Phil, the reason they went for softer tires in the rear is because the front tires actually “Ballon” way more than the rear tires on any 4x4 RC. Remember , the front tires are the ones that tend to lift off the ground a lot and like I mentioned before that’s on any RC? Love your videos and humor. 🙂💯👍😅
Looks like the rustler and slash diffs fit in the truck also haven't seen anybody run the center diff as well. Hopefully that will solve the diff issues.
I'm fairly certain that the center differential upgrade will at least dramatically reduce breakages on 3S but you'll be into the truck for more than 450 USD once you buy it and it's associated bits along with the 3S system. That's a pretty big investment.
I mean the mini revo for all the hate it gets with its diffs still handles 3s better than this. Why didn’t they just include a stock slipper. Plenty of tenth scale vehicles run locked slippers with more rotating mass delivering shock to the diff and blow less. The truck as a whole just doesn’t seem like it was truly engineered for the 3s upgrade without another $200 just in parts upgrades not including the 3s electronics. My guess is once you do 3s you’ll need the center diff, front and rear diffs, all metal drive shafts. Sounds like a money pit, and that coming from someone that put plenty of money into mini revo’s.
If they would have just charged 350 and made it bullet proof we would all be loving it and only cry about the price. As is we’re crying about the price anyway and it’s garbage.
Been getting my butt kicked on this subject Tomley😂. Traxxas Guys Roll Hard For Their Products. You once again have truly proven all the controversy behind this release. Great Video Bro.
Wild guess. I think you can hear a slight "click" when the diff broke the 2nd time. It was mid air, you applied quite a bit throttle and then hit the brake hard for air control. You showed us that the rear tires balloon a bit more. So maybe they have more "leverage" on the axle when you brake, which is just enough to destroy the diff, while the front tires have less "leverage" so it wont break the diff. Would be interesting to try front tires on the rear and try again. Or Traxxas just want´s you to buy the optional slipper clutch :D
I was at my LHS last week and ended up cancelling my Mini Maxx preorder and paid the difference and took home an MT10 instead. Looks like I made the right decision
@@5280Recreation yeah. i love the supposed needle between them. talbot talks to the parents, tries to explain why the kids are so excited and tomley talks to the kids, tells them which one is best to get because mum and dad know nothing and santa only once a year. :)
Well here’s my take, this was expected. Not because it’s traxxas, that everyone loves to hate. But because regardless of what traxxas “claims”, this vehicle was not meant for 3s. All these RC manufacturers put out stuff they “claim” can be upgraded with tons of shiny expensive parts to make them faster. When I saw this thing, common sense told me this was not something that should be upgraded to 3s even if it could, regardless that traxxas claimed it could be. This vehicle is a 2s mini basher and that’s it. I still like it and will definitely get one. But mine will stay box stock 2s so I can enjoy it. If I feel the 3s itch happen, I’ll break out my 3s Arrma granite. Nice informative video, Phil. You’re actually verifying what a lot of us old school RC guys already realized once looking at it.
They have a center differential and metal center drive shaft available eventually. But you're right they shouldn't advertise 3s capable without modifications.
I had a good time stock… but the fact they advertise the VXL system as an upgrade… and even give you a predicted speed… I’d say they are completely to blame if people break them this easy
No buddy, cars like this are begging for 3s power. Traxxas just dropped the ball big time. Phil just showed us all we needed to know. They lied about the durable 10 scale construction they used on this mini. The diffs are clearly never going to be 3s capable.
I want one with the VXL but I would run 2s for bashing and 3s only for speed runs. I view it like my e-maxx brushless edition, it will run 6s but anything other than speed runs it will grenade itself, so I run 4s.
@ 100% agree. It’s a shame these RC companies are allowed to claim these things can be upgraded and handle higher speeds when in all reality, a lot of them can’t.
The workers at the hobby shops by me say to never use the self righting with any Traxxas. They say it breaks the differential. Never push that self righting button
I have been told that as well since the 6S X-Maxx was dropped. Every time I go and buy the newest one they still say "dont use the self righting button!" and there will generally be 2 on the bench getting warranty diffs. LOL
Nothing like Traxxas quality! I used to hate them because of issues like this,gotten used to it over the years,but they definitely market well or they wouldn't sell at all!
Change the wheels so your running the same compound all round, could be because of the rear wheels expanding more changing the front/rear ratios on the internal gears somehow🤷
The rears are sticker to help it wheely. Running on 3s with a lot more power, sticky tires and no slipper or center diff means shredded rear diff. I will bet the VXL version will come with the center diff.
Once a company is geared up (!!) for CNC machining gears from decent heat treated steel for all of their models, it cannot be that expensive to implement them? I'm sure most people would take a hit to the fancy paint schemes to get totally reliable mechanical components.
Traxxas, we’ll sell you the problem AND the solution! 😂 I think anyone that’s been in the hobby long enough knows better than to keep buying Traxxas. Other than the UDR and the TRX4/M I’ve never been impressed with anything they’ve come out with. I don’t personally own a UDR but I love the scale design and size, but I don’t trust anything Traxxas makes that goes over 15mph.
Sad for you. Ive owned a second hand X-maxx for almost a year now and the only thing I've replaced are wheels/tires, bodies and bumpers. No major issues and LOADS of fun.
I’m surprised how nice you are being about how bad this v1 Traxxas has been. Hopefully they see YOUR video and make the necessary updates. You were more than fair and they should have it down by now how to release a v1 that delivers what they advertise.
Thanks for that info Phil! On my 4S Maxx I have been running the stock fronts with Proline badlands in the rear for a couple years now as it made the rig the most stable and easy to control on the ground AND the air. Seeing Traxxas seeing a similar compound difference tells me I may have been onto something. LOL
It’s a shame that traxxas has gone in this direction. My first car was a traxxas slash in 2008. Ran perfect and did everything I need. Traxxas has been going downhill and just re releasing minor variants of old cars. The new Bigfoot for example. Id like to see a solid axle monster truck from them. Can’t imaging the price though
@@ZoomyZoom77 I had to sell my most hard to replace tamiyas (txt 1 boxed, tt01 full build race rtr, tc01 fully modded :( ) as my real car broke down. Totally utterly gutted.
