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RC Car Reviews

Bang for buck RC Car reviews and budget upgrades can be found here. The focus is on maximising fun and minimising cost

DUMBORC RC CAr Radio REview  - Which one do I get and why? ?‍

11/1/2021

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DumboRC have a range of very similar 2.4GHz digital surface radios (for RC car and boats) with subtle differences which makes them confusing to buy. All of them around around the $30 mark which makes them extremely good value if you know how to pick the right set of features for you. In this guide/review I'll break down the differences and review the two variants that I recommend - namely the DumboRC X6 2.4G 6CH Transmitter and DumboRC X6A 2.4G 6CH Transmitter with X6FG Receiver and will of course review them and give you my recommendations.
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WL Toys 144001 Upgrade: The best motor cooling for less than $2

23/12/2020

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The WL Toys 144001 is a very fast little 1/14 scale RC car thanks to it's massive 550 brushless motor that powers it with some rather tall gearing. The downside to this is the heat that it generates. Over time this heat can damage electronics and cause a decrease in performance and indeed motor failure. This is a quick and dirty guide to significantly improve motor cooling for less than $2 which should only take 5-10 minutes to do with simple tools.
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WL Toys 144001/124018/124019 Upgrade: Brushless Speed Run Build and setup full Guide

6/10/2020

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The WL Toys 144001 is a small 1/14 scale 4wd buggy with a massively oversized brushed motor that can reach well over 30mph. When this massive brushed motor is replaced with a massive brushless motor the top speed can become over triple that with the right setup. The below guide goes into detail the build components I used for such a build, the build process and setup to optimise handling.
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By now you've probably seen some wild speed run builds based on the WL toys 144001 of up to and over 100mph. At the top end of the scale these are highly customised with expensive race-oriented gear and outboard twin-battery power supply. The objective of my build was stealth: to retain the stock look, making everything fit (somewhat tightly) under the stock bodyshell and be bolt-on without the need for machining or fabrication i.e. as simple to replicate as possible. For this reason I have specifically chosen to run my car with stock gearing on 2-3s only. To that end here are the parts I chose and why,
Parts used for build:
I've separated this into power system for the key components...
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Flycolor Lightning 80A Partial Waterproof Brushless ESC For 1/10 RC Car This was my favourite component. For those unaware Flycolor is an ESC brand with a strong heritage in quadcopter ESCs and I trust them. This ESC is very reasonably priced at $40-45 and had excellent build quality with support for sensored or sensorless motors and full programming by way of the power key. It supports 2-3s @ 80A continuous which is ideal for my build. You will need to solder power and motor wires (included) which allows you to keep short wire runs - crucial in this build
Sadly this ESC is no longer available, I recommend the Hobbywing 10BL120 ESC instead which is very similar with a little more currentt (120A)

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WL Toys 144001 Upgrade: THe cleanest ESC Install and cooling improvement

5/10/2020

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For those that upgrade to a much larger ESC in the WL Toys 144001 these is often an issue where the fan and or heatsink of a larger ESC fouls against the shell in the stock position. If you don't want to change the shell and don't want to jack it up I have a solution for you.
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Although I recommend the 2838 brushless motor/30a ESC upgrade in this article for the 144001 for general bashing, speed runs require much larger ESC that typically have fans installed. In this particular build I used an 80A Flycolour lightning ESC that, although compact, fouls against the ceiling of the 144001 shell. Because this build is for road only I didn't mind a cutout in the shell but wanted it to be tidy and discreet. The easiest way I found to do this is as follows. Remember, click on an image below to embiggen and see all of the pixels
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Mount your new ESC in it's final home and use 3m VHB or double sided foam tape to stick it down hard
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Remove the top deck. Consider an upgrade to the aluminium top deck when you are there which adds important rigidity as the stock one is very flexible
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Now the important part. Install the body on the top deck with the standard mounts, clip it in. the body and deck will flex to allow the ESC to fit.

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144001/124018/124019 UpgradeS - Every one of my guides here and parts I Would buy

14/9/2020

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I've now built up quite a library of articles for the WL Toys 144001 (and 124019 / 124018) 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.
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Beginner

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

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

Advanced

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​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.
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​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.
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HOW TO CUSTOMISE YOUR BUDGET ESC SETTINGS FOR <$10
The Racerstar ESC Programming card is a simple but fantastic tool that allows you to customise the settings on the budget Racerstar, Surpass Hobby and similar ESCs (brushed and brushless). In this guide I cover what the settings mean and what might work best for you.
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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.
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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.
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DUMBORC TRANSMITTER / RECEIVER REVIEW AND SETUP
This is my favourite radio gear if you are not looking to run multiple models. In this in-depth review I'll look at all the features and de-mystify the differences between the similar - looking models.

