Kraton Just bought a kraton v4 need help

[Omerta]

haven't received the beast yet but should I buy the TTX300 transmitter & receiver for $60? (aud)
or wait and see how the Spektrum plays out been reading a lot of threads on here.

also thinking of changing out the steering servo to a suggested one from the forums believe its a
savox SW-1210SG / better servo mount. have been looking at chassis braces , skid plates, front bumpers, bearing kit, diff oils most of the stuff from voltage hobbies, gpm and t bone catalog.

much appreciated if can get more info / tips before I go out there and my car flys off and crashes into a pole or tree haven't been into rc cars for few years so all pretty much new to me.

 

[jondilly1974]

Radio for sure.

 

[Omerta]

alright will order tomorrow must really be that bad

 

[arrmadillo]

I wouldn't change the servo untill it gives you trouble.

 

[BashingBrian]

Ditch that Spektrum ASAP..??? get yourself a TTX300 or better..

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Yes for the radio, but I would look for something nicer, like Spectrum DX5C or a futaba 3pl. A cheap option is the Radiolink RC4GS. Great radio, half the price of the futaba and Spektrum. I have two of the older RC4G (non S)

As for the servo, that one is not really better than stock. Set you endpoints so the servo is not binding at full lock turn, and that will help it live longer.

 

[JvG]

From personal experience i would upgrade these 6 items:

- Servo: the original one lasted 3 weeks before breaking. Replaced it with the Power HD dw25lv. It's 6v and reasonably priced, unlike the 7.4 volt Savox, and a direct fit. It's been performing great for 3 years now.
- Servo mount: you can upgrade to an aluminum servo mount but putting long screws in it works fine and is a 50 cent upgrade.
- Sealed bearings,: in still don't understand why these aren't stock
- Tires: the most important one. I don't know how the V4's perform but the Backflips from the Outcast made a huge difference for the Kraton
- T-bone/rpm bumpers
- Tekno shock ends

Mine is a V3 so it came with the Tactic ttx300 which is good.

 

[Primarrma]

Where are you based? Sydney?

PM me if you like about the radio and if you're in Sydney about few other things.

 

[Jimbobjr]

If you plan to buy more cars in the future buy a radio where you can add receivers instead of having a dozen cheap radios lying around. Jerry-rigged mention a few nice ones to look into. As for upgrades don’t do any, buy more batteries, good set of hex drivers and the best charger you can afford. When things start to break then replace the parts with better. I ran my Kraton stock for six months before I even changed a bearing. Some will think I’m a terrible person for doing so but unless your yard buts up to a super cross track you probably won’t need much right away. Tools and batteries, can never have enough, maybe even get a second Arrma like an outcast or talion before spending on upgrades. That way you have another so it’s not game over when you do break something. Just my opinion...have fun most of all!

 

[Jerry-rigged]

If you plan to buy more cars in the future buy a radio where you can add receivers instead of having a dozen cheap radios lying around. Jerry-rigged mention a few nice ones to look into. As for upgrades don’t do any, buy more batteries, good set of hex drivers and the best charger you can afford. When things start to break then replace the parts with better. I ran my Kraton stock for six months before I even changed a bearing. Some will think I’m a terrible person for doing so but unless your yard buts up to a super cross track you probably won’t need much right away. Tools and batteries, can never have enough, maybe even get a second Arrma like an outcast or talion before spending on upgrades. That way you have another so it’s not game over when you do break something. Just my opinion...have fun most of all!

Best reply in the thread. The truck down not NEED anything out of the box. Spend those extra bucks on tools batteries and a good charger.

 

[Omerta]

Thanks everyone for all the input so far will look into a radio after testing out standard been looking at dx5c with srs6000 or sr415 receiver. Do I need to do anything to set up suspension or the wheels to help with ballooning? Also how long you think the gen ace 5000mah 6s lipo will last? Will definitely buy another battery then and few tools.

 

[BashingBrian]

I normally break things before my battery runs out..???

I agree with @Jimbobjr good charger and extra batteries first also some good tools..
If your budget will allow it, its good to have a second truck that way you can continue to bash..
I bought a Granite for that exact reason..!!

There are two good posts about chargers and batteries in the electronics section of the forum..??

 

[Lazy Bushman]

haven't received the beast yet but should I buy the TTX300 transmitter & receiver for $60? (aud)
or wait and see how the Spektrum plays out been reading a lot of threads on here.

also thinking of changing out the steering servo to a suggested one from the forums believe its a
savox SW-1210SG / better servo mount. have been looking at chassis braces , skid plates, front bumpers, bearing kit, diff oils most of the stuff from voltage hobbies, gpm and t bone catalog.

much appreciated if can get more info / tips before I go out there and my car flys off and crashes into a pole or tree haven't been into rc cars for few years so all pretty much new to me.

