Granite Help I have a stock blx and it runs fine But

[glad43]

Help

I have a stock blx and it runs fine except that the steering drifts on straightaways. I trim and it drifts the other way. Never straight. Do I need a better controller.

 

[nino]

The controller is probably the last thing to blame. Servo, servo saver, wheel alignment, worn steering/suspension parts... Even when my Kraton was fresh it wouldn't track completely straight all the time. How bad is it? Did you check the mechanical parts for slop or looseness?

 

[Jackjax801]

A better transmitter would be good regardless, however, it may be your servo saver. A friend had a similar problem with a different RC car and it was the front inner a arm retainer that broke. Make sure your a arms and turnbuckles are all still attached correctly.

 

[Kylerc]

My granites have never tracked straight on takeoffs. I still can’t figure out why after all this time it’s just something I’m use to and it doesn’t bother me. Set your toe and front camber, make sure the links aren’t worn, definitely get rid of the stock servo saver, check that the arms aren’t binding by removing the shocks and tires, lift and drop them if they don’t pivot under their own weight they are too tight and you might have to do some clearance adjustments or drive in some sand. It works about at good as sand paper?

I have never bothered to try balancing my trucks but oversized lipos and stuff probably don’t help with weight distribution.

 

[glad43]

The controller is probably the last thing to blame. Servo, servo saver, wheel alignment, worn steering/suspension parts... Even when my Kraton was fresh it wouldn't track completely straight all the time. How bad is it? Did you check the mechanical parts for slop or looseness?

A better transmitter would be good regardless, however, it may be your servo saver. A friend had a similar problem with a different RC car and it was the front inner a arm retainer that broke. Made sure your a arms and turnbuckles are all still attached correctly.

Three people have mentioned stock servo saver. No sure I know where this is but i will check. But it’s new.

 

[NewSensei]

Also, when checking your steering throttle up slowly, hitting the throttle hard will make it usually pull to the right some due to inertia so going slowly is the only way to be sure it is set right.

 

[Custnam]

I have the same issue on my Kraton 4s. I was using the Hot Racing bellcrank and went back to stock which did help. But it still drifts even after checking everything and making adjustments. But this might help you get to the servo saver.

 

[Camaroboy383]

It's far from a precision machine, no matter what you do it will never track straight.. you full throttle it, and it will pull one way or the other... the tires balloon, the suspension parts are sloppy, the turnbuckles are sloppy, the bearings are sloppy.. all rc cars pull no matter what.. learn your rig, learn to compensate through driving.. remember it's a toy... ?

 

[quad_rocket]

most real cars with big engines don't track straight on full throttle either

 

[Kylerc]

most real cars with big engines don't track straight on full throttle either

Lol so true look up any video of funny cars and dragsters they hop all over the place and have about the same power to weight ratio of a 4s granite!

 

[NewSensei]

inertia can be a b...

 

[jondilly1974]

You gotta steer and sometimes you gotta pedal it too. It’s not a Tesla ?

 

[Jerry-rigged]

For your steering not centering, this is common with the 4x4's, here is what I did -

First - Bearings - the bell crank rides on plastic bushings that wear quickly and create lots of slop. Replace these with bearings will help tremendously. Most bearing kits will include these bearings.

2 - Check each pivot ball for smooth action. I had several that were sticking. Tweak them buy giving them a squeeze with pliers till they move free. Check every pivot ball, get them all moving free.

3 - My servo save was dragging on my chassis. I added a washer under the servo to raise the servo (and SS) up a bit, so it will no longer drag.


After these three things were done, my Granite steering is rock solid. The only slop is minor, and 90% of it is in the servo saver (can't be avoided with this style of SS). Steering centers great, and is very predictable now. Best of all, I didn't really need to buy anything, as the bearings came in the bearing kit I already had for the truck.

Jerry

 

[GRC]

Main things that helped me with straight line tracking are:
#1 servo
#2 servo saver
#3 servo horn
I've always had bearings instead of bushings in the bell crank, so I don't know how much of a difference they make. Aluminum bellcrank did not make much of a difference. Replacing pivot balls really didn't seem to make much difference either. I still think aluminum pivot balls are a good idea because the stock plastic really wear out really quickly.

Is it a fairly new Granite? If so, your parts are not loose or worn down yet. A better servo may make the most difference from the start. Over time the servo saver loosens up and should be replaced. One thing not many people mention is the servo horn. It gets VERY worn down. I replaced mine with aluminum and it definitely helped straight line tracking. (A new plastic one will probably do the same, but it won't last as long.)

As others have said, the Granite will never track perfectly. I tried. After all my efforts, I agree with Jerry-rigged, 90% of the slop is the servo saver, which can't be avoided.

Finally, even slight tilts in the road will pull the car to one side or the other. One way to check is go back and forth on the same road. If it veers right going one way and veers left coming back, it's the road. On grass or dirt, there are all kinds of variables, you just have to steer and adjust.

 

[cageywhite]

I had the same problem. Get an upgraded servo and the Kimbro heavy duty servo saver (the black one) and it will solve your problems.