TRX4 Brass Yes or No??

[@baxrok2.]

It's not just about adding weight. It's about weight distribution. Properly added weight also plays into how effectively your tires/foams work. Like anything else, too much is no good.

[@ExocagedRC]

100% agree.

[@bobzilla9p0]

@@ExocagedRC Great test. I would like to have seen a descent as well (what goes up must come down). I trail hike up mountains and the second half of the trip is down hill. This is where the rear brass really shows its benefits in keeping the back of the truck planted. Even if it doesn't go end over end; losing grip on the rear wheels can lead to an uncontrolled slide. When going up hill gravity is generally pulling the truck against the terrain, but going down hill gravity is pulling the truck away. Again everything in moderation, as too much weight and you can surpass the ability of your drag brake to keep control of the truck too. Also, any added wight has to be moved around by your motor and creates extra work for the trucks drive train (eventually leading to plastic gear failures). Finally a weighted truck should really have dual stage foams to maintain the side wall of your tires when side hilling. Thanks for the effort in putting these tests together.

[@Nickeeefy]

I have like 80/20 % weight in front and completly stripped my trx4 of plastics etc. My mate has a more expensive rig and runs 60/40 in front. He cant climbs the same rocks/cliffs i can. The tyres dont get enough pressure or surface and his car start to flip backwards and we have the same total weight and low cg and tyres.
Maybe his is abit better sidehill but its not wort it if u cant complete all the ports in a competition.

[@petyweestraw]

@@Nickeeefy new to crawling. 80/20?

[@Nickeeefy]

@@petyweestraw I know its to much, no i have more like 65/70% and it still climbs like a mule :P

[@slopppy75]

I appreciate your time and effort put in for the video as always. I was long time brass addict and I installed heaviest set I could fit under the chassis. Lately, after competing with high level comp builders, I started to realize that too much weight can work against me. Like you pointed out, just the right amount in the right location can be beneficial but finding that balance is the hard part.

[@ExocagedRC]

Exactly! It’s why the new truck is under 8lbs ready to go and the old one is over 10lbs.

[@nicholashaefeli8154]

Haven't loaded up on brass yet, but from what I've seen upgrading the wheels and tires completely changes the performance of the TRX4. I also made some small mods like swapping the electronics, and adding SSD Steelie wheels to it. Another mod I think helped a bunch was modifying the battery box to use a velcro strap rather then the stock plastic strap, along with going to a smaller 3S battery.

[@linglingbraps]

Pulled the trigger on brass knuckles since your test showed they made the biggest difference. Real pleased how they made hard lines easy. Thanks for the vid!

[@DanielStinebaugh]

Nice job at keeping the line's identical, helps in the review of the performance! Thanks for creating and sharing this!

[@macp349]

I thought so too! Thanks for that!

[@NateB240z]

Brass at all 4 corner and use the front battery tray. I run either 2 2000mah in parallel or a single 4600mah hard case. Huge difference. Lots of rock crawling here in SoCal and my Bronco improved dramatically. Also running cheap aluminum beadlocks and proline dual stage foams.

[@khwamtay6459]

I just put a 200g brass front bumper mount on my son's TRX-4 Tactical Unit plus widened the wheel base and it made a huge difference in it's performance

[@pisflap1]

Joe, what I like about your videos is , you say it how it is. Far better than other channels. Keep up the good work bud.
From the UK..

[@ExocagedRC]

Thanks man.

[@mainebearhunter3444]

I have yet to install any brass in my bronco yet . Waiting for the winter rebuild. I like my trucks as heavy as possible to be as scale as possible. But this truck isn't really a rock rock crawler. Light rock and trail rig . But love the videos

[@andygrew4832]

There are circumstances where a light rig wil excel, and there are circumstances where a heavy rig will excel. The added weight does seem to wear certain parts faster, decrease battery run time, and make carrying the rig a chore though.
Running a lighter body, ditching the scale accessories, relocating the battery to a lower location, choosing a lighter motor/ESC, and running a smaller battery are things that one might consider first.

[@nicholashaefeli8154]

And upgrading the wheels and tires.

[@LeftenantMalachi]

My Gen 8 is loaded with brass and is an awesome crawler. Now that I got my TRX4 Blazer I just have brass on all four outer portal covers and some SAMIX bottom brass shock retainers. I feel this is a good balance between crawling and trailing, not too heavy but heavy enough to crawl. Going to replace the plastic chrome diff covers with aluminum for protection mainly.

