Minokawa Tires

[Mongoose]

Anybody else think the Minokawa tires shouldn't be stock on the Kraton?

So much power is lost with these because they don't hook up. Mine hops up grassy inclines because they don't bite. Same goes for blacktop. I haven't been able to get on hard packed dirt yet but so far I don't like them.

I can understand why Arrma doesn't put the Backflips on it stock because they make a killing on the Kraton crowd but man, c'mon give us something a little better out of the box.

 

[WoodiE]

They are an all-terrain tire, they work okay in most areas but not perfect in any. Very typical in more RTR RC's.

 

[Megasty]

My silly Traxxas-sponsored LHS just got in their sample of the E-revo 2.0 & called a bunch of their "special" customers to check it out. I dare say that the tires are perfect for the Kraton. So I will throw a set on my V3. I had 3 sets of the Kraton tires & they are just junk on anything but grass & loose dirt. I actually bought the 1st set for my V1 Kraton & I wrecked them in 3 runs. The 2nd & 3rd sets came on the V2 & V3 & will go unused because I don't feel like wrecking them.

I mainly run Trencher X on my V2. I know they can wreck the diffs so I shimmed them & never had a problem. They're the best jumping/landing tire I ever had. They can handle any terrain & won't bald like Backflips on the street. I'm running Backflips on the V3 but they grip too much for my liking. I can powerside easily with the Trencher X & power out of it just as easy. But I'm not looking to completely copy the V2 handling so I will give the revo tires a shot since I can't get over how great they feel - but knowing Traxxas they'll probably wear like crazy.

 

[Mongoose]

What did you like most about the Revo 2.0 tires? What did you think of the Revo?

The Trencher X are the wider ones right? Maybe I will get a set of these because I imagine they are easier to find than the badlands.....I almost bought a set of the V1/V2 Talion tires because they are in stock at my LHS....I really dislike these Minokawas.

 

[Megasty]

The Revo tires literally felt like Pro-line Shockwaves just bigger with much thicker tread. The Revo is meh though. It has the same chassis I broke a half dozen times with a larger cut out for the diff. They had the old Revo right next to it so I could easily compare it between all the wide mouth gawkers. Everything else on it was beefed up though, arms, links, CVDs, shocks, hubs, wing mount, etc. The body was seriously impressive with the E6 BES-like armor & it was pretty thick too. But the mounts might break with a few upside down landings - or it will just fly off like the X-Maxx.

The V1/V2 Talion tires are a disaster. They ballon & wear terribly just like the Typhon tires. The V3s are MUCH better. It really does feel like the Trencher X was made for the Kraton. The Trencher X is the wider one. They balloon like crazy but they are always gripping & returning to that wide profile when they hit the ground making it possible to use the ballooning to control the car. The 40 series Trencher is OK but the way they balloon make them hard to control because they are much thinner. They are taller & wider than the Backflips but the Backflips beat it hands down for control. But Arrma can give the Minokawas some justice if they use better (thicker) rubber, widen them about 1/2", then thicken & separate the tread a bit. It's a proven formula & not rocket science. They took the Badlands, made them larger, & use thicker rubber so they won't balloon as much - a complete winner among RTR tires. So there's no reason to keep dumping the best RTR with these crappy tires.

 

[Dingo]

.The V1/V2 Talion tires are a disaster. They ballon & wear terribly just like the Typhon tires. The V3s are MUCH better.

I absolutely ADORE the V3 Talion tires. A buddy ripped one of mine hitting a piece of hidden metal, and I can't find another pair to save my life.

I'm about to rationalize purchasing a second Talion and stting it up for street JUST so I can get another pair of those tires.

 

[Mongoose]

Haha those must be some good tires! I've debated on getting a set for my Kraton but wasn't sure how they would be on it.

 

[Megasty]

They are awesome. I've seen videos where the tires have been worn to death by street running. They just make me cringe. The tires are just so-so on the street & great everywhere else so I'll never spend mine on asphalt.

 

[Mongoose]

Should I try those over they Backflips or Badlands? I really want to try the Trencher X's because you sold me on them but I haven't shimmed my diffs, still need 6s batteries and still running the stock servo so I don't think I'm ready for those yet.

