Kraton Vitavon Steering ("System" + Bell Crank + Upper Brace) - Pictures

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stock20

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I had a tough time finding pictures of the Vitavon Steering System installed so posting a few pics of my upgrade. Also pictured is Vitavon's Upper Mount Steering Brace and Steering Bell Crank. There's some minor differences versus the ebay pics (servo horn, for example). Took these before having everything dialed in so tie rods were still loose. Hopefully helpful to anyone interested.

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How is the steering now compared to the stock setup? I'm assuming you're able to fit taller 5th scale servos as well with this setup. I'm curious as to how it performs. I haven't really seen any videos on it.

At the moment I have the HR bellcrank, front knuckles and servo saver and it gets the job done pretty well, but I'd like to upgrade to the AGFRC 78KG 5th scale servo. It's a bit too long for the stock setup though.
 
How is the steering now compared to the stock setup? I'm assuming you're able to fit taller 5th scale servos as well with this setup. I'm curious as to how it performs. I haven't really seen any videos on it.

At the moment I have the HR bellcrank, front knuckles and servo saver and it gets the job done pretty well, but I'd like to upgrade to the AGFRC 78KG 5th scale servo. It's a bit too long for the stock setup though.

Hi, it definitely has more turning radius for sure - even after adjusting front wheels toe-out setup from factory to pretty much neutral. I had to adjust steering endpoints way down around 40% to prevent binding. That seemed weird to do, but it works.

I replaced the stock EXB steering setup with Vitavon because I couldn't stand working with the stock design. Too many things to take apart if I wanted to get to the receiver. I didn't really have a problem with performance of stock design. (Not enough surface R/C experience yet to notice) But with Vitavon setup there's clearly greater radius - also seems more precise with noticeably less slop.

On servo topic, I used the same one in picture both with stock EXB 1/5th scale tray and Vitavon setup. Linked here. Seems to have same length dimension as the one you had in mind. I run BEC at 8.0v with the PM1373.
 
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Hi, it definitely has more turning radius for sure - even after adjusting toe-out setup from factory to pretty much neutral. I had to adjust steering endpoints way down around 40% to prevent binding. That seemed weird to do, but it works.

I replaced the stock EXB steering setup with Vitavon because I couldn't stand working with the stock design. Too many things to take apart if I wanted to get to the receiver. I didn't really have a problem with performance of stock design. (Not enough surface R/C experience yet to notice) But with Vitavon setup there's clearly greater radius - also seems more precise with noticeably less slop.

On servo topic, I used the same one in picture both with stock EXB 1/5th scale tray and Vitavon setup. Linked here. Seems to have same length dimension as the one you had in mind. I run BEC at 8.0v with the PM1373.
where does the esc go now? can you take a pic of the whole rig? Thanks!
 
where does the esc go now? can you take a pic of the whole rig? Thanks!
Sure thing, see below. It has to be moved back to avoid three motor wires touching the body. However, I think I have it further back than necessary at the moment. Attached via double-sided tape while I work on best placement and more permanent solution.

This youtube vid is the most informative I've found. Has a good shot from underneath with body attached.

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Sure thing, see below. It has to be moved back to avoid three motor wires touching the body. However, I think I have it further back than necessary at the moment. Attached via double-sided tape while I work on best placement and more permanent solution.

This youtube vid is the most informative I've found. Has a good shot from underneath with body attached.

View attachment 291838

View attachment 291839
Beautiful
 
One more to show it in 'service mode' 😉. My XLX2 wires are zip tied to frame otherwise it'll go up to full 90 degree angle. THIS is reason I bought it. All it takes is removing that one screw.

View attachment 291866
does the kit come with the esc mount too? thats really cool haha.
 
I was thinking about posting a thread asking about these because I hadn't seen anyone mention them yet. I'm thinking about getting 2 of them for both my 8s rigs. I've been dealing with steering issues on both. Already have a vitavon bellcrank on one. Thanks for sharing! 😎
 
I was thinking about posting a thread asking about these because I hadn't seen anyone mention them yet. I'm thinking about getting 2 of them for both my 8s rigs. I've been dealing with steering issues on both. Already have a vitavon bellcrank on one. Thanks for sharing! 😎
Sure thing. I encountered the same - could find instances of people mentioning, but few or no pictures. To be fair, exuding servos, this kit has to be the most over-the-top upgrade for steering, with an over-the-top price to match. So not surprising most go for cheaper (but still great) alternatives. I just fell for the total redesign.

Other reason for my OP was to give potential buyers a look at what these parts look like today. If you compare against the ebay pics you'll see a few differences, all of which are beneficial imo. The flexible (but not really) servo horn likely accommodates wider variety of servos, for example. (Sorry, I don't know technical label for that type of horn).
 
Have you run that servo at 8V for a while with no issues? I've been hesitant to go that high since it's only rated for 7.4V.
I have, zero problems.
 
Have you run that servo at 8V for a while with no issues? I've been hesitant to go that high since it's only rated for 7.4V.
Yeah, quite a while. I forget the exact logic, but I've seen it said multiple times that this servo (all 1/5 scale servos?) is designed for 2s lipo voltage if 8.4v. Maybe someone with deeper technical knowledge can clarify.

Edit: other frustrating thing is that XLX2 won't let you choose 7.4v for BEC. Or 8.4v. So I rounded down from 8.4v.
 
I have, zero problems.
Hey. A little off topic, but do you run telemetry for main battery voltage? I've been noticing lately my low voltage alarm will occasionally beep on the Tx (reporting total 8s voltage). Happens with aggressive steering in longer grass. I'm thinking servo amp draw is stressing the BEC.
 
Hey. A little off topic, but do you run telemetry for main battery voltage? I've been noticing lately my low voltage alarm will occasionally beep on the Tx (reporting total 8s voltage). Happens with aggressive steering in longer grass. I'm thinking servo amp draw is stressing the BEC.
I think it's not uncommon for this behavior to happen. Sometimes I notice my fans dropping speed on some rigs.
 
I might need to start shopping for a stronger servo. Either my PM1373 is going bad or it just doesn't have enough torque for the Vitavon steering setup. With Kraton at a standstill, full left/right input drops total voltage on TX readout by about 3v. Example at full charge: 33.6v --> 30.6v. I still have BEC set to 8v. In a dusty corner of my memory, I recall higher power draw being a sign of servo failure?

Assuming servo is still ok, I'm thinking cause is likely extra weight of the Vitavon setup.
 
I might need to start shopping for a stronger servo. Either my PM1373 is going bad or it just doesn't have enough torque for the Vitavon steering setup. With Kraton at a standstill, full left/right input drops total voltage on TX readout by about 3v. Example at full charge: 33.6v --> 30.6v. I still have BEC set to 8v. In a dusty corner of my memory, I recall higher power draw being a sign of servo failure?

Assuming servo is still ok, I'm thinking cause is likely extra weight of the Vitavon setup.
That voltage drop is crazy high. Do you have endpoints set properly? What batteries are you using?
 
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