RedCat Gen8 Scout II - Free Steering Mod

[@tigerone2353]

Thanks for clearly showing with camera angle what exactly needs to be done. I appreciate this, as you give us time to see exactly what you're doing and how it's done. Subscribed and thank you

[@RevolutionX]

Glad it was helpful!

[@PopShot76]

Glad I stumbled up on this video. This issue has always bugged me in my Gen 8 v2, but didn't realize there was a fix. Thanks for posting this

[@RevolutionX]

You're welcome! 🤙

[@furleyforever]

I did this mod and it worked! Only thing was it placed the longer steering rod to low which picked up a lot more dings after doing so. I've since put the steering linkage back to the stock location and replaced the servo arm with a traxxas trx-4 type which places the link end higher up, mirroring the angle of the panhard bar. Thanks for the tip!

[@RevolutionX]

Glad you got it worked out!

[@TerraQuestRC]

I notice an added benefit to this modification.. if you had been experiencing the tires and drag link ends rubbing, this removes that issue by placing the link ends more to the center of the wheel and provides more space between the tire and link ends. A vid to be placed in my "Tips and Tricks" playlist

[@RevolutionX]

Good catch! It does definitely clear the tires much better, especially if you have wheels with an offset that brings in the tires closer to the chassis.

[@TerraQuestRC]

@@RevolutionX the toe adjuster is not a hardened metal so might want to do a grub and spacer for toe-in. Had one break already. Facebook image facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=386237465275546&set=oa.2330114610551861&type=3&theater. Also a good idea to change the Servo horn end of the link to one that is bent, to reduce some of the binding from moving the drag link down. It places the pivot pretty close to the limit of movement.

[@RevolutionX]

Hey Terra, I don't have facebook, but I think I know what you're talking about! You are right about the bent rod-end for the servo side of the link though. That would make it work better and reduce chance of binding.

[@mikej8832]

How did you fix the toe issue caused when you moved the tie rod lower causing the drag link to be in effect shorter due to the steeper angle? Did you just reposition the pitman/steering arm on the servo?

[@RevolutionX]

@@mikej8832 The "toe" should be consistent because the tie-rod doesn't change length between the left and right wheels. If you're talking about "alignment" then yes, you do need to reposition the servo horn so that the wheels are centered when the servo is centered.

[@rghouse530]

You have done an excellent job at communicating the problem, the solution, and the process of fixing. This is a very well made video and I congratulate you because 9x out of 10 there are unanswered questions and assumptions I have to make after a how-to, but you leave none. Good job and will be mod'ing my Gen8. Only draw back I see is now the tie-rod will be taking more rock hits positioned lower.

[@RevolutionX]

Thank you very much! Yeah the other way to go if you don't want to lower the tie-rod is to get a really low profile servo horn and a bent rod-end to see if you can get a matching angle.

[@josephmorelli3191]

I only heard of this issue until your video. I never knew what it actually was until I saw you demonstrate it. I thank you.

[@RevolutionX]

No problem!

[@YYCRCFabricationz]

Wanting a Gen 8 Scout just have some saving to do but, it's wicked to know these things ahead a time so I can take of them right off. Wicked video, explained well, concise & best of all, free to make happen!

[@RevolutionX]

Thanks again! Appreciate it man!

[@matthewmurray5168]

Thank you! No clickbait (it was actually free!), and easy to follow! Im picking up a gen 8 soon and this was one of the complaints people had, so know i will know how to fix it👍

[@RevolutionX]

Enjoy the rig when you get it!

[@levibeebe9100]

Dude, I can't believe how much better it is

[@RevolutionX]

Just a simple change!

[@MysticRiverRC]

Thanks for the mod! I just picked up a used Gen 8 in a trade. Looking to get her all dialed in for Spring. This was useful information.

[@RevolutionX]

Glad I could help! The v2 addressed this somewhat with a lower profile servo horn. The main idea is the same though.

