Kraton HR Aluminum Gearboxes Vs Stock Plastic?

[nyev]

Hi, for my Kraton EXB build I'm planning to go with Hot Racing front and rear gearboxes. Other than cost, what are the advantages / disadvantages of stock plastic vs HR aluminum gearboxes?

The main driver for me heading towards aluminum is that I seem to have stripped one of the screws from my front gearbox just from getting to the diffs, despite being very careful, not over-tightening, and not even using an electric driver. I suspect it may have been stripped out from the factory, as I've read others have run into that happening quite often, but I know it's quite easy to do accidentally as well so I'm not sure.

What do people see as the pros and cons of stock plastic gearboxes versus Hot Racing aluminum (AON12E01)?

Thanks!

 

[SentFlying]

Weight is of concern. While plastic strips aluminum sheers off screws. Plastic thread repair is simple as is aluminum. Just insert something to aid in securing the screw.

 

[Virginia mud]

Add blue lock tight in a striped hole let dry for 24 hours

 

[nyev]

Thanks, good to know and I’ll try dumping some blue threadlocker in. So all things being equal assuming stripped plastic threads can be easily rectified, is there really no material benefit to going with the HR aluminum boxes?

 

[SentFlying]

Plastic housing and metal diff cover seem to be the general consensus.

 

[#ARRMArcfanboy4life]

I just got a hot racing diff case for my talion Sunday it is a very nice part but the plastic is by no means weak I would say for a recommendation for anybody wondering about it get it if your old part breaks or if you just want to bling the car (minecraft advancement cover me with diamonds)

 

[Liquid SSSnake]

I always wondered just how much heat it would dissipate from an alloy diff inside... could be small advantage.

 

[#ARRMArcfanboy4life]

I don't know tbh if it will even make a difference but you do you and what your budget can handle if you are going to be running this on a kraton I would recommend putting long screws through the holes where the shock towers attach and put nuts on the other end of the screw because that way when the car lands big air the shock towers will stay in the proper spot

 

[nyev]

Seems like good advice; thanks. May not be necessary though with m2c rear tower braces? Yes this is going into a Kraton EXB which will be subjected to moderate abuse. Currently in the process of installing m2c upgrades including chassis/shock towers/standoffs/rear tower braces.

 

[jkflow]

Oh wow some bad advise here in this thread. Do NOT use threadlocker, it simply doesn't work and it will destroy the plastic. The solvents attack the plastic and break it down, recipe for disaster. It will fail under load and that typically ruins a set of gears.

Metal vs plastic diffs, biggest drawback is price difference. You had a bad one from the factory and you can get a new case for $10.
Metal - if you ever break/strip a screw it will be expensive.
Metal - You will need a seal between chassis and diff housing, they will not have a tight fit.
Plastic - If a plastic screw strips, just drill the hole deeper and use a longer screw. Mine are coming out on the other side by now (where there is room). In one case I even had a nut to capture it but that housing is now gone. Buy longer screws on bulk (20ea. for $5)
Plastic - Yes, screws strip easily if you are heavy handed. Takes some finesse
Metal - You will need threadlocker, if you use too much and a screw strips it will hurt your wallet.

Metal covers vs plastic.
I have both metal covers (Kraton) and plastic (Talion) on stock housings. The only noticeable difference comes with the sway bar but I only had it break the cover once on the Talion because I didn't adjust it correct. Otherwise, metal covers are a waste of money imho. No benefit noticed.

All this is based on my experience, feel free to spend your money as you like. Some people have great success with alu diff housings but they noticed more peripheral damage as the force will go to neighboring components. That is hard to quantify.

It's your money, spend it wisely and share the experience. I'm staying with stock plastic cases. I have yet to break one other than a stripped screw in the beginning.

 

[nyev]

So I had the opportunity to weigh the Hot Racing aluminum gearboxes and compare them with the weight of the stock plastic gearboxes. Turns out the aluminum gearboxes are only like 6 or 7g heavier than stock plastic. So the Hot Racing boxes really don’t add any meaningful weight over stock plastic.

I might decide to run the Hot Racing boxes. From what I am hearing there are no meaningful drawbacks over stock (other than pricey to replace when they break), and no meaningful advantages either. May run them just because they look cool, and replace with stock when they eventually break.

 

[#ARRMArcfanboy4life]

That is what I did

 

[Willl]

I'm using the GPM rear gearbox right now on my Typhon S6 V5, I have one for the front but have not installed it yet

Taking $ out of the equation:

The plastic gearbox seals better (If you run through large amounts of water or sand)
The plastic gearbox is easier to work with

The metal gear box comes in multiple colors
The tolerances on the metal gear box are much better, so far no shimming required
The metal gear box weighs more than the plastic gearbox

 

[FatCatRC]

Metal bulkheads hands down. Plastic sucks. Don't buy HR they are overpriced and GPM offers more colours and lower price. I have both brands and like my gpm's better.

 

[jondilly1974]

I would need 8 of these to upgrade my rigs and I have way better things to do with $500

 

[nyev]

I tried installing / shimming a diff in both the stock plastic gearbox and also the Hot Racing aluminum gearbox, with the stock plastic covers installed, and I noticed the diff in the Hot Racing gearbox spins more freely, even when both are meshed with the input gear. You can spin the diff in the Hot Racing box and it keeps going (a bit), whereas in the stock plastic box it comes to a stop noticeably sooner. Probably doesn't translate to real-world performance difference, but just something I noticed.