5 Of The Best Redcat Blackout XTE Upgrades!

Introduction

RC trucks have done it all in the past few years. But the companies behind them haven’t always been generous. Right?

It’s frustrating how you have to buy separate parts for your Redcat to make it a competitive machine. Well, that’s just how the world works nowadays. That’s why upgrading is the way to go.

Thus, we put together this shortlist of different upgrades for your Redcat Blackout. Pick one Redcat Blackout XTE upgrade from the list. Heck, you can even pick all of them and build a beast out of your RC vehicle. 

We were also nice enough to add a couple of tips towards the end. You’ll also get a few answers to the most asked questions about these upgrades. So let’s head into the main bit without further ado- 

Product Overview

We have this brushless motor from Innovateking upfront. And it’s here because we thought that a motor should be the best upgrade when it comes to performance.

With that said, we tried out a lot of brushless motors. Then we landed our eyes on this one. And I think this worked for the best. So let’s address the elephant in the room-

Well, this is one of the most expensive offerings on the list. We’re getting that out of the way first. In this way, you can quickly decide whether you actually want it or not. 

We were able to try this unit out for one month. And, we saw the results almost immediately.

This one was easy to install. We were able to swap the new one in and put it in place. As for the build, well, we did drop it a couple of times accidentally. And it didn’t have any dents on it. So I think you should be good to go. 

As for performance, I think the motor combo is decent. We saw a pretty decent bump in torque after installing this. 

The good thing about it is that it doesn’t heat up too much. We’ve seen the stock motor get pretty hot. So you get a better performance in this aspect too.

Pros

• Boosts performance decently
• Ramps up gear speeds
• Provides a decent torque
• Comes with a solid build quality
• Easy to install

Cons

• Might seem pricey
• A bit on the heavy side

Product Overview

Up next, we have a battery pack from Melasta. This is a medium-sized 5000mAh battery pack. I know, there are probably bigger packs out there.

We’ve even tried out most of them. And truth be told, the bigger packs lack quality. There, I said it.

This one comes with a banana connector. So, it should fit most of the RC vehicles. But, we’re focusing on the Blackout for today. And this battery pack fits the Blackout quite well.

Installing it was a breeze. We did not have to tinker with this one too much. It was easy enough.

And as for the performance, well, we certainly got more than a few minutes of battery life. Don’t get me wrong. The battery life of the Blackout stock battery is already good. This battery pack with a higher capacity battery just makes it better.

But, you might be worried easily about third-party batteries like this. I would have been too. The discharge rate among third-party batteries is the highest. But during our five months of resting this battery out, we didn’t notice too much degradation.

Even if there was any, I think we got a couple of minutes less after five months. Well, everyone knows batteries don’t last forever. So there’s that. 

Pros

• Improves the overall battery life
• Charges at a quick pace
• It’s a durable battery
• The compatible plug provides versatility
• It’s simple to install

Cons

• It might heat up while charging

Product Overview

A hop-up kit is next in line in terms of upgrades. And, this one from Redcat themselves beat the other brands today. Listen, I’m not saying that this particular kit is better than the others on the market.

But this kit is perfectly balanced for the Blackout. And that’s what you’re looking for, right? I mean, you wouldn’t want a kit that’s suitable for a truck from Traxxas in this case.  

Jokes apart. It took us a bit of time to mess around with it. It’s not the easiest of installations, I’ll give you that. Since you will probably want to upgrade your entire truck, you’ll need two of these.

Don’t worry, the front and back parts are identical. 

This is one of the most expensive mods you can make when it comes to RC vehicles. So, you have to make sure you need the upgrade. The stock kit isn’t the best out there. It’s made out of plastic and lacks quality.

On the other hand, this one comes with all the necessary pieces to make things better for your Blackout. The entire disassembling and reassembling process might be tricky. But once you’re done, you have a brand new machine!

Pros

• Has a decent build quality
• Comes with precise threading 
• Fits the Blackout perfectly 

Cons

• On the expensive side

Product Overview

Coming in at fourth place, we have a servo saver from Kimbrough. Servos always seem to ramp up the control speed for your RC vehicle. And, this medium-sized saver one did just that during our testing.

The stock servo isn’t bad. But, it had a couple of issues. We’ve addressed those issues before, so we’re not going to talk about them too much.

Let’s keep it short-

The servo saver that we’re talking about here improves the response time quite a bit. We tried out other servos. But they weren’t cutting it for me. And this one did the trick during every turn. 

Whether it’s the lower latency or the faster response time, you have to see it to believe it. 

Servo savers aren’t new to the game. You can actually get a layer of durability from them too. With that said, this one actually comes in three different sizes. 

So that’s just an added bonus. 

Well, I think they could have increased the price a bit and added metal to the construction. But the plastic used is durable. We tested it out on the crazy conditions, and it came out just fine.

