Granite Horizon Hobby quality sucks! I'm OUT!

[Luweezy]

Owning several Granites i can emphatically say you are stunningly full of poop, the original post is so full of WTF I cannot help but laugh.
Thanks for the chuckle this fine evening sitting on the deck watching the night roll in and enjoying this great forum and mostly all of its great members.

 

[Freelander]

That's weird.

Looks brittle af.

Also: how did that happen?

We've landed upside down a lot and the mounting posts like the button that the R pin goes through ground down to nothing before anything else.

Time for a new skin: you should check out how guys have reinforced their bodies on here. We did the same and it makes a big difference. It's pretty easy.

 

[Andrew Perez]

I've had my Granite for only a few weeks, and I'm starting to think I made a big mistake going with the products from Horizon Hobby/Arrma. So far I've replaced the radio & servo because they were inadequate, and now I am having serious issues with their wheels. I thought there was a deformity in the plastic casting, but that's not the case. I got a set of Bandito MT wheels with premounted tires, and right off there was a horrible wobbling. Turns out, the plastic is so thin that it begins to warp when driving at speed. After discovering this, I put the stock wheels back on, only to have them do the same thing! Another member on here @Freelander is having similar issues.

So, do I now have to switch brands of wheels/tires too? I bought a RTR model, but thus far it hasn't been the case. I'm regretting not going back to Traxxas. At this point, I'm counting on getting a decent set of wheels and listing the whole thing (including all the spare parts I bought and never used) up for sale. Hugely disappointed!

In these videos, we see the axel & nut spinning straight and true. Then I mount a wheel that has not been run, and while not perfect, it tracks as expected. Then I mount one of the wheels that went into melt down. Keep in mind, I'm spinning it by hand, imagine the effect at the rotation speeds while on 3s.


If true, that again speaks to the poor quality of the HH products.
The videos show the axel & nut spinning straight and true, then a new wheel not run spinning as it should, followed by a wheel that was run on smooth asphalt and 3s battery. Keep in mind I'm spinning this by hand, imagine the effect while running at speed with a 3s battery.

I’ve had my Granite for about a month and I’ve replaced the Shock mount, the spur gear and the diff cup and drive gears. But I also upgraded to brushless running a 80c 5200mah 3s lipo in it. Everything broke because I BROKE IT! I’m also very mechanically inclined having worked at Auto Repair shops. I was sending my Granite 20ft in the air at least 2 dozen times landing very forcefully on the chassis! Hence the shock mount broke! The spur, diff cup and drive gears stripped out because I was doing speed runs and braking at full speed (41mph)! As for your claim about everyone knowing that the receiver and transmitter is junk and how upset you are that your RTR isn’t an RTR if you have to upgrade it out of the box...an example you gave was buying a car off the lot. Okay so when people go looking for a deal for a vehicle or an RC they do research and price point and check reviews. I’m just assuming but the price was right for you with the granite considering the equivalent Traxxas RC would’ve set you back an extra $150! So Arrma has to make up the money and yes unfortunately they went with a cheap rx/tx combo. But if you call Horizon and describe your issues they usually upgrade the parts for the shipping cost ($10)! And go buy a Chevy impala with standard everything, your getting a good car for the price. Yes maybe the tires will need replaced sooner than normal but pay $15,000 more for a Cadillac and have issues with the Transmission or engine. Same thing with Arrma and the other guys! (Arrmas the chevy in my example obviously). Or go buy a Dedcat Blackout xte like I did thinking I’ll save some money and get a quality rc and only pay$160 with shipping! Worst mistake ever! Then tell me your Granite isn’t worth every penny and more! Yes it’s unfortunate that these things happened to you but you also have to hold yourself accountable for your decision to start cutting into rims or wheels. Had it been a true defect then Horizon would’ve made it right 100%! I purchased something that didn’t work properly and they sent me more than what I needed and bought in the first place! Some people just aren’t cut out for the hobby. Wrenching is parts of it! Arrma Tough!

 

[Arrmajunk]

I've had my Granite for only a few weeks, and I'm starting to think I made a big mistake going with the products from Horizon Hobby/Arrma. So far I've replaced the radio & servo because they were inadequate, and now I am having serious issues with their wheels. I thought there was a deformity in the plastic casting, but that's not the case. I got a set of Bandito MT wheels with premounted tires, and right off there was a horrible wobbling. Turns out, the plastic is so thin that it begins to warp when driving at speed. After discovering this, I put the stock wheels back on, only to have them do the same thing! Another member on here @Freelander is having similar issues.

