11 Best Upgrades for Traxxas 2wd Slash, Rustler, Stampede

This post is from a racer’s perspective. The upgrades will be focused more on handling, durability, and power smoothness – over raw power. The first 3 are where you’re going to get the most performance gains. For this, I would 100% get the first 3 and only upgrade the others if you want a slight performance gain or a bit more durability.

Check out these sites at the bottom of the page for more on the topic!!!

Wheels and Tires

(If Racing)The first thing I would do and the most important upgrade for all RC cars are the wheels and tires. (for the Rustler and Stampede racing) I would go with the Traxxas 12mm 2.2 wheels (front wheel)(rear wheel). This gives you more tire options (for racing only). Keep in mind the front and the rear wheels are different offsets – the more offsets wheels go in the front.

If you’re racing – it’s best to ask the local racers “What is the best tire for this track?”. The Pro-Line Hole Shot T 2.2 is usually the top tire on most outdoor tracks.

(If Bashing) If you want a tire that can kinda do it all – you’ll need a large lug tire in a softer compound. The large lug will help it last on the street and dig in on the dirt – the softer compound will help it not spin on the track (Pro-Line Badlands) fits this category well.

keep in mind that the Pro-Line Badlands is “the jack of all trades masters of none” – so there is probably a better tire for what you’re doing… Badlands for Slash – (Pro-Line Badlands MX SC). For Rustler – (Pro-Line Badlands MX28 Belted). Both MX28 tires or MX SC will work on the Rustler. For Stampede – (Pro-Line Badlands MX28 MT). You can run all 3 MX28, MX28 MT, or MX SC. You can save a bit by only buying a set of rear wheels and tires – 2WD. For the street – I would save my money and just wear out the stock tires and use them as the street-only tire.

Go to LiPo Batteries

LiPo batteries have less weight for the power given. For this, you’ll get better acceleration, jumping, handling, speed, and much longer run times. (The easiest way – not the cheapest way) Traxxas has a good startup package with the EZ-peak “Completer Pack” series – eBay – Amazon. you’ll get everything you need – to charge and run LiPo.

(here are two really good budget lipo chargers on Amazon) – SUPULSE Lipo Charger 2X Faster Quick Charge 25W – Spektrum Smart S150 50W

(The better track performance) a shorty pack LiPo – they have the extra advantage of being smaller and even lighter, without much loss to runtime. you also gain the ability to move the battery more (forward or backward) for better weight distribution.

The top-rated is the ProTek shorty pack – eBay but really nowadays any cheap shorty pack LiPo will work fine (my Amazon pick for a shorty – OVONIC 2S Lipo Battery 50C 4600mAh). Just make sure you’re around 35c and over 4000mAh. (The cheapest LiPo on eBay) can be found for under $20 and will work. (the best-selling lipo on Amazon – Zeee 7.4V Lipo Battery 2S 50C 5200mAh – 2 pack can be found for under $40.

Springs and Shocks

There are many ways you can go with the spring and shock package. The cheap way (and the way I would go) is to upgrade the stock shock with the Aluminum shock cap (Amazon) on eBay, this will help the cap stay on with hard landings. Then probably the most important step is getting the right spring rate.

Team Integy MSR9 set eBay, is a good place to start – they are slightly progressive (dual-rate) IMO linear springs are better – especially in the rear. A more linear set Pro-Line Pro-Spec Front SC Spring eBay, and Pro-Line Pro-Spec Rear SC Spring – eBay, but almost not worth the extra price.

A good-looking shock upgrade for the price is the Yeah Racing Big Bore eBay , in the front, you’ll want around 90mm – the rear around 105mm (so yeah around $50 for the set) I would only go to this after you wear out your stock shocks. There are better shocks but any more than this and you should probably buy a team race kit.

(With oil) it’s best to match the spring rate with the oil rate (soft spring – light oil) it’s ok to go to a thicker oil than the spring rate (the car might react too slowly) but the other way around (hard spring with light oil) will make the car bounce and be unstable – it’s fun to drive like this but less productive.

