Granite Horizon Hobby quality sucks! I'm OUT!

[Megafandrew]

Reading all your complaints and how you are mechanically able. I would recommend you keep the granite and improve it slowly. But if you can, look into a kit from Tekno or similar and build yourself a truggy or 1:8 buggy. You will be far impressed and have less issues right out of completing the build if you go this route but it will cost you more for the kit and electronics etc. But in the end someone like yourself may benefit from not looking at a RTR for your next RC!

 

[SrC]

After following 7 pages of the OP's frustration, I could picture myself in his shoes. I would want a certain degree of precision that the Mega/3s/4s line up can't afford me. Price point not being the focal point. Its about buying the right rig for your level of expectation. Sometimes to get that satisfaction, you just need to pay more. There are RC options for everyone, but not necessarily every option is for everyone.

 

[Dauransx]

If true, that again speaks to the poor quality of the HH products.

If you are not happy about your buy, then move on to a new brand. Clearly you are the only one and maybe Freelancer out of 100s if not 1000s. Also as if Traxxas has a 100% perfection rates off their production lines lol.... There are many parts on Traxxas models that need to be upgraded and replaced asap because they put crap on their models so people will buy their overpriced hop up's.

 

[ColeH]

following after reading 7 pages my 13 yr old spent his hard earned money on the Kraton 4s. The motors have been going out twice now, but probably less that a dozen charges total. Now that being said Horizon sends him a new motor no questions asked and have been told they will send him another no questions asked as soon as they become available so customer service is top notch, and we will stay with them. I have also learned that we may need to upgrade bearings in the motor which will be no big deal hope he doesn't run into this wheel problem. He sometimes has the worst of luck with his toy purchases. LOL. As long as they stand behind their product its pretty hard to bash them. Thank you Horizon

 

[SrC]

If you are not happy about your buy, then move on to a new brand. Clearly you are the only one and maybe Freelancer out of 100s if not 1000s. Also as if Traxxas has a 100% perfection rates off their production lines lol.... There are many parts on Traxxas models that need to be upgraded and replaced asap because they put crap on their models so people will buy their overpriced hop up's.

Traxxas by their business model guarantees that you must use their upgrade parts. They suck you in, and make you NEED their upgrade parts. Out the box Traxxas vehicles make great shelf queens. Start using them and you will see that Trx paved the way to sell you their High$ upgrades. Some, no better than the stock parts except that they come in colors and with more Bling.

 

[Uplift-RC]

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!

Let me know how you u want for your granite since you can't seem to drive it very well mate ?

 

[Freelander]

If you are not happy about your buy, then move on to a new brand. Clearly you are the only one and maybe Freelancer out of 100s if not 1000s. Also as if Traxxas has a 100% perfection rates off their production lines lol.... There are many parts on Traxxas models that need to be upgraded and replaced asap because they put crap on their models so people will buy their overpriced hop up's.

I dunno man. I don't know what to expect. I think honestly those wheels were the first bit of frustration but I have since found a work around and they're staying on good.

I think I am lucky because the brand I picked is pretty sweet out of the box and they're pretty easy to work on.

I ended up just packing washers under the M4 nut up to I think 8mm and they've since been through some great sessions.

I just got myself a typhon 3S so I can have some fun too. That thing is sweet: it has every upgrade we made to the Mega and more.

I started with a relatively crappy car, fixed it up and got what I should have probably grabbed in the first place.

Now I know a lot more about what I am doing and we have 2 trucks. We're sticking around. I mean the number of bad crashes we've had with the granite you'd think it would be demo'd.

My buddy at work just got himself a 3S granite. Looking forward to some stupidity.

 

[CraigVMN]

After taking everything apart to realize there's no physical damage, I now wonder if the issue is with either the motor or ESC. The insulation covering the blue lead to the motor had been torn open from contact with the sharp corner of the heat sink. Could this have caused a short? Or other electrical damage, to the motor, ESC, or both?

 

[SrC]

^^^ One phase wire with exposed wire/damaged jacket wont effect anything. Use Heat Shrink wrap to re-cover and repair so the core wire doesn't break or get damaged. If the core wire has cut or shredded strands, then you can in theory have motor timing issues/undue cogging effect due to increased resistance along one of the 3 phase circuits. If one phase wire gets cut completely, your motor just wont spin/work until it is repaired.
Merely exposed wont be an issue from an electrical standpoint. Motor signal wires of a BLX motor are much lower in voltage by contrast to Battery -/+ leads.
No, It is NOT any problem and didn't cause any issues.

 

[CraigVMN]

^^^ One phase wire with exposed wire/damaged jacket wont effect anything. Use Heat Shrink wrap to re-cover and repair so the core wire doesn't break or get damaged. If the core wire has cut or shredded strands, then you can in theory have motor timing issues/undue cogging effect due to increased resistance along one of the 3 phase circuits. If one phase wire gets cut completely, your motor just wont spin/work until it is repaired.
Merely exposed wont be an issue from an electrical standpoint. Motor signal wires of a BLX motor are much lower in voltage by contrast to Battery -/+ leads.
No, It is NOT any problem and didn't cause any issues.

