Going Heavyweight! - Traxxas TRX4 Defender Brass Upgrades - Can it Climb Now?

[@shoky11TV]

Great rig - added brass definantly helps stability! For tyres - I would highly recommend the stock Canyon trails, just cut them...plenty of videos how to do it....many comp guys now use them as they're simply a great tyre...and they're also 4.65ish height. I cut my stock tyres....awesome grip! A good heavy dual stage foams or 3d printed inserts.

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much 👍 Yeah I really like the stock Traxxas tyres. Just wanting to try different options atm as I killed the foams in my stock tyres. 👍

[@33fastcar]

My TRX4 Defender weighs 14.8 lbs after all the brass I added. I learned the lower you can put it the better. 90% is below the shocks and that helped a lot. I have a 2nd TRX4 (72 Bronco) and I used red aluminum parts on it. The Defender climbs things the Bronco can't. My Defender is for rock climbing and the Bronco is for trails. I wish I would of used brass painted black. I think it looks more realistic.

[@DoURC]

Yeah I prefer the black brass, the gold is just too shiny and stands out. Yeah for rock crawling with a big body, you definitely want some low down weight. My TRX4 is a bit of a compromise, as its my go to mud rig, so can't be too heavy or it just sinks! 🤣👍

[@BUILTLIGHTWOUNDTIGHT]

❤ the 2-in-1 Pro 2'300-KV system! Its capable of 30MPH running in my F-150 TRX-4 on a 3S 5'000MAH 50C geared 22-39.

[@DoURC]

I really like the Fusion Pro, great setup in any RC imo. 👍

[@BUILTLIGHTWOUNDTIGHT]

@@DoURC it is my favorite so far!!!

[@BUILTLIGHTWOUNDTIGHT]

I have not tested any Brass yet. I run Lead in the front Wheels and for the heavier body on the Defender. I run 8OZ in each front Wheel, and the only reason why I run it like this. Because I can swap out the front tires and loose one pound of weight for scale trail running, especially in the Snow ❄.

[@DoURC]

Cool, I've seen a lot of people use lead. I run car wheel weights in mine. This body definitely needs more low down weight, only downside is it gets stuck easier in the mud with the extra low down weight.

[@BUILTLIGHTWOUNDTIGHT]

@@DoURC The mud and snow, that is why I run the wheels heavy. So I can swap out the heavy wheels for the stock light weight ones.

[@moonshobby]

Nice Defender Nice upgrade Great off road😃💯👍

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much, appreciate it. 👍😁

[@SandJ-Adventures]

A great video Rob. I'm with you on keeping the "stuff" on the roof etc (Have you seem @MikeRCWorld?😱😄) but the added weight is definitely a help. We haven't gone quite so extreme, but we were amazed how much difference the extra brass parts, (portal weights etc), heavy front bumpers, winches etc made. I like those wheels, but I prefer a more "stock size" tyre, but that's just me. A recent day in the forest showed our stock tyres to still be performing well. But an interesting up-grade and test video.👍 Oh and we loved the log crossing, pretty scenery too! 👍

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much, appreciate it. 👍 Yeah his Defender is great, definitely one of my favourites. 🤣 Yeah I'm a sucker for accessories, I still want more. 😁 Yeah the extra brass has definitely made a difference, but I think I need more. I'm looking into either a brass or steel front axle, see what's out there. It's got to be black though, no gold or silver allowed! 🤣 Yeah I love the deep dish wheels. I only tried those tyres as I love mudding, but tbh I'm not impressed with them. My RC4WD tyres have turned up now, so will be trying those soon. 👍

[@MikeRCWorld]

Great video my friend 👋🤠 awesome defender, just as heavy as mine, it does Great on the off road 👍

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much mate. 👍 Your Defender is one of my favourites. 👍🙏😎

[@jefftran6583]

where did you get those window guards from? looks awesome and I cant find them anywhere.

[@DoURC]

I got them from Aliexpress, just search up TRX4 Accessories and they should come up 👍

[@islandrc-duke1972]

great upgrades and off road run

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much mate 👍

[@TyJoe_N_MattyMoe]

Definitely need some smaller tires that hopefully fit the foams better. For more weight I'd go with inner wheel weights. When you check the gearbox you might have gear down to compensate for all the added weight. Also check the shift servos and linkage, might be a bind somewhere.

