FTX Outlaw Owners

[Buggy Malone]

8 hours ago, Redback said:

Goodluck with run 4.
Outlaws a problem child for sure! I guess a metal chassis will be the next upgrade as they are like glass on the corners.
Enjoy drive safe!

 

Thanks mate ;-)

 

Run-4 went better than expected. The forward loading of the battery has definelty reduced the twisting affect on the chassis under acceleration but it still wheelies sometimes if I welly-it off the line.

 

I don't think I'm going to improve the handling of this car much more except try and get the front suspension firmed-up a bit.

 

That'll be Run-5 at this rate, lol.

[Redback]

2 hours ago, Iain .R said:

As it's been said on back posts  change the bumper to zorro one way better than small rubbish one it comes with 

Have fun on run 4  as they are fun .  

Zorro bumper wont work if you run after market tires that are bigger than the  stock ones. My solution to not breaking a bumper for the lads truck was this.
A.
Have a metal chassis.

 

B. Attach a plate of aliminum and screw it to the chassis and front bumper.

 

Still running stock mounts and bumper, saved the lower arms a few times also.
For more tips worth looking back through this thread in depth, I also have some out the box solutions in my outlaw crawler thread.

  Enjoy tinkering!
 

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by Redback

[Buggy Malone]

2 hours ago, Iain .R said:

As it's been said on back posts  change the bumper to zorro one way better than small rubbish one it comes with 

Have fun on run 4  as they are fun .  

 

Cheers Iain,

 

I'm doing all of my own fabrication to keep the bills down so my next job is to fabricate a small 5-bar ali plate across my already fabricated skid/bumper plate. 

 

The front end of my car is now like a rock but, in all honesty, this may also prove to be a problem, i.e. if the front end is too solid then a huge impact to the front may direct the forces to a different are area which then breaks.

 

I'm thinking of buying a 3S Lipo but from reading this forum I believe I'll have to upgrade the spur gear besides other things.

 

Thanks again,

 

Andrew

[Redback]

Just now, Buggy Malone said:

 

Cheers Iain,

 

I'm doing all of my own fabrication to keep the bills down so my next job is to fabricate a small 5-bar ali plate across my already fabricated skid/bumper plate. 

 

The front end of my car is now like a rock but, in all honesty, this may also prove to be a problem, i.e. if the front end is too solid then a huge impact to the front may direct the forces to a different are area which then breaks.

 

I'm thinking of buying a 3S Lipo but from reading this forum I believe I'll have to upgrade the spur gear besides other things.

 

Thanks again,

 

Andrew

 

6 minutes ago, Buggy Malone said:

 

Thanks mate 😉

 

Run-4 went better than expected. The forward loading of the battery has definelty reduced the twisting affect on the chassis under acceleration but it still wheelies sometimes if I welly-it off the line.

 

I don't think I'm going to improve the handling of this car much more except try and get the front suspension firmed-up a bit.

 

That'll be Run-5 at this rate, lol.

 

 

The carnage front sway bar helps stiffen the front, i also run 1/8th buggy springs on the front of mine to account for the extra weight.
The body shell is a clear shell with the stock shell over the top to make it stronger.
You can get after market rear sway bars for the axial yeti that improve the torque twist and roll of the truck, beware the bar metal is cheese (get 3mm piano wire) but the arms are decent enough tho.
Can see them installed on the truck on the left.

 

Finally I will assume by run 8 the brass pinion will be pretty badly worn. I would recommend upgrading to a steel pinion asap along with a RW racing spur as those are the main weak points on the driveline.

[Buggy Malone]

7 minutes ago, Redback said:

Zorro bumper wont work if you run after market tires that are bigger than the  stock ones. My solution to not breaking a bumper for the lads truck was this.
A.
Have a metal chassis.

 

B. Attach a plate of aliminum and screw it to the chassis and front bumper.

 

Still running stock mounts and bumper, saved the lower arms a few times also.
For more tips worth looking back through this thread in depth, I also have some out the box solutions in my outlaw crawler thread.

Enjoy tinkering!

 

Some really good points there ;-)

 

I've been working my way through the many different RC topics so I'm slowly getting there.  

 

It's tough being a newbie, lol 

[Redback]

4 minutes ago, Buggy Malone said:

 

Some really good points there 😉

 

I've been working my way through the many different RC topics so I'm slowly getting there.  

