Relentless big rock crew cab wheel wobble

[Vayneslashery]

Hi guys, I am curious if anyone has an experience similar to mine. I got the big rock a couple of months ago and it came with wobbly wheels. I'm not talking about a wobble as in slop where the wheel has some play. I'm talking about wobble when the wheels are turning. I have replaced the tires didn't fix it, and also replaced the axles which seemed to fix it for one session. Then when I put the wheels back on again next time they had a wobble to them again. It's about a 5mm wobble. Enough to shake the crap out of the truck when I spin the wheels while holding onto the truck. Seems like nothing I can do corrects it, so I've just given up on caring about it and just bashing it. Hasn't broken anything yet besides maybe wearing out the pivot balls. Have had to put new on. For a $370 truck I just wouldn't have expected that. Also I'd have to say screw amain. They are a bunch of peepee's. First impression of them was good, but they straight up ignore me now after asking a couple of questions. I'm just waiting for these tires to wear out to get the Typhon 3s 17mm axles to use the badlands. Hoping that will eliminate any wobble. Anyone else experience something similar with their big rock?

 

[GRC]

Did you screw the axles onto the driveshafts? There's a screw inside the driveshaft that holds the axle. You get to it by sending a 3mm hex driver through the driveshaft.

 

[Kla912000]

Did you screw the axles onto the driveshafts? There's a screw inside the driveshaft that holds the axle. You get to it by sending a 3mm hex driver through the driveshaft.

View attachment 208110

Not a 3mm hex bolt. 2mm or 2.5mm hex

 

[GRC]

oops, typo, yes 2mm hex driver

 

[Kla912000]

oops, typo, yes 2mm hex driver

Yeah that's what I figured.

 

[Vayneslashery]

Yes, they are lock tightened in there. And I originally typed that amain we're d l k s but for some reason it got changed to peepee's . So just so it's known, I quit using that word 30 years ago.
So does anyone else have this problem with there truck?

 

[Sandracer_NL]

Are your wheel bearings still OK -> no wheel axle play possible when wheel bearings are installed?

 

[L3phturn]

It sounds like there is dirt or water inside the tires. Have you vented them? (Drilled at least 2 holes in the tire surface at opposite sides and tapped over the vent Holes in the wheels) Do you check that the tires are staying properly glued to the rims? That glue will break down and start to let go, you need to check the tires and apply some glue as needed regularly.

 

[JKWoods]

I would have to say it would be one of the mentioned above. Axle coming out, bearing, or something in the tire. Make sure you clean the axle before the loctite or dirt wont let it adhere. Guess maybe even a cracked hub. I did have that once and it drove funny. Check all bolts and nuts.

 

[GRC]

If you change the position of the tires (front to back, left to right, etc.) Does the same tire wobble no matter where you put it? Or does the same wheel position (front left, back right, etc.) always wobble no matter which tire you put on it?

If the same tire wobbles, then it's obviously that tire. If the same wheel position wobbles, check all the components for that wheel position for cracks, warps, bad bearings, loose screws, etc.

 

[parcou]

If you change the position of the tires (front to back, left to right, etc.) Does the same tire wobble no matter where you put it? Or does the same wheel position (front left, back right, etc.) always wobble no matter which tire you put on it?

If the same tire wobbles, then it's obviously that tire. If the same wheel position wobbles, check all the components for that wheel position for cracks, warps, bad bearings, loose screws, etc.

@Vayneslashery this would be my call...

I recently bought a set Proline Trenchers non-belted 2.8" for my Big Rock and I have the Badlands MX 2.8" non-belted as well for off-road.

Let me use the new Trenchers as an example. 3 tires are great...one new out of the package has an ugly wobble and I have seen this before since I balance all my RC tires.

Is it really needed for 4x4, no...this is why I do it to fix the one-two-three that wobbles. It's a bad rim or tire not uniform, or maybe the foam is not right...I really do not know. Once I balance it with weight although it has a bad wobble it rotates smoothly and is a perfect stop on the balancer once done.

With all 4 new tires balanced regardless of the wobble, I have an equal rotation so I'm happy. Like you said it could be a bad rim/tire especially if you can move it to a new spot and the wobble stays and disappear when another tire is placed in the same spot.

Keep us posted!

