To 40 series or not to 40 series, that is the question

Man, im just torn with what to do here. I REALLY wanna put 40 series Big Joe tires on my Flux along with Axials 40 series 8 spoke beadlock rims but I'm hearing peeps cry out "No, the axials are crap, they won't hold the bead!" or "You'll ruin your diffs and tranny with that extra weight, don't do it, 40 series are for shelf queens" The stock tire size looks just so...boring. Monster trucks are BIG and have BIG tires damnit!



Arrrgh, I refuse to believe that my awesome Flux will have a hard time running 40 series tires with the torque that thing puts out. I"m a general all around basher, so i'll be doing everything from slow dirt hill climbs to flying up dirt ramps and doing jumps and flips like below:










But after the disaster that I found from this guy, I dunno if i'll ever attempt 6S power at this rate. Then again, he did make some poor decisions but it seems 6S is just pushing the saftely envelope to close for comfort

http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20951
http://www.savage-central.com/module...81425&start=40

I just wanna stick with 44/20 gearing using 4S and I don't see how it would be a problem with 40 series. The speed calculator indicates I should be safe with that gearing and tires, so I don't see what everyone is having a hissy fit about.

Differential Ratio: 3.3076923076923075
Transmission Ratio: 2.215277777777778
Other Ratio: 1
Spur Tooth Count: 44
Pinion Tooth Count: 20
Total Voltage: 14.8
Motor KV: 2200
Tire Diameter (inches): 6.4
Tire Ballooning (inches): .5
Motor Current Draw: 0
Motor coil Ω: 0.006
Spur/Pinion Ratio: 2.2 : 1
Total Ratio: 16.12041 : 1
Tire Circumference (inches): 23.25 inches (590.49 mm)
Total Motor Speed: 32560 RPM
Vehicle Speed: 44.47 mph (71.43 km/h)
Effective KV Value: 2200
KT constant: 0.61 oz-in/A

I don't like the look or the price of Prolines 40 series beadlocks, I much prefer Axials





But peeps are crying bloody murder that the Axials won't hold or last as this guy shows. Is this really a problem or just someone with bad luck?

http://www.savage-central.com/module...81425&start=60



Other peeps are telling me I should just get Maximizer beadlocks with 1/2'' offset but I still think it looks stupid and too "Baja" truck looking, not "MONSTER" truck looking



Any advise or suggestions would be greatly appreciate. However, I WILL NOT BE GLUING ANY TIRES WHATSOEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. I HATE, HATE, HATE, HATE GLUING TIRES. So don't bother suggesting it, mkay? Its beadlocks, or nothing.

[lincpimp]

Weigh one of your stock tires. And find the weights of the wheels and tires you plan to use. The 40 series bowties have a very small sidewall so that is why that beadlock did not survive, if he has a masher or big joe on it would most likely have survived. Looks like he hit a curb, so no ones fault but his own.

[Arct1k]

Its the beadlocks - Never could get them to take with brushless power...

Glue is the way to go...

Other people do it, so I'm inclined to disagree

[blueb8llz]

the axial beadlocks have smaller screws which doesnt hold them as tight. i believe i read that the maximizers hold up way better. the Maximizer X-75 beadlocks was a popular choice. but the trick is to change out all the stock screws with a slightly bigger titanium screw, and it will hold up to bl power.

Well, after hearing a bunch of different theories and opinions from unknown and some unreliable peeps on the web, I decided just to go to the man himself at my LHS and asked him what felt about the whole 40 series debacle.

His following is his approx responses after I asked questions about the pluses and minuses of going 40 series tires on my Flux and the possible bad results from what I heard online:

"For the most part, THEY are correct. 40 series tire is alot of extra weight and strain on almost any R/C truck. The Big Joe and others have reduced treadwall vs the standard 3.2'' which makes them less likey to balloon but reduces shock absorbation which is never good unless you never jump. If you go to the Big Moabs with more sidewall, great! But now you've got even more tire to power. Either case, you've got alot more strain on your diffs and driveshafts that usually results in bad things or just alot of strain on the motor, nitro's especially.

Hey then showed me a HUGE ass tire that was even bigger then the 40 series that was lying on the counter. The damn thing was like 4'' across and stood 2'' taller then the stock Flux wheel!!

"I'm working a guy's 3.3 Revo that had these guys on it, and he wondered why he burnt out his motor and clutch. Pick that up and imagine a TRX 3.3 trying to move 4 of those"

I picked up and sure enough, that was helluva lot of tire, even just glued to a simple chrome rim. I was starting to think that there actually was something to this.