 

It's tough being a newbie, lol 

You picked a good truck to learn on and learn you will and fast, you have sussed most the issues already and once sorted the trucks a boat load of fun.

[Buggy Malone]

24 minutes ago, Redback said:

 

 

 

The carnage front sway bar helps stiffen the front, i also run 1/8th buggy springs on the front of mine to account for the extra weight.
The body shell is a clear shell with the stock shell over the top to make it stronger.
You can get after market rear sway bars for the axial yeti that improve the torque twist and roll of the truck, beware the bar metal is cheese (get 3mm piano wire) but the arms are decent enough tho.
Can see them installed on the truck on the left.

 

Finally I will assume by run 8 the brass pinion will be pretty badly worn. I would recommend upgrading to a steel pinion asap along with a RW racing spur as those are the main weak points on the driveline.

 

You're a star ;-) some damn good info there. I'll get the RW stuff ordered asap via Modelworld as I had a feeling it would become an issue. (I've just checked Modelworld and the part # is RWFTX62). 

 

I note from your pic that you've moved the rear suspension back by 5-holes from its original setting so I think I'll copy that too. I fabricated and fitted a brace to that area already and I have found a big difference to the performance on the chassis.

 

I can also see that you've relocated the rear battery case holder/support to the upper rear of the chassis. I was intending to do the same but then changed it before I ran the buggy on Run-4 so I think I'll go back to what you've done. 

 

Thanks for the advice - it's really appreciated.

 

Andrew

Edited November 26, 2021 by Buggy Malone

[Buggy Malone]

The big news is that I've now read the first 51-pages of this thread, incl videos so by my reckoning I'll be finished by Xmas, lol.

 

One thing to report is that the repositioning of the battery pack has made a big difference to the stability of the buggy so that was a good mod to make.

 

That said, yesterday, I checked the standard pinion and the main spur gear and it was evident that the pinion is starting to wear with signs of 'pinion dust'  in the gear housing. A pic below shows the dust (drenched in WD40).

 

What I am thinking is that 3S is probably going to damage the running gear so I'm going to stick with 2S and buy an alternative off-road race buggy in the future (something that looks like the FTX Vantage).

 

.........I can now see why people come to have multiple cars in their collection).

 

I'll be ordering the upgraded steal drive shaft, pinion and spur gear tonight from MS and that's about it for now.

 

Oh, before I forget, I checked and replaced (using 45wt) the original rear shock oil last night and found that 8mm of it was missing (both sides) so it's clear that the FTX factory didn't fill them up to the top.

 

I'm enjoying this buggy though - great fun.

 

All the best,

 

Andrew

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Buggy Malone

[Iain .R]

1 hour ago, Buggy Malone said:

The big news is that I've now read the first 51-pages of this thread, incl videos so by my reckoning I'll be finished by Xmas, lol.

 

One thing to report is that the repositioning of the battery pack has made a big difference to the stability of the buggy so that was a good mod to make.

 

That said, yesterday, I checked the standard pinion and the main spur gear and it was evident that the pinion is starting to wear with signs of 'pinion dust'  in the gear housing. A pic below shows the dust (drenched in WD40).

 

What I am thinking is that 3S is probably going to damage the running gear so I'm going to stick with 2S and buy an alternative off-road race buggy in the future (something that looks like the FTX Vantage).

 

.........I can now see why people come to have multiple cars in their collection).

 

I'll be ordering the upgraded steal drive shaft, pinion and spur gear tonight from MS and that's about it for now.

 

Oh, before I forget, I checked and replaced (using 45wt) the original rear shock oil last night and found that 8mm of it was missing (both sides) so it's clear that the FTX factory didn't fill them up to the top.

 

I'm enjoying this buggy though - great fun.

 

All the best,

 

Andrew

 

 

 

If you want to drench yours  I recommend you dont use WD40 . My personal recommendation is GT85 . .  

[Buggy Malone]

11 hours ago, Iain .R said:

If you want to drench yours  I recommend you dont use WD40 . My personal recommendation is GT85 . .  

 

Cheers Iain, I'll stick it on the shopping list. 

 

Yesterday I thought I had broken my Outlaw when it got stuck in the grass. I went up to hear it cogging only to find that the rear drive shaft had been jammed by long read grass stalks - that was a lucky escape..........and a lesson learned 

[Redback]

9 hours ago, Buggy Malone said:

 

Cheers Iain, I'll stick it on the shopping list. 

