Upgrade Regular 4x4 stampede or get vxl?

[Ice0l8ed]

I have a 2wd slash with the vxl system on 3s LiPo. I don’t really use it because it’s a little too rowdy with that setup. I was wondering if the regular stampede 4x4 can handle the vxl/3s System or should I just get the vxl stampede? I’m not sure what drivetrain and chassis differences the two trucks have.

[Dakratfink]

I have a 2wd slash with the vxl system on 3s LiPo. I don’t really use it because it’s a little too rowdy with that setup. I was wondering if the regular stampede 4x4 can handle the vxl/3s System or should I just get the vxl stampede? I’m not sure what drivetrain and chassis differences the two trucks have.

As far as I know the regular stampede 4X4 chassis is “Brushless ready”
For some reason the base XL5 2wd comes with bushing instead of ball bearings though. Seriously, even the various Hong Kong brands in Banggood come with ball bearings these days. If the stampede 4x4 doesn’t though, you can just pick up a Fast Eddy bearing kit from Your LHS, Tower or Horizon hobbies .
That should be the only difference . I know all the Slash XL5 models are Brushless ready I assume the pede 4x4 is as well.
I hope someone corrects me if I’m wrong

[zedorda]

There are more parts but I do know the plastic center drive shaft and the diffs are big differences. That might need upgrading to VXL parts.

[Ice0l8ed]

i have a feeling by the time I upgrade a regular pede I’ll be at the price of the vxl version.

[Gripdog7205]

All P4des have bearings. The diffs are okay, just slower, same metal etc. Plastic driveshaft yes. The non vxl links are fixed which is not great. I bought a base model roller from a member. Pretty tough truck. Now it’s really hard to break it. Anything that has given with this truck, should have sooner with the beating it’s taken.


Somehow builds are never done....

[GotNoRice]

i have a feeling by the time I upgrade a regular pede I’ll be at the price of the vxl version.

If you were starting totally from scratch then I might suggest buying the VXL version, since that gives you a better baseline to upgrade from. That is what I did back in 2011 or so. The Stampede 4x4 is a very easy platform to work on however. No need to buy a new complete truck if you already have existing parts that you want to use. It sounds like you are looking to bring over your existing VXL-3s from your slash? If so you might consider buying the cheaper Stampede 4x4 kit and go from there. Or you could find an even cheaper "roller" on ebay, which is basically a pre-built vehicle that has it's electronics, and sometimes other parts, stripped out. Very good starting points in both cases. If you need a controller/radio, you can find those cheap on eBay also.

After I got my Stampede 4x4 VXL back in 2011, over time I upgraded so many parts that all of a sudden I looked into my parts bag and realized that I had most of the parts needed to build a 2nd vehicle from scratch, and so that's exactly what I did. It was easy and cheap. Now even that vehicle has mostly upgraded parts.

Some people buy a Stock 4x4 VXL model and are content with stock parts, and simply use it like that for a long time, only replacing stock parts when they break. On the other hand many are always upgrading parts. If you are the sort of person that doesn't do frequent upgrades then IMO go ahead and make the jump to the 4x4 VXL. On the other hand, if you are going to upgrade many of the parts anyway, no need to pay for a full truck full of stock parts that are just going to end up in your spare parts bag right away.

Finally, consider the tires that come on the Brushed vs. Brushless models. The stock talon tires on the 4x4 VXL aren't that amazing. A very flat tread pattern that is really only good on pavement or other very hard surfaces. Kinda perplexing being the stock tires on a monster truck. On the flip side the stock MAXX 2.8 tires on the Brushed model are almost the opposite. They have a very tall tread pattern that is maybe the closest thing to a snow tire that you'll ever see on a stock tire. That makes it great for loose dirt, grass, etc, but on pavement it's not that great... So consider the surface you will run on.

[JatoTheRipper]

All P4des have bearings. The diffs are okay, just slower, same metal etc. Plastic driveshaft yes. The non vxl links are fixed which is not great. I bought a base model roller from a member. Pretty tough truck. Now it’s really hard to break it. Anything that has given with this truck, should have sooner with the beating it’s taken.


Somehow builds are never done....

The diffs in the brushed Stampede 4x4 have a different gear count than the diffs in the VXL?

[RC4x4]

The diffs in the brushed Stampede 4x4 have a different gear count than the diffs in the VXL?

Didn't know that. I just overhauled my brushed version from 2015. I added the adjustable links, VXL system, aluminum suspension bits, aluminum drive shaft and lowered the body with JConcepts body lowering kit. Also added a wheel bar system from RPM for a Slash. Repacked both diff with fresh oil and shocks. Bearing were added in the steering rack for smooth operation. It's pretty tip top now. I'll be running only 2s through it unless I decide on 3s down the road. These are great trucks. I'll snap some pictures and post them.


Cory

[Rocketzx1]

The diffs in the brushed Stampede 4x4 have a different gear count than the diffs in the VXL?