Why is it so bad that Traxxas rereleases old variants of their old cars such as the slash and rustler? The slash platform is a very tough and reliable platform that has been selling great for years so that’s why they keep building off of it, and with the xmaxx/maxx/mini maxx, they have just been making shrunk down versions of the xmaxx which has proven to be a great truck. Arrma has been doing the same thing with their cars, most of their 2 and 3s cars have been following the same platform for years and they have not changed it, and it is the same with the 4s/6s/8s trucks because they are all based off of one another
I really enjoy your video's, and hope I can provide a perspective as a hobby store owner. (We are the biggest Exclusive dealer for Traxxas in the west coast. US). It's definitely the self-righting feature with the issues you are having. Our team took it to the local skate park and didn't have the issues you are having with our installed 3s system. But then again, we didn't use the self righting features. Love the honest and unbiased reviews tho! Some of the well known content creators were hating on Traxxas for not taking part of the affiliate compensations link and pushing brands that paid to review. 😂😂😂
Thank God Tomley ate a Snickers bar! He wasn't quite himself in that last Mini Maxx video. He turns into a right Traxxas fan boy when he's not had his Snickers bar! 🙂
It having softer tyres on the rear will raise the back at higher speeds to keep it level, which would keep it more stable at higher speeds. Maybe a reason why they've done it, it would make sense because it's a small car, stability isn't normally a strong point with smaller cars.
My guess on the stiffer front tires is they KNEW that the diff is an issue and they wanted to make sure that you weren't going to blow the tire off the rim when the rear diff inevitably destroys itself.
Exactly why I didn’t get one.. I instead got the Arrma Typhon and Mojave BLX groms. Mojave still on order but the Typhon is so great I got two! If Traxxas upgraded this to a proper 3S vehicle I’m passing and sticking with my regular maxx. That one is tough as nails
My 6yr old wants his first crawler after toy grade experience and disappointment in lack of power and climb ability. Are you able to suggest a $100usd with an RC that a little one could handle? Hand size and such.
You did me a great service with making me do my own research, I almost bought into the whole Traxxas ecosystem, found out their electronics needed replacing so now that money is going towards a SCX6 that I got 20% off. I know they're 2 completely diff vehicles, but I wanted something to play around with when walking the dog. I've made the right choice it seems to by this video.
Since the drive train is advertised as 10th scale would it be possible to install the diff from a different 10th scale Traxxas in the mini max? The Rustler 4x4vxl or the Slash 4x4vxl for example?
What paddle tires did you use? I haven’t gotten my mini yet. Supposed to be here next week. But I want a set of paddles for fun in the snow during the winter
This is super helpful! We planned to go vxl right away. But now, we will wait until Traxxas sorts this out. If only the bl-2s had just a little more in it, that would have been great. Bummer, but we are going to wait.
It's a level one skill toy. It works pretty damn good out of the box on 2s. If you want to overpower it you need to upgrade the drivetrain, simple as that. Unfortunately they didn't write it on the box but even I heard multiple times before it was released that it will require drivetrain upgrades to go 3s. I think people to need to take it down a notch.
Can you please get the kraton 6s v6 asap and let us know the difference between v5 and v6. Was considering ordering a v5 but just noticed the v6 on arrma's site. Prefer the look of the v5...don't like the body colors on v6 but the fact that it exists makes me wonder what's improved and if I should go for the ugly updated v6 or go for the v5 that looks good?. Also now that v6 is out will they stop making parts for the v5 and discontinue it?
I worked in a hobby shop for a while and one of the first things we told people that were looking at vehicles which had self righting was to not do that. It’s insanely destructive. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Second thing i relate back to the full size cars. You can’t expect gearing to hold up when you add a motor that has 50% more power. Put NOS on your car and upgrade nothing else and see what happens. I’m not defending Traxxas at all. Same thing happens when crawlers switch from brushed to brushless. I’d rather have the 1/16 Erevo that’s already 3s capable out of the box.
I don't think having 2 different sets of tires is going to be kind to a drive train without a slipper clutch. Get more grip in the rear than the front, strip out your spur gear. 7:45 it's not "pot metal" it's called sintering, where you take shavings of steel and press them with heat to make a gear out of powdered steel. And Traxxas use sintered steel for their Xmaxx spurs as well.
It is impossible for me in my country to get Rlaarlo parts in less than an hour in any hobby or toy store. This is one of the reasons why I bought some traxxas models, their after sales service is excellent, and their cars are as good as some arrma I had for example. I don't know where you live but you are really lucky to be able to find Rlaarlo parts so quickly.
A bit of a long shot phill but you don't happen to have rustler/ stampede/ slash 4x4 diff knocking around? The ring gear looks similar size physically same output shafts as go on basically same driveshafts and what looks like the same bearing size. The only issue will be getting the pinion gear in but a bit of gerry rigging and spacers may be a solution
This is the same problem I had with my E-Revo brushless first gen. It didn't had a center diff, the thing was made of glass every single time I played with it the diffs would break.
great video, no punches pulled and you have stopped me dead in my tracks from getting one......okay that was a lie as i just dont buy traxxarse, these diffs should NOT blow on one pack not even after 10 packs i bet even stock on 2s the rear is gonna quit after short time
A few people are blaming my driving… but fail to realise I drive the same with everything, and nothing has broken this quickly out of the small scale stuff
The Rlaarlo Omni Carbon must be built different in the UK. I’ve had three in the US and each one was built terribly and had lots of issues. Electronics failing, diff issues, broken steering components, missing parts, etc CS is in China. Takes about a month to get any replacement parts. Their aluminum upgrades,ie diff cover were burred up bad and sharp af
That's too bad. I know I have heard that you have to be careful about doing a lot of self righting. But, the diff should hold up a lot better. I think if you contact Traxxas or the seller you can get a replacement. I am sure you're not the only one with that experience. It's good you did your test. It may save some people trouble. You have tested some great small bashers. From what I've seen one of the best, which came out recently, is the Rlaarlo Omni Terminator, It's on sale right now.