[@victerzian2140]

Hi I have a gen 8 and been thinking heavily about adding brass. Would you recommend the hot racing brass or the trral? Should I get the aluminum axle housings from Redcat then add brass to the rest? I was thinking to put brass C hubs in the front and Brass differential covers in the front and for the back all aluminum's. Does that sound good? I appreciate your feedback

[@White000Crow]

My Gen 8 is stupid heavy with brass, zinc and steel.
For the TRX4 I just went with outer portal covers and diff covers.

[@billderas3420]

Good honest comparison! Thanks.

[@starcityrc3298]

I just snapped a plastic baulkhead and bent an aluminum D Link.
Both parts have Brass made variants.
Yup definitely going with Brass

[@smallfry1463]

ive always just put weight in the center under the battery tray and a metal skid front bumper and have been doing fairly well for a couple years now. i just cant justify spending so much on 25 cents worth of brass

[@jeffreybozeman6245]

I just got the K5 last Saturday! My first crawler, and I’m Very happy with! More capable than I imagined. Since I’ll be adding a rack a few accessories to it i figure I’ll get as much lower metal/brass to get more LCG.

[@ExocagedRC]

There is so much brass out there for these things it’s crazy. In my comp trx I use these same Integy covers and also STRC brass knuckles. I’m really happy with that setup.

[@OswaldBeef]

You can use a scalpel and scalp the wheel off the rim on one side. Get some lead in there

[@ExocagedRC]

I don’t like added weight to wheels. I’d rather keep it as low on the axle as possible

[@hinnmanfamily]

Crawler innovations dual stage foams are probably the best single option you can get for it (or a maybe a stronger servo) imho, but it's plenty capable box stock.

[@ExocagedRC]

@@hinnmanfamily 100% agree, I run CI foams in everything I build. For some videos the stockers are great to show things.

[@TonysRcTechboom]

Fantastic comparison video my friend, it's these types of videos were we learn , Big THUMBS up, thanks for sharing 👍😁👍

[@ExocagedRC]

thank you

[@Ennis09]

Picked up some brass portal covers for the front, only 40g a piece. With some brass shock cup 20g for the set. Hoping to see if it helps. Didn’t wanna go to heavy. Jus needed a tad more for some nasty inclines near me.

[@joshmiller7870]

When I added brass to front and back on my bronco it made it nicer IMO. I only ordered one set of brass portals then put the outer half on rear axle and the inner half the front (like RCSparks bronco build). Nicely balanced IMO. I recently put on some beadlocks. The beadlocks added a lot of weight. But I like it. Seams realistic. I dont do competition crawl events just fun.

[@maddoxdustin9999]

@Jayson Derek Yea, have been watching on InstaFlixxer for years myself =)

[@ka4172]

Roll your truck with brass or without is a also a big difference to break parts or not.I think only comp drivers need brass tuning.All transmission parts would be more stressed with adding weight.But its every ones own decision.I like front brass to compensate my heavy Unimog shell.

[@DriftomaniacsRC]

Brass portals best thing I ever fitted to my TRX4

[@ExocagedRC]

yeah I agree but I went too heavy on the old TRX and the weight hurt it on side hills and sandy terrain.

[@waynecastleman1363]

I dont think weight in itself is key. Adding a wider stance with better articulated upgrades such as oil filled shocks steel suspension adds weight and helps balance the climbing and from that point you should figure out wether you need to add weight and I like going as scale as possible without making my ride look like a Walmart toy.

[@krashkingrc9715]

Great video has it's advantages and disadvantages helps a lot at times

[@RuisRcAdventures]

That VRdlD is truning out a right winner dude. Very interesting comparison 👍😁

[@LRCR]

Great Test Run Video My Friend.. weights I use are 1/4oz mag wheel to balance.. cut peel and stick.. LOL ✌️😎 👍

[@mikelucas912]

Mike Lucas

[@ryanlawrence6441]

Great video. Thanks for doing this test.

[@billderas3420]

And in regard to the available overdrive/underwrite gearing available for the TRXS4, I found that using both is too much when it comes to sidehilling. Whereas, the rears are drug along by the fronts and slide downhill which is hard to compensate for.

[@ExocagedRC]

Yep. I am considering putting overdrive gears in the front of the new crawler. Just the front

[@clayboren5557]

Great video 👍 thanks for sharing.

[@apocalypsezombyRC]

You have a blue waffle on the truck? That freakin brilliant!

[@travismorse2104]

Good vid!!! Some weight is good. I've seen alot of trx4 owners with every brass part available on there rigs and it's so damn heavy lol!!!

