Vorteks Vorteks Boost unboxing and build thread 😍

[ChriswithaC]

Sad to see, but it isn´t too bad...
That grinded spur doesn´t look good :S

Enjoy your repaired rocket

Thanks buddy , it's all back together this morning so very excited again . And also the programming card came so I turned up the punch levels and adjusted the throttle response it's already a much much better driving car now .

 

[ficosk8]

Thanks buddy , it's all back together this morning so very excited again . And also the programming card came so I turned up the punch levels and adjusted the throttle response it's already a much much better driving car now . View attachment 249503View attachment 249504View attachment 249505

Your neighbor did a good job with that shrink tubes I have also that programming card but tried it before with another ESC and then with the Surpass ESCs didn´t work anymore...

How did you fix the ON/OFF-switch? Only with tape?

 

[ChriswithaC]

Your neighbor did a good job with that shrink tubes I have also that programming card but tried it before with another ESC and then with the Surpass ESCs didn´t work anymore...

How did you fix the ON/OFF-switch? Only with tape?

He sure did buddy , im lucky he came to the rescue . well this is the first time ive used this programming card and got to say im impressed how easy to use.
the on off switch i relocated and used some 3m VHB tape and its very solid .
PS my apologies for not replying previously.
Chris

 

[ChriswithaC]

Hey guys , OK so update time today is a good day , with some help and a Massive thanks to Andrew 'Rusty' Casey a friend of mine on the Arrma UK Facebook group he helped with the gearing on the Vorteks Boost so parts came today for it and got to say it would seem it's miles better .
Throttle input seems alot smoother and also it picks up stupidly quick now.
And on a side note I've noticed a dramatic difference in motor temps from the 48dp gearing .
For anyone that didnt know and i for sure didnt , you can 0.8 Mod your car with the Infraction 3s 32dp Spur gear .

Very happy cheers bud .
Cant wait now to add my next planned upgrades to the car and weighing up to leave the bigger arms from the Typhon on the car .

 

[ChriswithaC]

Well a tad dissatisfied with the RPM Typhon arms that I purchased for the Vorteks coversion .
I was contemplating on going back to the Vorteks stock arms anyways but when I started stripping down the front end to put it back I noticed that the RPM arms were warped and in little over a few weeks .
And yes I understand that there more flexible but this is but of a joke .
I was wondering my the front end of the car was diving more than expected and that's after I've checked and serviced the shocks .
But let's be honest about this they should not have warped that quickly I've probably run the car no more than 4 times with them o

n .

 

[ChriswithaC]

So spent the morning chilling out and listening to music whilst spannering and the cars back to stock now , took it out quickly in the street to see how it feels and confirms I'm happy with the stock arms , the car feels nimble and turns in lovely again .
Got to say not that impressed with the rpm arms at all .
Well at least I'll have some spares for when my big rock comes at Christmas time .

 

[Kla912000]

The RPM arms always bend like that. And always will because they are a softer, more flexible material. If I remember correctly, a lot of people posted this warning that they will bend. If you would have done your research you would have known this.

 

[ChriswithaC]

The RPM arms always bend like that. And always will because they are a softer, more flexible material. If I remember correctly, a lot of people posted this warning that they will bend. If you would have done your research you would have known this.

As far as research goes buddy , I only become aware after ordered them . So is what it is .
Bit to be quite honest with you that still does not change my opinion about them and as I also said I'm not bothered about it as these will become spare parts for when I get my Big Rock .

 

[Velodromed]

As far as research goes buddy , I only become aware after ordered them . So is what it is .
Bit to be quite honest with you that still does not change my opinion about them and as I also said I'm not bothered about it as these will become spare parts for when I get my Big Rock .

Can flip them side to side. Or heat up in hot water and press flat. But since they will just bend again that’s kind of pointless so just drive them hard like their meant for.

Start sending your car and you’ll see what they’re meant for on the first hard side/corner tire landings. They will flex big time with out breaking. So they have their place.

 

[ChriswithaC]

Can flip them side to side. Or heat up in hot water and press flat. But since they will just bend again that’s kind of pointless so just drive them hard like their meant for.

Well to be honest buddy I'm happy with the stock arms and I decided that after the new shocks come I'm going to keep them new and save these Typhon arms for the big rock . I definitely what that RC next my wife offered to buy it for Christmas for me , where keeping a eye out in the black Friday sales .
Depends if I get the itch mind to put them on this car in the mean time lol .
Ive also purchased a centre brace for this car that should be here soon .
Got to say that the 0.8 mod gears has transformed the way the car goes it's like a rocket with the 3800kv motor and 3s batteries .