My sweet spot so far is a VXL-3s kit on the 2s battery. Got 43 out of it and hasn't broken. Yet. Plus lose that crappy servo for an Amazon 40kg, $27 servo.
can you give me the exact dimensions of the wheel base, width, clearance height, pinch the tires harder for me and oh yeah, tell me the in price in CAD$ AND Rupees. kthxby
Good review. I am surprised at the diff weakness, the max series has always been pretty reliable. I always had diff trouble with my summit, actually with all my older traxxas rigs. I have gone away from traxxas in the past years. The crawlers are well made and like I said the maxx series has seemed reliable
This is the same problem that plagued my 1/16 Traxxas Revo Vxl. On 1 pack nimh or 2s it was fine, throw in 2 nimh packs or a 3s and I cannot tell you how many diffs I destroyed. There was finally a solution which was the center diff plus making sure the front and rear diffs were shimmed perfectly. It fixed my merv but at the cost of time and money and speed, it may be doing 37-40 now not 50 on 3s and 2 nimh packs. It was a solution to a problem that should not have existed and it seems the trend continues with the new mini line the mini maxx which is super disappointing as I have my 4s Maxx and love it and had high expectations of this mini.
Well this issue sure seems like a throw back to the 1/16 Erevo VXL days.. diff after diff.. while the box advertises 3S brushless is okay. They should have put in a center diff..
It needs to center death. So you stop blowing out the rear diff. The frontiers are built-in, so it'll keep power to the rear. The validity of 3 means to centerday.I need a lou vuitton center drive
My first brushless set up was in a 2wd stampede. I made it virtually indestructible except the diff gears! By far weakest link! Went to the proline pro 32 gearbox and I’m still on original gears lol
Wonder how long the diffs last with the stock system? Some plastic diffs. are more durable. So stock system and center diff upgrade is probably the sweet spot. Maybe also bit smaller tires.
Different wheel diameter means different speeds, so, you get torque differences between front and rear axles. Thats why they break. I think it should work if you have the same compound wheels front and rear.
9:55 I hear the diff say goodbye when you tap the brake.. not when you landed.. like you said when self righting, with full power forward then instantly backwards... the diff takes the wheel momentum when the motor snaps into forward/reverse.. for the money spent on traxxis I'd expect either; servo operated disc brake on the centre driveshaft, or like losi dirtbike disc and caliper mounted on diff housing so one servo could operate 2 calipers. preventing mid air mutilation But no solution to the self righting self destruction. IDEA! CAN YOU EITHER "WELD THE DIFF SOLID" OR INSTALL A SOLID SHAFT WITH SUN GEAR? MAYBE A SOLID AXLE SOLID DIFF COULD FIT
I have had my Mini Maxx for 2 days now and I can’t use reverse to brake, it just coasts until it stops. It has to come to full stop before I can put it into reverse or drive. No programming options to fix it, I’m not really regretting buying this truck.
Don't know if anyone has said this already but I think traxxas did the different compound on the tires to hold the front end down more. If the rear expand more than it should push the front end down more
Swap the tires around? Maybe the soft tires are gripping too much and killing the diff. If they say it can handle the vxl3s system though then it should handle it.
This was a great video, great size comparison too, thanks especially for that. Do you think the cold temps made a diff-erence (sorry) in how easily the gears broke?
So like the new Jato just wait for the VXL which will have the upgrades including the centre diff which is much needed especially when using the VXL system on 3s. Any high powered rc vehicle should either have a slipper clutch or a centre differential
As many people have said, traxxas strongly recommends the center diff for 3s conversations. It should help to save that rear diff. Traxxas doesn't say it's 3s rtr. They say it's 3s capable* . There is a difference. Now, do I think that traxxas is using us to test the platform for a full-blown 3s capable one, yes. Is that ethical or acceptable? No. However arrma did the exact same thing with the groms
This was going to be my first traxxas since the nitro roster, oh well. It's far more entertaining to troll people who continue to over spend only to end up with shredded monkey metal😂😂😂
It's pretty clear to see what Traxxas has done here. They installed a vulgar display of overpower. So that they can sell more differentials after the original point of sale you know they had to test it and you know they have to know those gifts are going to blow up . Yet they chose not to do nothing about it as they figured they'll pass the issue on to the customer and make a killing off the customer in spare parts. And everybody wonders why I called Traxxas the evil t
Man, I remember Traxxas as a "budget" brand and they made their RC's to that spec. Sure, they would break, but parts "WERE" cheap.....Now days, I just don't understand. Too many gullible Traxxas fans, I'm sure of that. The thing is, the mini maxx isn't really that *mini*. It's basically, a 1/12 scale, which, while smaller than the Maxx, I honestly don't consider this a mini.
@TomleyRC bearing sizes match with slash in the exploded view and driveshaft connection is the same. The question is the tooth profile and other dimensions. It worth a try.
Interessantes ind informatifes video. Aber sind diese Planetendifferenziale evtl. nicht so gut wie die normalen 4 Spyder Diffs? Also Kegelraddifferenziale sind doch sonst in allen Autos. Und beim Rustler VXL gibt es auch keine Probleme mit den Diffs.😮
@TomleyRC it's what the traxxas reps tell you that it needs to be upgraded with a center diff and metal driveshaft to handle the power and distribute the power when upgrading to the vxl. Watch the Vegas videos the rep explains it all
What a bag O' balls.!! £280.!! 🤯 😲 🤯 It's not that the Chinese manufacturers are beating the big names... It's that the big names are literally just handing Chinese manufacturers the W.!! Arrma seems to be finally understanding the market... Just.! 😉
Wow.. this is extremely disappointing. I was genuinely super excited to see a Mini Maxx platform.. especially the possibility at a Mini Maxx Slash.. these were going to be on my list. But absolutely are not now. Awkward on 2S, fragile as glass on 3S.. on top of already terrible MAXX handling and painful maintenance. Just more garbage
When the stock VXL version is available no doubt it will probably come with a slipper or center diff. Maybe a TQI radio as well, probably gonna be around £400. Which would be crazy for this size truck. In the meantime if you want to build a VXL version your self, purchasing the VXL system, TQI radio & center diff, probably gonna be closer to £500 with including the price of the original truck. The Mini Max is over priced & under built.