Adjustable Turnbuckle

The truck stock turnbuckle actually works well for what they are but sometimes you’ll need a little bit more camber the faster you go. To gain this you’ll need 39mm Camber Link Turnbuckle- eBay for the front and a 49mm Camber Link Turnbuckle. They also sell the front and rear together. This makes the truck a bit more durable as well. For Rustler and Stampede Turnbuckle on Amazon – Traxxas 3741X Aluminum Turnbuckle Set.

(note) slash 2wd has 39mm turnbuckle front and rear.

Adjustable Shock Tower

This one is hard to find. You might get lucky and find some in fiber but currently, most of them are for drag cars only – which have the sorter towers. For this, the best ones (that are easy to find), from a good brand are ST Racing Concepts Front Shock Tower and ST Racing Concepts Rear Shock Tower.

I normally try to stay away from aluminum parts, if high on the car – so only use ST Racing Concepts Towers if you need more tuning ability. If you’re looking for more durability I would go with the RPM Front Shock Tower and the RPM Rear Shock Tower They don’t have any adjustments but are a good upgrade if you break towers.

(For Amazon)

• ST Racing Concepts Front Shock Tower
• ST Racing Concepts Rear Shock Tower
• An ok budget set (not as strong)

Traxxas Magnum 272R Transmission

This is a new product from Traxxas (good for Traxxas rustler 2wd transmission upgrade). It has so many things going for it… #1 Tunable sealed differential – for me I never had a problem with the stock diff but it’s nice to be able to adjust for each track.

#2 The gears are much stronger but like #1 I never had a problem with stock diff durability. #1 and #2 are more for if you’re running high power on a high grip track like drag/road/carpet racing.

#3 Is the main reason I would buy it – the aluminum motor plate. when the stock plastic plate gets old – the motor will shift on jumps and you will have no power or worst you’ll strip gears. It also helps the motor run cooler and should last longer. still, the price is a little high if you ask me but for sure is a good upgrade – especially if you need new parts in the Transmission. Traxxas Magnum 272R.

The cheaper way ST Racing Concepts Motor Plate and Hot Racing 2WD Sealed Diff Case.

For Amazon

• ST Racing Concepts Motor Plate
• Hot Racing 2WD Sealed Diff Case
• Pro-line Racing PRO-Series 32P Transmission (might be best overall- but costly)

Locking Hinge Pin

A common problem for 2WD is the hinge pin backing out – especially when they get old. I never had a hinge pin come out completely out but it’s annoying needing to push them in after each run. To stop this get a set of ST Racing Concepts Steel Hinge Pin w/Lock Nuts set. note it’s the slash one.

Aluminum 12mm Wheel Hex

The problem with the plastic wheel hex is they deform easily and are more likely to strip out the wheels. To stop this – any 12mm wheel hex set that fits the wheel pin will work but like before ST Racing Concepts 12mm Wheel Hex Set is a good brand. You might be able to save money if you can find a set of 2 – you really only need them for the rear tires.

The RPM Upgrade List

Only run RPM parts if you’re breaking the stock parts. RPM plastics are super durable but the drawback is they are soft/flexible – Which gives them an inconsistent sloppy feel. The RPM Front A-Arms and RPM Rear A-Arms should almost always be picked over aluminum arms. Aluminum arms are too strong/stiff/heavy at the same time and will break other parts on the car.

The RPM Front Carrier Knuckle Set and RPM Rear Carrier set are better upgrades over the A-Arm – because they are smaller parts with less flex. Aluminum is not a bad upgrade on the carriers but 4x the price of the RPM I would only go aluminum if I need a bit more response (usually only in the rear).

Also, with aluminum carriers in the front – you will most likely need the aluminum caster block. I would stick with RPM 30 Deg Caster Block Set. If I were to go with aluminum to get that bit of performance – STRC Aluminum Steering Knuckles Axle Carrier Caster Blocks

Serrated Wheel Nuts

If you ever had a wheel fall off after tightening the wheel all the way… get a set of Serrated Wheel Nuts!!! The first time buying – I thought I was going to be disappointed – because the set I bought did not come with the nylon locker… well I was wrong – the serrated part of the wheel nut works so well by itself, stops the wheel from coming off. Still nice to have both the serrated part (to hold the wheel) and the nylon part (in case you forgot to tighten – it holds without pressure).

(FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions

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