So, do I now have to switch brands of wheels/tires too? I bought a RTR model, but thus far it hasn't been the case. I'm regretting not going back to Traxxas. At this point, I'm counting on getting a decent set of wheels and listing the whole thing (including all the spare parts I bought and never used) up for sale. Hugely disappointed!

I don’t quite understand the problem , however I have stuffed a 3674 2650kv 26t pinion and a 150 amp ESC
(with some Bodging) into a Typhon Mega.
mom using a 4s Lipo the power is Insane, it is INSTANT top speed ? , my tyres are ballooning it drives on its rear wheels, it clipped the spoiler on the grass took a Nasty tumble broke the shocks, but otherwise it’s ok maybe switch to 17 mm hubs ? Them 14mm are a pain in the arse anyway .

 

[SrC]

Running 4s on the Mega Ty. puts the drivetrain at its limits for sure. 17mm hubs/axles opens up a better selection of wheel/tire option sthat will handle the power of 4S. But it wont stop there, other drivetrain upgrades will help in durability overall. I would rather start out with a 6S Typhon. Better platform out the gate for the direction you are going. But we all start out with upgrading whatever we have in front of us. The beauty of RC these days. Arrmas specifically.

 

[Arrmajunk]

Running 4s on the Mega Ty. puts the drivetrain at its limits for sure. 17mm hubs/axles opens up a better selection of wheel/tire option sthat will handle the power of 4S. But it wont stop there, other drivetrain upgrades will help in durability overall. I would rather start out with a 6S Typhon. Better platform out the gate for the direction you are going. But we all start out with upgrading whatever we have in front of us. The beauty of RC these days. Arrmas specifically.

no, I just wanted to experiment, I have a Hobao hyper VSE, and a KRATON 6s
Among others , but I have ripped out the diffs, built Back them into the 3s Cases,
Along with the Slipper shaft spur gear any thing associated with the Drive has been replaced for BLX parts only bought it since I had a bundle of Senton blx spares,

no, I just wanted to experiment, I have a Hobao hyper VSE, and a KRATON 6s
Among others , but I have ripped out the diffs, built Back them into the 3s Cases,
Along with the Slipper shaft spur gear any thing associated with the Drive has been replaced for BLX parts only bought it since I had a bundle of Senton blx spares,

 

[freelosophy]

I've had a granite for about 4 months or so, took me a while to select it as my fist rc vehicle. after reading all the stuff . . . I decided to do a fast eddy bearing kit replaced the the receiver/ transmitter with a dumbroc with gyro and the servo went out about the same time. I also replaced some parts that I destroyed noob bashing. overall this was a great rtr to start in this hobby. It's plastic adn it's fun and it's worth the 300 bucks. I can say that now with confidence after finishing my mt410 build and having another (high end truck) to compare. Love my granite blx and tekno mt410. Two different class of vehicles both super fun!

 

[SrC]

You have a nice balance of RC rigs between those 2.
Building the MT from scratch teaches you about building, quality and set up. This translates over to your other rig IMO.
RTR's are the norm these days, but everyone should build an RC Kit from scratch at least once. I find it addicting.

 

[CraigVMN]

Replaced the bearings on all 4 corners, installed aluminum pivot balls. Put on a brand new set of wheels/tires making sure not to tighten them down too much. Put in my 3s battery and started to drive. Sure enough, everything was hunky dory... until I hit the breaks, the truck did a 180 and went backwards, wheelie bar first into a curb. After that, hitting the throttle resulted in a nasty grinding noise, and no motion from the truck. Took the entire rig apart, including the motor can to try and track down the issue. By all accounts everything is fine, no stripped gears, diffs are good, rolls fine... but still I take the wheels off the ground, hit the throttle, it vibrates like crazy and stops after a few seconds.

Just when I though I was back in, I am officially out. Putting everything up for sale with full disclosure of the problems I've encountered.

 

[SrC]

Hey, at least you're honest and gave it the old college try.
Are you ready to step up to an Arrma 6S rig now??
Its nice to try different RC's out. Maybe you will connect with it much better.
It's really loads of fun.

 

[CraigVMN]

Oh for the love of...I haven't been a member for a month yet, so I can't even post the sale here

 

[Glock21user]

Let us know when you post it all up for sale lots of interested parties, myself included.

