Sledge w/ M2C chassis, reverse motor mount, and 1717 1650kv motor

[Gstmike1]

Bought a Sledge back in December. Kind of a family thing where all the men/boys got cars. Been a bit more aggressive of late and starting to see where some of the problem parts may be.
Built a couple ramps so we're launch them pretty good when we take them out. But some rough landings are resulting in casualties.
Bent rear shock tower. Multiple broken shock caps. And one broken rear wing bracket. Plus a few other minor things.
I know there's no such thing as an indestructible car but it does seem that replacing a few key parts may make things a bit more fun and minimize the chances of your fun being cut short. Maybe I'm just drinking the Kool aide.
But at times I may have more money than sense. I recently purchased a Mamba Monster X 8S/1717 1650kv combo along with an M2C chassis and reverse motor mount to accommodate the larger motor.

I do enjoy evaluating the weak points of the design and wrenching on/replacing parts just as much as the driving.
Just a few questions for those that have been down this path.
- Did you find that the added weight of beefier parts negatively impacted the balance and driving characteristics of the car?
- Did upgrading certain parts actually result in more durability and prolonged sessions or did it just create/expose another weak point somewhere else?
- Am I going down the inevitable path and spending more just to spend more? More power, more broken parts, more money to repair/upgrade.
Or did you find the enjoyment of the process outweighed the money and time spent?

Just curious what others thoughts are as an older enthusiast with more time and maybe money than the younger folks here.

Thanks to all for your input.

 

[Saladshooter]

Bought a Sledge back in December. Kind of a family thing where all the men/boys got cars. Been a bit more aggressive of late and starting to see where some of the problem parts may be.
Built a couple ramps so we're launch them pretty good when we take them out. But some rough landings are resulting in casualties.
Bent rear shock tower. Multiple broken shock caps. And one broken rear wing bracket. Plus a few other minor things.
I know there's no such thing as an indestructible car but it does seem that replacing a few key parts may make things a bit more fun and minimize the chances of your fun being cut short. Maybe I'm just drinking the Kool aide.
But at times I may have more money than sense. I recently purchased a Mamba Monster X 8S/1717 1650kv combo along with an M2C chassis and reverse motor mount to accommodate the larger motor.

I do enjoy evaluating the weak points of the design and wrenching on/replacing parts just as much as the driving.
Just a few questions for those that have been down this path.
- Did you find that the added weight of beefier parts negatively impacted the balance and driving characteristics of the car?
- Did upgrading certain parts actually result in more durability and prolonged sessions or did it just create/expose another weak point somewhere else?
- Am I going down the inevitable path and spending more just to spend more? More power, more broken parts, more money to repair/upgrade.
Or did you find the enjoyment of the process outweighed the money and time spent?

Just curious what others thoughts are as an older enthusiast with more time and maybe money than the younger folks here.

Thanks to all for your input.

Rear wings break, plastic shock caps break, cheap towers bend. Upgrade parts that are destined to to fail by weak or bad design.

Answering your questions:

Beefier parts can cause more breakage by moving impact damage further up the chain and adding weight to landings. Avoid aluminum ams expecially.

Upgrading certain parts (stronger chassis, hinge areas, towers, differentials etc), can improve durability.

More torque & power equals more broken parts; strengthen the drivetrain with better parts where you can or wait until you break it then improve.

Wrenching can be as enjoyable as driving. Take what you enjoy from the hobby. I like building and bashing, but detail work like painting is not for me.....

 

[Ramp addict]

Welcome to the club.

 

[Gstmike1]

Thanks for the replies. Hopefully a few others will chime in. Interested to hear what other problem parts others have discovered on the Sledge. Aluminum shock caps on order after breaking 3. Rear wing brackets are easy and cheap enough to get as/when needed. Looks like hardened pinion/spur gear and front/rear diff upgrades in my future as well. And likely some 7075 front and rear shock towers. Though I was able to pound the stock rear tower flat again after bending it pretty good. Not sure how compromised these shock towers are after a few bend and straighten cycles though.
And it seems like it makes sense to skip the carbon fiber towers and go straight to the 7075s?

 

[Ramp addict]

I have M2C carbon shock towers on my Sledge and there bomb proof. The carbon shock towers have a bit of flex to them which makes them better for aluminum gearboxes. Not in the picture but on my truck now are a set of Vitavon gearboxes.

A problem that crept up early with my Sledge was the front CVs breaking. I switched to M2C drive shafts and it cured the problem. I'm not sold on the machine cut gears. After 4 months of use my diffs started having slipping issues. I don't have a solution for this problem, I'm running stock ring gears now. Maybe Vitavon or GPM ring gears would be better?

 

[Ramp addict]

The Sledge stock bellcrank sucks. Half of the servo saver action is the servo saver arm rocking back and forth. My next upgrade will be an aluminum bellcrank.

The pros of a Sledge is it's handling. Traxxas adjustable aluminum turnbuckles are tougher than they look. You see what my truck looks like after a drive and I'm yet to bend or break one.

One upgrade I highly recommend are front and rear aluminum chassis braces.