[@Slaters_RC]

It also depends a lot on what your terrain is. We don’t have much for rocks here mostly sand and soft dirt. I added some brass and it made it worse. It just dug in. Only brass I have is the front bumper mount now.

[@ExocagedRC]

You like the chassis weight more than axle weight?

[@Slaters_RC]

Exocaged RC neither. I plan on removing the bumper mount. Only reason I still have it right now is because of my winch.

[@ExocagedRC]

If it’s a servo winch there are a few printable mounts you can get off thingiverse

[@TSully2013]

Cog 60/40 weight split and weight down low is great and all depends where weight balance is transferred

[@ericksonaerialfilms1047]

Need more brass for a real comparison but either way great video love the knowledge shared brother!

[@nj2033]

Perfectly demonstrated video, as always!

[@ajosepi1976]

I think most of the push back that I see on the topic of adding brass comes from the people that BRASS ALL THE THINGS, and people who are more reasonable get sick of it. Proper application of materials is something that a lot of people struggle with. New engineers will tend to spec the strongest steel for everything at first because they know it will hold up, but it kills the budget. As time goes on they will learn to pull back on how fast they kill that budget. Adding weight in RC crawling is the same way. I once had a 15 pound AX10, only to not be happy with how quickly it killed batteries. It's all about balancing what you need.

[@ExocagedRC]

yep I agree, a little can help but too much is just too much, like my old TRX

[@juantabby4787]

Yup. I tried the brass and still use the fronts. But the biggest improvement is a homemade battery tray. I know you can buy em and print em but it’s just that easy. Like 15 minutes tops.

[@off-roadrcaddict4572]

It's a tough call but as you said, it all boils down to what you use it for and preferences. Great vid as always 😎👍

[@runnerbaba]

Thank you

[@michaeldavis9693]

Would the extra weight put any more pressure on other parts causing premature wear and tear?

[@koolaidwaterfountainsforth4236]

I like the benefits of the brass but not the price they ask for the stuff. I understand it has to be machined out and such. But 40-50 bucks for a pair of whatever or a singular pumpkin cover? Man makes my sterling sliver chain and bracelet cheap all the sudden! Tisk. I gone cheap and invested in a few sets of affordable metal/alloy beadlocks and some 1/4 oz stick on weights for the non weighted alloy sets. Not the most preferred spot on the wheels BUT it's weight on the furthest down amd and outward position you can stick weight. More noticeable results that far out with less weight than the brass would add (pending on how much you add)
Once the brass craze maybe dies down and becomes reasonable id love to add the bling and weight. Till then... 😬😬

[@ExocagedRC]

Yeah I’m not a fan of a heavy rotating mass but they are the cheapest way to get weight. When it comes to competitors we will throw $100 at a truck in a heartbeat if we believe it will get us through more gates quicker when n all reality it’s not all that much better. I did a video about a year ago where I had both my top level comp trucks vs an almost bone stock Gen7 and my feelings were hurt when I edited it all together as that darn little Gen7 followed my $1k plus trucks almost everywhere.

[@rcbymatej3189]

I never entered a crawling competition. Is adding weight acceptable on common competitions? I know every competition can have its own rules and exceptions but is adding weight considered a "fair-play" in general?

[@ExocagedRC]

RC by Matej yeah it’s very common but they have to be parts not just bolt on led or brass. When I say parts it’s like you see here.

[@rcbymatej3189]

@@ExocagedRC tnx man! Cheers

[@jon98tj]

Great video again thanks for sharing. Could you go over how you mounted your retractable key chain in the front?

[@ExocagedRC]

Well LoL it’s just stuck in there and glued in place with amazing goop. Shoe Goo and E6000 works fine too.

[@jon98tj]

Ok. Thanks.

[@seansrcconstruction]

Pretty cool comparison. Great video

[@TX010]

A

[@samintrepid]

Beautiful video my friend, now I know if brass help or not. Thank you :)

[@ExocagedRC]

Yeah but don’t go overboard with it. Too much is a bad thing IMO

[@americanmade73]

As always Joe, good vid, good times!

[@scottharkness2905]

ive enjoyed these videos... not scientific, but real world comparisons!!!

[@ExocagedRC]

Thank you

[@james192197]

Thanks joe

[@Warwick3511]

It can help but it comes down the the purpose of the truck and the required balance. As you said with every up comes a down and you need control for both.

[@ExocagedRC]

100% yes

[@jdssurf]

Someone please tell me what portals fit trx4 sport with bead lock wheels with no rubbing or steering loss………some reviewers say be careful

[@insanemadmanroom2299]

What work good for me heavier portal brass up front lighter brass in the rear with aluminum rims them Traxxas stock tires are terrible for rock crawling but awesome for trail rides.