 

[CraigVMN]

If it's copacetic with the entities that run the forum, people could send me a PM...

 

[Glock21user]

I am certain there would be no objections to pms directly to you.

 

[CraigVMN]

I am certain there would be no objections to pms directly to you.

But I'm guessing it's not OK to put items up for sale on the regular boards?

 

[Glock21user]

You asked for PMs to be sent so it is a private matter between you and whomever I would assume.
I have been wrong in the past but see no issues with this.

 

[Harry62]

I've had my Granite for only a few weeks, and I'm starting to think I made a big mistake going with the products from Horizon Hobby/Arrma. So far I've replaced the radio & servo because they were inadequate, and now I am having serious issues with their wheels. I thought there was a deformity in the plastic casting, but that's not the case. I got a set of Bandito MT wheels with premounted tires, and right off there was a horrible wobbling. Turns out, the plastic is so thin that it begins to warp when driving at speed. After discovering this, I put the stock wheels back on, only to have them do the same thing! Another member on here @Freelander is having similar issues.

So, do I now have to switch brands of wheels/tires too? I bought a RTR model, but thus far it hasn't been the case. I'm regretting not going back to Traxxas. At this point, I'm counting on getting a decent set of wheels and listing the whole thing (including all the spare parts I bought and never used) up for sale. Hugely disappointed!

So I’ve had my Granite 4x4 BLX since it came out over a year and half ago. I have never had a problem with it. Still very much on the same tires aside from a couple of epic crashes, perfect. 25 feet straight up and head down will almost end it. Easy fix, parts cost under 40.00 and fixed. Never a problem. I do have the Tactic system that it came with and would never get rid of it. My Kraton took me all of 2 weeks to dump Spectrum. Horizon needs to step up. I would keep it. There are always parts and nothing is perfect. Granted old Arrma under Hobbico was a real solid buy. Horizon has to find they’re balance. Once they do I think Arrma will be a really strong brand again. Remember, Built Strong, Built Arrma Tough. You wanna break things on regular basis, buy Traxxas. You may have a change of heart my friend. I’m looking at one right now, hoping to pull the trigger on it.

 

[CraigVMN]

For the fun of it I decided to reset the ESC. Now, with the radio on, I turn on the truck, and the red LED blinks continuously. I couldn't find anything in the manual to tell me what that means.

 

[Freelander]

Replaced the bearings on all 4 corners, installed aluminum pivot balls. Put on a brand new set of wheels/tires making sure not to tighten them down too much. Put in my 3s battery and started to drive. Sure enough, everything was hunky dory... until I hit the breaks, the truck did a 180 and went backwards, wheelie bar first into a curb. After that, hitting the throttle resulted in a nasty grinding noise, and no motion from the truck. Took the entire rig apart, including the motor can to try and track down the issue. By all accounts everything is fine, no stripped gears, diffs are good, rolls fine... but still I take the wheels off the ground, hit the throttle, it vibrates like crazy and stops after a few seconds.

Just when I though I was back in, I am officially out. Putting everything up for sale with full disclosure of the problems I've encountered.

*including the motor can*

I think OP knows what he is doing.
Tbh honest @CraigVMN I just got myself a typhon 3S and right out of the box it is mint. The thing rips.

I'll let you know what explodes first. I am thinking the motor is gonna overheat. But the typhon 3S seems like a way better platform. I think we both started with mega granite. Ours is insane now.

But we're now 2 grand deep.
CAD

 

[SrC]

I feel the Arrma 6S line requires less in upgrades overall. However, there are probably more upgrades available for it over the rest of the Arrma line up.
If throwing every upgrade at a 6s is your thing, you can be well over $2k.
If you merely want to upgrade to parts that you feel break frequently with your degree of bashing, the bare essential upgrades might only top at $200.
Many people just bullet proof them because they can and their wallet allows, sometimes its merely overkill and bragging rights perhaps, IMHO. The next guy watches, and thinks he must do the same. Lets face it, the aftermarket upgrade parts cost the most obviously.
And Arrma replacement parts are affordable and always an option when your wallet dictates.

For the fun of it I decided to reset the ESC. Now, with the radio on, I turn on the truck, and the red LED blinks continuously. I couldn't find anything in the manual to tell me what that means.

I think you are doing things that are wrong. Causing your own headaches here.
You reset the ESC, (why? you did it for fun?) now it needs to be recalibrated.
R U a masochist?