When it comes to racing cars, Traxxas Slash 2WD is a crowd favorite. Who doesn’t want to put on a great show at an RC car race? Some modifications to the car can keep you ahead on the track. That’s why you need to set up your Traxxas before the race.
So, how to do a Traxxas slash 2WD race setup?
Before setting up your Traxxas Slash 2WD setup, install the ESC and battery. Install pinion and spur gear and align the front and rear height properly to distribute the weight of the Traxxas Slash 2WD proportionately. Try giving a few bounces to check if the truck is settled on the suspension. Make sure to lube the differentials to ensure maximum output.
This was a quick summary of the Traxxas slash setup. We have prepared a full article for you on this topic.
Keep reading to get into the details!
Traxxas Slash 2WD Setup
Traxxas Slash cars usually come in a ready-to-run packed box. A few simple upgrades can significantly boost your Traxxas Slash’s speed. The new setup will make the car unbeatable on the track.
Shocks
A properly chosen suspension setup aided with dialed-in shocks can give a tremendous leap to anyone who’s willing to get an advantage in racing. Changing spring is not allowed in most Traxxas Slash 2wd races. So it’s important to focus on shock positioning, spring preload, and damping before you jump into the tracks.
Your default Traxxas Slash stock shocks come with 30wt shock oils. With 30wt oil, you get somewhat light damping for active suspension. It provides a quicker and smoother reaction to bumpy tracks.
But as we’re looking for racing tracks, it’s mostly going to stay smoother. So you can go for oils with higher thickness/viscosity to increase the damping of your Traxxas Slash 2WD. Increased damping increases the chassis roll of the RC during cornering, braking, and diving. It’ll also make sure that your Slash doesn’t bottom out during jump landings.
A higher oil viscosity will lend you overall better handling. So we recommend going with 50wt for front shocks and 60wt oil for real shocks.
For bumpy rides, avoid using heaving damping as it will delay the extension and compression of the shocks. This elongated travel time will reduce traction and control for bumpy terrain driving. This is called “Packing”.
Lowering the oil viscosity of the shocks will help you with the packing issue.
Shock Positioning
How you position your shocks determines how the arm leverage the shocks when your wheels hit bumps. It also impacts the down travel of the suspension arms.
You will experience a decrease in arm’s leverage if you move the shocks closer to the wheels. This will make the damping and spring rates feel stiffer than normal. Having the shocks closer to the wheels will also reduce the down travel of your Traxxas Slash 2wd.
A closer shock placement hands you improved handling and a smoother, yet tighter grip on the tracks.
On the other hand, placing the shocks near the chassis makes the suspension softer. It also increases the down travel, making the Traxxas Slash ideal for driving in rougher tracks.
We recommend keeping the shock positioning to the factory settings. In factory settings, the front shocks are placed around the innermost mounting hole. And the rear shocks are positioned near the second hole from inside.
ESC(Electronic Speed Control)
For ESC, you can settle with Hobbywing or Castle ESC with your Traxxas Slash 2WD. Traxxas Slash is compatible with a number of Hobbywing ESC models, like Justock, Xerun pro 160a V2, and SCT Pro.
For max performance, set the throttle speed of your ESC to 100. And set the brakes and reverse to 100.
First, make sure your model car is powered off. Remove the car battery and, unplug the motor from the speed controller (ESC). Use a hex screwdriver to open the wire clamp and receiver box. Unplug the ESC from the second slot of the receiver.
Now, replace the old ESC with the new speed control. Route the connector with the receiver box. Then plug it into the second slot of the receiver.
Close the wire clamp and receiver box and screw the boxes tightly.
Gears
Many track rules don’t allow altering the gears. But if they do allow changing the gear, they will most probably specify the number of pinion and spur gear combinations that are eligible for picking.
A nice way to find the ratio for gearing combination is by dividing the tooth count of spur gear by pinion gears.
Let’s look at an example:
Say, you have a spur gear that has a tooth count of 90. You want to pair it up with a 17-tooth pinion gear. So, your gearing combination ratio will look somewhat like this:
90 ÷ 17 = 5.29
Looks like, with the 17/90 gearing combination, it will take the pinion gear 5.29 revolution in order to turn the spur gear once.
Having a higher gear ratio will make your Slash possess less top speed in exchange for greater acceleration. This can be a great option if you are racing on a short track with a lot of turns.
A lower gear ratio does the exact opposite. You will get a high top speed on your Traxxas Slash with a low gear ratio. But it all comes at the expense of strong acceleration. This is a highly effective setup for long straight tracks with fewer extreme turns.
To set your gear up, take off the back right wheel, then remove the gear cover. Take out the original spur and motor. Now, install the pinion gear and the spur gear. Use a gearing adaptor to do this smoothly.
Select your ideal gear adapter according to the model of your car.
Now, secure the gears by screwing them tightly and putting the motor back. Put back the gear cover over the gear and reattach the wheel. Connect the motor wire to the ESC using the color-coded wire.
Battery
After changing the gear, open the battery compartment of the car. Take out the old battery, and insert the fully charged battery inside. Put the battery with the wires facing the rear of the car.
Now, insert the tabs of the battery into the slots in the rear. Then adjust the battery hold down over the post of the car. Secure the position and plug in the battery.
Suspension
The core part of an RC car’s suspension system is the shock absorbers. Fill the front and rear shocks with 50wt and 60wt shock fluid oil respectively.
As the front end of your Traxxas is lightweight, it balances out the overall area of the car. The 60wt fluid in the back shocks gives enough ‘pack’ for jump landings. It also keeps the frame of the car to a minimum roll.
Front And Rear Height Adjustment
Let’s clarify what Ride height actually means.
The distance between the chassis and the running surface of the RC when at rest is called the Ride height.