[@sherman614]

Is bump steer also when the axle shifts to one side with full compression? Mine at full shock compression doesn't really make the wheels turn to one side, but it does make the axle shift to one side instead of straight up

[@RevolutionX]

That's axle/chassis shift. Some amount is normal with a panhard setup. You want to try getting the axle and chassis centered at normal ride height.

[@DoURC]

Great video and very helpful, thanks very much. 👍😎

[@RevolutionX]

Glad it was helpful!

[@wgmainline9812]

Great video!! Like the information and how you explained everything thoroughly in 6-7 minutes. Great free upgrade gonna change mine this weekend!!! Thanks for the video and information!!!!

[@RevolutionX]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ShenRC]

That's cool I thought of messing with mine, That's part of the problem what is really messing it up is the servo rod pushed way out on a angle away from the steering link you just put on the bottom of the steering knuckles. what needs to be done is relocate the servo maybe lay it down on the top of the chassis or put the steering horn on 180 degrees from the way it is now to make the steering rod not pushed out so far.👍

[@RevolutionX]

Yep, the rest of the issue is definitely that drag link not being directly above the tie-rod on the axle. This is as far as I can go without buying anything or hacking anything up though. I do plan on modifying it further, but I need to figure out what parts I need and how I want to go about it!

[@BullgearRCvideos]

Replacing the 550 can with a 540 will give extra space to move the steering servo backwards 👍

[@ShenRC]

@@BullgearRCvideos 😁👍 Good idea.

[@UpperLeftRC]

Awesome info! Thanks for the tip, can’t wait to set this up on my RedCat too 🤘🏼😄

[@RevolutionX]

Have fun!

[@beaverdamraceproductions6857]

Thanks for the tip on the steering mod. I just got done doing mine after watching your video.

[@RevolutionX]

Yep, it'll help. Still not perfect, but better than it was out of the box!

[@yw9686]

Nice. I like doing tinkering like this on my rigs. Easy change to help improve the geometry efficiently.

[@RevolutionX]

Definitely!

[@HBFTimmahh]

That clearly helps. Another way to help is using the SSD SCX10 II Sterring link (the S Link). And then the BowHouse RC Panhard relocation mount will help by lowering the chassis side mount of the panhard.

[@RevolutionX]

Yeah, it's nice there are a lot more solutions now that the truck has been out for a while. I got a chance to drive it again today, and it's still very enjoyable to wheel!

[@unclejacksjackshack]

Love it! Simple and free….The best upgrades LOL

[@RevolutionX]

Sure is!

[@VoidXRC]

Nice dude! Good information laid out quite well!

[@RevolutionX]

Appreciate it! Still not perfect, but this re-positioning definitely helps!

[@rctrooper7261]

Nice mod brother. Looks great. Super job. 👍👊

[@drtrance]

I am subscribing to your channel. I really liked your video. Very interesting, useful and concise! I am doing this mod tomorrow morning.

[@RevolutionX]

Thanks for the sub!

[@RedRoxRc]

So awesome. I love my gen 8. This will help so much!

[@RevolutionX]

Glad to be of help! Check out the not so free steering mod (linked at end of video) for even better fix.

[@RedRoxRc]

Parts ordered! Thank you again

[@aeroscottmodelenginerepair2830]

Smart thinking, I will do the same to mine, thank you!

[@jarek.o2663]

Great video, this is very useful information, not only for gen8 owners!!!!

[@RevolutionX]

Thanks! Yes the changes discussed in this video do apply to other 3-link trucks as well. The Gen8 does have some other issues besides the panhard + drag link issue though. The drag link should be directly above the tie-rod for optimal geometry. That one is still being figured out!

[@jps99]

Thanks! This mod makes a lot of sense and wow, FREE!

[@RevolutionX]

Yeah it's just a little thing, but I'm glad it's correctable for free. I wonder why they didn't take care of such a little thing from the beginning. The newer Gen8 Axe has a lower profile servo horn so it takes care of it that way.

[@RC1oNeTV]

Links looks so good!!!👍😉👍

[@mocustoms718]

Thank u for that tip. I will use it on my build soon.