[@ExocagedRC]

Yeah I think I have a set of MFR covers somewhere so those may go on the rear. This truck usually runs metal wheels and stuff but for this video it got the stock ones back on.

[@rcPYROone]

The stock tires are amazing when the center lug is removed and add sipes to the lugs.

[@eldarkwing986]

Hi, i see behind you the Blazer -what is it for a Front bumper on it-looks nice.

[@TerraQuestRC]

you have to know the terrain. You may find yourself needing the weight, and may be a hindrance at another point on the trail. It won't always be the answer to your problem getting over the obstacles, find when its better the majority of the time, other wise go without it. Adding it just to have it isn't the right approach, and only use as much as is needed, and make it the easiest to change out, don't want to have to rebuild the rig each time the weather or location changes.

[@ExocagedRC]

Yep well said bud. My approach to the new build is just enough to be effective for the courses and terrain I run on.

[@tracerclub]

Thanks

[@ChrisHirner]

There is a rock pile at my park that the stock trx4 would not crawl no matter what way i approached it, But now with portal weights and brass steering knuckles it makes it. It still takes some tecnique but its now possible. So defiantly add some weight. Too bad its so pricey

[@jdssurf]

Do you have the part numbers for what you got?

[@ChrisHirner]

@@jdssurf i got the yeah racing 118 gram front portal covers and the 49 gram rear portals. Then upgraded the c hubs to yeah racing then it ran quite well however the stock steering servo would get too hot and give out. So i put on a powerhd 720 which then smoked the speed controler so had to get a hw1080. But then after all that it is epic. That hobbywing 1080 is a required upgrade anyhow

[@KennethWhiteakaruckusbringa]

This might be a dumb question but what would staggered brass be like ?

[@ExocagedRC]

as in opposite corners? No idea on that

[@KennethWhiteakaruckusbringa]

@@ExocagedRC yea just curious 🤔

[@jaredharris1970]

I crawled up a six foot high steep pile of loose gravel with my red cat gen 7 pro bone stock no mods didn’t tip over once

[@TheLilhulk1111]

You got to remember the tires being so soft and adding weight you might need different tires also

[@artistman75]

Its about all things being equal... if more weight helps, it helps. If you're changing out tires, shocks, etc, it doesn't answer the question.

[@kellerluizdossantos7776]

Nice run what spour gear and pinion gear do u use?

[@ExocagedRC]

In this run it was running a 10t pinion and a 45t Spur

[@edwardselesky6620]

Howdy! Second year into trail crawing and have a question, running a TRX-4 Defender with all accessories including an interior w/passenger & driver and assorted gear. Removed the spare tire from the rear. Truck gained much weight and wondering if adding fans to the ESC & motor would be advisable? Battery is a 2 cell 7600 unit.

[@ExocagedRC]

If you’re having heat issues yeah. If you’re still running the stock esc and motor consider the Hobbywing 1080 and a Holmes 21t trailmaster sport 550. Both are fairly cheap and run great. It’s what was in the truck shown in this video. I don’t run fans on any crawler I have.

[@edwardselesky6620]

@@ExocagedRC Thanks for the quick reply. Does run warmer then I like. Will go with your suggestion and give it a shot, would hate to think I have a shelf model.

[@ExocagedRC]

Links in the description for them.

[@ExocagedRC]

Well I don’t see them listed, sorry about that I can get you some eBay links for them if you want.

[@edwardselesky6620]

@@ExocagedRC Figure being I rocked your cage I'd get back to you. Went with your suggestion and had my store install the hobby wing & the trail master with the desired results. Happy with Traxxas but figuring their unit doesn't deal with the added weight in crawl mode. Thank you very much!!!

[@InvisiMan2006]

I love these comparison videos! What about battery life with the extra weight? For those of us who trail a lot, does the extra weight reduce battery life by a noticeable amount?

[@ExocagedRC]

If you go overboard like I did with the old trx I’d have to say yeah it does add a bit of additional drain to it especially when climbing or in soft terrain, everything has to work harder to move. I think the perfect setup for this truck would be the 76g up front and about half that on the rear. I learn from these videos as I shoot them more than you know.

[@InvisiMan2006]

@@ExocagedRC Lower battery life is a concern with my TRX-4, which already doesn't have great battery life. I may add some weight to my SCX10, which has phenomenal battery life by comparison - but I tend to trail more than I crawl, so I guess I have to look at the trade-offs and go from there.

