Upgrades

Increasing Performance

Even though the selection of hop-ups for the Rustler isn't as large as the Maxx trucks, it can still be overwhelming to shop for upgrades. So what I have listed here is what I consider to be the top upgrades from a performance and durability standpoint. In some cases a few items may overlap between categories and, in all cases, these are just my opinions. Some people may not agree with me, but we all have our opinions.

The items on this list are not given in any particular order that you should upgrade by. Other upgrades you have made, may make one item a better choice before another. So the order in which you should upgrade could possibly be different from someone else. So you'll have to determine what the best approach for your Rustler would be.

Even though I'm providing links to online hobby stores for illustration purposes, please note that this is not the only location to purchase these parts. Often your local hobby store would often make a much better route for you to buy any upgrades from.

Battery Packs

Upgrading your battery packs is a good way to get more runtime or power. Look for more Mah to obtain more runtime. However, you should only purchase the type of packs that your charger is capable of charging. This means you are limited to a maximum of 2400 Mah if you can only charge NiCad's. If you're looking for a significant power boost try a 7-cell hump pack, or a 6-cell race or zapped pack. For more information see my section on Batteries.

Bearings and RPM Bearing Carriers

Bearings help reduce rolling resistance and give you more speed and more runtime. You have the option of using the stock bushing carriers and using 5x8 bearings, but usually they break very easily so I will ignore that as an option.

When purchasing bearings you'll need a total of eight bearings for the RPM bearing carriers. However there are three different kinds you can buy. These are: unshielded, shielded, and sealed.

Sealed bearings offer the most protection from outside elements as they are completely sealed by a rubber or Teflon seal. However, the downside is they also have the most rolling resistance. I would recommend sealed bearings when running on sandy or dirt based surfaces surfaces most of the time.

Shielded bearings offer a good compromise between protection from dirt and very little rolling resistance. They are shielded from the elements by a seal that is often similar to a piece of wax or Teflon-coated paper. These bearings are generally the best choice for most off-road vehicles when used for racing. If you're after the last ounce of speed, or race your Rustler, you may want to use shielded bearing instead of sealed bearings.

Unshielded bearings generally do not belong on an off-road vehicle. They are too likely to get damaged by dirt or grit. While they offer almost no rolling resistance, they are best left for touring car or on road use.

• RPM Bearing Carriers Front and Rear

• Duratrax Sealed Bearings
• Duratrax Stainless Sealed Bearings
• HPI Sealed Bearings
• Traxxas Shielded Bearings

Chassis

A good racing chassis can help both the handling and performance of your Rustler. A good chassis replacement will both reduce the weight and provide a better center of gravity for the truck once installed.

• Nightmare Chassis
• RCM RC G-10 Chassis

Electronic Speed Control

One of the biggest expenses for your Rustler is an Electronic Speed Control. Therefore, you should choose wisely so you don't have to make this purchase more than once. For more information see my section on ESC's.

Low Resistance Connections

The stock Tamiya connectors are nearly an industry standard. However they offer a lot of resistance, and therefore waste a lot of power. The ultimate way to reduce resistance across a connection would be to solder that connection. However that isn't the best alternative for anyone except the hardcore racer as changing batteries and motors can quickly become a chore. A solution to this is to use a low loss connector, that way the connection can easily be disconnected yet offer a clean path for power to travel through.

Deans plugs offer a lower resistance connection between batteries and the motor than the stock Tamiya connectors. This is especially true after the stock connectors have some age on them. For more information on Deans plugs, see my article on Deans Plugs. Another alternative is the Duratrax Powerpole.

• Deans Plugs
• Duratrax Powerpoles

Metal Gear Servo

One of the weaknesses of the stock T-Maxx is the steering servo. It lacks torque and prone to breaking if it suffers much abuse. A good metal gear servo will take much more abuse, and typically offers much more torque than the stock servo. More torque means the servo can turn the tires, and keep them turned while cornering. More torque is a necessity when running larger than stock tires, and still can be very helpful on stock-sized tires. For more information on this, read my section on Metal Gear Servos.