With your Traxxas Slash 2WD, you can use spacers above the spring retainer to adjust the ride height. In order to support the weight of the RC model, the spring needs to be compressed, or “pre-loaded”. This is also known as Spring Reload.
We recommend setting the front height to arm’s level while keeping the rear height to the level of the shaft.
You need to install the battery first before setting the ride height. After that, you need to give a few bounces to the chassis to check if the truck has settled properly on the suspension.
Your battery weight dictates the ride height of the car. It means that an RC with a heavy battery will have a lower ride height compared to another RC with a less heavy battery.
A rule of thumb many racers follow is to set the rear ride height 1-3mm higher than the front ride height.
Doing so helps to significantly improve the response of settering. And it also reduces the chassis lean-back tendency and keeps the weight shift balanced while accelerating.
Set the base front camber of the car to -2.0 degrees. It means the angular point of the tires toward the car frame should be 2.0 degrees. This angle gives a better performance when you take a turn on the track.
Next, set the base rear camber at -2.5 degrees perpendicularly. The rear camber will keep shifting during the suspension arms move through the full range. Make these changes depending on the amount of traction needed for the race track condition.
Make sure the alignment of the two sides is balanced. This is the most important part. If the tires are asymmetrically set, the car won’t function properly.
Differential
The differential transfers the power from a car engine to the wheels. It can make the wheels turn at different speeds. The gear-type differential, used in Traxxas isn’t sealed and tunable.
Changing the ‘action’ of the differential can result in smooth turns on the track. You don’t need any fancy tools for this modification. Use a very dense differential lubricant in a small amount. The lubricant will prevent the differential from being too tight.
Don’t use the lighter differential fluid as it will leak out within a short period of time. Experiment with different types of lubricant and use what works best for you.
That’s it, we are done with the upgrading process of the RC car. These modifications are enough to run your Traxxas Slash on the track.
Body
One huge disadvantage you can face for short-course Slash bodies is the “parachuting” issue. It means that the body of your Traxxas Slash is move prone to colliding against air resistance, slowing it down in the process.
Especially during jumping, the body comes in contact with the air, disrupting its momentum and landing the RC on its rear bumper.
If allowed, you can alter the structure of the body to make it more aerodynamic. This will help to let the air pass through the body more easily without creating any resistance.
You can use the Traxxas Body reamer tool for such altering. Creating a good number of holes on the hood, rear deck, and fenders can make it easier for the air to pass through the body.
But be careful! Screwing too large holes can weaken the structure of the body. That’s why we recommend keeping the hole size down to 10mm.
Wheel Alignment
The angles of the wheels in relation to the chassis can often make or break your Traxxas Slash 2WD setup.
So, before we jump into the detailed setup, let’s familiarize ourselves with “Toe” and “Camber”.
The angle of the wheel in relation to the centerline of the chassis is called Toe. Camber, on the other hand, is the angle of the wheels in relation to vertical.
Now, Traxxas Slash only allows the user to adjust the front toe of the RC. But unlike the toe, you can pretty much adjust the camber for all four wheels.
The Traxxas Slash Toe is set between 1° toe-out and 1-2° toe-in by default. Camber settings range from 0° to negative 1-3°.
You might ask, why negative? Why not have positive camber angles?
Having positive camber angles leans the tires far from the chassis. This massively lowers the grip of the RC. And trust me, you don’t want that for racing!
For racing, we recommend setting the toe to 0° and the camber settings to negative 2° for the front and negative 2.5° for the back.
If you want to have more freedom with your aggressive turn-in, reduce the toe-in. Increased toe-in improves straight-line driving.
Negative Camber settings counter footprint and traction reduction during cornering. Experimenting with the camber angles will help you achieve the best settings for your Traxxas Slash. But keep it between 0.5 and 1°.
Extra Tips and Tricks
Traxxas Slash model is famous for its performance and durability on the track. We have some tips to make your Traxxas stand out on the race track. These are not mandatory but will make the racing experience more exciting.
Use Premium Quality Tires
The tires that come with the Traxxas Slash 2wd are good enough to run races. But you can replace them with premium quality race track tires for Traxxas. It’ll help boost your car’s speed even on the roughest tracks.
Pay Attention to the Battery Health
Enable the low voltage detection mode of your speed controller. Especially, while you are using high-performance Lipo batteries. So, when the light blinks, you’ll know the batteries need to be charged.
Never use the charger that comes with your Traxxas to charge the Lipo batteries. It’s even mentioned in the owner’s manual multiple times. Use a different charger that is compatible with a Lipo battery.
That’s all you need to know. Hope these tips will be helpful for you.
FAQ
Question: Can we spray paint the Traxxas Slash 2wd Car Body?
Answer: Of course, you can spray paint your Traxxas by yourself. Just remember to remove the outer overspray film before putting the decals. Don’t forget to paint the inside of the body.
After painting the inside, remove the film, and lastly, paint the decals.
Question: Is Traxxas Slash 2wd waterproof?
Answer: Yes, Traxxas Slash is a waterproof RC car. But we suggest you don’t excessively overwet the car. It’ll raise your maintenance budget. Also, the transmitter of the car should always be kept dry to avoid any kind of damage.
What can we use to clean the car?
Answer: As Traxxas Slash 2wd is widely used for races, it gets dirty all the time. Always use microfiber cloths to clean the outer part and a soft-bristle toothbrush to clean the inside. You can use glass cleaner to make the car body shiny. Always remove the battery first before cleaning the car.
Final Words
We are wrapping up now. Hopefully, now you know the details of Traxxas slash 2wd race setup. Make sure to follow our instructions accurately for the best results.
Don’t forget to share the experience of setting up your Traxxas with us.
Till then, happy car racing!