[@ExocagedRC]

I did a video on the trx transmission on bearings and seals to remove drag. That makes a difference on my trucks. If your truck has a lot of runtime it may have loosened itself up

[@InvisiMan2006]

@@ExocagedRC I'll check that out! My rigs tend to be packed with grease to keep water out, so I'm sure there's drag built in by default. But all my Trx-4's (three of them) fall short in the battery department.

[@ExocagedRC]

I can go for over an hr with a 2200mah 3S. I can get over 45 minutes on a 1500mah 3S in the new Optimus 2 truck.

[@FernandoGarcia-ix9wn]

Nice video how do you have you esc hobbywing configured?

[@ExocagedRC]

I did a video about a week ago with the traxxas XL5 vs this 1080 and in part of it I go through the 1080 esc settings. Should be easy to find on my channel.

[@mikelucas912]

Mike Lucas🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@user-pm1lb2fc4t]

I wanted brass outer diff cups

[@goreyboggs]

Great video man!

[@allyoucando8486]

some others don't know just adding metal wheels make a different TRX4

[@ExocagedRC]

That’s true.

[@LuisLPRCs]

Great Vid! 👍👍👍👍👍

[@matthewandlincolnsilvercoi1502]

I have the same setup but with a 12 turn and it’s a little to fast

[@MarcRCAddict]

Would weighted wheels help more?

[@stpbasss3773]

I'm not a fan of brass at all I think it's a faze. Yeah I'm going to pay 50$ for one pumpkin cover because it's brass lmao nope it's not F-ing gold.

[@ExocagedRC]

LoL to a certain point I completely agree, many put them on the brag or show off but oddly enough that helps those of us who want them for functionality. The more people buy the more people will design better stuff for us.

[@stpbasss3773]

@@ExocagedRC I know there is good weight you can put down low but a lot of people just cram on as much weight and brass as they can on their rigs. I added 12oz of weight as low as I could with sticky weights and I ended up talking 90% of them off because it performed way worse lol. There is a science to the weight thing I'm still learning. I also think there is a placebo effect with a lot of parts where people put something that looks cool on their rig and it crawls the same but they will think it's better.

[@ExocagedRC]

Yeah that placebo effect is very real. See it all the time.

[@ColoradoStreaming]

@@ExocagedRC I have a TRX4 Sport and put on 93G portal axle covers in the front after watching this video. The difference was night and day on my local indoor course. The truck just pulled itself up over rocks that it would previously flip backward on.

[@PaulRawlins2]

Great vid!

[@mrkmh1]

How does it compare with just running metal wheels?

[@ExocagedRC]

with just this much weight, probably about the same but without the rotating mass.

[@user-pm1lb2fc4t]

Or raydem outer diff cup

[@TonysRcTechboom]

Oh I had to unsubscribe and subscribe so the Notification works again because I wasn't getting any notifications for your videos, bloody CZcams 😁

[@klakkinkittykat]

no..solder and lead fishing weights work much much better ..plus nobody needs aluminum axles 'cuz that's the lightest metal and that's the last thing you don't want on your rock crawler..meow.

[@james192197]

Why brass?

[@ExocagedRC]

It’s heavy, works fine in mechanical applications and they are readily available.

[@idontcaresapo8233]

Some bras is good but to much is bad

[@johnconrad5487]

the brass does not improve the performance. it is the added weight. so why not add a couple of stones to the stock car instead of $30 brass?

[@ExocagedRC]

LoL no added stones in my truck

[@jdssurf]

God forbid we treat ourselves with a little bling.

[@braddahdussifyoumuss596]

No more brass please!😭 why does everyone think brass heals everything

[@ExocagedRC]

lol why do you think I only used a little on this.

[@braddahdussifyoumuss596]

I see that 😁 I was just playing around tho, I just personally don’t like the idea of brass and adding brass but a lil I’m the front is never a problem it’s when your whole truck turns brass is when it’s a problem 🤣🤣🤣

[@ExocagedRC]

LoL yeah like the red/white Bronco I mentioned. I may do another video with the super heavy axles and just see what I can get out of it.

[@khmersport9945]

Skilled crawler!! Sub your channel and hit your bell

[@rileycarelock4306]

You should’ve don’t this test with stock wheels and tires

[@ExocagedRC]

you know the wheels and tires on it for this are stock Bronco right? The chassis is also Bronco

[@vdangr]

Hello, i m deaf, brass Better?

[@jdssurf]

Seems a little better yes.