 

[Velodromed]

Well to be honest buddy I'm happy with the stock arms and I decided that after the new shocks come I'm going to keep them new and save these Typhon arms for the big rock . I definitely what that RC next my wife offered to buy it for Christmas for me , where keeping a eye out in the black Friday sales .
Depends if I get the itch mind to put them on this car in the mean time lol .
Ive also purchased a centre brace for this car that should be here soon .
Got to say that the 0.8 mod gears has transformed the way the car goes it's like a rocket with the 3800kv motor and 3s batteries .

The big rock is definitely going to be better for jumping and the general bashing handling will blow you away. I got my wife a big rock a while back and absolutely love it just plain stock. Except for 6S shocks of course.

Also I put put granite tires on it pretty quick. That’s the only weak link on the big rock, the tires. If it was my car I would put MX28s on it but she doesn’t need those, she barely drives half throttle most of the time. Now you won’t quite have the air control like you get with a short wheelbase car but boy does it sail nicely through the air. Sounds like a very merry Christmas for you this year!

 

[ChriswithaC]

The big rock is definitely going to be better for jumping and the general bashing handling will blow you away. I got my wife a big rock a while back and absolutely love it just plain stock. Except for 6S shocks of course.

Also I put put granite tires on it pretty quick. That’s the only weak link on the big rock, the tires. If it was my car I would put MX28s on it but she doesn’t need those, she barely drives half throttle most of the time. Now you won’t quite have the air control like you get with a short wheelbase car but boy does it sail nicely through the air. Sounds like a very merry Christmas for you this year!

That's exactly what I am thinking buddy , I want to get it and leave it completely stock . I really like the look of it . Reviews are through the roof on the big rock and nothing but good reports lien yourself. I'm happy with leaving it 3s as well that's plenty fast enough for where I'm able to run mine .
But when the tyres run out go proline for tyres again very happy with the trenchers and seems the badlands are way better .

 

[Velodromed]

That's exactly what I am thinking buddy , I want to get it and leave it completely stock . I really like the look of it . Reviews are through the roof on the big rock and nothing but good reports lien yourself. I'm happy with leaving it 3s as well that's plenty fast enough for where I'm able to run mine .
But when the tyres run out go proline for tyres again very happy with the trenchers and seems the badlands are way better .

Sweet! I’ve always thought that 3s cars are meant to be just 3s run. When people push the line with them that’s when all the issues come up. Much like bashing and jumping them. They’re meant to be bashed and jumped like a 3S car, not sent 30 or 40 feet like a 6s car. Driven within limitations they are absolutely solid.

My wife’s car, which is treated very nicely except when I drive it, has not had but one breakage in almost 2 years… and that was my fault. I barely have to maintain it also. But I will say, 6S front Kraton shocks in the rear and 6S Mojave front shocks in the front make it an entirely better animal. I love those shocks, they are amazing on 3s cars.

 

[ChriswithaC]

The big rock is definitely going to be better for jumping and the general bashing handling will blow you away. I got my wife a big rock a while back and absolutely love it just plain stock. Except for 6S shocks of course.

Also I put put granite tires on it pretty quick. That’s the only weak link on the big rock, the tires. If it was my car I would put MX28s on it but she doesn’t need those, she barely drives half throttle most of the time. Now you won’t quite have the air control like you get with a short wheelbase car but boy does it sail nicely through the air. Sounds like a very merry Christmas for you this year!

Sweet! I’ve always thought that 3s cars are meant to be just 3s run. When people push the line with them that’s when all the issues come up. Much like bashing and jumping them. They’re meant to be bashed and jumped like a 3S car, not sent 30 or 40 feet like a 6s car. Driven within limitations they are absolutely solid.

My wife’s car, which is treated very nicely except when I drive it, has not had but one breakage in almost 2 years… and that was my fault. I barely have to maintain it also. But I will say, 6S front Kraton shocks in the rear and 6S Mojave front shocks in the front make it an entirely better animal. I love those shocks, they are amazing on 3s cars.

Yeah totally get what you mean , many people seem to want more of the 3s range then wonder why they break .
Does seem if you keep it to what it's designed for your fine in many ways .
The major downside to the 3s range in my opinion as you mentioned is shocks and also the spur gears .
Spur gears I can live with that I suppose , really can't understand what the whole spur assembly wasn't sealed mind .
Shocks though are crap simple pimple leaky and shock shafts bend way to easy .

