Kraton How long do you think driveshafts differential will last?

[Tutur74170]

Hello, i decided to buy myself a new toy...the arrma Kraton v4!!! So excited.
I saw some having issues with chassis bending, i decided to buy aluminum braces but I'd like to know a bit more about driveshafts and differential durability...
I live in the mountains and it's always uphill or downhill, i tend to drive hard my RCs and not go light on the throttle ahha. Let's imagine i drive this thing really hard on 6S like top speed runs followed by acceleration braking etc...(extreme scenario), how long do you think driveshafts differential and everything will last? Should i try to preserve the car by going easy on the throttle or can i go ham on it without really worrying about mechanical problems?
Thanks a lot for your answers,
Arthur
P.S: Excuse my english, i'm french

 

[jondilly1974]

Hello, i decided to buy myself a new toy...the arrma Kraton v4!!! So excited.
I saw some having issues with chassis bending, i decided to buy aluminum braces but I'd like to know a bit more about driveshafts and differential durability...
I live in the mountains and it's always uphill or downhill, i tend to drive hard my RCs and not go light on the throttle ahha. Let's imagine i drive this thing really hard on 6S like top speed runs followed by acceleration braking etc...(extreme scenario), how long do you think driveshafts differential and everything will last? Should i try to preserve the car by going easy on the throttle or can i go ham on it without really worrying about mechanical problems?
Thanks a lot for your answers,
Arthur
P.S: Excuse my english, i'm french

You will go thru diffs and pinions if you go that hard on the drivetrain. You will end up needing a better chassis, not just braces too. New radio, servo, and servo mount should be done before you even put a battery in.

You’re English is very good. ??

 

[RCBro80]

I just busted my first rear diff after 4 months of ownership, but I had the punch set to 8. I've dropped it to 6, but I've also put 1M fluid in the centre diff, so fingers crossed that it was just a faulty part and not something that will happen regularly. I always try to land off the throttle, but I assume higher grip surfaces will stress the drivetrain more.

 

[Tutur74170]

I just busted my first rear diff after 4 months of ownership, but I had the punch set to 8. I've dropped it to 6, but I've also put 1M fluid in the centre diff, so fingers crossed that it was just a faulty part and not something that will happen regularly. I always try to land off the throttle, but I assume higher grip surfaces will stress the drivetrain more.

Thanks for your answer, what's the punch in stock settings? 5?

You will go thru diffs and pinions if you go that hard on the drivetrain. You will end up needing a better chassis, not just braces too. New radio, servo, and servo mount should be done before you even put a battery in.

You’re English is very good. ??

Ok thanks a lot. How long do you think my diff and pinions will last if i go crazy on the car? Also wich oil is in the diff when the car is stock?

 

[jondilly1974]

Thanks for your answer, what's the punch in stock settings? 5?

Ok thanks a lot. How long do you think my diff and pinions will last if i go crazy on the car? Also wich oil is in the diff when the car is stock?

They might not last a full pack if you go hard enough. Stock fluid is 10k/100k/10k

 

[RCBro80]

Thanks for your answer, what's the punch in stock settings? 5?

Stock setting is 4

 

[Tutur74170]

They might not last a full pack if you go hard enough. Stock fluid is 10k/100k/10k

Wow really? I didn't expect this. I'm a newbie so i'd like to know what i can do to preserve my diffs and the mechanical health of my car. I saw that landing while applying throttle is really bad, is there other things that i should not do, and others i should try to do?

 

[bicketybam]

I own all of the 6S trucks and drive them hard. The only thing I don't do is standing backflips and self-righting the truck if it's on its back. Some of my diffs are well over a year old. That is my experience with running the 4 major 6 trucks for 18 months.

Wow really? I didn't expect this. I'm a newbie so i'd like to know what i can do to preserve my diffs and the mechanical health of my car. I saw that landing while applying throttle is really bad, is there other things that i should not do, and others i should try to do?

I really don't believe what he said to be true unless you are absolutely reckless or can't drive for sh!t.

 

[jondilly1974]

Wow really? I didn't expect this. I'm a newbie so i'd like to know what i can do to preserve my diffs and the mechanical health of my car. I saw that landing while applying throttle is really bad, is there other things that i should not do, and others i should try to do?

Landing under throttle, standing backflips, and general disrespect of the drivetrain will pretty much destroy any RC diff at some point. Common issues with the V4 6S diffs are the pins behind the main diff gear and the main diff gear itself shattering. Used to be they didn’t shim the diffs enough. Now it may be due to small diameter shims behind the pin. Many here replace these shims with larger Mugen shims to better support the pin and main gear.

