Granite New to the hobby, need some advices please

[wanderer.77]

Hi guys,

I´m total beginner, Granite 4x4 Mega is my first RC car. I choose green/black and I really love it.

Changes / Upgrades so far (have it only one month or so, still learning to drive

I changed stock Nimh to this Antix 45C 5400 LiPo:
https://www.lrp.cc/en/product/antix-by-lrp-5400-graphene-76v-lihv-45c-lipo-car-hardcase/
Charger is SKYRC 680:
https://www.skyrc.com/e680
Servo upgrade from stock 5 kg to SRT metal/waterproof/20 kg servo:
http://www.srt-rc.com/index.php?id=65

T-bone front bumper XV6 is on the way - I read some installation problems here on the forum, but love the massive look of it, wanna try..hope it will fit.

Now the questions..do you guys have some experiences with these upgrades and basically aluminium parts instead of plastic? I read somewhere that plastic is more durable and flexible..I found this site and like the stuff there, can you recommend?

https://www.jteamhobbies.com/collections/arrma-granite-4x4-mega-monster-truck

I especially like front / rear arms and damper mounts..maybe shocks..better these
https://www.jteamhobbies.com/collections/arrma-granite-4x4-mega-monster-truck/products/mag102f-bk-or
or these:
https://www.ebay.com/i/233108412848...6sHKfsS_iEfip39uqRfgTkWjdiwX257RoCgAgQAvD_BwE

Still have stock radio..because is my first car and I´m newbie don't see a problem here..it´s the difference really so big when I buy a better one?

Sorry, I am new and excited, maybe too questions for one thread

Thanks in advance guys, keep bashing!!

Tom.

 

[ptsWolfman]

I can't speak for the website/company though it looks like a collection of all the aluminum parts you could ever want.
I'm sure others can comment on this but the general idea of aluminum over plastic is more that for every aluminum part you replace, the vibration/shock will travel to the next part (so its always the weakest part will break). I've bashed the hell out of my car (and have broken it quite a few times), so far the 'worst' that has broken has been the bearings, the differential yoke (due to bearing failure), and others I've seen have broken the drive arms. I've been torn if I want aluminum for those but seeing as the cost for the plastic replacement is so much cheaper (and the plastic can still certainly take a beating) I'm fine, personally, with the plastic parts.

As for the shocks... I own those "Big Bore" from eBay... definitely a good upgrade. The plastic OEM ones I had did bend and break (one of them after a crash).
The 'big bore' have a nice adjustment ability and look like a good replacement. So far as I can tell they are progressive springs so they give a decent mix of spring rates.

The radio ... you will find that you get a better response from pretty much any other radio.
The DumboRC (or there are a lot of clones on Amazon) make for a good replacement. I bought it for my Mega and loved it. I then bought the Flysky 3TGB ($50 radio) and have since replaced the receiver in both vehicles (so I only had to deal with a single transmitter for whichever vehicle I wanted to operate).
Point is, its a definite good upgrade and you will notice a difference... and you really don't have to spend a lot on a new radio.

 

[rflx]

I agree with @ptsWolfman - buying a 25$ dumborc radio will be the most notable upgrade you can do to the car without spending hundreds of dollars.

My approach is to only upgrade stuff that broke (or that annoys me while driving, like that remote). Otherwise I would spend an endless amount on upgrades i don't need and don't notice. I'd rather invest that cash into more cars

A second RC is also the best preemptive measure against breakage, because you have something to drive while you wait for spares.

 

[ptsWolfman]

I agree with @ptsWolfman - buying a 25$ dumborc radio will be the most notable upgrade you can do to the car without spending hundreds of dollars.

My approach is to only upgrade stuff that broke (or annoys me while driving, like that remote). Otherwise you can spend an endless amount on upgrades you don't need and don't notice. I'd rather invest that cash into more cars

A second RC is also the best preemptive measure against breakage, because have something to drive while you wait for spares.

I laughed because, sad but true ... My Granite was down for two weeks once while waiting for parts etc.... eventually I just bought a Senton BLX so that I could have something to run "just in case".
(I went for something similar but different enough so I could swap throughout the day)

As for the radio -- I couldn't find the DumboRC (things might have changed in the past couple months) so I went with
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VF542S3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (apparently unavailable now.. but there are 'clones' ... what I came to find out is that these are the older DumboRC firmware transmitters... which, to be honest, I've not heard/seen a difference)

I can't speak for Banggood (never purchased from them) but -- https://usa.banggood.com/DumboRC-X6...-Parts-p-1454329.html?ID=229&cur_warehouse=CN

I bought this for my Senton (I've since purchased a 2nd receiver for my Granite so 1 controller for both... I like that the Flysky offers trim settings etc memory for different vehicles)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LP1LYAI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[FlipSide]

Expect to burn brushed motors regularly on a Granite Mega with Lipos. Don't go full throttle for the entire pack without taking cool-off breaks. It is really important that you let the motor cool down regularly.