I saw the price of this thing, and thought plastic shocks, plastic telescopic shafts instead is cvd/dogbone, and plastic gears. Without the vxl system it is very underwhelming. They just seem to make bad diffs on the first versions. Overall this thing is a fail. But I'm sure it will sell a ton because it's Traxxas.
See, that's one of the reasons I won't buy Traxxas. At the pricepoint I can afford literally everyone else provides metal in the places it makes sense.
Same exact thing happened with the X-maxx Gen 1 and the shit diffs they had in it, i got so tored of replacing the damn things just feom jumpinf american rounded Curbs (no joke) i traded it (highly modified with castle xlx/2028 setup and mutliple upgrades, I only ran it on 6s) I traded it for a highly aluminum modded dbxl. Now I have an 8s X-maxx and never a problem or broken part, just bent bumpers.
@JohnSmith-ef8nr Looks like we can add swaybars, but they don't seem to have released them yet. I want to order some. Unless they come fitted but weren't on pre-production models.
@TomleyRC I'm trying some ripp off H.R racing diffs from ebay. Saying that they use the stock internals. I have used supper thick diff fluid tho I'm sure that will help with the shock. But I've have my summit for 5 years now and the diffs have always let me down . But I've have 5 good runns with the new diff and it's the best it's ever been also running buggy indoor racing weels and tyers on it now to keep the wheels light. It's alot of fun now. Cheers dude ✌️
Try putting a center differential then go 3 s its not made to handle the power in stock form seems people put power in without thinking its direct drive and blow diffs out
@TomleyRC holy shit you replied lol okay thank you I have one pre ordered(im in the USA so Wednesday we get them) and wanted to go 3s and don't wanna go down the same path as you and go thru diffs
Win a NEW Stock Traxxas Mini Maxx here: raffall.com/370493/enter-raffle-to-win-a-new-traxxas-mini-maxx-hosted-by-phil-harrison
Traxxas need to use machined metal, not the stupid sintered steel stuff
Phil, the reason they went for softer tires in the rear is because the front tires actually “Ballon” way more than the rear tires on any 4x4 RC. Remember , the front tires are the ones that tend to lift off the ground a lot and like I mentioned before that’s on any RC? Love your videos and humor. 🙂💯👍😅
Looks like the rustler and slash diffs fit in the truck also haven't seen anybody run the center diff as well. Hopefully that will solve the diff issues.
I'm fairly certain that the center differential upgrade will at least dramatically reduce breakages on 3S but you'll be into the truck for more than 450 USD once you buy it and it's associated bits along with the 3S system. That's a pretty big investment.
I mean the mini revo for all the hate it gets with its diffs still handles 3s better than this. Why didn’t they just include a stock slipper. Plenty of tenth scale vehicles run locked slippers with more rotating mass delivering shock to the diff and blow less. The truck as a whole just doesn’t seem like it was truly engineered for the 3s upgrade without another $200 just in parts upgrades not including the 3s electronics. My guess is once you do 3s you’ll need the center diff, front and rear diffs, all metal drive shafts. Sounds like a money pit, and that coming from someone that put plenty of money into mini revo’s.
The mini erevo was 299 ten years ago and much better.
If they would have just charged 350 and made it bullet proof we would all be loving it and only cry about the price. As is we’re crying about the price anyway and it’s garbage.
Yes.. upgrading an already expensive car just makes it pointless
@@TomleyRCthat’s exactly why I bought the HB Toys R1001 Beluga over a TRX4. Mines pretty heavily upgraded and still came out cheaper then a used trx4
This truck needs a slipper or something as standard. Having direct drive is kinda dumb especially with planetary differential gears.
Yes… seems they have cut some corners
@@TomleyRC what? Really? No slipper clutch in the mini maxx?
@@AsurasWrath164 Nope no slipper, it's direct drive. They have a slipper or center diffs as options.
@@robwiljas That is prety cheap of Traxxas. Should have slipper included.
Traxxas killing it ,in the wrong way
@@davekessing2266 good title 😅
😂 Made me snort I laughed so hard 😂🤣😂🤣
Been getting my butt kicked on this subject Tomley😂. Traxxas Guys Roll Hard For Their Products. You once again have truly proven all the controversy behind this release. Great Video Bro.
Haha.. it doesn’t matter what you say… the hardcore Traxxas fans will find an excuse and defend them
@@TomleyRC Yea i pretty give up tryna prove i dont hate traxxas, just dissapointed. See ya next vid
Vented motor so that traxxas can sell you another when all the dirt and dust gets in and kills it ! 😂😂
😅
Wild guess. I think you can hear a slight "click" when the diff broke the 2nd time. It was mid air, you applied quite a bit throttle and then hit the brake hard for air control. You showed us that the rear tires balloon a bit more. So maybe they have more "leverage" on the axle when you brake, which is just enough to destroy the diff, while the front tires have less "leverage" so it wont break the diff.
Would be interesting to try front tires on the rear and try again. Or Traxxas just want´s you to buy the optional slipper clutch :D
I was at my LHS last week and ended up cancelling my Mini Maxx preorder and paid the difference and took home an MT10 instead. Looks like I made the right decision
You won’t be disappointed the MT10 is fantastic. A little tricky to work on but you’ll hardly ever have to!
great choise
You know, Kev is falling off when you’re beating him to the TRAXXAS reviews😂😂
@@wheelsdownrc6348 you’d think a Traxxas fanboy like Kev would be first to get them 😅
@@TomleyRCwhat are you a fanboy of? Obviously you’re a Traxxas hater
@@TomleyRCHe would destroy it too. Great for TH-cam but I’m guessing a lot of kiddos will be smiling ear to ear this Christmas on 2S.