 

[Vayneslashery]

Well I put new axles on the front wich have the worst wobble out of them all and it fixed it for about one session. Then it went back to being just as wobbly. It's not the wheels themselves. I have got a new set of stock dboots for it and still same. One thing I haven't tried yet is changing out the driveshafts. I do have a set of those so I might as well give it a try. Maybe for some weird reason the wobble comes from how the axles seat in the driveshafts, cause when I have them off and spin them in my fingers with the bearings on I can feel the tiniest bit of movement on the outer bearing that sits on the wheel axle. Still this seems like a very strange problem to have with a brand new truck.
Has anyone else here used the 17mm wheel axles from the 3s Typhon? I know alot of people are using the adapters. I would think it would be a bit more sturdy with the Typhon 3s axles, having a larger diameter axle without an adapter. I seen a video of one guy using them to put the badlands on his big rock but he hasn't given an update on how it's holding up. Honestly I'm surprised that I haven't seen much info on people using the Typhon axles instead.

 

[GRC]

Maybe for some weird reason the wobble comes from how the axles seat in the driveshafts, cause when I have them off and spin them in my fingers with the bearings on I can feel the tiniest bit of movement on the outer bearing that sits on the wheel axle.

Try new driveshafts or new wheel axles. I had a center driveshaft that wobbled. It was because those plastic teeth at the ends were a bit crooked. You couldn't tell by looking at them. The driveshaft rolled complete straight on a flat surface, but once you connected it, those crooked teeth created a wobble. Getting a new one fixed it.

A bent wheel axle will certainly cause wobble. I used to bend axles all the time. But you can usually see when they're bent.

Has anyone else here used the 17mm wheel axles from the 3s Typhon? I know alot of people are using the adapters. I would think it would be a bit more sturdy with the Typhon 3s axles, having a larger diameter axle without an adapter. I seen a video of one guy using them to put the badlands on his big rock but he hasn't given an update on how it's holding up. Honestly I'm surprised that I haven't seen much info on people using the Typhon axles instead.

Many people use the 17mm wheel axles from the Typhon 3s, including me. They are much more durable and reliable than adapters. I have never bent or snapped a Typhon 3s axle, I've never heard of anyone that has. You'll also need the hexes and nuts.

There is one downside. If you want to upgrade the plastic driveshafts to the metal CVD's, the Typhon 3s axles are incompatible. I bent axles more often than I popped driveshafts, so I stuck with the Typhon axles.

 

[parcou]

Try new driveshafts or new wheel axles. I had a center driveshaft that wobbled. It was because those plastic teeth at the ends were a bit crooked. You couldn't tell by looking at them. The driveshaft rolled complete straight on a flat surface, but once you connected it, those crooked teeth created a wobble. Getting a new one fixed it.

A bent wheel axle will certainly cause wobble. I used to bend axles all the time. But you can usually see when they're bent.


Many people use the 17mm wheel axles from the Typhon 3s, including me. They are much more durable and reliable than adapters. I have never bent or snapped a Typhon 3s axle, I've never heard of anyone that has. You'll also need the hexes and nuts.

There is one downside. If you want to upgrade the plastic driveshafts to the metal CVD's, the Typhon 3s axles are incompatible. I bent axles more often than I popped driveshafts, so I stuck with the Typhon axles.

Yep...I wanted to go the Typhon 17mm axles. Months prior I went with the Arrma CVDs so I can not go this route. Ended up with the M2C 17mm hex been good but they do cost.

As you said, been good reports on doing it that way.

 

[Vayneslashery]

Try new driveshafts or new wheel axles. I had a center driveshaft that wobbled. It was because those plastic teeth at the ends were a bit crooked. You couldn't tell by looking at them. The driveshaft rolled complete straight on a flat surface, but once you connected it, those crooked teeth created a wobble. Getting a new one fixed it.

A bent wheel axle will certainly cause wobble. I used to bend axles all the time. But you can usually see when they're bent.


Many people use the 17mm wheel axles from the Typhon 3s, including me. They are much more durable and reliable than adapters. I have never bent or snapped a Typhon 3s axle, I've never heard of anyone that has. You'll also need the hexes and nuts.

There is one downside. If you want to upgrade the plastic driveshafts to the metal CVD's, the Typhon 3s axles are incompatible. I bent axles more often than I popped driveshafts, so I stuck with the Typhon axles.

That's interesting that they somehow got a center driveshaft wrong. Strange because they all come from a mold. I just don't know how the heck they could mess up a cast molding. Anyways, thanks for the confirmation on the Typhon axles. That sounded to me like the best option also. Now does the Typhon and big rock use the same driveshafts? I was a little leery about the plastic drive shafts but to be honest I definitely haven't been nice to mine and they haven't shown any signs of failure. Pretty impressive.
So here's something I noticed today. I took off the wheel that wobbled the worst and gave it some power while holding onto the truck to see what it looked like, and noticed that the axle is spinning perfectly true but the hex is what is wobbling. Now I have suspected the hexes previously and have tried to reposition them and tighten the set screw and get the tire back on like I did today and it just never stays true. The pins aren't bent. Maybe the pin slot in the hex is off?? So now I'm thinking about getting a new set of hexes and pins. Does anyone know of a better set of hexes and pins or a different wheel mounting option for the 14mm axles. Or should I just try a new set of the same hexes?