I didn't do a close inspection, but what if some of the wire strands had been cut?

 

[SrC]

One or two strands cut wont be much of an issue with motor leads. If so, simply give it a slight twist and wrap tight with HS tube. Battery wiring is much more critical than BLX phase leads and should be replaced. I would use adhesive lined HS tubing in scenarios like that. If you inspect your rig for damaged wire jackets after every run (Routinely after every run) a simple HS wrap will prevent cut/frayed strands. I use braided jacketing over some of my wiring that may get damaged being in areas near moving or sharp components. Being a kit builder, and preferring very short wire runs, bullet proofing wiring is paramount. With RTR's, out the box, I usually re route wiring to my liking and secure them much better. Too taught wiring is no good, because it doesn't account for chassis flex in some chassis. Some degree of slack is needed. Wire ties go a long way in this regard.

edit: full length HS tubing can be substituted for wire braid wrap in damage prone chassis areas. But tends to stiffen the wire over all. That can work for you or against you depending. Just an option. I will tend to use HS tube on the motors exiting wires and over its bullets to keep the bullets secure. Some ideas.

 

[GRC]

After taking everything apart to realize there's no physical damage, I now wonder if the issue is with either the motor or ESC. The insulation covering the blue lead to the motor had been torn open from contact with the sharp corner of the heat sink. Could this have caused a short? Or other electrical damage, to the motor, ESC, or both?

Judging by the video you posted in the other thread, I'd be willing to bet there is physical damage. Is the ESC running? When you hit forward it goes forward? when you hit reverse it goes reverse? Then I doubt it's the ESC. It controls the speed, faster/slower, forward, reverse. How is the ESC going to cause your entire car to shake violently like that? Something is physically broken, a mechanical imbalance has to be what's causing that crazy entire vehicle quaking. From your description of the accident and the video, it's the rear differential or something throwing the center driveshaft out of alignment.

Is the center driveshaft spinning straight? If not, there are quite a few things that can cause the driveshaft to wobble. The driveshaft itself, bent motor mount, slipper gear alignment/bearings, pinion gear loose/broken, rear differential broken. From the accident description, a bent motor mount plate would be a suspect. Did you open up the power module? Did you take the motor mount plate out and put it on a flat surface? Is the pinion is still on tight, spinning straight? Any wobble in the motor axle? Pinion gears match up with the slipper gears correctly? Pinion and slipper still have all their teeth? Did you take out the rear differential? Is it spinning freely? Is the case cracked? Did you open it up? Are all the differential gears intact and rolling smoothy?

Or did you just take off the body and notice some damage to a wire cover?

 

[SrC]

Pulling the power module first is the key. It all starts there. It will tell the tale rather quick. That's where everyone starts. Jump in and pull it apart dude. That's what RC is all about. The info and help is here, but the rig is front and center of you. Just dig in.

 

[GRC]

.

 

[Custnam]

I noticed this very early on with the 3s and 4s lineup where the heat sink rubs on the upper and lower motor/ ESC wires. What I did was take one large piece of heat shrink and used it on all 3 motor wires near the fan. Then for the wires below I used a piece of Traxxas packing foam (the kind in their upgrade parts) and wedged it between the motor and heat sink. No more cut wires after that.

 

[CraigVMN]

@GRC While taking it apart, the center shaft seemed fine. I took it out and ran it so the motor was only driving the rear wheels, and still got the shaking. Took apart the rear diff and did not find any broken teeth, or anything else broken. Indeed, it is smooth as can be while spinning the rear wheels by hand, one at a time and together.

I did remove the motor & slipper clutch assembly. No broken/missing teeth. Spinning by hand, the mesh shows no signs of stress, and the motor mount is flat. I also took the slipper apart and all components are intact.

 

[SrC]

Maybe what you are experiencing is normal .

 

[CraigVMN]

Maybe what you are experiencing is normal .

Except now when I attach a charged battery and turn it on, the ESC blinks red and there's no response to radio input, thus the reason I'm suspect of the ESC having gone bad.

 

[GRC]

Except now when I attach a charged battery and turn it on, the ESC blinks red and there's no response to radio input, thus the reason I'm suspect of the ESC having gone bad.

Well that sounds like an ESC issue. Try binding the receiver to the transmitter again. Does steering work? If not could be a receiver issue. Still hard to think how an ESC could cause the grinding noise and shaking you had a problem with in the other post. Unless the ESC power delivery is somehow so inconsistent it's shaking the vehicle. Good luck.

 

[CraigVMN]

Well that sounds like an ESC issue. Try binding the receiver to the transmitter again. Does steering work? If not could be a receiver issue. Still hard to think how an ESC could cause the grinding noise and shaking you had a problem with in the other post. Unless the ESC power delivery is somehow so inconsistent it's shaking the vehicle. Good luck.

Steering works just fine.