 

[Velodromed]

Yeah totally get what you mean , many people seem to want more of the 3s range then wonder why they break .
Does seem if you keep it to what it's designed for your fine in many ways .
The major downside to the 3s range in my opinion as you mentioned is shocks and also the spur gears .
Spur gears I can live with that I suppose , really can't understand what the whole spur assembly wasn't sealed mind .
Shocks though are crap simple pimple leaky and shock shafts bend way to easy .

I agree with you on the stock shocks but the spur gear is fine. I’m still running the original 2 year old slipper/plastic spur in my first car. I did try a metal spur in my Vorteks Thing when I 3s overpowered it a bit and put metal diff in…but I also overpowered another car the same way and the plastic spur’s been fine for the last several months.

If your mesh is spot on, you use washers underneath the motor mount screws with 243 Loctite (don’t forget to clean the screws well with alcohol or brake cleaner) so that the mesh never shifts, and check to make sure the motor mount isn’t bent after crashing or big jumps (did yours come with the 5 mm motor mount or 6 mm? You can tell by the way it sits on the spurcase), they last.

Grub screws and motor mount screws I rarely use more than once. I like 12.9 tool steel cap heads, they are much stronger and harder to strip out, and 5 mm flat tip grub screws. I hope you have a good tools. MIP are the boutique brand and they cost bucks. The best cheap brand I found (someone on the forum mentioned them) is Neewer, I bought a set of MIP and a set of Neewer at the same time.I use the latter far more often and they are still in just as good shape as the MIP.

On the 4s car I’m building I’ll definitely run a metal spur because I think it will be necessary. But for 3s cars, once you seal off the power module, drill a quarter inch hole underneath the spur and get into the habit of opening it up every 4 to 6 packs and cleaning, it’s fine.

The main reason I have found to clean often and try to keep some of the fine dust out is to avoid blowing up the front motor bearing, which the stock 3S motors have a habit of. I know you’re running an aftermarket motor, but even on those I put an O-ring with some O-ring grease on the motor shaft with a washer on top then lightly set the pinion. Also no matter how much stuff you can keep from getting in you’re still going to have fine black dust generated by the spur and spur case. Another reason to clean it often. Besides, the more you work on and do maintenance on these things the easier it gets and eventually becomes habit. For me its also a very good stress reliever.

 

[SrC]

Go slow. Get the car to a certain point and enjoy it for a while. You’ll figure out the direction you want to go. Don’t put too much money into it right off. Somebody said once on the forum a year or more back; ‘Everybody here has spent an exorbitant amount of money on their cars and want you to as well.’
It’s somewhat true

So true. Many spend upwards of $1k just because, for whatever reason, bragging rights perhaps.... who knows. Is it always better? Not really. Only to recommend the same to all else. Pick and choose your battles slowly and carefully. Driving closer to stock for a while is more important, to get it sorted out where YOU want it to be.
Easy with the wallet.. The bling will blind you.
However, the rather expensive $70. M2C motor mount/support does work. A fix to the Inherent 4x4 Motor mount issues. Probably money well spent up front.
Like @Velodromed stated. He has much exper. with 4x4's. Follow his lead.

 

[ChriswithaC]

I agree with you on the stock shocks but the spur gear is fine. I’m still running the original 2 year old slipper/plastic spur in my first car. I did try a metal spur in my Vorteks Thing when I 3s overpowered it a bit and put metal diff in…but I also overpowered another car the same way and the plastic spur’s been fine for the last several months.

If your mesh is spot on, you use washers underneath the motor mount screws with 243 Loctite (don’t forget to clean the screws well with alcohol or brake cleaner) so that the mesh never shifts, and check to make sure the motor mount isn’t bent after crashing or big jumps (did yours come with the 5 mm motor mount or 6 mm? You can tell by the way it sits on the spurcase), they last.

Grub screws and motor mount screws I rarely use more than once. I like 12.9 tool steel cap heads, they are much stronger and harder to strip out, and 5 mm flat tip grub screws. I hope you have a good tools. MIP are the boutique brand and they cost bucks. The best cheap brand I found (someone on the forum mentioned them) is Neewer, I bought a set of MIP and a set of Neewer at the same time.I use the latter far more often and they are still in just as good shape as the MIP.

On the 4s car I’m building I’ll definitely run a metal spur because I think it will be necessary. But for 3s cars, once you seal off the power module, drill a quarter inch hole underneath the spur and get into the habit of opening it up every 4 to 6 packs and cleaning, it’s fine.

The main reason I have found to clean often and try to keep some of the fine dust out is to avoid blowing up the front motor bearing, which the stock 3S motors have a habit of. I know you’re running an aftermarket motor, but even on those I put an O-ring with some O-ring grease on the motor shaft with a washer on top then lightly set the pinion. Also no matter how much stuff you can keep from getting in you’re still going to have fine black dust generated by the spur and spur case. Another reason to clean it often. Besides, the more you work on and do maintenance on these things the easier it gets and eventually becomes habit. For me its also a very good stress reliever.

