The Volcano body is much lighter and can be mounted much lower as the tires won't hit the fenders as with the stock Vortex body. I did have to do some cutting so that the bumpers and front / rear cages would clear, but I think it came out really nice. Also there is less dirt that enters the chassis and that is a big deal, as the rear spur gear is susceptible to damage, and is a major pain to replace. With the lower center of gravity provided by the lower and lighter weight body the Vortex / Volcano hybrid handles awesome, doesn't roll over as much, nor does it "parachute" when it jumps. With the Volcano body the truck is transformed into a high performance racing truck.
I also did a lot of electronics swapping. My Vortex had come with an AM radio that frankly does work very well. I decided to change to my Tactic 2.4GHZ system as I like the fact the transmitter uses only 4 AA batteries. I also swapped the steering servo for a Hitec ball bearing high torque unit, and most importantly replaced the stock ESC with a HobbyWing 60A EZ Run unit. I kept the stock brushless motor as it is very powerful and I never had any issues with it.
The stock ESC I scrapped for two reasons. There is no way to adjust any of its parameters and it operates very clunky. The HobbyWing unit works flawlessly and with a simple programming box I can adjust acceleration, timing, and braking parameters to my liking.
I used my DBY 5200 mah 7.4V Lipo for power. No disappointments with runtime or output power, the Lipo never even broke a sweat. Speeds approaching 40 MPH were witnessed, and will make driving this beast a handful.
I enjoyed running this truck in the vacant lot near my house, and with the varied terrain and some hills, the course proved fun and challenging with the high speed and power of my Vortex / Volcano hybrid.
0 comments:
Post a Comment