Yes re radio. As mentioned above, leave the servo until it gives you problems, mine is still going strong. One thing you might want up you sleeve is another set of a-arms as spares and I would recommend RPM

 

[ThisguyRico]

Yeah my stock servo went out yesterday. I ran it a good 20+ times before it did.

 

[Primarrma]

If you set your end points properly the servo will last longer, especially important when you replace the radio, it must be set up then. Make sure you set the failsafe on the car too, it will be done when you calibrate the esc.

 

[olds97_lss]

I have the DX5C and it's not bad. Just missing a charge port and the menu wheel is a bit of a nuisance to navigate with. After setting up 10 trucks in it... I was glad I was done. lol! I still have to go in the menu each time I bash though to switch from truck to truck, but that's not too bad. Sitting down for an hour and manually putting everything in from my old remote sucked!

I also took it apart and put in a charge jack so I can use my old NiMH charger to charge it without taking the cells out. Seems to last me 4-5 hours on a set of cells. Haven't had it go dead on me yet. I get tired and run out of gas before my radio does.

 

[Stujlockwood]

If you do break stuff quickly, be sure to check out the Amped RC Chop Shop. I took my 2 week old Kraton to the skate park, long story short, Bent chassis, snapped screws, busted front Bumper, Gear Box case and FR Suspension mount. Was able to pick up a screw set and chassis for $60 + postage delivered over night. Great resource if you don't have the $$ straight away to fix breaks with upgraded parts...
https://www.ampedrc.com.au/the-chop-shop/

 

[SrC]

haven't received the beast yet but should I buy the TTX300 transmitter & receiver for $60? (aud)
or wait and see how the Spektrum plays out been reading a lot of threads on here.

also thinking of changing out the steering servo to a suggested one from the forums believe its a
savox SW-1210SG / better servo mount. have been looking at chassis braces , skid plates, front bumpers, bearing kit, diff oils most of the stuff from voltage hobbies, gpm and t bone catalog.

much appreciated if can get more info / tips before I go out there and my car flys off and crashes into a pole or tree haven't been into rc cars for few years so all pretty much new to me.

Don't buy the TTX300 Tx and Rx for $60. That's too much if you ask me. It probably has no warranty depending where you buy it and no support for it. Tactic is not produced any longer. Old inventory is floating around. Still a dependable "basic"radio, but not worth $60. Only if you find it for around $35., its something to consider.
Spend $60. on a Flysky or similar. Way more bang for $60. spent

 

[Wmorgan]

Good choice! I love my V4 Kraton.

My $0.02:
You're on the right track to replace the stock radio. I tried to make it work with my Arrmas, but it's junk. Did not provide reliable control. It would occasionally "hesitate" my input to control at varying distances which isn't good. I ended up replacing with TTX300s that I got off of Jenny's for $25. They have been reliable on the rigs I'm using them with. You should shop around as mentioned by SrC if you can't get them cheap.

From personal experience with my Kraton I recommend checking the front and rear diff housing and make sure there's grease from the factory. There should be, but my front was dry...which I found out after the diff ate the bearing cover at the input gear. Horizon sent me a new f/r diff so i was covered there.

1) So basically I recommend before 1st run replacing the radio and checking f/r diffs for grease and you're good to go.

2) Go ahead and get some sealed bearings (I got Fast Eddy) and replace those as part of your first maintenance plan. The stock bearings function and will allow you to enjoy bashing ASAP, but far better aftermarket are available for relatively cheap compared to the improvement.

3) Research the servo and servo mount and you'll find a decent aftermarket that is superior to stock. IMO this is the same as bearings...you can replace as part of first maintenance plan.

I'm still using the stock tires and really like them. I tried some PL Trenchers, but they were too wide and heavy and didn't provide any improvement over the stock other than a more aggressive look.

I haven't needed to replace the chassis as I haven't gotten into the extreme "send it" program. The highest jumps I've done have been 12-15 feet and only on occasion and the stock chassis has held up fine.

Good luck!

 

[Badtouch The basher]

If you plan to buy more cars in the future buy a radio where you can add receivers instead of having a dozen cheap radios lying around. Jerry-rigged mention a few nice ones to look into. As for upgrades don’t do any, buy more batteries, good set of hex drivers and the best charger you can afford. When things start to break then replace the parts with better. I ran my Kraton stock for six months before I even changed a bearing. Some will think I’m a terrible person for doing so but unless your yard buts up to a super cross track you probably won’t need much right away. Tools and batteries, can never have enough, maybe even get a second Arrma like an outcast or talion before spending on upgrades. That way you have another so it’s not game over when you do break something. Just my opinion...have fun most of all!

You can bind multiple cars 10 to my knowledge to one tactic radio ? as long as you have the receivers the same