144001 UpgradeS - Every one of my guides here and parts I Would buy

I've now built up quite a library of articles for the WL Toys 144001 and thought I would use this page to share them. I've separated here into beginner, moderate and advanced ability but hopefully I have enough information in these guides to make them straightforward enough for anyone to try.

Beginner

​WL TOYS 144001 SETUP: 3 THINGS YOU MUST DO BEFORE YOU EVEN TURN IT ON
Setup the shocks so the work properly, tie rods so the car runs straight, and grease the diffs so you get more traction and they don't explode. If you do nothing else on your 144001, make sure you do these.

​​WL TOYS 144001 UPGRADE WHEELS: BEST FOR BASHING?
Stock wheels have poor traction outside of fine smooth dirt and carpet, I've found some wheels that are great for bashing on a lot more varied off-road surfaces.

WL TOYS 144001 UPGRADE: WHEELBASE EXTENSION FOR HIGH SPEED STABILITY
Extend the wheelbase on your 144001 for free with this 5-10 minute mod. 

​UNDERSTANDING LIPO "C" RATINGS FOR RC CARS (PLUS VOLTAGE AND CAPACITY)
Lipo battery technology can be confusing, I break down what is important and what is not in simple terms with examples for the 144001

​A BETTER CHARGER FOR YOUR RC CAR BATTERIES
The charger for the 144001 will at best shorten your battery life and at worst cause a fire. Here a look at the most cost effective hobby-grade chargers that will help you get the most out of you battery.

Moderate

​WL TOYS 144001: FREE OR BUDGET UPGRADES (PART 2)
Building on the first article you can make further free/cheap improvements here by fixing the rear toe in, install 'droop' screws in improve dampening in the shocks.

WL TOYS 144001 UPGRADE: METAL PART UPGRADES AND REVIEW
There are many metal parts available for the 144001. Some improve performance, some don't make any difference and some make it a lot worse. Here are my thoughts on these.

WL TOYS 144001 UPGRADE: THE CLEANEST ESC INSTALL AND COOLING IMPROVEMENT
​Quick and easy article here on the tidiest way to trim your bodyshell to fit a larger ESC

Advanced

​WL TOYS 144001: ULTIMATE BRUSHLESS UPGRADE GUIDE
This mod will allow you to get more top speed, acceleration and better battery life by upgrading to a 2838 sized brushless motors. This covers the install and ALL the parts you will need to complete (including servo, radio etc.

​WL TOYS 144001 BRUSHLESS 2838 UPGRADE EASY NO CUT OPTION
As an add on to my ultimate brushless upgrade guide, this unicorn pinion allows you avoid modifying the motor mount.

FLYSKY FS-GT5 TRANSMITTER REVIEW AND SETUP 
This is the Radio gear I used for my 144001 and couldn't be happier with it. Good build quality, intuitive menu, 20 model memory and fully adjustable gyro. I've also recommended some lower price radios if you're willing to spend $60-80 on this one.

WL TOYS 144001 UPGRADE: BRUSHLESS SPEED RUN BUILD AND SETUP FULL GUIDE
Here it is guys my speed build. My objective here was to retain stock body and chassis with no machining or fabricating so as to keep it simple and inexpensive. Lots of detail on parts used and how to set up for maximum speed and reliability.

Parts I would buy

Now that I've had experience with quite a few upgrades and replacements, here are the parts I can actually recommend:

​Wltoys 144001 1/14 Metal RC Car Whole Screw Set
I strongly recommend these on hand because - even if they are soft you don't want to run out

Remo 6973 wheels and tyres
Best, grippiest offroad wheels I have come across for the 144001 as written about above

7.4V 2600 MAH Lipo Battery T Plug For Wltoys 1/14 144001
This is the largest 2s battery that will fit - more peak current and nearly twice the run time

Diatone M3 locknuts
These are the ones that are used to hold the wheels on. You WILL eventually lose yours and these ones are less than $2 for 20 of them

ISDT 608AC AC 60W DC 200W 8A BattGo Smart Battery Charger
The USB charger included with the 144001 is a piece of crap. This ISDT charger represents the best bang for buck at present. Full review here.

Spare Diff (front and rear)
Probably the easiest way to replace a damaged diff. Don't forget to grease them!

Metal Steering Cranks. These actually help reduce slop in the steering system - one of the few metal parts I recommend.

Top deck. This part actually increases chassis stiffness. 

​Brushless 2838 motor / 35A esc combo 4500kv I like this size and KV rating. It offers the balance of power, efficiency and weight savings that I think are ideal. Very underrated

0.7m 15t pinion gear. Closest you can get to a cut-free brushless installation although this will need opening up with a 3.2mm drill bit

Flysky FS-GT5. Such a great system for the money, see my review above

PDI-1181MG digital metal gear servo. No nonsense direct 3-wire upgrade for stock - fits in perfectly with no mods

​​WL Toys 144001 spare motor mount. Please trust me and buy this part rather than trying to reuse the one in your car. They are impossible to remove without damaging something

And of course the WL Toys 144001 Car itself:

Wltoys 144001 1/14 2.4G 4WD High Speed Racing RC Car Vehicle Models 60km/h

​Thanks for reading, if you found this article useful please feel free to like or share, the facebook links below directly link/like this article. Links are affiliated and help me buy the bits I need to produce this type of content. If you are looking for RC ​cars, quads or parts check out my coupons and discounts page which I keep updated with only the RC cars, parts and quads I like at a proper discount