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:
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​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
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Remo 6973 wheels and tyres
Best, grippiest offroad wheels I have come across for the 144001 as written about above
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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
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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
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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.
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Spare Diff (front and rear)
Probably the easiest way to replace a damaged diff. Don't forget to grease them!
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Metal Steering Cranks. These actually help reduce slop in the steering system - one of the few metal parts I recommend.
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Top deck. This part actually increases chassis stiffness. 
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​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
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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
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Flysky FS-GT5. Such a great system for the money, see my review above
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PDI-1181MG digital metal gear servo. No nonsense direct 3-wire upgrade for stock - fits in perfectly with no mods
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​​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
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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
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WL TOys 144001 / 124018 / 124019 Upgrade Wheels: best for Bashing?

6/8/2020

33 Comments

 
I've now completed a number of articles that have improved the handling, power and efficiency of the WL Toys 144001 and 124018 and 124019 which can be found here: All my WL Toys 144001 /124018 / 124019 upgrade articles. ​The next item I am addressing is the tyres. The stock wheels and tyres (like the rest of the car) are modelled closely on the LR Racing EMB-1h micro pins which are designed for carpet and hard packed dirt racing. Outside of these grip isn't great, and when you take into account the the rubber is firmer on the 144001 tyres then you are left with a tyre that is not really suited well for bashing off-road. In this article I'll explore some better bashing alternatives that shouldn't compromise the rest of the car
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Stock wheels and tyres
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Stock tyres have an outside diameter of 72mm which is the same front and rear (it needs to be on a 4wd). Widths are staggered meaning they are slightly wider at the rear - 30mm compared to the front - 26mm. Again typical for a buggy because on acceleration weight transfers to the rear and the extra width provides more grip. Drive on the wheels is provided by a 12mm hex drive which is something of an industry standard on cars around this size

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Stock diameter is 72mm
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Stock width rear is 30mm
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Stock with front is 26mm
The problem is that a combination of the design and compound of the tyre mean that they don't grip well on the majority of surfaces we run (off road bashing and tarmac). Since the 12mm hex drive is common there are a lot of wheels that physically fit but not a lot that work well because of the uncommon diameter. On to the theory:

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WL TOys 144001 / 124018 / 124019 Brushless 2838 upgrade Easy No cut option

17/7/2020

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Recently I upgraded to brushless power in the WL Toys 144001 as you can see in the below article which is also relevant to the new WL Toys 124018 and 124019:

WL TOYS 144001: ULTIMATE BRUSHLESS UPGRADE GUIDE

Performance is so much better than stock and battery life has increased by over 50%. I much prefer this smaller brushless that the larger 3650 size that are usually limited to on road and speed runs. The install is fairly straightforward but you need to slot the motor mount to set the mesh on the smaller 17t pinion gear and this can be tricky. Good news though, I've found a workaround where no machining nor tricky gear mesh setting is required.
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The 144001 uses a 0.7 modulus gear pitch and is very rare for pinions. We are typically limited to the very large stock 27t pinion (way too big for this application) or the 17t pinion from the WL Toys A959 / A969. The 17t pinion offers an excellent ratio for the 2838 and 2845 motors but you need to mod the motor plate as mentioned in my original brushless upgrade article.

Good news though, I've found that using the stock 380 motor mounts on the motor plate you can use a 15t pinion gear. Up until recently these have been impossible to find but I've done a LOT of testing and have found three options for you. 
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Stock 540/550 mounted motor
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380/390 mounted (brushless) motor. See how it is closer to where the spur gear mound so requires the smaller pinion. Update: the 380 motor mounts need to be drilled out from 2.5mm to 3.0mm on the newer mounts
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See how much smaller the 15t pinion is compared to the stock 27t
Option 1: 15t from Hobbyking
Hobbyking still have some old stock of a 15t 0.7m pinion that we used on certain helis but it is not a bolt on option - as it has an oversize 5.0mm bore. Because of this you need a 5mm to 3.2mm reducer which is available here. You may also need to file down the grub screw a little if it fouls on the mount. Please note this may now be out of stock depending on warehouse
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Hobbyking™ 0.7M Hardened Steel Helicopter Pinion Gear 5mm Shaft - 15T
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​HOBBYWING Motor Axle 3.17mm To 5mm Change-over Shaft Adapter
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Adaptor fits nicely with the Hobbyking pinion
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The larger bore means the pinion collar is larger. It fits but the grub screw needs reducing in length just a little.

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WL ToyS 144001 / 124018 / 124019 Upgrade: Metal Part Upgrades And REview