[@RevolutionX]

Don't forget to check out version 2 of this mod.

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

That's a really good idea! 👍👍😎 I'll have to remember this, if I can get a Gen 8. Great Tips! Carmine 🚂 🚙

[@RevolutionX]

I have a version 2 that costs a little money, but it works much better. I linked it at the end of the video. Thanks for watching!

[@dwaynebaker8733]

Excellent video, will def be doing that

[@RevolutionX]

Thanks for watching! It'll definitely help! Still not perfect, but a step in the right direction.

[@KevinMillard68]

cool vid

[@RevolutionX]

Appreciate you stopping by!

[@KevinMillard68]

@@RevolutionX your welocme ,, my wife has the gen 8 in blue and i should have my orange one today or tomorrow with any luck be nice to compare it to my TRX4 tactical

[@philfernandez6306]

I race 1/10 and 1/8 buggies. Bump steer is important since we go pretty fast. Crawlers run at ridiculously low speed.... would that even matter? Those crawlers move like slow motion speed.

[@RevolutionX]

It doesn't matter a whole lot, but it's pretty annoying LOL! You know how it is! I mean if you happen to be in a position where your suspension is fully compressed and a wrong turn of the wheel may tip you then maybe? Otherwise, it's just for the nitpicky.

[@flatbedtrucker]

Thanks bud!!! Great job

[@lugster1nuts]

Nice work

[@RevolutionX]

🤙🙏

[@BullgearRCvideos]

It made me giggle a bit to see this video bro. Yours is the first video that I have seen that actually addresses the BUMP STEER issue. I like your approach for doing this with the stock tie rod, and will give your video a link in my next video. I am having to go about it differently on my rig because I am changing the stock tie rod and drag link to brass and connecting the drag link at the steering knuckle which makes servo relocation necessary. Great video bro

[@RevolutionX]

Thanks man, appreciate it! Yeah, one of the first things I always check is the bump steer on the trucks. Most of them are pretty easily addressed with minor adjustments, but this one is a whole different animal with the servo location and limited mounting options. I actually prefer the drag link at the steering knuckle as well, and was going to try that out next, which still requires moving the tie-rod down in order not to rub against the tire. I am interested on how you go about the servo relocation though. That one I have not had an idea on how to figure that out yet.

[@humboldtef]

I'm also working on a servo relocation method involving a belt sander, cutting a access hole and slit in the bumper/ servo mount and a 3D printed bracket. I will be posting it up on RCCrawler and or KZbin soon.

[@RevolutionX]

@@humboldtef Awesome man! I can't wait to follow your changes on it. I'll volunteer to be one of your bracket testers! LOL! What would be fantastic is redesigning that whole front bracket piece overall.

[@kingstonrc329]

Great job man.... Definitely helped 😎😉👍🏻

[@josephmorelli3191]

BTW, your logo is fantastic!

[@RevolutionX]

Thanks! Really Appreciate that!

[@mocustoms718]

I will most definitely do so

[@RevolutionX]

👍

[@BlackSmithRC]

Awesome Free Mod bro! Thanks! M.I.D.W.I.D!

[@RevolutionX]

Version 2 is the way to go! Check it out!

[@RC_Trailblazers]

Cool video and very knowledgeable. But I must ask. Is bump steer really an issue for most of you when you're crawling? Cause you're steering is usually all out of whack when you are climbing or crawling or even trailing.

[@RevolutionX]

Not at all, it's not that big of a deal, but it's like that annoyance in the back of your mind LOL!

[@INMGRC]

Very nice steering mod big thumbs up my friend XD

[@RevolutionX]

Thanks! Appreciate the support!

[@seansrcconstruction]

Good video great tip

[@RevolutionX]

Thanks, appreciate it!

[@crazykoolrn]

Does the increased angle on the servo horn ballstud cause any issues with binding when turning (ex. Lock to lock?)

[@RevolutionX]

Very good question, I tested it and it's negligible. Also consider that when right side up, the weight of the truck weighs the suspension down a little bit and it's not at full extension. I was afraid of the same thing, and it turns out it's fine.