[@DoURC]

Yeah I'll be changing the tyres soon and foams, as not fussed on them. Already got wheel weights on there too. 👍 Shift Servo, linkage, bearings etc should all be fine as only rebuilt it all recently with new bearings etc. But I'll strip it all down and check everything over. 👍

[@MrPopo-pl2ip]

I have done the same thing to my trx 4 it weights 7.2kg what I found out to make it grip better was 2 stage foams and a bfgoodrich tires

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much, I was running the Injora 2 stage foams, but they're not like the hollow style. Still need to try some like that. Need to weigh my rig too, see how much it weighs now. 👍

[@rcjoy5362]

Have you changed the oil in the shocks or add heavier springs regarding the weight of the rig ?

[@overdosed51]

My harbody trail rig is nearly 12lbs. I had to add a fan for my fusion pro (could have lowered gearing but i like the wheels speed) but man this thing is planted 😂.

[@DoURC]

🤣 Nice, that's heavy. 👍 I prefer a hard body tbh, but I think the shell on the TRX4 can pull it off too. 👍 I was a little concerned with the Fusion Pro and adding weight, especially after just breaking a Fusion Pro on my heavy TRX6! 😬 I also love the wheel speed, so no gearing down here. 🤣 New tyres have arrived, so will get those on soon and see what they're like. Next job is clear windows and an interior and driver I think. 👍

[@borisviktory]

very nice 😊👍👋

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much mate 👍

[@Muslim-ik]

Hi can you tell me where you got your brushless motor I have traxxas TRX 4 defender but not the M thank u

[@DoURC]

I got mine from Modelsport in the UK, but you can get them from most RC resellers. 👍

[@SebastienMongecadet-rq8vq]

Merci pour cette vidéo 📼 😉🙏😉

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much for watching and commenting 👍

[@Muslim-ik]

Thank you for the reply just one last question I'm looking for a battery for the TRX 4 defender do you recommend any if you do kindly leave a link thank you very much

[@DoURC]

I run an Overlander Sport Track 4500mah 3S lipo in mine. 👍 If you use the Linktree link in my Bio I have a discount code for them too. 👍

[@RabbiJesus]

I didn’t make out the rotors and calipers. Did you pull them back off?

[@DoURC]

No they're still on there. You can't always see them, especially as it's covered in mud half the time! 🤣👍

[@markcook149]

Awesome video as usual, can I ask what winch bumper your running please, I thought I would be able to fit the TRAXXAS winch on any winch bumper but it appear not 😢

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much 👍 It was a bumper I got off Ebay, but pretty sure Injora do the same bumper too. Been a while since I recorded this one, but pretty sure I mentioned I had to trim the bumper. So basically on this one, I had to trim some of the bumpers winch tray lip, so that the winch could seat properly on the bumper tray. Hope that helps. 👍

[@markcook149]

@@DoURC thanks for taking the time to reply

[@DoURC]

@@markcook149 No worries 👍

[@Muslim-ik]

Thank you for your reply can you give me the link to the brushless motor kit if it's possible please and does it fit without any extra bits

[@DoURC]

I got it from here. www.modelsport.co.uk/product/hobbywing-quicrun-fusion-pro-2300kv-sensored-brushless-2in1-1344884 It's a direct fit, as its basically a 540 sized motor. It replaces your stock esc, so just plug it into your receiver, fit a pinion and off you go. 👍

[@rcjoy5362]

If my whole rig after all modifications for now weighs 5 kg and 400 g . With the battery included . What shock springs should i use ?? Because i feel i originals are not functioning well ! Especially in the front the are heavy and the springs are full compressed . What should i do ?? Should i also change the oil in the shocks ?

[@DoURC]

I've only experience with the stock shocks sorry. Maybe try fitting heavier springs. Have you tried adding preload to see if that helps?

[@giopirmisashvili5514]

Thank you

[@DoURC]

Thank you for watching and commenting 👍😁

[@BranchManager-z2i]

A good idea before doing a job like this would be to clean the vehicle so you don't rebuild it with the mud and dirt going inside the transmission and gearboxes !