@@5280Recreation yeah. i love the supposed needle between them. talbot talks to the parents, tries to explain why the kids are so excited and tomley talks to the kids, tells them which one is best to get because mum and dad know nothing and santa only once a year. :)
Well here’s my take, this was expected. Not because it’s traxxas, that everyone loves to hate. But because regardless of what traxxas “claims”, this vehicle was not meant for 3s. All these RC manufacturers put out stuff they “claim” can be upgraded with tons of shiny expensive parts to make them faster. When I saw this thing, common sense told me this was not something that should be upgraded to 3s even if it could, regardless that traxxas claimed it could be. This vehicle is a 2s mini basher and that’s it. I still like it and will definitely get one. But mine will stay box stock 2s so I can enjoy it. If I feel the 3s itch happen, I’ll break out my 3s Arrma granite. Nice informative video, Phil. You’re actually verifying what a lot of us old school RC guys already realized once looking at it.
They have a center differential and metal center drive shaft available eventually. But you're right they shouldn't advertise 3s capable without modifications.
I had a good time stock… but the fact they advertise the VXL system as an upgrade… and even give you a predicted speed… I’d say they are completely to blame if people break them this easy
No buddy, cars like this are begging for 3s power. Traxxas just dropped the ball big time. Phil just showed us all we needed to know. They lied about the durable 10 scale construction they used on this mini. The diffs are clearly never going to be 3s capable.
I want one with the VXL but I would run 2s for bashing and 3s only for speed runs. I view it like my e-maxx brushless edition, it will run 6s but anything other than speed runs it will grenade itself, so I run 4s.
@ 100% agree. It’s a shame these RC companies are allowed to claim these things can be upgraded and handle higher speeds when in all reality, a lot of them can’t.
The workers at the hobby shops by me say to never use the self righting with any Traxxas. They say it breaks the differential. Never push that self righting button
With the plastic gears, that's not surprising.
Gotta try it at least once tho
I have been told that as well since the 6S X-Maxx was dropped. Every time I go and buy the newest one they still say "dont use the self righting button!" and there will generally be 2 on the bench getting warranty diffs. LOL
It works like a champ on My 4x4 VXL Stampede and I have yet to blow a diff.
Kev said he's never blown a diff from doing it, that's good enough for me!
I don't know where traxxas is sourcing its metal from but I've seen plastic that's stronger than their cheap metal gears
Yeah, it’s certainly not great quality!
Nothing like Traxxas quality! I used to hate them because of issues like this,gotten used to it over the years,but they definitely market well or they wouldn't sell at all!
Change the wheels so your running the same compound all round, could be because of the rear wheels expanding more changing the front/rear ratios on the internal gears somehow🤷
That’s something I thought could be the issue… if the rear are ballooning and unbalancing the gear ratio it could easily lead to drive train issues
The rears are sticker to help it wheely. Running on 3s with a lot more power, sticky tires and no slipper or center diff means shredded rear diff. I will bet the VXL version will come with the center diff.
@TomleyRC I didn't think about if the wheel's were unbalanced but yeah that could definitely increase the chance of damage.
Once a company is geared up (!!) for CNC machining gears from decent heat treated steel for all of their models, it cannot be that expensive to implement them? I'm sure most people would take a hit to the fancy paint schemes to get totally reliable mechanical components.
Traxxas, we’ll sell you the problem AND the solution! 😂 I think anyone that’s been in the hobby long enough knows better than to keep buying Traxxas. Other than the UDR and the TRX4/M I’ve never been impressed with anything they’ve come out with. I don’t personally own a UDR but I love the scale design and size, but I don’t trust anything Traxxas makes that goes over 15mph.
@@VS666 they love doing this
Yes.. 100%
Sad for you.
Ive owned a second hand X-maxx for almost a year now and the only thing I've replaced are wheels/tires, bodies and bumpers.
No major issues and LOADS of fun.
Trx4,thats if something can be called almost perfect,but otherwise,nahj
I’m surprised how nice you are being about how bad this v1 Traxxas has been. Hopefully they see YOUR video and make the necessary updates.
You were more than fair and they should have it down by now how to release a v1 that delivers what they advertise.
The centre diff or slipper option might help
Thanks for that info Phil! On my 4S Maxx I have been running the stock fronts with Proline badlands in the rear for a couple years now as it made the rig the most stable and easy to control on the ground AND the air. Seeing Traxxas seeing a similar compound difference tells me I may have been onto something. LOL
It’s a shame that traxxas has gone in this direction. My first car was a traxxas slash in 2008. Ran perfect and did everything I need. Traxxas has been going downhill and just re releasing minor variants of old cars. The new Bigfoot for example. Id like to see a solid axle monster truck from them. Can’t imaging the price though
Think kyosho has a amazing solid axle truck as i wanted one but am poverty.
@@cutterbaconyessir I can relate, I sold all my RC cars a few months ago
@@ZoomyZoom77 I had to sell my most hard to replace tamiyas (txt 1 boxed, tt01 full build race rtr, tc01 fully modded :( ) as my real car broke down. Totally utterly gutted.
Why is it so bad that Traxxas rereleases old variants of their old cars such as the slash and rustler? The slash platform is a very tough and reliable platform that has been selling great for years so that’s why they keep building off of it, and with the xmaxx/maxx/mini maxx, they have just been making shrunk down versions of the xmaxx which has proven to be a great truck. Arrma has been doing the same thing with their cars, most of their 2 and 3s cars have been following the same platform for years and they have not changed it, and it is the same with the 4s/6s/8s trucks because they are all based off of one another
@@Fordhykerjet don’t you think it gets boring? I don’t want to buy 8 traxxas slash 4x4s. I’ll just have one
I really enjoy your video's, and hope I can provide a perspective as a hobby store owner. (We are the biggest Exclusive dealer for Traxxas in the west coast. US). It's definitely the self-righting feature with the issues you are having. Our team took it to the local skate park and didn't have the issues you are having with our installed 3s system. But then again, we didn't use the self righting features. Love the honest and unbiased reviews tho! Some of the well known content creators were hating on Traxxas for not taking part of the affiliate compensations link and pushing brands that paid to review. 😂😂😂
Thank God Tomley ate a Snickers bar! He wasn't quite himself in that last Mini Maxx video. He turns into a right Traxxas fan boy when he's not had his Snickers bar! 🙂
haha... that's brilliant 😅....