Motor

Without a doubt the best performance improvement you can make for your Rustler is to replace the motor. I would also suggest, that when doing so, stay 13-turns or above. For an explanation of why, see my section on Motor Gearing. The most popular choice for a motor would be the Speed Gems 2 or Speed Gems Pro line. They offer a good compromise of performance and value. The best overall performers for an off-road truck at this time, would probably be the P-94 or D-5.

• Speed Gems 2
• Speed Gems Pro
• Trinity P-94
• Trinity D5

Another alternative that's becoming popular is the brushless motor. Brushless motors require a speed control that is made specifically for a brushless motor, and often specifically for that particular brushless motor. So if you plan on going this route, purchasing a better ESC may not be something you want to do. Brushless motors are more efficient and usually offer more power due to the fact they can run higher cell counts without the additional comm wear that's experianaced with a standard brushed motor. However the downside is that if you plan on racing, brushless motors are not legal in most racing classes. Below are some of the more popular choices in brushless motors.

• Hacker
• Lehner Motors (Rum Runner Hobbies)
• Novak Super Sport

Peak Charger

If your battery packs are not fully charged you're not getting peak performance from them. Sure you can charge with a timed charger, but a peak charger makes it so much easier and you don't have to constantly monitor the packs to see when they are fully charged. For more information on this topic, read my section on Chargers.

Pinions and Spurs

Proper gearing is critical for top-notch performance, especially when using stock-type motors. Too little or too much gearing can result in poor performance or a damaged motor. To learn how to properly gear a motor see my section on Motor Gearing.

One thing to consider when purchasing a replacement pinion is your tools. Many of the hex wrenches included with kits or aftermarket accessories are made of very cheap material. I would recommend purchasing a couple of quality hex wrenches from Sears, Craftsman, or somewhere with tools of similar quality. Otherwise you may find that you can't tighten the grub screw down enough due to the wrench becoming stripped. The stock pinion uses a 1.5 mm wrench, while most aftermarket pinions will use a 1/16 inch. You may find some pinions that use a .050 inch hex wrench, so I would make sure I purchased all three sizes.

• 48-pitch Pinions
• 48-pitch Spurs

Radio/Receiver

A better radio is a good investment. While many of the features on some high end radios may go unused, others such as adjustable rate control, end point adjustments, and subtrim, will be a big help to the experienced driver. Switching to a FM radio will give you a much cleaner signal to your truck which will result in less glitching as well. For more information on radios, read my section on Radios and Receivers.

Shocks

Your shocks should be addressed in some manner for optimum durability. You have several routes you can take, the cheapest being strengthening the stock plastic shocks. As long as you haven't stripped the threads off of your plastic shock bodies, two pair of aluminum shock caps will make your shocks as durable as many of the aluminum shocks offered, in my opinion. Plus does so for a fraction of the cost. For more information on that, read my section on Strengthening the Shocks.

While you can address the durability aspect of your shocks by strengthening them, if you're looking for performance you should consider swapping them for aluminum shocks. This is a more expensive route to take, but aluminum shocks are much smoother and consistent in their performance than plastic shocks. Prices and styles for aftermarket shocks vary considerably, so before you spend the money make sure you're going to be happy with the ones you choose. For more information on aftermarket shocks, see my section on Aluminum Shocks.

Tires

Tires will make a big performance difference. As the old saying goes; if you're spinning, you aren't winning. The type of tire you need will be determined by the surface you want to run on. If you are going to be racing on mostly running on a certain type of surface you should match your tire to that surface. If you plan on racing, pay close attention to what the faster guys at the track run. After all tires are a large part of the reason they run so good. I've listed some commonly used tire options below.

• Pro-Line M2 Blade (Used as a front tire)
• Pro-Line M3 Blade (Used as a front tire)
• Pro-Line Bowtie
• Pro-Line Dirt Hawg
• Pro-Line Dirt Works
• Pro-Line Fuzzie T
• Pro-Line Hole Shot
• Pro-Line Masher 2000
• Pro-Line Sand Paw
• Pro-Line Speed Hawg II
• Pro-Line Square Fuzzie
• Pro-Line Step Pin