My HBX FRAUD F150th build

[Saladshooter]

This one is a bit of a joke build, so I'm dubbing it the Fraud F150th. I recently bought Haiboxing's truggy version of their now famous 1/16th scale 16889a Pro. This newest model, the 16890SA is the most hobbyish grade RC they have made yet. It has an all metal drivetrain, front and rear differentials, oil filled aluminum shocks and bearings throughout. On top of this it's equipped with a 25a Hobbywing ESC, 3800kv brushless motor, independent receiver. and is advertised as 3s capable.

On a good coupon or flash sale day you can buy the 16890SA for $120 on Amazon. It comes with two tiny 1050mah lipos and a set of paddle tires in addition to its regular tires. Its nearly identical in size to the Granite Grom and goes 27-28mph on the supplied batteries. This truggy is an absolute blast, hard to break, and well supported with both stock and aftermarket parts on Amazon & eBay for quick repairs and upgrades.

I'm actively collecting parts: metal geared servo, turnbuckle steering links, aluminum steering rack, aluminum front and rear arms, larger tires and some small 3s lipos. I will post my progress as it comes together.

The first upgrade in is an inexpensive metal geared servo. It came in a two pack for $18. The 16890SA doesn't use the servo wings for mounting so I carefully cut them off with a knife. The new servo is much faster than stock and makes the tires snap back to center.

Surpass Hobby 17g Digital Servo

 

[Saladshooter]

HBX uses ridiculously small Phillips head screws throughout the truck, mostly 2.0 & 2.5mm. They are easy to strip and annoying so it's important to have a good set of screwdrivers. Powered drivers have to be used with a delicate hand.

The first time I dragged the the rear wing on a jump it pulled the screw through the soft plastic and nearly tore off, so I've added washers to keep it from happening.

 

[Saladshooter]

For the next part of this project I've added much larger tires. The original tires are 12mm hexes, 1.8 inches wide and stand 3.2 inches tall. This causes lots of ground clearance problems when using the 16890SA even for light off-road use on uneven terrain. The new tires are also from Haiboxing but were made for one of their 1/12 scale models. They are still 12mm hexes, 1.8 inches wide but are 3.8 inches tall, giving the truggy a much taller stance. The tires are a direct fit with no rubbing, though hexes with a larger offset are available if someone wants to go wider.

GDOOL 1/12 tires, 4-Pack

 

[Saladshooter]

Received my Ovonic 2200mah 3s batteries for the 16890SA. At 2.9 inches long they are the shortest batteries I can find. They don't actually fit in the battery tray length wise. Adding an angled block of foam and a longer velcro strap to replace the stock one, they fit securely with one end of the battery in the tray and the other end sitting on the servo.

 

[Glitch]

I got this as a Christmas gift and am keeping it stock for now, but the servo looks tempting. I am using the identically sized zee 2200mah short and if you flip the battery with the power cable on the front left (relative to the car), the bottom sits way farther down. I wish there was more space for the battery. Good luck!

 

[Saladshooter]

I got this as a Christmas gift and am keeping it stock for now, but the servo looks tempting. I am using the identically sized zee 2200mah short and if you flip the battery with the power cable on the front left (relative to the car), the bottom sits way farther down. I wish there was more space for the battery. Good luck!

Thanks.... the battery sits well enough in the position I have it. In the end, it's the Velcro that does the work while the battery tray holds one end. I will try your method as well.

The servo I have listed is a big improvement speed wise but doesn't work with the servo saver unless you have some extra long screws laying around. This was no big deal for me as I had already disabled the servo saver anyway as it was a piece of junk and was hindering my steering. I am using the servo horn that comes with the servo without a saver.

I am still not satisfied with the precision of steering so I am waiting for the aluminum steering rack/Ackerman & hubs to get here from China to see if it helps. Steering is good enough under power, but at low speeds it wanders to one side a bit. I was able to order all the aluminum parts in set for about $30 shipped including front and rear arms though those parts are overkill and just for bling. I expect the extra weight may actually benefit the truck as it is a rocket on 3s and could benefit from a little taming.

Thanks for the comments.... if you need anything just let me know.

 

[RCcarsandstuff]

If you go on YouTube there's a guy who has found direct fit 3s 850mah lipos. I also have one of these trucks and for the price it's such a good deal.

I'm probably on my 12th pack so far and have only broken the spoiler from a particularly nasty cartwheel. I'm a little scared to go 3s though. I'm running mine completely as it came from Amazon and they kind of seem like a pain to work on.

 

[Saladshooter]

If you go on YouTube there's a guy who has found direct fit 3s 850mah lipos. I also have one of these trucks and for the price it's such a good deal.

I'm probably on my 12th pack so far and have only broken the spoiler from a particularly nasty cartwheel. I'm a little scared to go 3s though. I'm running mine completely as it came from Amazon and they kind of seem like a pain to work on.

I have seen the little 3s Lipos.... the larger ones are more appealing and fit well enough. The spoiler is very delicate and I broke mine the other day playing in the cold. As for working on the 16890SA, it is quite easy. Parts are widely available, disassembly and rebuilding are simple if you have worked on any other RC. Just have to have a delicate hand with the screws. HBX should really switch to hexes.

I have been running the Ovonic 3s batteries for a couple of days now and so far so good. I did change the TX with a spare SLT3 & SR315 I had laying around. The SLT comes complete with a selectable 50/75/100% switch so that my 5 year old son can drive it at a lower speed. The 16890SA's Hobbywing ESC is programable so I dialed down the punch as well.

 

[Saladshooter]

I must say that for a cheap RC this thing is fantastic. I have probably 1/2 an acre at home to play with so its nice to have a fast stable small truggy to jet around the yard and put a smile on my face at the end of the workday. It handles the little 3s packs fine and the motor is handling it without heating up beyond what I can touch.