 

[Megasty]

Should I try those over they Backflips or Badlands? I really want to try the Trencher X's because you sold me on them but I haven't shimmed my diffs, still need 6s batteries and still running the stock servo so I don't think I'm ready for those yet.

Yeah, Trenchers will wrecked the diffs & servo. The Katars are good but they are too small for the Kraton's setup. Backflips are better than Badlands. They have a better profile & more of the tire contacts the ground. They don't balloon nearly as much & they wear just about they same. Backflips weigh 40g more than the stock Kraton tires so you won't be breaking diffs or the servo. They are the same size as the Kraton stockers so you won't be losing any speed as you will with the Badlands. They're also cheaper too.

 

[Mongoose]

Thanks Megasty. I appreciate you taking the time to respond with good info. It's all too easy to throw some recommendations out or some thoughts and leave it at that but you always include your reasoning behind it which really helps us guys who are new to rc learn. There are about 5 people online that I have followed over the course of 3 months while I was trying to decide what to buy, why to buy it and what to expect after buying and you sir are one of them. I really do appreciate it. I read a lot of reviews, forum threads, build threads and watched a lot of videos before selecting the Kraton.

 

[Dingo]

Haha those must be some good tires! I've debated on getting a set for my Kraton but wasn't sure how they would be on it.

They were definitely not the greatest tire on my buddy's Kraton. The hub length is just a little too long. The opposite happens with large tires on the Talion though. It's a double edged sword unless you want to swap parts every time you go out.

They are awesome. I've seen videos where the tires have been worn to death by street running. They just make me cringe. The tires are just so-so on the street & great everywhere else so I'll never spend mine on asphalt.

I think I figured what made them special. While a lot of truggies have 4" wheels, the Katars are a 4.12" wheel. While this doesn't reduce the sidewalls by a huge amount, you're flinging less unsprung weight. That's almost always a good thing.

The Katars are good but they are too small for the Kraton's setup. Backflips are better than Badlands.

Agreed! The Kraton just doesn't have the correct setup. I love the Kraton, but my love is the Talion. I may have to try to find some Backflips to throw on my Kraton. I've seen quite a few people mention them while I've been lurking.

 

[Mongoose]

I really want to buy a Talion as my next RC....I think it looks awesome and it's a different enough animal from the Kraton to have a different experience when driving the two I think. The only problem is the whole Hobbico bankruptcy....I don't know if I should wait until the fate of Arrma is decided. The other RC I really want is a Tekno ET48.3...those things seem like they are amazing.

 

[Megasty]

I really want to buy a Talion as my next RC....I think it looks awesome and it's a different enough animal from the Kraton to have a different experience when driving the two I think. The only problem is the whole Hobbico bankruptcy....I don't know if I should wait until the fate of Arrma is decided. The other RC I really want is a Tekno ET48.3...those things seem like they are amazing.

When it comes to bankruptcy, Arrma is functioning as usual. All of the larger Hobbico companies aren't filed under it anyway. As for the Talion, it can do 55-60 OoB on 6S. It's definitely it's own car now & not just a Kraton with different hubs & tires.I usually don't lean either way when buying RTRs & kits. It has taken me ages just to start working on both my Teknos & being snowed in the last few days really pushed me towards finishing both. But they are really the best RCs you can get. However, I can't compare that to the instant gratification of an Arrma RTR. It's really apples & oranges.

 

[Dingo]

It's definitely it's own car now & not just a Kraton with different hubs & tires.

My apologies if I made it seem that these were the only differences.

While the Kraton and Talion share many parts such as diffs, A-arms, etc, that they truly have created something special. I'll try to dig up some Talion images tomorrow. She's fully torn apart waiting on new pop-up parts. I can't wait for it to fully dry out and see what a 15t pinion will do on the streets!

 

[Megasty]

My apologies if I made it seem that these were the only differences.

While the Kraton and Talion share many parts such as diffs, A-arms, etc, that they truly have created something special. I'll try to dig up some Talion images tomorrow. She's fully torn apart waiting on new pop-up parts. I can't wait for it to fully dry out and see what a 15t pinion will do on the streets!