 

[parcou]

That's interesting that they somehow got a center driveshaft wrong. Strange because they all come from a mold. I just don't know how the heck they could mess up a cast molding. Anyways, thanks for the confirmation on the Typhon axles. That sounded to me like the best option also. Now does the Typhon and big rock use the same driveshafts? I was a little leery about the plastic drive shafts but to be honest I definitely haven't been nice to mine and they haven't shown any signs of failure. Pretty impressive.
So here's something I noticed today. I took off the wheel that wobbled the worst and gave it some power while holding onto the truck to see what it looked like, and noticed that the axle is spinning perfectly true but the hex is what is wobbling. Now I have suspected the hexes previously and have tried to reposition them and tighten the set screw and get the tire back on like I did today and it just never stays true. The pins aren't bent. Maybe the pin slot in the hex is off?? So now I'm thinking about getting a new set of hexes and pins. Does anyone know of a better set of hexes and pins or a different wheel mounting option for the 14mm axles. Or should I just try a new set of the same hexes?

Go with a set of the same ones can get those cheap from Jenny's

https://jennysrc.com/

I did a drift side turn with the Infraction into a curve once and that hex had a little wobble in it....my conclusion could be wrong it does not take too much for these aluminum hexes if it took the wrong hit. They are cheap from JRC so I have a set for spares.

On the 14mm maybe someone else know of something better. I have M2C hex on my bashers but they are 17mm.

 

[L3phturn]

That's interesting that they somehow got a center driveshaft wrong. Strange because they all come from a mold. I just don't know how the heck they could mess up a cast molding. Anyways, thanks for the confirmation on the Typhon axles. That sounded to me like the best option also. Now does the Typhon and big rock use the same driveshafts? I was a little leery about the plastic drive shafts but to be honest I definitely haven't been nice to mine and they haven't shown any signs of failure. Pretty impressive.
So here's something I noticed today. I took off the wheel that wobbled the worst and gave it some power while holding onto the truck to see what it looked like, and noticed that the axle is spinning perfectly true but the hex is what is wobbling. Now I have suspected the hexes previously and have tried to reposition them and tighten the set screw and get the tire back on like I did today and it just never stays true. The pins aren't bent. Maybe the pin slot in the hex is off?? So now I'm thinking about getting a new set of hexes and pins. Does anyone know of a better set of hexes and pins or a different wheel mounting option for the 14mm axles. Or should I just try a new set of the same hexes?

I would check the bearings and make sure they are in good shape and seated properly. You may need to use some shims to prevent wobble due to slop from wear or just poor tolerances from the factory. You should be able to feel any slop by hand and shim it out.

 

[JKWoods]

I would replace all your bearings with either Jim's Bearings or Fast Eddy ones.

 

[GRC]

So here's something I noticed today. I took off the wheel that wobbled the worst and gave it some power while holding onto the truck to see what it looked like, and noticed that the axle is spinning perfectly true but the hex is what is wobbling. Now I have suspected the hexes previously and have tried to reposition them and tighten the set screw and get the tire back on like I did today and it just never stays true. The pins aren't bent. Maybe the pin slot in the hex is off?? So now I'm thinking about getting a new set of hexes and pins. Does anyone know of a better set of hexes and pins or a different wheel mounting option for the 14mm axles. Or should I just try a new set of the same hexes?

Bearings not seated properly or a warped/cracked wheel hub would also make the axle not spin true, so that's probably not it. If the axle spins straight but the hex wobbles then I think it has to be:
- The pin slot in the axle is off
- The pin slot in the hex is off
- The hex is bent/warped
- The pin is bent/warped

Again, switch the parts around to isolate the faulty part. One at a time, use a different axle, use a different hex, use a different pin while keeping everything else the same. Which part causes the wobble?

 

[Velodromed]

On several of my big rock axles from factory I had a similar wobbly issue. I finally pulled the driveshaft because one of the wheels kept falling off no matter what I did. On all three there was factory Loctite in the bottom, so much that the screw wasn’t allowed to seat all the way in.

I found I could tell by looking at my driveshafts when I pulled them from the vehicle. The axel is supposed to be all the way in with just a little bit of the slotted part visible. On mine half the slotted part was exposed. I cleaned out the axles with a small drillbit then soaked in brake cleaner to get the rest out. Then I didn’t have any more issues.

Occasionally I will bend an axle jumping or just beating on the car. It’s not a big deal though and I really don’t worry about it. As long as the axle is secure I don’t care if it wobbles a bit anymore.