3/7/2020

8 Comments

 
With the boom in popularity of the WL Toys 144001 1/14 scale RC buggy, there are a lot of aftermarket parts available now, all of which are currently available at here. For this article I'll be looking at why I chose the metal upgrade parts I did, how to install and my thoughts on the parts I did install. These upgrades are also applicable to the extended wheelbase 124019 which is identical other than the length
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Don't forget to check out the other guides and reviews I've already written for the 144001:
  • 3 simple mods before you turn it on to improve performance and running life
  • The next 3 cheap or free upgrades
  • Full brushless motor/ESC install guide
The first thing you probably think of with metal parts is that they will be stronger than the plastic parts they replace. Although this is true, strictly speaking, the stock plastic pieces do have advantages in some situations, specifically -
  1. They are more flexible
  2. Have a better bite with screws
  3. Can sacrifice a cheaper more easily replaceable part rather than transfer force to a more complex, more expensive or more difficult to replace part
Because of this some parts are well suited to be replaced with metal and some are not. I've chosen the below components to be replaced with metal parts to improve the durability of the car. All parts are available in several colours: Blue, Red, Pink, Gold, Silver, Black.
Just a quick note that Banggood have started their "summer prime" sale which runs July 3 - 24. It's usually around halfway through that they share their best discounts on around 100 of their better selling products which usually includes the 144001 RTR buggy - I'd recommend waiting if you are planning on making a purchase. Here is the link to their sale page where there is supposedly $1m worth of discounts 🤷. Sounds like a bit of a line but I've put their here. These sales events are usually pretty good and I'll pick the best coupon codes and be sure to have them up on my coupons and discount page
Recommended parts:
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Rear hub carriers. Typically a little more durable than front knuckles and castor blocks but still a common weak point so worth going metal
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Front Steering Knuckles. Commonly a weak point on many cars so worth considering here
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Front Caster Blocks. These are a weak point on many cars so worth considering
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Steering Cranks. May help stiffen steering link. Less critical but worth a go.
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Hex drives 12mm. I've installed but do not like at all, more below
I've specifically avoided these parts below because I think they will reduce net durability for reasons explained underneath the images. If you are just going for looks however they do still look great!
Parts I recommend against:
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Arms front or rear. Unless you need bling avoid - although stronger they put stress on hinge pins and gearbox mounts. plastic suspension arms are very strong.
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Battery seat. Going metal here offers no performance benefit, just weight
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Spur and pinion. The spur is definitely more durable but adds a lot of rotational mass and reduces performance. I'd prefer lighter, cheaper stock spurs.
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Top deck. Given the design I think it may add weight rather than stiffness
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Gearbox. Jury is out on this one for me just because I don't feel the gearbox is prone to damage
Plus other parts available with my comments

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WL TOYS 144001 / 124019 / 124018: Ultimate Brushless upgrade Guide

11/6/2020

47 Comments

 
The WL Toys 144001 is an excellent low cost hobby grade RC buggy that I ordered from Banggood. I've already taken free and low cost steps to improve performance in part 1 and part 2 of my upgrades guide. This upgrade guide here is dedicated to installing a powerful and efficient 2838 brushless system that is optimised for balance, handling and efficiency. It will also be much faster and reliable that the stock system. This upgrade is fully compatible with the new 124019 and 124018 as well and an excellent option to improve performance and battery life.
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As mentioned above the brushless upgrade I am doing here is based on a smaller, lighter more powerful motor than stock so I can get the best handling by reducing weight and improving balance. For this reason I have chosen a brushless 2838 sized motor (28mm diameter, 38mm can length) that runs at 4500kV. This is the same spec powertrain used by the premium LC Racing EMB-1 on which the 144001 is based. The objective is to optimise handling by removing the extremely heavy and power hungry but inefficient brushed 550 motor.

I have not gone with a brushless motor the same size as the brushed 550 (3650, 3652, 3660) as these are really only suited to speed runs - see my speed run build guide here for more details

Benefits from this 2838 brushless setup over stock will include:
  • Stronger acceleration
  • Higher top speed
  • Better front/rear and left/right weight balance
  • Lighter overall weight
  • Ability to run 2s or 3s safely
  • Much better battery life
  • Greater crash resistance since car carries less momentum.

Click on any picture in this article to Embiggen or go to product link

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Motor size comparison: The stock 550 weighs 271g and the new, more powerful 2838 weighs 95g. Damn!


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WL Toys 144001 / 124018 / 124019: free or Budget Upgrades (Part 2)

5/6/2020

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This is the second part of my free and budget upgrade walkthrough for the WL Toys 144001. The first part can be found here. These are also completely relevant for the 124019 and 124018 as well
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The first series of upgrades I made to the WL toys 144001 was to improve longevity and handling by getting the shock absorber fluid level right, the diffs lubed properly and camber and toe in set correctly. This articles expands on that by further improving the handling through minor tweaks the are either free or cost very little. It is really important you get the handling right to make the car more predictable, especially if you plan on power upgrades further down the line. The upgrades I'll detail in this article are:
  1. Decrease the REAR toe in
  2. Set the droop on front and rear arms
  3. Improve the dampening in the rear shocks 

1. Decreasing the rear toe in
The WL toys 144001 comes set with a LOT of rear toe in (which is the amount the rear wheels point in towards the car when looking from above). Rear toe in does help with cornering stability by decreasing useful steering when powering on in the corner but comes at the cost of straight line speed, especially in high grip situations. In simple terms rear toe in does help make the car feel more stable through corners however I feel the 144001 has much too much and this is easily remedied for free as below:
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Remove the 2 screws that fix the arm bracket to the diff housing as above
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This is what it looks like removed - try not to disassemble other parts
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You can see the plastic inserts have the holes towards the outside causing the heavy toe in

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