Yes the diffs in all the brushed 4x4 models have different crown and bevel gear teeth count. You’d be surprised just how much more speed you’ll get by upgrading to VXL crown and bevel gears for your truck. I’m running on 4s with a 3660 2600kv motor though


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[Gripdog7205]

Yes the diffs in all the brushed 4x4 models have different crown and bevel gear teeth count. You’d be surprised just how much more speed you’ll get by upgrading to VXL crown and bevel gears for your truck. I’m running on 4s with a 3660 2600kv motor though


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I have the same can running VXL ring and pinion, XO-1 diffs and 13/50 gearing. It’s silly how fast the truck is. The GTR’s really help the truck out. Much more dampening, not so hoppy.


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[Briber]

Having owned and worked on many stamped 4x4's lol. 2 ways to go.
1. If wanting to just get out there and play, buy a brushed vxl and upgrade it as you break it, which can happen immediately or few months depending on usage & what battery you run lol.
2. If your the hands on and upgrading type go cheaper route and buy components to your liking. (Ex. For money saved buy a 4s system instead of 3s velineon system or spending more on vxl with metal silver turnbuckles just to throw in tool box because you want red ones lol. The xl5 p4de has plastic ones). So buy cheaper model and put $ in to upgrades. Don't get me wrong there's a lot you'll want and need to upgrade to get the most out of either model but half the fun in my opinion is working on them.
Here's the first 3 I owned.

[rcdabbler]

The diffs in the brushed Stampede 4x4 have a different gear count than the diffs in the VXL?

A popular mod for the Telluride was to swap out the ring/pinion gears (Telly came with VXL gears) with the XL-5 gears, to get a reduced gear ratio, for better trailing performance.

[olds97_lss]

Now that the maxx is available... I wouldn't bother the the stampede 4x4 vxl, I'd just go with the maxx. Better platform in general. If I didn't have a 4pede vxl, I'd be saving some cash for a maxx... kind of on the fence about selling it, but it would be for a big loss.

[TwoBelugas]

The P4des still have their place. They are extremely easy to convert to an lcg set up like a clip body variant of the Rustl4r or Sl4sh with just a chassis, center drive shaft, battery hold down, and a few other small parts you can get for cheap on eBay. The Maxx can’t touch the lcg 4wd cars’ handling and light weight 2s performance.

The maxx is too new to have platform modularity and it’s handling seems to be a sticky point for owners.

[boosta]

Second that! Stampede rocks!

Smaller and lighter definitely has its place.

[TwoBelugas]

Not to mention, the p4des on their own are versatile as heck. Want to rock crawl? Throw on some cheap brushed motor and esc and telluride like tires and boom, trail truck. Want to run inexpensive nimh batteries for some low cost and low maintenance fun? Yep. Backflips on 2s with the stock 3500kv motor? Why not.

Or better yet, get both.

[olds97_lss]

Appears my feelings about the 4pede isn't widely shared.

For what I do, it's a hair too small. I run it with the stock chassis which is tall and tippy (which can be helped with sway bars). The steering system has a lot of slop in it and I tend to pop the upper turnbuckles off constantly. The lower ground clearance makes it tend to drag when running in grass which saps off a lot of top speed and makes it run warmer than I'd like.

I have fun with it at the skate parks though.

From what I have read about the new maxx, it seems to remedy some of the issues I have and with the wide arms I've read about, it's "handling issues" may be remedied as well. With it's stronger diffs, larger shocks and possibility of running a bit taller tire to raise it up, I think it would suit my needs better.

[Rocketzx1]

Appears my feelings about the 4pede isn't widely shared.

For what I do, it's a hair too small. I run it with the stock chassis which is tall and tippy (which can be helped with sway bars). The steering system has a lot of slop in it and I tend to pop the upper turnbuckles off constantly. The lower ground clearance makes it tend to drag when running in grass which saps off a lot of top speed and makes it run warmer than I'd like.

I have fun with it at the skate parks though.

From what I have read about the new maxx, it seems to remedy some of the issues I have and with the wide arms I've read about, it's "handling issues" may be remedied as well. With it's stronger diffs, larger shocks and possibility of running a bit taller tire to raise it up, I think it would suit my needs better.

I’m in the same boat you are. The new Maxx looks to be pretty solid, but I’ve been wanting to step up to 6s. And for that I’ve been looking at getting the Erevo 2.0. I can probably sell my stampede/slash and add a bit of cash to get either one, but I’m just not sure which to go for.

Ugh. Decisions decisions.


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[Gripdog7205]

For me, like others I’ve got too much time and money in my P4de to consider selling it. I’ve found with similar scale vehicles I don’t drive them equally. With the right electronics, tires, and GTR’s the P4de is pretty great. It took a back seat to the X-Maxx, when I built that. Now I appreciate how tough it is, and how simple it is to transport.


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[boosta]

Olds97, didn’t mean the Maxx wouldn’t be a good fit mate. If you are running bigger motors and lipos in your stampede, then the Maxx might be just what you’re looking for with it’s extra beef. Especially with all those points you make above.

Also meant to say I really enjoyed that vid you posted recently at the skate park. Some really smooth links you had jumping out of the park and landing in the gully!

[Defiant1]

I put a brushless system in my XL5 stampede and it seems to be holding up fine. It’s not a VXL but it is a ET3S system and has plenty of torque, it’ll wheelie at 40+ and is really unstable at high speed so it’s more than enough. IMO putting a brushless system in a base model is perfectly fine.