[@DoURC]

Very true, although with this rig not much point, it'll be stinking dirty again in 5 minutes! 🤣😁

[@michaelburton7942]

Nice mate, i dropped to 108mm tyres. Much much better

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much 👍 Yeah I want to drop mine down a bit too, lower the cg and stop the body rubbing. 👍

[@Benjammin43]

New to the hobby. What’s the purpose of deleting the lockers in the diff? Wouldn’t that hinder off road performance?

[@DoURC]

It doesn't stop them being locked, it actually permanently locks them. In stock form you can switch between locked and unlocked. Unlocked gives more maneuverability over locked. I ran them locked all the time anyway, so it's one less thing that can break. Basically I deleted the option to switch between locked and unlocked. Hope that helps. 👍

[@Benjammin43]

@@DoURC oh awesome! Thanks!

[@DoURC]

@@Benjammin43 No worries 👍

Damn that like 13 lbs right there :-D Is the Traxxas winch still alive? I have ordered some upgrades myself. Body work mostly, but some of it is heavier than they wrote on Amazon and I'm approx 150 grams over the 10 lbs (4,5 kg) limit of the winch. I cannot really find straight answer whether the limit is for dead lift or pull. So how is your Traxxas winch doing with all the upgrades you've done so far?

[@DoURC]

Yeah winch still works fine, it's been through a lot and still all good. One thing I did do, was plug it directly into the receiver to get power from there instead of the extra power cable, made it much more reliable. As before that I'd always have to faff about switching channels for it to work. I would suggest it's the dead lift limit, which if you're doing that all the time you're asking for it to break really. Mine still pulls the rig out of mud and up hills no issue. 👍

@@DoURCThanks for the quick reply! I'm glad it holds up. I have my winch plugged through the Y splitter as I have the ProScale light kit installed, but so far no issues. I use the winch only when I want to plant the front to get bit of help on uneven incline and loose terrain but nothing close to what could be considered as dead lifting. So I hope it'll hold up for me as well :-D

[@RC_TRX4]

Hello. First of all, your car is perfect 🔥. I'll ask you a few questions. I would be glad if you answer. you have made these upgrades. The weight of the car increased. Are the 21t motor, servo motor, esc and gears sufficient to carry this weight? Did the increase in weight reduce the traction performance of the vehicle?

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much 👍 I'm running a brushless setup now, so it's got way more power. 👍 The low down weight helped with stability, as its very top heavy. Tyres let it down though. 👍

[@RC_TRX4]

@@DoURC thank you for your answer

[@craigpimlott204]

A mate of mine had all the brass on his you can get .when he thought about selling it .I said ,sell it ! You’d be better weighing it in for scrap you’d get more for the weight of the brass than what the rigs worth 😂😂😂

[@DoURC]

🤣🤣🤣

[@mdaltaqiuddin5192]

Tyre size and brand?🤩

[@DoURC]

Injora Extreme Mud Terrain 122x48mm 👍

[@MrPopo-pl2ip]

My tires are 1.9 bfgoodrich

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much for the info 👍😎

[@rchannel-gt]

@@DoURC😂😂

[@TeensierPython]

Adding weight is so weird to me. Every other hobby I’ve been into is about reducing weight. Scale crawling? Add weight!! Guess I need to try it.

[@DoURC]

Yeah I know what you mean, but it's mainly because the body etc can be so heavy, so then you end up with a high centre of gravity and it tips over a lot. Adding more weight low down helps stabilise it. I find it also helps with scale suspension movement, as the suspension unloads there's more weight, so if the suspension is stiff it works it more. 👍

[@SirAreve]

It's the skateboard. Guarantee if you take that skateboard off the entire thing will be able to drive upsidedown

[@DoURC]

🤣 Well it does drive upside already....when it tips over! 🤣👍

[@paulholden1179]

your rig look s sweet do it a favour and strip it down and clen the rust off it

[@DoURC]

Thanks very much. 👍 Already stripped it down twice since this video. Rust is character! 🤣👍😁

[@railway_lovers]

Bro plz give me one rc car 😢

[@DoURC]

Plenty of cheaper ones to get you into the hobby. 👍

[@railway_lovers]

@@DoURC plz bro only one off road car shipping for India 🇮🇳