"Those big ass tires are really meant for crawlers or slow R/C trucks like the Summit or a big ass nitro engine like the Savage XL, something that just won't be going that fast or just has the power to move that much weight, but its still gonna be hard on the drivetrain"

After thinking a few, I stated the following:

"Hmmm, well alot of online peeps state that you should really gear down if want to go that big on tires, but then your loose your speed and cool factor as a result. In which case, it really negates the point of spending the money on a high end brushless truck like the Flux just for it to crawl around at Traxxas Summit speeds with big ass tires "

He replies:

"I would agree with that. Honestly, stock 3.2'' monster tires are really best all around for speed/bashing/and racing with lots of different options. The Maximizer beadlocks would work just fine with brushless like the Flux, just make sure to really crank the beads down and probably tape the insides"

*Sigh* Well, looks like i'll go with some 1/2'' offset white Maximizer beadlocks and some ProLine Badlands after all, the same that I had on my Revo 3.3 two years ago. Owell, I guess a balance of all things sometimes is the best option.

Thanks all for your input and advise, guess I just needed to hear the facts in my face before they sunk in.

[blueb8llz]

i think your making the right move with not going 40 series. honestly, i was in your exact same position, one year ago. i really wanted 40 series....big joes to be exact too. but after lots of researching, i decided not to go with 40 series. i wanted bigger tires because i could climb over taller objects, but i came to realize that your only able to climb over things just a tad taller vs stock size tires. my friend has tall tires and i can pretty much climb everything he can. it only makes a slight difference. but in some cases, that difference can get you out of a rucust and not get stuck.

there was a guy from a diff. forum that literally tried all the popular tires available, and the best all around tire he used were proline mulchers. they are a bit taller than stock and are pretty light. but the best thing is, they have the BEST traction he has ever seen!! badlands cant even compare to those. and if you want to go a bit taller, second runner up is the losi super bolt ons. they also have better grip/traction than the badlands. definetly consider those two, or at least research those two tires i just mentioned. good luck

[JERRY2KONE]

CHECK THIS THREAD OUT.

http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/show...8&goto=newpost

I kind of had the same questions that you did, but decided to go the Axial route with 40 series anyway. Gluing is just a PITA and just does not seem right to me. Personally I really like the setup and if you put the wheels together correctly they hold up just fine. As for the extra weight and or strain on your setup well you just have to make sure that you build your truck right for what you are doing with it. IMHO it is like you stated in the first place. If you play with a monster truck it should be big and beefy. That is just what a monster truck is. The stock wheel setup works great and that is why the MFR put them on there in the first place. So it is a personal preference thing as usual. Your not racing with the Pros on a track so the extra weight is not that big of an issue anyway. If you go big you just have to set your truck up to handle whatever you throw at it. If the motor is not fast enough, then go with a bigger motor. If you need stronger diffs, axles, or whatever, then rebuild your truck so it holds up. Thats the thing about this hobby. If you go stock, then you roll with everyone else. If that is your goal, then great. I like building rigs that are bigger, tougher, stronger, and faster then the rest. Your wheels are a big part of this factor and you have to go with what makes you feel happy about your setup. Take a look at that thread of "To glue or not to glue? It has some good tips for making your Axial/40 series wheels work well if that is the look and setup you wish to run. Good luck with whatever you decide, and have fun with it.

[BL_RV0]

IMO With the black body on the flux, go with black beadlocks.

Originally Posted by BL_RV0

IMO With the black body on the flux, go with black beadlocks.

I am custom painting a body with Blue/White/Silver colors, so the stock color will be soon bye bye

[fastbaja5b]

Similar topic but is a set of Terrapins pushing a stock gearing set up on the Flux on 4s too far? They are 170mm (6.69 inches)

[Unsullied_Spy]

If you really want the 40s then go for it. You'll need to gear down to compensate for the size and weight of the tires, you'll go through wheel bearings faster, and it's harder on driveshafts and diffs but maintenance is all a part of the hobby and if you're getting the wheels/tires that you want I'd say it's worth it. I'm keeping the 40 series tires on my Losi Muggy because I think it looks a lot better with them and I like the way the stock tires perform (Losi 420s are basically 40 series with a different hex, and the stock King Pin tires are great!) I haven't had any wheel bearings go bad in the 100+ hours of hard use I've put on it and I've only killed 1 diff and have since done some work to it to make them last better so IMO it's worth it if you really want them.

[nitrostarter]

Why not go with the Axial 8-spoke wheels that require gluing? They look great!

[JERRY2KONE]

If you read his first post he does not want to use glued tires any longer. I feel the same way. I like my Axial beadlocks with 40 series tires. Like I stated if you build your vehicle to stand up to the type of punishment that you throw at it, then you will have the kind of truck you are looking for. You can go two ways with this. Purchase and install the wheels you want and repair whatever breaks in your drivetrain, or look closely at your setup and start getting the upgrades that you know you will need and rebuild your truck once you have everything in hand.

[nitrostarter]

Originally Posted by JERRY2KONE

If you read his first post he does not want to use glued tires any longer...

I understood that, but for what his is looking for and is worried about ripping beads, gluing tires are the only way to go.