Kraton New, but not a n00b! Questions inside...

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Kraton_Kev

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Arrma RC's
Finally I can view the images!!

Hey all, I just picked up a Kraton V2 off Ebay for 500 buckroos (because everything is still back ordered) and all I gotta say is WOW! This is nuts compared to my mini e-revo on 2S (still shreds though). I live in Nevada which is literally where the Kraton belongs due to its insane durability. I jsut have a few questions, even though I've researched my a$$ off to find some answers I'd still like y'alls input.
  • Differentials: (F/C/R) 70k/1M/70k. Would this be a pretty decent set up? I just bash. I don't do competitive racing. I know the Kraton likes to see how big the front tires can get all while popping a wheelie, which looks cool but is not very efficient. Idk what's in my Kraton right now since I bought it already used. I just blew my rear diff and will probably replace all 3 along with new diff oil. Why not?
  • Pinion Gear: I've shredded 2 already because I think the design of the rotor shaft isn't all the great. Unfortunately running a 12T after my 14T broke (14T is the way to go!) So I've started using TLR Thread Lock of Team Losi and it's held in place so far. The last one chewed up the aluminum motor mount purrty good. Do y'all choose the red or blue loctite? I have blue.
  • Tires: Stock ones are trash for my driving enviroment, any suggestions? I want big tread kinda like the Revo 2.0 has, but I know those tires wont fit on a Kraton. If you have some for sale, lmk!
  • Shocks: Supposedly came with bigger shocks. Idk. What type weight shock fluid do you suggest in F/R for general bashing and ulta hardpack dirt? Just gonna send it...
What is the most common part you find yourself replacing? Also, my Kraton came set up with Traxxas TSM. It's a cool idea, but it hilarious watching the gyro work on the front wheels when on the go-go trigger. It's also 100% not needed since the width and wheelbase are good.

20180516_081853.jpg
 
Howdy and Welcome!

My V1 Kraton came with 10k in the center diff - but I am not sure what the new ones come with. I currently run 125k, and that mostly keeps the ballooning under control, and you don't get much wheelie action. 1MM seems like a big step up, but lots of guys here run 300k or 500k.

Spares - Shims and diffs. Well, if you shim the diffs, you may not need the spares. Wing mounts are a good investment, if you want to keep the wing.

Tires - I am still hunting myself. I want to try the MX3.8 as some point. Or the regular 3.8 Badlands.
 
Thanks for the input!

I think you're right about 1MM being a big step. I'll try out 300k center / 125K F/R.

Ah yes, shims shims shims! I learned on my mini e revo to shim the diff and I haven't had to replace it yet.
 
Thanks for the input!

I think you're right about 1MM being a big step. I'll try out 300k center / 125K F/R.

Ah yes, shims shims shims! I learned on my mini e revo to shim the diff and I haven't had to replace it yet.
Yes, the V3 Kraton comes with only 10k in the center diff. 125K seems high for F/R? FYG, I am running 50k/100k/7k (F/C/R) in my V3 Kraton.

Keep in mind, check diffs for smoothness, as some new V3 diffs don't need shimming.
 
Howdy and Welcome!

My V1 Kraton came with 10k in the center diff - but I am not sure what the new ones come with. I currently run 125k, and that mostly keeps the ballooning under control, and you don't get much wheelie action. 1MM seems like a big step up, but lots of guys here run 300k or 500k.

Spares - Shims and diffs. Well, if you shim the diffs, you may not need the spares. Wing mounts are a good investment, if you want to keep the wing.

Tires - I am still hunting myself. I want to try the MX3.8 as some point. Or the regular 3.8 Badlands.
The 3.8 Badlands are perfect for the Talion, but a bit small for the Kraton. They are only 5.85" tall compared to the stock Minokawa's which are 6.5" tall, or the Backflips which are 6.8" tall. You would lose a lot of ground clearance and also lose some of that Monster Truggy look...
 
The 3.8 Badlands are perfect for the Talion, but a bit small for the Kraton. They are only 5.85" tall compared to the stock Minokawa's which are 6.5" tall, or the Backflips which are 6.8" tall. You would lose a lot of ground clearance and also lose some of that Monster Truggy look...
I've heard a lot about the Badlands, they look sweet and aggressive. What still confuses me is what specs I need to look out for to make sure the wheel will fit on my axle.
 