[@brickbros-m41a]

Did you loose a lot of clearance, and of so was it worth it?

[@RevolutionX]

Loss of clearance was negligible for me. It really doesn't make all that much of a difference in clearance. If you do want to keep it up higher, then you can raise the servo and get a low profile servo horn along with bent rod-ends. Or you can also try moving the steering link to the knuckle which is a little more involved.

[@LuisLPRCs]

Great Vid Brotha! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@RevolutionX]

Thanks! Appreciate the Support!

[@windwrightmage]

And now what about the extremely limited steering radius how do we fix that?

[@kevinordaz8863]

Thank you

[@RevolutionX]

Glad to be of help! Thank you for watching!

[@razorblade7108]

I managed to get the front pinion gear loose from the shaft. It's screwed on with an M2 screw which got loose somehow while climbing over some small logs. Took the axle apart, put some loctite in the thread and screwed the pinion on tight. Hope it will hold now. But driving it 2WD is also a nice challenge. Now I'm wondering if anyone knows a fix for the cogging of the front CVAs when steering sharp left or right.

[@RevolutionX]

I haven't taken a look in a while, but if you're cogging at the very extremes, you might just have to adjust the end-points to not go so far extreme in either direction. If it's not that... I'd have to take a look at mine and see if it's doing anything similar, but I don't believe it is.

[@razorblade7108]

@@RevolutionX I figured cogging is not really appropriate since it's not caused by the motor itself, rather it's a stuttering. RC Review has a video about the turning radius called "Fixing the Redcat Gen8 Steering problem". At the end he flips the Gen8 and the TRX-4 on the back and you can see it pretty good that the Gen8 front wheels start stuttering, even before the advertised 47° steering angle. I noticed that it's barely observable with the wheels off, but as soon as you put load on the front axles, the CVA joints start stuttering. It seems to be caused by the interruption of power transfer every time the pins are vertical. It's a really great vehicle except for this, the loosely mounted panhard bar, the steering rod ends rubbing on the tires and the improper alignment of the steering link and panhard bar. Most of these things are easily fixable though.

[@RevolutionX]

@@razorblade7108 Now that you mention it, I think I do remember that issue being mentioned. I have an Axe here that I haven't opened yet, but I know it has the updated CVDs. Maybe I can see if the new CVDs have the same issue. I did buy the updated CVDs and axle parts for the Gen Scout II, but haven't gotten around to installing any of them yet.

[@aiwaloki]

@@RevolutionX I would love to hear what you discovered. I just installed a flat center skid because I was doing more crawling during my trailing runs and was getting caught up going over logs. Can't wait to get back out there.

[@teddlyt]

Fixed bump steer and tire rubbing!

[@RevolutionX]

Awesome! Glad it helped!

[@mysteryko]

This free mod *ALMOST* works... but it opens a new annoying issue. Now my truck dips hard to the right when I turn right. It looks like someone's literally stepping on the passenger side of the hood. It dips because once you rearrange the link placement, the front servo link becomes too short. Almost a great mod... but almost doesn't count. Thanks for your effort and I'll continue to find a fix too.

[@RevolutionX]

Try lengthening the link a little bit, it might help. I don't currently experience this issue, but I don't remember if I lengthened it a little by adjusting the rod-ends. One thing I do remember doing is re-adjusting the servo horn position, so you may have to do that as well.

[@richarddow69]

Good job. Thanks. You have another sub🤙🏻

[@RevolutionX]

Awesome! Thanks for watching! Make sure you check out the update to this (not so free version), as I think it works better!

[@DarylS]

thanks for the tip! btw, whats the size of the screw driver?

[@RevolutionX]

I don't have it in front of me, but I believe it's a 2.0mm Hex driver that's needed for the screws.

[@DarylS]

@@RevolutionX thank you

[@rcmod642]

nice bro

[@RevolutionX]

Thanks

[@RCVOODOO]

Rc reviews did the body trim mod a while back in a vídeo as well as a few other channels. 👍

[@RevolutionX]

Ah, I must've missed those!