 

Yesterday I thought I had broken my Outlaw when it got stuck in the grass. I went up to hear it cogging only to find that the rear drive shaft had been jammed by long read grass stalks - that was a lucky escape..........and a lesson learned 

 

Yeah they are great at "tearing up" the grass 😂

 

Decorated with flowers, how delightful 😛

[Iain .R]

That's one of my RC pet hates  long /cut grass it wraps around the shafts and it's a pain to unclog . 

[Buggy Malone]

Run-7:  O toolbox out yesterday and somehow I bent the rear shock. I've managed to fix and refit it but I always seem to be fixing or adjusting something - which I quite enjoy, lol.

 

I've lowered the rear suspension as the front suspension is very soft and doesn't handle at all well. I need to do something about it as it's just soft and mushy. 

 

This has definelty been a great intro buggy to RC.

 

 

[Buggy Malone]

Guys, while I'm at it can you help advise me on the rear drive shaft and the spur gear.

 

Spur Gear:  I've been on the MS site and all they seem to have is a hardened Spur gear (pic below). Is this sufficient for an upgrade as I was hoping for a steel unit. That said there's a steel spur and pinion set on eBay for £20. What do you reckon?

 

Rear Drive shaft:  Should I buy the steel shaft from MS or is there a better unit available. I'm only asking as I've seen a robust looking drive shaft by GDS Racing  on page-67/68 of this thread.

 

Just want to make sure that I'm not buying any crap.

 

Cheers All,

 

Andrew

 

 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by Buggy Malone

[Microspeed]

Evening,

 

Has anyone come up with a solution for a rear ARB?   

 

The front one is a bolt on from a carnage/zorro but the rear has no holes to fit the body brackets.

 

I've seen a few DIY versions but wondered if anyone had found a oem solution from another model/make?

 

Since I swapped for brushless and 3s I need to address the twisting issue!

 

My DR8 has no issues and that's got them fitted but they are the wrong shape to fit the outlaw, which needs a more U shaped ARB.

 

I'll buy some ali bar and bend it myself if that's the only way, just wanted to ask before I went that route.

 

Thanks, Mark.

 

 

[Redback]

4 hours ago, Buggy Malone said:

Guys, while I'm at it can you help advise me on the rear drive shaft and the spur gear.

 

Spur Gear:  I've been on the MS site and all they seem to have is a hardened Spur gear (pic below). Is this sufficient for an upgrade as I was hoping for a steel unit. That said there's a steel spur and pinion set on eBay for £20. What do you reckon?

 

Rear Drive shaft:  Should I buy the steel shaft from MS or is there a better unit available. I'm only asking as I've seen a robust looking drive shaft by GDS Racing  on page-67/68 of this thread.

 

Just want to make sure that I'm not buying any crap.

 

Cheers All,

 

Andrew

 

 

 

 

That drive shaft will likely be better than the ftx one that falls apart instantly. Good choice!

 

The spur linked will work just fine, i have both RW and metal ones, the metal one is pretty loud.
You have to get the steel one from banggood / ali express. heres a link.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002082226266.html?srcSns=sns_Copy&spreadType=socialShare&bizType=ProductDetail&social_params=20249342831&aff_fcid=1a882df0f5dd4e2f939d0eaa267accd1-1626029445315-04093-_mtythqF&tt=MG&aff_fsk=_mtythqF&aff_platform=default&sk=_mtythqF&aff_trace_key=1a882df0f5dd4e2f939d0eaa267accd1-1626029445315-04093-_mtythqF&shareId=20249342831&businessType=ProductDetail&platform=AE&terminal_id=5d65b4f3665c4fbe8523fa9c9306d8dc

1 hour ago, Microspeed said:

Evening,

 

Has anyone come up with a solution for a rear ARB?   

 

The front one is a bolt on from a carnage/zorro but the rear has no holes to fit the body brackets.

 

I've seen a few DIY versions but wondered if anyone had found a oem solution from another model/make?

 

Since I swapped for brushless and 3s I need to address the twisting issue!

 

My DR8 has no issues and that's got them fitted but they are the wrong shape to fit the outlaw, which needs a more U shaped ARB.

 

I'll buy some ali bar and bend it myself if that's the only way, just wanted to ask before I went that route.

