Upgrades

Increasing Durability

Even though the selection of hop-ups for the Stampede isn't as large as it's big brother the Maxx, 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 Stampede 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.

Adjustable Turnbuckles/Camber Links

Steel or titanium adjustable turnbuckles in place of the stock plastic camber links are a good way to strengthen up your suspension. You can get the steel ones, or go for the titanium ones. The titanium links are lighter, but they break instead of bending. The steel links can often be bent back straight after a collision. Whichever route you choose, don't forget the Rod Ends. If you're only concerned with durability, and could care less about adjustibility, you can use the RPM Heavy Duty Camber Links. The RPM camber links do not require the rod ends.

• Steel Adjustable Turnbuckles Front and Rear
• Lunsford Adjustable Titanium Turnbuckles

Aluminum Idler Gear

The aluminum idler gear replaces the stock plastic gear, inside the transmission, and will strengthen the drive train of your Stampede considerably. This item becomes even more important as you make the move to more powerful motors. For more information on this, read my section on the Aluminum Idler Gear.

Bearings and RPM Bearing Carriers

Bearings are to many a performance upgrade, but I'll talk about them here as well. This is due to the fact that if you upgraded to the 5x8 bearings which fit in place of the stock bushings, you're probably going to have problems soon, that is if you don't already. The 5x8 bearings are prone to breakage. To prevent this you'll want to upgrade to the 5x11 bearings. However without purchasing the RPM bearing carriers the 5x11 bearings will not fit, so make sure you pick up a pair of these for the front and rear of your Rustler as well. The bearings are also an improvement over the stock bushings, as well. This is due to the fact that they do not wear like the stock bushings do.

When purchasing bearings they are a three different kinds you can buy. These are: un-shielded, 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 Stampede, 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

Bumper

The best bumper for the Stampede is made by RPM. It's plastic, so it absorbs energy in an impact and still retains it's shape. The width helps protect your steering linkage from all but the worst crashes. Aside from the fact that the RPM bumper is incredibly strong, RPM will replace it free of charge if you do manage to break it.

• RPM Wide Front Bumper

CVD's or Steel Output Yokes

Either of these items will greatly strengthen your driveline by allowing you to eliminate the plastic output yokes. The CVD's are a lot better in my opinion due to the fact they allow you to rid yourself completely of all of the stock u-joints. The stock u-joints can sometimes be a pain to install, or remove, and the CVD's make it much easier to work on the drivetrain.

• MIP CVD's  (More Information)
• Steel Output Yokes

Metal Gear Servo

One of the weaknesses of the stock Stampede is the steering servo. It lacks torque and prone to breaking if it suffers much abuse. Even if you bought a Stampede kit, chances are that you used a cheap plastic gear servo that came with your radio. 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 Mount Plate or Washers

An area that should be addressed, especially when your Stampede gets a some run time on it, is the transmission housing. Over time the housing can become worn which leads to the motor shifting when under load. You can use washers under the screws, or you can use the motor mount for the Tamiya TA03 to eliminate this problem. For more information on this, read my section on Motor Mounts.

Servo Saver

Whether you're running a plastic or metal gear servo, a better aftermarket servo saver will offer better protection for your steering servo. For more information on this, read my section on Servo Savers.

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.

Suspension Pins

Replacing the stock screw-type suspension pins with the e-clip style pins has a couple of benefits. One is that you don't have to worry about pins that work their way loose while you're running your truck. The other benefit is that with the e-clip on both sides of the pin, the suspension part is trapped in place which helps the overall strength of that particular part. For more information on this conversion, see my section on Suspension Pins.

Wheelie Bar

This upgrade is beneficial and helps protect the back of the transmission housing, especially if you have a lot of torque and your Rustler can pick the front end up easily. The design by ESP is weak and could stand some improvement. I modified my wheelie bar with hardened steel screws and airplane wheels. You can see what I did to modify mine, by reading my section on strengthening the ESP Wheelie Bar. My review of the ESP Wheelie Bar can be found here.

A better option, if you haven't already purchased one, would be to buy a Swami RC Wheelie Bar.

Part One:	Durability
Part Two:	Increasing Performance