[@RCVOODOO]

@@RevolutionX kzbin.info/www/bejne/l33FqGR6qKhkeqs Start at 6:22

[@Chris-zu8ve]

Makes a difference in the bump steer, BUT this is crawling NOT desert racing. Is Losing the Clearance in front of the axle from the tie rod getting hung up on rocks worth it??? Bump Steer only really affects handling in high speed use such as in a rock racer setup. Crawling requires clearance in all the right places.

[@RevolutionX]

I get what you're saying, but there really isn't much of a loss of clearance either. It's about the same clearance as the axle tube so it's not like it's hanging way down there. It's one of those do it if the bump steer bothers you, if not... then keep as is if you want. There is another benefit to moving the rod down though. You get more clearance inside the wheel. Some people have been complaining that the rod rubs the tires on the inside in the stock position. Of course you can get wider hex-hubs to space the wheel out, but if you don't some guys will get that tire rub from the rod in the stock position. I've personally experienced it. I've got a nice line etched into my tire from the rod in the stock position.

[@rcrushhh3379]

Good idear

[@RevolutionX]

Yeah it's worth a shot if you don't want to spend anything!

[@swissscalerfreaks1915]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@agoodballet]

On my gen 7 with the portal axle swap the entire axle moves left and right as the suspension compresses and decompresses. I’m going to try and convert bot 7 and 8 to a 4 link set up to see if this makes a difference. Has anyone tried this, am I going to be wasting my time?

[@RevolutionX]

If you change it to a 4-link setup, then it will not experience any chassis shift. The chassis shift is the result of the pendulum swing of the panhard rod in a 3-link setup. In the case of R/C it's much more exaggerated as the 1:1 suspension doesn't experience that much travel up and down in the real world so the chassis shift is minimal. Ideally you want to keep the chassis in the middle at rest, and have equal amounts of shift both ways on compression and extension.

[@agoodballet]

REVolutionX yeah that’s what I figured that’s why I’d rather go with a 4link vs 3link/panhard set up. Thanks for the input.

[@RevolutionX]

@@agoodballet the 3-link setup is mainly for scale realism.

[@RCVOODOO]

what is hitting on your before the fix?

[@RevolutionX]

The fix was to minimize the steering getting turned on suspension compression. On full compression, the steering tends to turn right. Having correct geometry will eliminate this. There is still some bump steer, but it's minimized with this mod. This mod also happens to eliminate the issue where some people have the steering tie-rod rub against their tires.

[@RCVOODOO]

@@RevolutionX oh. I thought you was showing the link hitting something

[@RevolutionX]

@@RCVOODOO Nah, just a common issue of 3-link suspensions with chassis mounted servos. The RedCat implementation is particularly pronounced with bump steer.

[@RCVOODOO]

@@RevolutionX i watched your video with the volume on and that explained it the first time i watched it on mute lol extending the distance from the servo to the steering knuckle while not extending the link will cause the left steering to be sharper. you probably had to adjust the steering trim on the remote or reposition the horn im guessing ?

[@LscottD]

Why not remake a draglink and put the same bend in it as the panhard bar? I ask cuz this moves the tie rod down and more in the way. It dose add extra force to the week point. The tow adjustment.

[@RevolutionX]

You can, but then it wouldn't be free! This was just to show you can improve it with just a repositioning of some parts. I am actually making a longer draglink and will be mounting it differently once I get my new servo horn in.

[@LscottD]

@@RevolutionX cool cant wait to see what you come up with.

[@toddeaves3015]

Get a gen 8 axe edition servo horn it's low profile costs about $7

[@RevolutionX]

Yes this was made quite a while ago before the AXE edition came out. The low profile horn should achieve the same thing.

[@beingre_bornbrb]

“Thhhanks”

[@RevolutionX]

No problem!

[@ol59kafer92]

So why didn't Redcat do this mod.

[@RevolutionX]

Well, they eventually sort of did with the Gen8 v2. They basically used a very low profile servo horn to get closer to achieving the same thing.