To test out its capabilities, we deliberately stuck a rock behind our servo. This is where the saver worked well. Even after the rock was stuck, we saw that the servo turned. 

But it did get scratched a lot. So I think our complaint about the use of plastic 

Pros

• Affordable option
• Fits the Blackout servo well
• Handles the vehicle quite well
• Protects the servo well

Cons

• Could have used stronger materials

Product Overview

In fifth place, we have a set of shock absorbers. We tried out different shocks but I think this set from Redcat is a perfect match. You could argue that other brands make better shocks. Well, we do not deny that. But in terms of compatibility, this set is a perfect match for the Blackout. 

This one is a two-piece set. So you will need another set if you’re planning to upgrade all the shocks of your Blackout. 

In terms of response time, well, these are quicker. We’re obviously comparing with the stock ones. The suspensions stretch fully. This is an attribute you don’t often see with stock shocks.

Overall, this set isn’t a one-to-one replacement for the stock ones. So if that’s what you’re planning, forget about it. But if you’re looking for an upgrade, I think this should do the trick. 

We did notice leaking during an instance. It wasn’t a continuous problem, and we were able to sort things out shortly. So I guess it was an isolated issue, and we hope you don’t have to go through the same.

I think the entire package is affordable, and you get a decent performance boost. And you get to enjoy the performance boost without burning a hole in your pocket. So that’s another win! 

Pros

• Durable build
• Proper longevity
• Able to go back to full stretch quickly
• Decent response

Cons

• Doesn’t come with four suspensions 

Which Upgrades Should You Opt for?

Don’t go out and pick whichever upgrade you like now. There are still a couple of things that you might need to learn. So we’ll be talking about the possible upgrades you can go for now. 

Upgrade Method #1: Getting A Solid Motor

I think the first thing that you should get is a new motor. If your goal is to be competitive, then this is the first thing to get. The case is similar in the case of the Traxxas Blast upgrade. 

If you ask me, nothing makes a bigger difference than a more powerful motor. Now, I’m not bashing the motor that comes with the Redcat Blackout XTE. I’m sure it’s decent.

But of course, you won’t be upgrading to a worse one, right? So the performance would only get better.

Upgrade Method #2: A New Battery Pack

Have you been in the middle of a truck race, and then your battery died? Well, this actually happened to me a couple of times.

I’m not saying that the stock battery that comes with the Redcat truck is bad. You can probably go through continuous races with that too.

But an improved battery life would have put a smile on my face if you had asked me. The improvement is pretty noticeable too. If you’re on the hunt for added minutes, battery life is the easiest way to achieve that. 

Upgrade Method #3: A Good Hop Up Kit

This one’s a bit controversial. But hear me out. Your Redcat truck already comes with a kit like this. And the stock kit is pretty above average. 

In fact, it’s one of those things you probably never need to change if you think a certain way. But we think a bit differently. 

And that’s not all. The entire rebuild seems like a fun experience too. You get to reassemble the entire suspension. So if you’re not satisfied with the plastic hop-up kit from the stock Blackout, then this is the perfect upgrade.

Upgrade Method #4: Brand New Servo Saver

Sometimes, a turn from your servo makes or breaks a race. It’s often the response time from your remote control that deals the damage.

Clearly, the servo that comes with the Blackout screams quality. And the latency isn’t too much either when it comes to pressing the remote and the servo actually turning. 

But getting a saver might make that latency nonexistent, at least when you see it. So, there’s definitely some benefit to it.

Upgrade Method #5: New Set of Shocks

Shock absorbers sometimes have the last say when it comes to a race. But I can assure you that you do get a sudden performance improvement with new shocks. This is a necessary upgrade for Vaterra V100 too. 

Now, it does take some time for the newer shocks to break in. and then they decide to kick out the better performance. But it would help if you were patient with these.

FAQs

Question: Will a new motor make my Blackout faster?

Answer: If you get a decent motor combo, you will notice a certain performance boost in your Blackout. It can either be a boost in speed or torque.

Question: Is a brushed motor better than the brushless one?

Answer: Brushed motors are the conventional ones. And RC vehicles in the earlier days used to come with these motors. But I think brushless is the way to go now. Otherwise, it would not be much of an upgrade.

Question: Will my RC battery last longer with a battery pack?

Answer: A new battery pack is almost certain to improve your battery life. But if you end up buying a poor battery pack that has worse stats than the stock one, you’ll suffer. So conduct your research carefully. 

Conclusion

That’s it from me today. I tried to talk about all the pros and cons of different upgrades here. And, I wouldn’t probably be surprised if you needed to get all the upgrades for your truck.

With that said, don’t go overboard with these things. Evaluate your options and think about what you’re most likely to use. If you already have new shocks, don’t go ahead and buy another set.

And, if you have the most powerful brushed motor installed, there’s no point in upgrading. But we hope you can find the best Redcat Blackout XTE upgrade from here.

Till then, drive carefully. Good Luck1