 

[DoNoHarm]

Wow really? I didn't expect this. I'm a newbie so i'd like to know what i can do to preserve my diffs and the mechanical health of my car. I saw that landing while applying throttle is really bad, is there other things that i should not do, and others i should try to do?

Here’s my stance on this matter. I for one go extremely hard on my trucks but rarely go through differentials at all. In fact it’s almost always due to a hard seizure because of a motor locking up at high speed or a rock that shocks the drivetrain to a halt. Tips on keeping your diffs happy but still being able to beat the hell out of your truck: if you take a jump, when you hit the ground, make sure you’re not giving much throttle at all. Secondly, off of a dig, don’t nail it. (I just realized how American that was... what I mean is, when starting from a stop, try not to floor it immediately.) don’t be fooled, you can still do all the wheelies you’ve ever wanted, just try to make sure the truck is already slightly moving in the direction you’re trying to wheelie. A killer for many people is that their bearings go bad and cause the differential gears to have bad mesh and strip each other out, so just every once in awhile (10 dry runs or every water run) just do a checkup on your diff bearings.

 

[RCBro80]

Landing under throttle, standing backflips, and general disrespect of the drivetrain will pretty much destroy any RC diff at some point. Common issues with the V4 6S diffs are the pins behind the main diff gear and the main diff gear itself shattering. Used to be they didn’t shim the diffs enough. Now it may be due to small diameter shims behind the pin. Many here replace these shims with larger Mugen shims to better support the pin and main gear.

Interesting, I never thought of that as a cause. Just to be clear, you're referring to these shims, correct?

I own all of the 6S trucks and drive them hard. The only thing I don't do is standing backflips and self-righting the truck if it's on its back.

I've also never done a standing backflip, but I don't think it's possible (certainly not easy) with a Kraton and stock centre diff fluid. I'm assuming it would require high weight centre diff fluid and high punch setting, no? So either low punch and/or low cst diff oil will help to reduce stress on the drivetrain overall. The surface you drive on has to play a significant role as well. I know the moment my gear blew up, and I'm pretty sure it was when my tires went from no traction (on snow) to full traction (on pavement). These factors can be hard to control, so I'm going with lower punch to start and fingers crossed from there.

What punch settings do most people run?

 

[Tutur74170]

Here’s my stance on this matter. I for one go extremely hard on my trucks but rarely go through differentials at all. In fact it’s almost always due to a hard seizure because of a motor locking up at high speed or a rock that shocks the drivetrain to a halt. Tips on keeping your diffs happy but still being able to beat the hell out of your truck: if you take a jump, when you hit the ground, make sure you’re not giving much throttle at all. Secondly, off of a dig, don’t nail it. (I just realized how American that was... what I mean is, when starting from a stop, try not to floor it immediately.) don’t be fooled, you can still do all the wheelies you’ve ever wanted, just try to make sure the truck is already slightly moving in the direction you’re trying to wheelie. A killer for many people is that their bearings go bad and cause the differential gears to have bad mesh and strip each other out, so just every once in awhile (10 dry runs or every water run) just do a checkup on your diff bearings.

Thanks a lot, you're really really providing so much value for me!

I own all of the 6S trucks and drive them hard. The only thing I don't do is standing backflips and self-righting the truck if it's on its back. Some of my diffs are well over a year old. That is my experience with running the 4 major 6 trucks for 18 months.

I really don't believe what he said to be true unless you are absolutely reckless or can't drive for sh!t.

Have you done any upgrades to your Kraton? If so wich upgrades? Has your chassis bent?

 

[jondilly1974]

Interesting, I never thought of that as a cause. Just to be clear, you're referring to these shims, correct?View attachment 71286

Yes that is the shim that gets replaced with the larger Mugen shim. The thinking is it is as wide as the pin and that better protects the spur, o-ring, and pin, which also then better supports the main gear. All in all, that is the last bit of internal shimming most are doing on a V4 diff. Now the shimming of the pinion and output cups are still something guys will check and adjust if needed. There have been people who claim these need shimmed out of the box. My V4 Typhon seemed well shimmed to me.

 

[RCBro80]

Have you done any upgrades to your Kraton? If so wich upgrades? Has your chassis bent?

 

[bicketybam]

I own all of the 6S trucks and drive them hard. The only thing I don't do is standing backflips and self-righting the truck if it's on its back. Some of my diffs are well over a year old. That is my experience with running the 4 major 6 trucks for 18 months.

I really don't believe what he said to be true unless you are absolutely reckless or can't drive for sh!t.

Thanks a lot, you're really really providing so much value for me!

Have you done any upgrades to your Kraton? If so wich upgrades? Has your chassis bent?