My son burnt 4 motors since april and he doesn't even run the truck every week. The last motor lasted 3 packs. I guess adding a heat sink on the motor couldn't hurt, so you could look into this.

I have personally abandonned on the Mega motors and I am waiting for the Granite 3S to get back in stock at my LHS and I'll pick one up.

 

[ptsWolfman]

My friend's son burnt out his brushed motor in his Typhon running 2S LiPo (not really all that hard).
The Brushed motor is great on NiMH for general purposes. For running LiPo, I agree that its just a matter of time before it goes out.

I ended up swapping out the brushed 550 motor for a Castle motor/ESC combo ($150?) ... 3800Kv w/ the Sidewinder 4 ESC
Honestly, never looked back.

Running on 2S LiPo batteries and it is a LOT more fun than I had with the brushed.
I have run 3S on occasion but you really need to upgrade a lot of other 'stuff' around it for that to run reliably.
(in short, if you don't want to go too crazy, just stick to 2S)

Unfortunately the stock ESC in the Granite MEGA wouldn't handle the power load of 2S LiPo running into a brushless motor very well so buying a combo kit would be your best bet. And, as they say, you get what you pay for. Castle or Hobby Wing .... anything else (GoolRC) and it's hit or miss (from stories I've heard).

It pretty much became a matter of spending $20 every few months on a new 550 motor (brushed) or just upgrading to the brushless. Costs more up front but, in my opinion, worth it.

 

[wanderer.77]

Thanks guys for all your feedback & advice, really friendly and supportive community here!
OK, so I will order Big Bore shocks and will not buy other aluminum parts.
Instead I will buy brushed motor as a backup.
Upgrade to brushless maybe in the future - speed is total OK for me, will see how much the stock motor will last.
Will buy some better radio, one stupid question: does these types of radios also have this 50/75/100 speed limiter as stock one?
As a beginner, I am using 50 or 75 when I drive in my garden / in some smaller environment / or when my kids run it.
Thanks again!

 

[rflx]

Thanks guys for all your feedback & advice, really friendly and supportive community here!
OK, so I will order Big Bore shocks and will not buy other aluminum parts.
Instead I will buy brushed motor as a backup.
Upgrade to brushless maybe in the future - speed is total OK for me, will see how much the stock motor will last.
Will buy some better radio, one stupid question: does these types of radios also have this 50/75/100 speed limiter as stock one?
As a beginner, I am using 50 or 75 when I drive in my garden / in some smaller environment / or when my kids run it.
Thanks again!

That speed limiter is the one thing I really like about the STX2. Most other radios don't have one. But you can usually achieve something similar by adjusting throttle dual rate or throttle end points on the remote.

Maybe consider getting a small brushless combo instead of stocking up on backup motors. If you don't want additional speed you won't have to pay much for the combo. It will be more durable than the brushed setup. And you might get better runtimes from your Lipos.

 

[ptsWolfman]

That speed limiter is the one thing I really like about the STX2. Most other radios don't have one. But you can usually achieve something similar by adjusting throttle dual rate or throttle end points on the remote.

Maybe consider getting a small brushless combo instead of stocking up on backup motors. If you don't want additional speed you won't have to pay much for the combo. It will be more durable than the brushed setup. And you might get better runtimes from your Lipos.

Most radios will have that. Both the DumboRC (or clones) and the Flysky have it.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

In general if the aluminum part is long like a-Arms for example that will likely be a bad move on a truck that you are jumping.
Plastic flexes and moves back to its original spot (in most cases) Aluminum moves/bends and stays bent.

Usually aluminum is good for small parts like hubs, braces, cases, chassis, covers etc.

 

[rflx]

Most radios will have that. Both the DumboRC (or clones) and the Flysky have it.

What do you mean exactly? I thought the DumboRC just had a dual rate knob for throttle control.

 

[wanderer.77]

That speed limiter is the one thing I really like about the STX2. Most other radios don't have one. But you can usually achieve something similar by adjusting throttle dual rate or throttle end points on the remote.

Maybe consider getting a small brushless combo instead of stocking up on backup motors. If you don't want additional speed you won't have to pay much for the combo. It will be more durable than the brushed setup. And you might get better runtimes from your Lipos.

OK, thanks for the info.
Can you please recommend some brushless combo with similar power / speed like stock?
Durability & better runtime is what I want!

In general if the aluminum part is long like a-Arms for example that will likely be a bad move on a truck that you are jumping.
Plastic flexes and moves back to its original spot (in most cases) Aluminum moves/bends and stays bent.

