come with the tires, soooo....

[@meirdeaph]

The red cage on your ryft super rad

[@CrawlerCanyon]

Thanks! I had meant to dye it from the very beginning-- that dove gray is terrible, and shows every bit of dirt. I would have preferred the RTR orange or black. But there isn't much red in the Canyon Fleet, so I figured now was the time for red. Well, that, and this was the bottle of dye that was under the sink.

[@jord001]

Well you know what you have to do now then. VXT2 needs to be tested on a Fenderless truck and on robokitty. Its all content!

[@JPWirt]

This is the exact outcome I expected. The Wildpeaks are a great looking scale tire and the Vanquish Red is a nice compound. For a full bodied scale or semi-scale truck I think they're a good choice...but Tusks are probably the better choice. I absolutely agree with all of your assesments, and especially the VXT2s. They're a good tire, not a great tire. At the 4.9-5.0ish tall size my money would go to some Ruptures. I've noticed the real sticky Red compound holds onto dust really well and that can negatively impact performance once they're dirty. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIetkK15jNKtd7s

[@CrawlerCanyon]

Yeah, as tests went on the VXT2s looked filthy-- that chewing gum compound picks up everything. A factor I might not have mentioned but that I definitely consider is "dirty performance." Some tires (I'm looking at you, Deep Woods) don't care how dirty they are-- they grip caked with mud. While the category that I'm now calling "raceday tires," which appears to include most of the super-sticky guys, are a whole lot better when shiny clean. IME, JConcepts Green and Vanquish Red are VERY different, with that edge decidedly toward JConcepts.

[@JPWirt]

@@CrawlerCanyon, I completely agree. For our local rock, that is never not dusty unless you go right after a good rain or bring a blower into the woods with you, JConcepts Green just works all the time.