Getting my old RC10 to run on grass (or how to best raise the ride height?)

[robyts]

I need a little help likely understanding how best to raise the ride height on my RC10 so that I can race my son with his new traxxas stampede in the back yard.

I upgraded various parts a few years ago, when they were easier to get after the re-release, so I now have some of the jconcepts tires and wheels and a newer steering crank. I just added the outer ball bearings to the 6 gear tranny (thanks to various threads on here) and I have the lunesford turnbuckles arriving on Monday to go with my new RPM ball ends (i am trying to fix the steering slop that has plagued the car since I got it (around 1985 / 86)).

All that said, when I run the car in the backyard it sits so low that it really struggles to move through the grass. The grass is not that long, but it's no putting green either. I was trying to follow various thread in the forum on longer arms, new suspensions and conversion kits for larger wheels etc., but frankly it's a little overwhelming and I am not sure the best way to go. I don't really want to spend an arm and a leg and like I said I have the turnbuckles coming monday so would rather do something that doesn't need me to get a whole new set. Any thoughts on the best parts to buy to increase the ride height beyond what I can do at the moment, assuming that's the best way to go to get it running better on backyard grass.

I would very much appreciate any advice,

Thanks.

[Jeep-Power]

those rear tires aren't going to do much for traction in grass-- get a pin spike or tractor tread or paddle tires (sand paws)

Y}You should be able to crank the ground clearance up by moving the spring collars down so that the suspension does not settle at all with the car's weight on it. It may ride a little harder, but you will have the clearance.

[XLR8]

I think the car was designed to run on a dirt track with about 1 inch of ground clearance. If you lengthen the shocks to raise the car, this could cause problems with dog bone angle; increased wear, binding etc, depending upon how much droop is added.
I think perhaps the best way to quickly gain ground clearance is by fitting larger diameter tires; perhaps a set of wheels and tires from an RC10T? I'm not certain as I've never done this but I believe vintage RC10T wheels should be a direct fit.
I hope this was helpful.

[robyts]

Thanks, i can try some of the larger tires that are mentioned and it would be nice to be able to choose from some of the more modern ones. From looking around the forum is this the best approach to fitting larger newer tires ? https://www.jcracingproducts.co.uk/wheels/rc10

Finally is it worth getting longer arms ? does that help raise the ride height without adding too much droop ? That said, getting longer arms also seems somewhat complicated although I'd found these that looked nice https://www.shapeways.com/product/W39S32F6Q/reproduction-of-andys-rc10-front-arm?optionId=162655728&li=shops, but I assume I need a lot of other bits and pieces to use them.

[RC10th]

Just remember, maxed out ride height without any droop makes for a terrible handling car.

[winner_evo]

Thanks, i can try some of the larger tires that are mentioned and it would be nice to be able to choose from some of the more modern ones. From looking around the forum is this the best approach to fitting larger newer tires ? https://www.jcracingproducts.co.uk/wheels/rc10

Those wheels with modern tyres will make a significant difference with a relatively low cost as they're a direct fit so I would give those a shot first.

[robyts]

Thanks for all the help. I ordered the wheels from jc racing, but I have been spending far too long trying to find a set of tires with as large a diameter as possible. I am considering these for the backs https://www.amainhobbies.com/proline-sling-shot-2.2-1-10-rear-buggy-paddle-tires-2-xtr-pro10101-00/p362302?v=270190 which seem good and fairly large, but I am struggling to find large front wheels. The largest I could find was these https://www.amainhobbies.com/proline-slide-job-dirt-oval-2.2-2wd-front-buggy-tires-2-m3-pro8271-02/p759005?v=754797, would they work ?

Are there truck tires that would fit the 2.2's and should i be looking at those? My main goal is just to be able to race my son's traxxas stampede that seems to fly across the yard (I am not expecting to win, but i'd like that car that i built when i was his age to give him a bit of a run for the money). At the moment my back wheels are just working really hard pushing the very low front through slightly longer grass,

Thanks in advance for your help,

Rob

[aakoskin]

Are those paddle tyres good on grass?

For front wheels, rather than maximizing the tyre diameter or ride height, try to search ones with proper pin spikes. I'm using some old 2" wheels and tyres (Schumacher CAT?) from 1980s, and the gold pan moves fine with a normal setup even on a bit longer grass.

[TRX-1-3]

Tall grass, short gears.

[robyts]

Thanks, I ended up ordering the Schumacher full spikes. What do you mean by 'short gears' ?

[jwscab]

Short gears mean small pinion, big spur.

You probably will be ok with 2.2" buggy wheels but you might have better luck putting truck wheels and tires on it.

Before there were racing trucks, there were conversion kits for buggies. You might ping gomachv here, the owner of factory works for old style wheels can't remember if they are front or rear but he has them.

[robyts]

I got the JC racing hubs, the Schumacher tires and Andy's front arms, I cranked the suspension a little and I think the droop is ok. It now sails through the grass to begin with but then starts to slow up. The motor and ESC are really hot and the motor smells, it's an old red demon. I assume I now have the short gears'problem. I ordered a 32 pitch 9t and 11t pinion gear. Should that be enough? It has the stock 15t atm Or do I need to replace the spur and if so what is recommended?

Really enjoying getting the car to go again, my son's traxxas stampede just works, which is no fun at all

[aakoskin]

The stock spur gear is 54t and it's the biggest one you can fit under the gear cover, and 9t pinion is the smallest you can use. So that combination will set the limit. 15t is definitely too big, even for a stock motor.

[xylorex]

Cut the grass as short as you can... If the grass is dragging on the bottom of chassis it will work the heck out of your engine too.

[robyts]

I am realistically not serious enough to keep cutting the grass when my son and I want to go out and race now and again so I want to get the car to a place where it will just sorta work.

I wanted to post a couple of updated pics to show where things are at (thanks all for your help so far). I don't have a before pic but I am guessing I have gained about 3/4 of an inch of clearance, the front in particular is sitting a lot higher and I can at least get it moving through the grass now, before it would be too much work

That said, I also decided that my 35 year old brushed motor is probably past its prime, so I also ordered this https://www.amainhobbies.com/hobbywing-xr10-justock-sensored-brushless-esc-sd-g2.1-motor-combo-17.5t-hwa38020241/p784984

I am hoping that with that motor and the small pinions (9t or 11t) that I can drive around without over heating everything. Although as you can see from the pics there is going to be grass brushing the underside.