Usually aluminum is good for small parts like hubs, braces, cases, chassis, covers etc.

That makes sense, thanks for explanation.

I can't speak for the website/company though it looks like a collection of all the aluminum parts you could ever want.
I'm sure others can comment on this but the general idea of aluminum over plastic is more that for every aluminum part you replace, the vibration/shock will travel to the next part (so its always the weakest part will break). I've bashed the hell out of my car (and have broken it quite a few times), so far the 'worst' that has broken has been the bearings, the differential yoke (due to bearing failure), and others I've seen have broken the drive arms. I've been torn if I want aluminum for those but seeing as the cost for the plastic replacement is so much cheaper (and the plastic can still certainly take a beating) I'm fine, personally, with the plastic parts.

As for the shocks... I own those "Big Bore" from eBay... definitely a good upgrade. The plastic OEM ones I had did bend and break (one of them after a crash).
The 'big bore' have a nice adjustment ability and look like a good replacement. So far as I can tell they are progressive springs so they give a decent mix of spring rates.

The radio ... you will find that you get a better response from pretty much any other radio.
The DumboRC (or there are a lot of clones on Amazon) make for a good replacement. I bought it for my Mega and loved it. I then bought the Flysky 3TGB ($50 radio) and have since replaced the receiver in both vehicles (so I only had to deal with a single transmitter for whichever vehicle I wanted to operate).
Point is, its a definite good upgrade and you will notice a difference... and you really don't have to spend a lot on a new radio.

OK, I will order these Big Bore shocks, they look badass...some problems with installation / filling oil?
Thanks for explanation about travelling shock to the next part..make sense to me..maybe aluminum parts have sense in parts like motor mount etc, what you think? Solid, not moving parts with some cooling effect maybe..

 

[rflx]

OK, thanks for the info.
Can you please recommend some brushless combo with similar power / speed like stock?
Durability & better runtime is what I want!

Are you from the US, EU or somewhere else? There seems to be some differences in what is easily available. In Germany, i would expect paying 50 to 60€ (including taxes).
To be honest, I can just take a very vague guess on what will be equivalent in terms of speed. Maybe somebody else has hands-on experience? I would think something like a 50-60 Amp ESC and motor that does around 3.500 kV fits the bill. Something like this.
You can pair that up with a smaller pinion, like 12t or 11t, to keep the motor cool and the speed managable.

 

[wanderer.77]

I am from EU/Czech Republic.
This one looking goood, thanks for the tip!
Buying from Germany shop should be without problems and they accept PayPal which is great.

 

[ptsWolfman]

What do you mean exactly? I thought the DumboRC just had a dual rate knob for throttle control.

DumboRC has the limiter knobs... so not a switch for 50/75/100; but the knob will allow you to control how much power you wish to deliver.
The FlySky has the 'fancy' (quotes used on purpose, its almost more trouble than its worth) LCD display which allows you to set the same thing.
(for what its worth, I like the FlySky for multiple RC cars as you can have individual profiles set for each car...... but the DumboRC - or any clone - is a really great radio. ... only thing I don't like about it is the solid plastic wheel. I like some of the others with the foam or rubberized -- but that is reaaaallly just a nitpick and for the cost ... again, DumboRC is a winner, imo, over any radio less than $200.. )

 

[rflx]

DumboRC has the limiter knobs... so not a switch for 50/75/100; but the knob will allow you to control how much power you wish to deliver.
The FlySky has the 'fancy' (quotes used on purpose, its almost more trouble than its worth) LCD display which allows you to set the same thing.
(for what its worth, I like the FlySky for multiple RC cars as you can have individual profiles set for each car...... but the DumboRC - or any clone - is a really great radio. ... only thing I don't like about it is the solid plastic wheel. I like some of the others with the foam or rubberized -- but that is reaaaallly just a nitpick and for the cost ... again, DumboRC is a winner, imo, over any radio less than $200.. )

Ah alright, those were what i was talking about as well
I think those adjust throttle dual rate, not throttle end points. On the STX2 (and on more expensive remotes) those are seperate settings. But even if it is only dual rate, in most cases the knob will do the job sufficiently.
*Edit: Thinking about it, i suppose it is probably even better than an endpoint setting in this scenario...

I am from EU/Czech Republic.
This one looking goood, thanks for the tip!
Buying from Germany shop should be without problems and they accept PayPal which is great.

I have seen it recommend for the Granite Mega somewhere, don't have any personal experience though.
I just linked to a german shop because thats where i live, i'm sure there is other options for you as well. A lot of similar ESC/motor combos seem to exist.
Whatever you decide on buying, hope it works out well