I've heard a lot about the Badlands, they look sweet and aggressive. What still confuses me is what specs I need to look out for to make sure the wheel will fit on my axle.
Any 1/8 scale tire/wheel should fit an Arrma axle, as long as it is a 17mm wheel hex. Just be careful if tire is extremely large (tall, wide) and if mounted on a zero offset wheel, as front tires could possibly rub against the body, especially when turning & tires are ballooning on 6S. Also if wheel diameter is less than 3.8", you could possibly have clearance issues with a smaller diameter wheel rubbing or hitting the inside of the rear hubs or steering blocks?
 
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I run 500k in the center, it is perfect where I run, virtually no ballooning. I've shimmed my diffs and it's a v3, but shouldn't be any different in performance. Shocks I run 50 weight front and 80 weight rear, seems ok, but might be better if I drop the rear weight a tiny bit. No need to go too thick on front and rear diff oil, try something well under 100k to start. I have found the Outcast Backflips (the tyres are vented, and wheels are sealed. It's a must for me now, I wouldn't run tyres without it anymore) to be perfect, I run the 14t pinion and it doesn't over heat the motor or esc.
 
Is your motor moving or the pinion moving? I use a tiny drop of red threadlocker with some blue on my motor mount screws, use a toothpick or the like to apply you don't want to use much at all.
 
Is your motor moving or the pinion moving? I use a tiny drop of red threadlocker with some blue on my motor mount screws, use a toothpick or the like to apply you don't want to use much at all.
Thank you for the breakdown on oils! Helps a lot.

The issue with my pinion was short lived. The thread lock on the grub screw simply wasn't good enough and kept backing out due to vibration. This has been solved by using TLR Blue Loctite and letting it cure for a while.

Also, I just heard about tuning the ESC...more specifically, punch levels. What is the stock setting and how different/awesome is max punch? And also what come from adjusting your punch level to max?
 
if you can find them, the Dboots backflips which come stock on the outcast are amazing. They have way more bite. wheelies are no problem now, even on 4s and stock punch setting. i run 20k/100k/10k for diff oil. Might go up to 50k in the front one of these Days.
 
if you can find them, the Dbootsbackflips which come stock on the outcast are amazing. They have way more bite. wheelies are no problem now, even on 4s and stock punch setting. i run 20k/100k/10k for diff oil. Might go up to 50k in the front one of these Days.
I have the Pro-Line Badlands on Speedline Plus wheels for my V3 Talion, but have the DBoots Backflips on my V3 Kraton. I agree, the Backflips are amazing and hook-up like crazy. They have the same great moto-x tread as the long-loved Badlands, but are larger and stiffer (balloon less than Badlands), so perfect for the Kraton. Backflips are more or less, bigger Badder Badlands on steroids. For extra durability, if you vent (put 2 holes opposite to each other on the outside of the tire + re-glue them), should have no problems, even on 6S.

Usually 100-150k is enough for the center diff to help control all the power, as anything thicker may tend to add more heat to the center diff. 50-60k is usually perfect for the front diff, as this will also help control front tires from ballooning as much. I run only 7k in the rear, as I want all that 6S power going to the rear...
 
Thank you for the breakdown on oils! Helps a lot.

The issue with my pinion was short lived. The thread lock on the grub screw simply wasn't good enough and kept backing out due to vibration. This has been solved by using TLR Blue Loctite and letting it cure for a while.

Also, I just heard about tuning the ESC...more specifically, punch levels. What is the stock setting and how different/awesome is max punch? And also what come from adjusting your punch level to max?
To adjust your Punch setting, please refer to Page 28 of your manual.

Stock "PUNCH" setting is set at Level 4 by the factory. You can increase up to Level 9. If increased, all the power will come on quicker and much harder. This can be increased if you want to wheelie more, etc, especially if your batteries do not have the power to do this at Level 4 Punch setting (6S should not have this problem). However, keep in mind, the higher the Punch setting, the harder it will be on your drivetrain, etc, since the power comes on much harder and more quickly. The lower the Punch setting, the more gradual the power comes on, kind of like having a slipper gear, I guess, in order to try and explain this. Hope this helps...
 
Trencher 40series what I run on my kraton
Trencher tires, Pro-Line claims their 1/4" tread durability is 2nd to none & also their tread has ridiculous amounts of forward bite, but still allows MT to slide & drift. Sounds good, but A Main Hobbies description does say these tires are heavier than most, so they recommend to use a high quality, high torque servo.

I gather you have the Trencher (40 series) 3.8"s which are 6.89" tall & 3.43" wide? Careful, if anyone wants to use the Trencher X 3.8 tires, as these are extremely wide at 4.15"
 
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