[@ConditionZero76]

Every time you pushed the suspension down it dives to the left, Thats what I cant stand!!

[@RevolutionX]

Yes, I do not like bump steer!

[@cullencromwell7316]

Ok what part is the c hub lol ?

[@RevolutionX]

www.redcatracing.com/RER11335

[@toddeaves3015]

I tried this and I still had bump steer

[@RevolutionX]

There are a few things to watch out for... the steering link and the panhard link being parallel AND being the same length from eye to eye.

[@New2Kendo]

You lose some ground clearance when you flip that rod, wouldnt using some washers to raise the servo up work

[@RevolutionX]

You really don't lose ground clearance. It's in-line with the bottom of the axle housing, it doesn't hang below. You have no options of raising up the servo with washers. If you own a Gen 8, then you'd know that the way they did the front-end brackets makes it impossible to do that. You'd have to redesign a new bracket where the servo ears can be mounted from the top rather than the bottom of the rails.

[@comeandtakeit5709]

This mod does not work for the axe edition. The servo horn is already upgraded and the servo is different the bump steer was almost non existent to begin with but I tried it just for the hell of it. And the truck veered the right hard and even when sorting out the trim it still veered. Also there's different connection hardware so it didn't bolt up properly. I put it back and it was 100% better so for the axe owners. Don't try this.

[@RevolutionX]

You are correct. This is a video that was made before the AXE edition came out. The AXE edition and I believe the subsequent Gen8 V2 rigs have this corrected out of the box!

[@comeandtakeit5709]

@@RevolutionX still though this is a brilliant discovery and fix man. Great work I subbed immediately.

[@oceanviewrc750]

What tires are you using?

[@RevolutionX]

The thumbnail shows the Duratrax Deep Woods, but I switched it out for Pro-Line Hyrax in my last video. Thinking of trying the PitBull Rock Beast XLs next which is what is in the video.

[@mg90q61]

@@RevolutionX those are pitbulls in this video

[@RevolutionX]

@@mg90q61 LOL you're right! I was going by my thumbnail which shows Duratrax Deep Woods. In the video they are the Pitbull Rockbeast XLs

[@stevebuchanan5773]

Less bump steer and less steering angle and torque, better to fix the pan hard angle

[@RevolutionX]

Steering angle and torque didn't seem to be affected at all actually. Regardless, I have a newer version of the steering setup now. If I really wanted to get the thing right, I'd purchase the new Club5Racing Servo mount ebay.to/2SiHyDx. That puts everything in the right place. Just don't know if I want to spend any more money on this truck.

[@skirmich]

So lower your ground clearance or have worse bump steer… Yikes…

[@RevolutionX]

Your ground clearance really won't be affected. It's basically at the same level as the bottom of the axle housing tube. The pumpkin and the link mounts still sit lower than the link.

[@tobydyes]

Get rid of the penha bar and make it a 4 link

[@RevolutionX]

Then it wouldn't be as scale!

[@chadanderson2486]

SOA gets rid of ALL bumpsteer.

[@RevolutionX]

Yes it does, but some like to keep the panhard setup for the scale looks.

[@chadanderson2486]

@@RevolutionX I agree, ram steering on 1:1's is amazing.

[@tobydyes]

scx102 does the same thing

[@RevolutionX]

I've got quite a bit of 10.2s and they don't do what this Redcat was doing. The link geometry on the 10.2 is much better which helps mitigate any issues like this.

[@ferp420]

if your gona make a video about fixing a issue dont tell people to do something that makes there rig weaker FIX IT RIGHT

[@RevolutionX]

I appreciate the feedback, but it's a pretty old video (4-5 yrs old) with the v1 Gen8, and this was for modding it without spending money. It was an acceptable solution at the time. Of course the way to go now is a low profile horn to fix that angle. I did make a second video years ago that replaced the servo horn and also relocated the drag link mounting location to the knuckle. It drives fine as I have it now, but I don't have any interest in tinkering with it further.

[@ferp420]

@@RevolutionX FIX IT lol Right