I was talking about the V2s. The V1s were exactly the same car except for the axles. I could take off the roll bar the Kraton, throw on the Talion body - & have a Talion. They changed the hubs on the V2s since it was breaking bearings like mad. They were just that bad - & they're on the V3 Talion too. So I put a set of V2/V3 Kraton hubs & axles on my V3 Talion so it could handle larger tires, mainly Backflips. It's hard to describe the feeling of watching how fast that car can move with the Backflips.

 

[Dingo]

I was talking about the V2s. The V1s were exactly the same car except for the axles. I could take off the roll bar the Kraton, throw on the Talion body - & have a Talion. They changed the hubs on the V2s since it was breaking bearings like mad. They were just that bad - & they're on the V3 Talion too. So I put a set of V2/V3 Kraton hubs & axles on my V3 Talion so it could handle larger tires, mainly Backflips. It's hard to describe the feeling of watching how fast that car can move with the Backflips.

Holy hell. I had no idea they were that bad. I'd already been considering the upgrade on my Talion, but that may push the upgrade a bit sooner. She's down right now waiting on diff rebuild materials, so I may as well throw on some new hubs, right?

 

[RCROD]

I really want to buy a Talion as my next RC....I think it looks awesome and it's a different enough animal from the Kraton to have a different experience when driving the two I think. The only problem is the whole Hobbico bankruptcy....I don't know if I should wait until the fate of Arrma is decided. The other RC I really want is a Tekno ET48.3...those things seem like they are amazing.

I agree Mongoose. I think there is definitely a big enough difference between the new V3 Talion and the 2018 Kraton, as I just recently bought both. The Kraton is the best RTR basher out there (as capable as a monster truck, but faster, lighter and more fun). The new Talion is a speed truggy that's quite capable offroad & seriously, 70mph out of the box w/pinion included is crazy, and it just looks awesome. My 2 favourite RC's, and this good for RTR's is amazing to me, and the price for what you get isn't too bad either.

Although the new Talion & Kraton are 2 different machines, there is also a lot of similarities. This is great when buying spare parts or even when upgrading 1 of them, as most times the stock part can then be used as a spare for both RC's. I got spare suspension arms, hinge pins, etc that will fit either when parts can break after a bad crash. I also ended up getting a spare complete driveshaft set (all 6, front/rear/center), including spare Kraton rear hubs/front steering blocks from JennysRC (good prices). Having the spare beefier Kraton hubs/steering blocks allows me to also use my spare Kraton driveshafts on my Talion in case of breakage or wear. Or like Megasty said, I now have the Kraton longer 4 driveshafts & beefier hubs so I can now safely use larger tires like the Backflips on my Talion.

I have the Backflips for my new Kraton, but haven't tried them yet (I like the motox tread, similar to Badlands). I've heard a lot of good things about them and looking forward to trying them. Megasty, the Backflips are actually 1/2" taller, as they are 6.3" and the stock Minokawa tires are 6.3" tall, however the Backflips are slightly less wide at 3" compared to Minokawa at 3.1". If anyone is interested, I believe Tower Hobbies has Backflips in stock. JennysRC also has Backflips usually is stock (look under Outcast parts).

Dingo the Katar tires re 5.75" tall, not I agree, the stock Katar tires are good, but I also had to have some 3.8 Badlands w/DE Racing Speedline plus wheels for my Talion. I just need to Gorilla Tape before mounting. Badlands are just "slightly" taller at 5.85", but definitely wider (1/2" wider), as Badlands are 2.72" compared to only 2.24" wide for the Katar tires. The Katar tires are quite slim for a truggy. I will be shimming all 6 diffs hopefully next week, including shimming both steering assembly's and replacing the stock steering bushings with some Fast Eddy bearings. I just put in a 7955TG servo in my Talion, I had laying around. The stock Arrma servo isn't bad, but wow, definitely a big difference with the Hitec.