Ah now there is a caviat I should have explain better , I do find the Boost spur gears rubbish , it's 48dp unlike the 0.8 mod I've just fitted which is like all of the 3s BLX cars / trucks .
The 48dp are Garbage for 2s/3s power I've had 2 go on me .
Hence why I swapped over to 32dp .
I've sealed off the spur / pinion case with some velcro ( found this tip off Razor RCs YouTube channel )
Seems to really do the trick . Not yet put a opening on the chassis like you mentioned mind .

 

[Velodromed]

Ah now there is a caviat I should have explain better , I do find the Boost spur gears rubbish , it's 48dp unlike the 0.8 mod I've just fitted which is like all of the 3s BLX cars / trucks .
The 48dp are Garbage for 2s/3s power I've had 2 go on me .
Hence why I swapped over to 32dp .
I've sealed off the spur / pinion case with some velcro ( found this tip off Razor RCs YouTube channel )
Seems to really do the trick . Not yet put a opening on the chassis like you mentioned mind .

Right, I forgot about the 48dp spur the boost comes with. Good decision moving to 32dp.
I have the chassis hole on 2 of my cars and I don’t on the others. I found that I clean/maintain them so much it’s not really necessary so I didn’t bother. The m2c mount and brace is great as SrC mentioned. It also seems to seal the spurcase quite well from crud as well as being bomb proof. I know that hot racing has come out with a copy of it basically. Not sure if it’s any good but its probably easier for you to get. M2C is a small US company and I have no idea what shipping is. Worth checking out. Still, it may be overkill for you. Just depends upon what you get into.

 

[ChriswithaC]

Right, I forgot about the 48dp spur the boost comes with. Good decision moving to 32dp.
I have the chassis hole on 2 of my cars and I don’t on the others. I found that I clean/maintain them so much it’s not really necessary so I didn’t bother. The m2c mount and brace is great as SrC mentioned. It also seems to seal the spurcase quite well from crud as well as being bomb proof. I know that hot racing has come out with a copy of it basically. Not sure if it’s any good but its probably easier for you to get. M2C is a small US company and I have no idea what shipping is. Worth checking out. Still, it may be overkill for you. Just depends upon what you get into.

I totally agree , I'm a stickler for cleaning each time I go out means I can keep a eye on everything and make sure nothing is loose and no debris going to cause issues .
I've been looking at motor mounts from CCRC here in the UK there about £30 .
Was thinking about picking up two . And that way I have one for the bigrock when it comes .

Just wanted the say thanks also for all the help and advice your all giving me .

Would you say that I'm better getting the 4wd conversion for this Vorteks or leave as is now as the big rock will be here in a few months .

 

[Velodromed]

I totally agree , I'm a stickler for cleaning each time I go out means I can keep a eye on everything and make sure nothing is loose and no debris going to cause issues .
I've been looking at motor mounts from CCRC here in the UK there about £30 .
Was thinking about picking up two . And that way I have one for the bigrock when it comes .

Just wanted the say thanks also for all the help and advice your all giving me .

Would you say that I'm better getting the 4wd conversion for this Vorteks or leave as is now as the big rock will be here in a few months .

Depends upon your RC budget. Being in the US, I get parts extremely cheap off of a parts breaker. Jennysrc.com has completely supported my addiction. They do ship and for you it might even be worth it if you ever bought bulk, so check them out. Or look for a similar company where you’re at. Over 2 years I have built up to where I have eight cars now and enough parts to build one and then another one lol.

If your budget is getting close to being maxed after the big rock purchase then keep the vorteks as it is and save what you have left for the big rock, because there’s a few things you’ll end up wanting to get. You can always go back to the vortex later as this is a good long-term hobby. It’s good to have another car to steal parts from also.

That’s the other thing you have to think about. How much do you love this and want to put into it. I have found that it replaced my old hobby I couldn’t do any more. I threw all my passions into it and have stuck with it big time so the investments been worth it. I spend more time, much more time working on them then driving them but that’s part of what I love. I need something to tinker with.

I’m about to get out of here shortly. This new spinal implant seems to be working and I am feeling so much better, even though I still have to be really careful for another month. Taking my granite and ‘parts bin’ typhon out today with the kid. For me it’s good to have multiple cars because something almost always goes wrong with one. I could fix it in the field but I’d rather just switch and fix it back home.
Oh, you’re very welcome. You seem to be enjoying getting into the hobby and I like to see that.