"get some nuts!"
It having softer tyres on the rear will raise the back at higher speeds to keep it level, which would keep it more stable at higher speeds. Maybe a reason why they've done it, it would make sense because it's a small car, stability isn't normally a strong point with smaller cars.
My guess on the stiffer front tires is they KNEW that the diff is an issue and they wanted to make sure that you weren't going to blow the tire off the rim when the rear diff inevitably destroys itself.
Exactly why I didn’t get one.. I instead got the Arrma Typhon and Mojave BLX groms. Mojave still on order but the Typhon is so great I got two! If Traxxas upgraded this to a proper 3S vehicle I’m passing and sticking with my regular maxx. That one is tough as nails
My 6yr old wants his first crawler after toy grade experience and disappointment in lack of power and climb ability. Are you able to suggest a $100usd with an RC that a little one could handle? Hand size and such.
You did me a great service with making me do my own research, I almost bought into the whole Traxxas ecosystem, found out their electronics needed replacing so now that money is going towards a SCX6 that I got 20% off.
I know they're 2 completely diff vehicles, but I wanted something to play around with when walking the dog.
I've made the right choice it seems to by this video.
Since the drive train is advertised as 10th scale would it be possible to install the diff from a different 10th scale Traxxas in the mini max? The Rustler 4x4vxl or the Slash 4x4vxl for example?
Oh man that hornet in the back that’s the only rc car I had growing up in the 80s
Was the other vehicle and diff you compared it too... also run in those frigid (snow on the ground) temperatures?
What paddle tires did you use? I haven’t gotten my mini yet. Supposed to be here next week. But I want a set of paddles for fun in the snow during the winter
This is super helpful! We planned to go vxl right away. But now, we will wait until Traxxas sorts this out. If only the bl-2s had just a little more in it, that would have been great. Bummer, but we are going to wait.
It's a level one skill toy. It works pretty damn good out of the box on 2s. If you want to overpower it you need to upgrade the drivetrain, simple as that. Unfortunately they didn't write it on the box but even I heard multiple times before it was released that it will require drivetrain upgrades to go 3s. I think people to need to take it down a notch.
Hey Phil i will have my mini Maxx this week (got 2 from LHS for my & I) do you-think the 1/16th VXL system would work in them? Thanks in advance
No sure… although it’s a bit heavier than the 1/16 stuff.. so might be a little under powered
@ hmmm ok it worth maybe taking a look into?
Are we thinking that the MiniMaxx will be ok if we leave it stock 2S, or is the thought that even the BL-2S system will shred the diffs?
Stock should be okay.... although I've seen at least 1 with a broken diff
Can you please get the kraton 6s v6 asap and let us know the difference between v5 and v6. Was considering ordering a v5 but just noticed the v6 on arrma's site. Prefer the look of the v5...don't like the body colors on v6 but the fact that it exists makes me wonder what's improved and if I should go for the ugly updated v6 or go for the v5 that looks good?. Also now that v6 is out will they stop making parts for the v5 and discontinue it?
I worked in a hobby shop for a while and one of the first things we told people that were looking at vehicles which had self righting was to not do that. It’s insanely destructive. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Second thing i relate back to the full size cars. You can’t expect gearing to hold up when you add a motor that has 50% more power. Put NOS on your car and upgrade nothing else and see what happens. I’m not defending Traxxas at all. Same thing happens when crawlers switch from brushed to brushless.
I’d rather have the 1/16 Erevo that’s already 3s capable out of the box.
I don't think having 2 different sets of tires is going to be kind to a drive train without a slipper clutch. Get more grip in the rear than the front, strip out your spur gear.
7:45 it's not "pot metal" it's called sintering, where you take shavings of steel and press them with heat to make a gear out of powdered steel.
And Traxxas use sintered steel for their Xmaxx spurs as well.
say no to Traxxas!!! expecially this time the mini maxx!!! Say hello to Rlaarlo! Everybody should try ! Omni termintor and ROG 1!!! Try, no doubt!
It is impossible for me in my country to get Rlaarlo parts in less than an hour in any hobby or toy store. This is one of the reasons why I bought some traxxas models, their after sales service is excellent, and their cars are as good as some arrma I had for example. I don't know where you live but you are really lucky to be able to find Rlaarlo parts so quickly.
Omni yes… Rog1 no.
Hey Tomley, is there any update for WlToys or SG RC?
There is a slipper and a center diff option for when you go for the vxl upgrade. Part number 10760 , 10760r and 10758.
A bit of a long shot phill but you don't happen to have rustler/ stampede/ slash 4x4 diff knocking around? The ring gear looks similar size physically same output shafts as go on basically same driveshafts and what looks like the same bearing size. The only issue will be getting the pinion gear in but a bit of gerry rigging and spacers may be a solution
This is the same problem I had with my E-Revo brushless first gen. It didn't had a center diff, the thing was made of glass every single time I played with it the diffs would break.
great video, no punches pulled and you have stopped me dead in my tracks from getting one......okay that was a lie as i just dont buy traxxarse, these diffs should NOT blow on one pack not even after 10 packs i bet even stock on 2s the rear is gonna quit after short time
A few people are blaming my driving… but fail to realise I drive the same with everything, and nothing has broken this quickly out of the small scale stuff
@@TomleyRC Nowt wrong with ya driving, simply the diffs are not up to claimed upgrade and bet they dont last so long on stock
The Rlaarlo Omni Carbon must be built different in the UK. I’ve had three in the US and each one was built terribly and had lots of issues. Electronics failing, diff issues, broken steering components, missing parts, etc CS is in China. Takes about a month to get any replacement parts. Their aluminum upgrades,ie diff cover were burred up bad and sharp af
That's too bad. I know I have heard that you have to be careful about doing a lot of self righting. But, the diff should hold up a lot better. I think if you contact Traxxas or the seller you can get a replacement. I am sure you're not the only one with that experience. It's good you did your test. It may save some people trouble. You have tested some great small bashers. From what I've seen one of the best, which came out recently, is the Rlaarlo Omni Terminator, It's on sale right now.