 

Thanks, Mark.

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164944662452?hash=item266777cfb4:g:jAYAAOSwKQhg4nNr

These work, but the bar is cheese metal, either use the outlaw one and grind off more surface for the grub screws or get paino wire.

Edited December 4, 2021 by Redback

[Buggy Malone]

The shock rod was fairly easy to fix so the car is back on the road again. 

 

I've taken someone's advice in this thread and have subsequently stretched the front springs by 30mm before reseating them. It has made a big difference to the stiffening-up of the front end.

[Buggy Malone]

Run-8 today:

 

I read somewhere on this forum that the easiest way to destroy a buggy was to take it to the BMX track.......so that's what I did.

 

"How hard can it be", I said.

 

I've now bent the sway bar, broken the right upper sway bar link, chipped a bit off the rear right frame, cracked the bodyshell and cracked the mount which usually holds the spare tyre.

 

I'm just pleased I like fixing stuff.

 

Give me a few days and I'll be back at the BMX track for take-2.

[Stormbringer]

21 hours ago, Buggy Malone said:

Run-8 today:

 

I read somewhere on this forum that the easiest way to destroy a buggy was to take it to the BMX track.......so that's what I did.

 

"How hard can it be", I said.

 

I've now bent the sway bar, broken the right upper sway bar link, chipped a bit off the rear right frame, cracked the bodyshell and cracked the mount which usually holds the spare tyre.

 

I'm just pleased I like fixing stuff.

 

Give me a few days and I'll be back at the BMX track for take-2.

Glutton for punishment 

[Buggy Malone]

3 hours ago, Stormbringer said:

Glutton for punishment 

 

 LOL, you're bang-on the nail. I've already fixed the buggy from yesterday's fiasco but I have a hunch that I'll be doing a few more repairs by the end of the week.

 

I'm really enjoying the car though - it's a fantastic model to help a beginner like me understand the sport.

 

You guys have been fab with the info and the help 

 

 

[Buggy Malone]

Run-9 today and I've broken it again (The front right suspension arm this time). 9 runs and 6 breaks too date.

 

It almost went into the garbage bin but the missus said I should repair it; I'm always bloody repairing it!!

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Buggy Malone

[Iain .R]

11 minutes ago, Buggy Malone said:

Run-9 today and I've broken it again (The front right suspension arm this time). 9 runs and 6 breaks too date.

 

It almost went into the garbage bin but the missus said I should repair it; I'm always bloody repairing it!!

 

 

 

Turning it back on to its wheels and repairing it is the two things that you do with outlaw m8 . It's just how they are . I find repaing them as much fun as driving them   the wait for the posty is the pi$$or part  so I have a large set of spares for them now  I didnt when I 1st started  but once you drive them you know what brakes and buy extra . 

[Buggy Malone]

2 hours ago, Iain .R said:

Turning it back on to its wheels and repairing it is the two things that you do with outlaw m8 . It's just how they are . I find repaing them as much fun as driving them   the wait for the posty is the pi$$or part  so I have a large set of spares for them now  I didnt when I 1st started  but once you drive them you know what brakes and buy extra . 

 

That sounds about right Iain - the fun is in the fixing but I'll be honest with you mate and say that my sense of humour did leave the building today :-)

 

I think my frustration stemmed from the fact that I'm missing a part for my new Vantage and now the Outlaw is off-line so there nothing to play with.

 

Perhaps I should buy a third RC usuable Car as it's clear that it'll be in demand when the first two are knackered.

 

I'll speak to the missus now and see what she has to say 

 

[walkbythesea]

The Outlaw is a strange beast indeed, there’s no denying that they can be fragile out of the box, but with some focused fettling they can become really fun reliable buggies. 
 

I absolutely adore mine and have had it up over 50mph and also landed big air safely, it’s an absolute hoot

[Buggy Malone]

On 13/12/2021 at 20:21, walkbythesea said:

The Outlaw is a strange beast indeed, there’s no denying that they can be fragile out of the box, but with some focused fettling they can become really fun reliable buggies. 
 

I absolutely adore mine and have had it up over 50mph and also landed big air safely, it’s an absolute hoot

 

Yep, I totally agree. I got my replacement part today (lower right suspension arm) so I'm RTR again :-)

 

I don't have the skill yet to run a buggy at 40mph never mind 50mph so hats off to you mate