I've ordered a new TBR Typhon Basher bumper for my Talion (it's TBR's lightest bumper) and TBR's brand new V3 Thrasher bumper for my Kraton. I also ordered TBR rear mud guards for both my Talion & Kraton. I already have RPM rear skid plates ready to put on both. I will also be installing a Tekno 15T in my Kraton & Robinson Racing 16T in my Talion. I will get some pics up shortly.

 

[Dingo]

Badlands are just "slightly" taller at 5.85", but definitely wider (1/2" wider), as Badlands are 2.72" compared to only 2.24" wide for the Katar tires. The Katar tires are quite slim for a truggy.

What you mentioned (the slimness) is part of what I've enjoyed about the Katars so far. With the slim sidewall, there is just enough "give" to feel comfortable in knowing when it will break loose. With the Badlands I tried running, I always felt like I was pushing into corners.

I'm looking into rebuilding my diffs this next week while adding in some higher consistency oils (60k Front/100k Center/30k Rear), shimming, and using replacement HR diff cups. I'm hoping that will reduce tire ballooning as well as giving a more "true" 4WD feel. Perhaps after that's done, the Badlands will feel a bit better for me.

I've ordered a new TBR Typhon Basher bumper for my Talion (it's TBR's lightest bumper)

I have not heard of this brand before. I'm going to have to look them up, assuming the Typhon bumper may fit on the Talion.

Edit: I did not put together that TBR was T-Bone Racing. I have seen these before. Sadly I'm already running Front/Rear aluminum skidplates, so I couldn't use these bumpers.

 

[RCROD]

What you mentioned (the slimness) is part of what I've enjoyed about the Katars so far. With the slim sidewall, there is just enough "give" to feel comfortable in knowing when it will break loose. With the Badlands I tried running, I always felt like I was pushing into corners.

I'm looking into rebuilding my diffs this next week while adding in some higher consistency oils (60k Front/100k Center/30k Rear), shimming, and using replacement HR diff cups. I'm hoping that will reduce tire ballooning as well as giving a more "true" 4WD feel. Perhaps after that's done, the Badlands will feel a bit better for me.

I have not heard of this brand before. I'm going to have to look them up, assuming the Typhon bumper may fit on the Talion.

Edit: I did not put together that TBR was T-Bone Racing. I have seen these before. Sadly I'm already running Front/Rear aluminum skidplates, so I couldn't use these bumpers.

Dingo. Good info you provided earlier. I did not know the Talion wheels were 4.12" diameter. Just eyeballing up my Talion, I wondered if the rims looked slightly bigger, but didn't actually measure them. This larger wheel/slim sidewall, plus the thinner Katar tires, would make a positive difference, especially in the corners. However, usually a thinner tire and slim LP sidewall would not be great for jumping, but the Katar tires seem to have enough give and softness in them to help on impact. I also like the aggressive tread on the Katar's.

I'm also going to shim all my diffs in the next couple of weeks. I'm going with 60k front/100k center/7k rear on both my V3 Talion & 2018 Kraton. I've heard using an aluminum center diff case s a good upgrade, as the center diff builds up a lot of heat. Not sure if doing all 3 is worth it, especially the increase in weight? Did you check out GPM, as they also make aluminum diff cups & better pricing, especially if you do all 3? Yes, going from 10k to 60k in the front diff like you are should help tire balloning.

Are your Badlands premounted on 3.8's? I will be mounting my Badlands on 4.0" DE Racing Speedline Plus truggy dish wheels. These are the lightest truggy wheels available and with 4" wheels, there should also be no sidewall flex & less ballooning. I'm also going to tape the Badlands before mounting, so any ballooning should be minimized. I'm going to weigh after 1 Gorilla wrap, then weigh after 2 Gorilla wraps. If 2 wraps not too heavy, I will go with 2.

Hey, no problem. Yes, "T Bone Racing" (TBR). Yes, the 10007 Typhon bumper will fit the new Talion. I got it, as it is TBR's lightest & smallest bumper & Nick at TBR advised it will still offer great front protection. My goal with any upgrades on my Talion, is to keep it as light as possible. I went with RPM rear skid plates for both my Talion/Kraton, as they are also quite light.