What are those gears made of and how cold was it outside when you blew multiple diffs?
I imagine it was freezing the center line on the bottom with the snow and ice.
My sweet spot so far is a VXL-3s kit on the 2s battery. Got 43 out of it and hasn't broken. Yet. Plus lose that crappy servo for an Amazon 40kg, $27 servo.
Is there an upgrade for the diffs
can you give me the exact dimensions of the wheel base, width, clearance height, pinch the tires harder for me and oh yeah, tell me the in price in CAD$ AND Rupees. kthxby
I’ll draft an email later with detailed measurements. Along with my credit card details and inside leg measurements (all the way up)
@TomleyRC I expect nothing less from a AAA TH-cam celeb....I'll be waiting
Good review. I am surprised at the diff weakness, the max series has always been pretty reliable. I always had diff trouble with my summit, actually with all my older traxxas rigs. I have gone away from traxxas in the past years. The crawlers are well made and like I said the maxx series has seemed reliable
This is the same problem that plagued my 1/16 Traxxas Revo Vxl. On 1 pack nimh or 2s it was fine, throw in 2 nimh packs or a 3s and I cannot tell you how many diffs I destroyed. There was finally a solution which was the center diff plus making sure the front and rear diffs were shimmed perfectly. It fixed my merv but at the cost of time and money and speed, it may be doing 37-40 now not 50 on 3s and 2 nimh packs. It was a solution to a problem that should not have existed and it seems the trend continues with the new mini line the mini maxx which is super disappointing as I have my 4s Maxx and love it and had high expectations of this mini.
Well this issue sure seems like a throw back to the 1/16 Erevo VXL days.. diff after diff.. while the box advertises 3S brushless is okay.
They should have put in a center diff..
or a slipper at least, very dumb transmission design
I'm pretty sure the cold temperature has a lot to do with how the components handle abuse, but the rear diff is pretty whack😮😅
Yeah, cold temps for the plastics. But the diff is 100% a weak point
It needs to center death. So you stop blowing out the rear diff. The frontiers are built-in, so it'll keep power to the rear. The validity of 3 means to centerday.I need a lou vuitton center drive
My first brushless set up was in a 2wd stampede. I made it virtually indestructible except the diff gears! By far weakest link! Went to the proline pro 32 gearbox and I’m still on original gears lol
If I’m not mistaken I think Traxxas is gonna offer a center diff as a hop up which is recommended when you switch to 3s
Way to go Traxxas. Overprice a "mini" and build it week. *UPGRADES!*........$$$$$$....😆
They make a center differential for them, right??
Wonder how long the diffs last with the stock system? Some plastic diffs. are more durable. So stock system and center diff upgrade is probably the sweet spot. Maybe also bit smaller tires.
Yes, stock with Centre diff should be pretty durable.
Isn’t there upgraded diffs on the accessories list? Just unavailable like all the other parts so far? Or are those just stock replacement diffs
No option for upgraded diffs at the moment
@ oh ok. Hopefully soon. What paddle tires did you use? I want to get a set for the winter here in Canada. I get my mini next week
Different wheel diameter means different speeds, so, you get torque differences between front and rear axles. Thats why they break. I think it should work if you have the same compound wheels front and rear.
Yes, could be the reason
9:55 I hear the diff say goodbye when you tap the brake.. not when you landed.. like you said when self righting, with full power forward then instantly backwards... the diff takes the wheel momentum when the motor snaps into forward/reverse.. for the money spent on traxxis I'd expect either; servo operated disc brake on the centre driveshaft, or like losi dirtbike disc and caliper mounted on diff housing so one servo could operate 2 calipers. preventing mid air mutilation But no solution to the self righting self destruction.
IDEA! CAN YOU EITHER "WELD THE DIFF SOLID" OR INSTALL A SOLID SHAFT WITH SUN GEAR? MAYBE A SOLID AXLE SOLID DIFF COULD FIT
Already heavy snow in Lincoln shire in November?
I wonder if the grippier tires in the rear end up putting more torque on the rear diff
I have had my Mini Maxx for 2 days now and I can’t use reverse to brake, it just coasts until it stops. It has to come to full stop before I can put it into reverse or drive. No programming options to fix it, I’m not really regretting buying this truck.
Recalibrate the transmitter throttle to the esc. Should work. Easy procedure.
If you go fast in reverse and hit the brake does it brake?
Don't know if anyone has said this already but I think traxxas did the different compound on the tires to hold the front end down more. If the rear expand more than it should push the front end down more
Yeah... Not 3s ready, for sure, Phil... 😕
Anyway, thanks for testing it!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Yes.. certainly wasn’t what I expected!
Review laegendary rc.
Brushless sonic 1:16 4x4 basher (-$100)
brushless thunder 1:10 4x4 basher (-$160)
Brushed dual motor legend 4x4 basher (-$140)
Brushed rango 1:8 4x4 crawler + winch (-$350)
Swap the tires around? Maybe the soft tires are gripping too much and killing the diff. If they say it can handle the vxl3s system though then it should handle it.
This was a great video, great size comparison too, thanks especially for that. Do you think the cold temps made a
diff-erence (sorry) in how easily the gears broke?
I don't think temp effects metal anywhere near the same as plastic
So adding a 3s system Dosent work on that truck
So like the new Jato just wait for the VXL which will have the upgrades including the centre diff which is much needed especially when using the VXL system on 3s.
Any high powered rc vehicle should either have a slipper clutch or a centre differential
I heard they recommend swapping the differentials when changing to the vxl and maybe that why they haven't released a vxl version yet .