I have added 15mm hex extender to the wheels.... The larger tires that I had mounted had created a situation where if I cornered too hard the HBX would tumble. Since adding the 15mm extenders, it no longer does that.

 

[Glitch]

Looking good! Why metal arms?

 

[Saladshooter]

Looking good! Why metal arms?

Metal arms will be in the next post.... there was really no reason for them other than it was just as cheap to buy the aluminum steering rack & hubs with the metal arms as without... I felt obligated to put them on.

 

[Saladshooter]

Received my aluminum steering rack and aluminum hubs from China. Amazingly $31 shipped for the full assortment of aluminum parts in the picture. The only parts that ended up improving my steering were the hubs and the upgraded servo, which provided an immediate improvement in tracking and handling. I installed the front and rear arms as well and like the way they look, but if I break anything I will start moving back to the plastic. The 16890SA is light enough that it may be awhile before I bend anything.

Amazon: 16890SA / 16889a Pro Aluminum upgrade parts

 

[Saladshooter]

Replaced the rear wing with one from the little E-Revo VXL. The one that came with the 16890SA tore itself apart. The Traxxas part is a direct fit with just a little persuasion and is visible in the photo.

Have I mentioned how much fun this truggy is?..... It's fast, durable and may be the ultimate for someone for a small space to run in. It handles my lil' 3s batteries with ease though I find myself never quite bottoming out the trigger. I'm not sure it will beat out a Granite Grom.... but with the hex extenders and large tires it may be more fun for less money as it comes brushless.

 

[atbear]

Hi, Saladshooter. This is my first post. I saw this thread as I was researching the HBX cars, and now have the 16890SA and 2997A (1/12 scale).

I wanted to ask you about the differentials in these HBX cars. The ones on my 16890SA feel the same front to back (no center diff)... but on my 2997A (which has a center diff), the front feels tight and the rear feels more open. Regarding the 16890SA, both the front and rear feel more open like the rear of the 2997A. I just broke the metal front passenger side diff outdrive cup (my son slammed it into the stone border around our magnolia tree in the yard), so I'm about to replace that part. Since I'll be in there for the repair, I have the opportunity to grease or add diff fluid to the differential. I'm curious if you know whether the diffs in these HBX cars are sealed to allow for actual diff fluid, or if black grease, etc. would be the best choice? I can service the 16890SA's front diff shortly, and then decide whether to do the other 3-4 diffs (including the 2997A's) once I've tested it out.

Thank you for any help you can provide!

 

[Saladshooter]

Hi, Saladshooter. This is my first post. I saw this thread as I was researching the HBX cars, and now have the 16890SA and 2997A (1/12 scale).

I wanted to ask you about the differentials in these HBX cars. The ones on my 16890SA feel the same front to back (no center diff)... but on my 2997A (which has a center diff), the front feels tight and the rear feels more open. Regarding the 16890SA, both the front and rear feel more open like the rear of the 2997A. I just broke the metal front passenger side diff outdrive cup (my son slammed it into the stone border around our magnolia tree in the yard), so I'm about to replace that part. Since I'll be in there for the repair, I have the opportunity to grease or add diff fluid to the differential. I'm curious if you know whether the diffs in these HBX cars are sealed to allow for actual diff fluid, or if black grease, etc. would be the best choice? I can service the 16890SA's front diff shortly, and then decide whether to do the other 3-4 diffs (including the 2997A's) once I've tested it out.

Thank you for any help you can provide!

Hi atbear, I opened up the rear differential when I had the truck apart to put the arms on. It was a few weeks ago, but I don't remember seeing any real seal inside. It was well filled so I didn't take any action.... I don't know any more than you do. Please send me a message with what you figure out.

I'm still a huge fan of this truggy. The best upgrades were the servo, the aluminum hubs, hub extenders and larger tires. Combined they made it steer with more precision and got rid of the tumbling it was doing when cornering. I turned down the steering endpoints a bit on the controller.

The bigger tires allow the 16890SA to go through rougher terrain and the overall effect of my upgrades is that it lands right side up most of the time when jumping.

 

[atbear]

Thanks! You've got me looking at those larger wheels and hex extenders for sure!

When you say that it was well filled when you opened it up, do you mean that it was filled with true clear silicon diff fluid (vs. black grease)? Thanks again! I'll let you know if I find out any more.

 

[Saladshooter]

Thanks! You've got me looking at those larger wheels and hex extenders for sure!

When you say that it was well filled when you opened it up, do you mean that it was filled with true clear silicon diff fluid (vs. black grease)? Thanks again! I'll let you know if I find out any more.

I honestly don't remember what was in there. I don't think it was black grease but I won't vouch for decent differential fluid either.

 

[Glitch]

I honestly don't remember what was in there. I don't think it was black grease but I won't vouch for decent differential fluid either.

Hello! Looking to upgrade some parts on my hbx that’s been sitting around. How have the hex extenders and erevo wing been holding up for you?

 

[Saladshooter]

Hello! Looking to upgrade some parts on my hbx that’s been sitting around. How have the hex extenders and erevo wing been holding up for you?

Hi Glitch, both the 15mm extenders and the 1/16th E-Revo wing have been holding up very well. The extenders were a great purchase as they make the 16890SA much more stable when landing and cornering. The wing is probably the best available and hasn't broken yet despite taking a beating.

 

[Glitch]

Hi Glitch, both the 15mm extenders and the 1/16th E-Revo wing have been holding up very well. The extenders were a great purchase as they make the 16890SA much more stable when landing and cornering. The wing is probably the best available and hasn't broken yet despite taking a beating.

Thanks! Will order soon!