As many people have said, traxxas strongly recommends the center diff for 3s conversations. It should help to save that rear diff. Traxxas doesn't say it's 3s rtr. They say it's 3s capable* . There is a difference. Now, do I think that traxxas is using us to test the platform for a full-blown 3s capable one, yes. Is that ethical or acceptable? No. However arrma did the exact same thing with the groms
This was going to be my first traxxas since the nitro roster, oh well. It's far more entertaining to troll people who continue to over spend only to end up with shredded monkey metal😂😂😂
It's pretty clear to see what Traxxas has done here. They installed a vulgar display of overpower. So that they can sell more differentials after the original point of sale you know they had to test it and you know they have to know those gifts are going to blow up . Yet they chose not to do nothing about it as they figured they'll pass the issue on to the customer and make a killing off the customer in spare parts. And everybody wonders why I called Traxxas the evil t
Man, I remember Traxxas as a "budget" brand and they made their RC's to that spec. Sure, they would break, but parts "WERE" cheap.....Now days, I just don't understand. Too many gullible Traxxas fans, I'm sure of that. The thing is, the mini maxx isn't really that *mini*. It's basically, a 1/12 scale, which, while smaller than the Maxx, I honestly don't consider this a mini.
I'm a noob. Can I run that setup at like 50 or 75% power somehow?
I have my hoss set up for 6s and I am constantly having to re-glue my front tires. The rear tires hold up just fine.
Are the Front wheel is belted
The old Mini LST problem. They blew rear diffs like crazy too. Spools were the fix back then
I went through a lot of center and rear diffs on mine.
Does a Slash 4x4 diff fit in it? That can withstand the 3S power in a bigger vehicle. Maybe you can try your Stampede 4x4 diff too if it fits.
I’m not sure it’s does
@TomleyRC bearing sizes match with slash in the exploded view and driveshaft connection is the same. The question is the tooth profile and other dimensions. It worth a try.
Interessantes ind informatifes video. Aber sind diese Planetendifferenziale evtl. nicht so gut wie die normalen 4 Spyder Diffs? Also Kegelraddifferenziale sind doch sonst in allen Autos. Und beim Rustler VXL gibt es auch keine Probleme mit den Diffs.😮
They advertise it with the upgraded center diff that will help save the rear diff. They specifically say not to run it without the center diff
No they don't
@TomleyRC it's what the traxxas reps tell you that it needs to be upgraded with a center diff and metal driveshaft to handle the power and distribute the power when upgrading to the vxl. Watch the Vegas videos the rep explains it all
@@Mikey45013 The Rep says in the video it comes with a slipper clutch... how can you trust a rep if they can't even get that right lol.
What a bag O' balls.!!
£280.!! 🤯 😲 🤯
It's not that the Chinese manufacturers are beating the big names...
It's that the big names are literally just handing Chinese manufacturers the W.!!
Arrma seems to be finally understanding the market... Just.! 😉
Did they source the diffs from the same place RedCat did?
I mean, if they did, they'd be much stronger I'd assume lol
My Redcat (well, it's rebranded but it's a RedCat) came with some insanely beefy metal-geared diffs.
Wow.. this is extremely disappointing. I was genuinely super excited to see a Mini Maxx platform.. especially the possibility at a Mini Maxx Slash.. these were going to be on my list. But absolutely are not now. Awkward on 2S, fragile as glass on 3S.. on top of already terrible MAXX handling and painful maintenance. Just more garbage
It’s direct drive. It needs the center diff. That will dramatically reduce breakages
When the stock VXL version is available no doubt it will probably come with a slipper or center diff. Maybe a TQI radio as well, probably gonna be around £400. Which would be crazy for this size truck. In the meantime if you want to build a VXL version your self, purchasing the VXL system, TQI radio & center diff, probably gonna be closer to £500 with including the price of the original truck. The Mini Max is over priced & under built.
We're they hardened steel gears?
Does it have a slipper in it?
I saw the price of this thing, and thought plastic shocks, plastic telescopic shafts instead is cvd/dogbone, and plastic gears. Without the vxl system it is very underwhelming. They just seem to make bad diffs on the first versions. Overall this thing is a fail. But I'm sure it will sell a ton because it's Traxxas.
See, that's one of the reasons I won't buy Traxxas. At the pricepoint I can afford literally everyone else provides metal in the places it makes sense.
Same exact thing happened with the X-maxx Gen 1 and the shit diffs they had in it, i got so tored of replacing the damn things just feom jumpinf american rounded Curbs (no joke) i traded it (highly modified with castle xlx/2028 setup and mutliple upgrades, I only ran it on 6s) I traded it for a highly aluminum modded dbxl.
Now I have an 8s X-maxx and never a problem or broken part, just bent bumpers.
I think with tractors recommends if you go to a different power system to upgrade the powertrain gears and stuff to hold up to the power
Can't wait for the Senton and Vorteks 223s review. Just bought them my first Arrma's. Hope they are good.
Me too, im waiting for the Mojove grom BLX and senton 223s in the uk.
@JohnSmith-ef8nr Looks like we can add swaybars, but they don't seem to have released them yet. I want to order some. Unless they come fitted but weren't on pre-production models.
Not sure I’ll get them for a while… but will certainly put them on my list
Ace video is the diff the same as the 1/16 summit?
Don’t think they are the same
@TomleyRC I'm trying some ripp off H.R racing diffs from ebay. Saying that they use the stock internals. I have used supper thick diff fluid tho I'm sure that will help with the shock.
But I've have my summit for 5 years now and the diffs have always let me down .
But I've have 5 good runns with the new diff and it's the best it's ever been also running buggy indoor racing weels and tyers on it now to keep the wheels light. It's alot of fun now.
Cheers dude ✌️
I wonder if it will keep breaking because of the tires
Try putting a center differential then go 3 s its not made to handle the power in stock form seems people put power in without thinking its direct drive and blow diffs out
Tell Traxxas to not advertise the VXL system for it as an upgrade… I mean… if they offer more power, we are gonna put it in right?
Do you think a center diff would handle the power better and not kill diffs?
Yes, would make a difference for sure
@TomleyRC holy shit you replied lol okay thank you I have one pre ordered(im in the USA so Wednesday we get them) and wanted to go 3s and don't wanna go down the same path as you and go thru diffs
*fart noise
Tomley's typical Traxxas love/hate affair