Launched back in 2019, Axial Capra amazed everyone with its completely new rig. Though it has a wide track, the portals catch everyone’s attention. The portals give extra gear at the outside of the tube to give extra clearance. And the gear reduction at the axles is superb.
That sounds like the best thing out there, right? What if I told you that you could make it better?
This blog explains everything you need to know about Axial Capra upgrades. Down from the quality of upgrade parts, performance up to the cost estimations. I’ve got you covered, so stay tuned!
How Much Does Its Cost to Upgrade?
The entire upgrade will cost you about $400-900.
Upgrade the tires at $43-53, $10-20 on shock oil, $12-50 on servo/steering, $80-200 on the motor, around $5-8 on pinion gears, around$20 to 30 on springs, and $100-150 on batteries.
8 Axial Capra Upgrades:
This big, wide truck has polycarbonated body with injection molded tubular chassis. With 4WD Shaft Drive, its springs are quite stiff, and it is geared too high. Moreover, its dig transmission is not everyone’s forte.
Our goal will be to upgrade the parts to build a sturdy, more controlled steering and optimum performing truck in the best budget.
The truck is very strong and sturdy. But it lacks some changes that will make it a ‘RACING’ truck. You will need to modify some parts to drive on the rocks.
You and I today will build a more racing-appropriate RC by upgrading (or sometimes downgrading in this case! You’ll see!). The costs along the way will be presented below.
1. Shock Oil
The default Axial Capra comes with soft shock oil. You may notice the extra bounciness of the car due to this.
So, in default condition, the car is under-damped. The springs are pretty stiff. The oil is a little too thin and soft.
We need to make the car less jumpy. So, we need light oil at the front and heavy oil at the rear. So that when it lands, it does not tend to bounce off. For this, shock oils of 50 can be used. This can prevent it from sinking.
1st Option: TEAM LOSI RACING Silicone Shock Oil
2nd Option: Traxxas 5038X Shock Oil Set
2. Springs and shocks
The springs that come with the kit are quite hard. You need to use softer and shorter springs to lower the ride height. To enhance the sag and performance, you have to level the links of the springs.
The default spring is around 97mm, and you will need around 90mm shocks. The pen springs also give enough sag.
1st option: GoolRC 4pcs 90mm Metal Shock Absorber
2nd option: INJORA RC Shock Absorber Set 4pcs RC Dampers
3. Servo/Steering
The standard servo which is SX107 micro metal gear high torque steering servo is not up to the mark for the on-road vehicle.
For this axial Capra, 400 to 500 ounces servo should be the way to go as quite a good number of tires and wheelbase are exposed.
1st Option: Reef’s RC REEFS03 – 555HD High Torque Digital
2nd Option: 4 Sets DS3218 Update servo 20KG Full Metal Gear 25T
3rd option: Reef’s RC REEFS65 422HDV2 High Torque
4th option: 299LP High Speed High Torque Low Profile
4. Pinion Gear
The RC crawler is geared too high. So, you will need a trio transmission to run an eighth-tooth pinion. Or you can have a ten tooth pinion.
You should go for either 3 slots or 5 slots. My personal preference is 5 slots. And according to my opinion, the gear ratio should be 45:1.
A better pinion gear not just resolves these issues but also increases the speed. Since this default pinion is from the previous model scx10 ii, you should upgrade it.
In case you stay brushless, get the 27T gears.
1st option: Steel 27T Motor Pinion Gear
2nd Option: 48P Absolute Pinion, 27T
5. Motor
There is a compounding issue that this rc crawler doesn’t have enough space for a 550 motor.
The 550 motor can undo the torque loss without getting gear reduction as the motor powerful motor we have, the more torque we get. And the 550 also gives the extra feel and softness while driving.
Since you can’t go for the 550 motors, you should go for the 540 brushless one.
And if you want to stick to a similar type to the stock one, you should go for 35T 540 or 16T 540 in 5 slots.
For brushless motor: Hobbywing Hobby Wing 30402500
For combo: Castle Creations 010-0145-03
For brushed motor: CRAWLMASTER MAGNUM 540 16T
For budget-friendly option
6. Battery
Under the hood, there is not enough space for a standard 220 mA power pack. The right speed will be 3s lipo.
Actually, small batteries are needed to give a low center gravity to maintain the right performance. To give 30 percent more punch, a small, high c rating (50c/100c), 3s 9lip battery should be installed.
1st Option: Powerhobby 3s 11.1v 5400mah 100c lipo
2nd Option: Pulse 3S 11.1V 4100mah 35C LiPo Battery
3rd option: Gens ace 5000mAh 11.1V 3S 50C 3 Cell LiPo Battery Pack
7. Tires
The default tires of the axial Capra are the Raceline 3-piece beadlock monster & Wheels that are 25.4mm.
An upgrade in compactness and grip of the tires will give better performance. You need to use good, heavy beadlock wheels to offset the weight of the body.
Since there is enough front and rear clearance, the tires should be taller with less tire width.
1st Option: Hobbypark 130mm 2.2 inch Tires
2nd Option: 4pcs RC 2.2″ Mud slingers Tires
8. Dig transmission lock
This transmission is quite new for RC crawlers. With a dig transmission, you can turn tighter. It can go downhill, steeper hills in a more controlled way. The reason is the rear is dragging, and it also has a great steering ratio and great control.
But this transmission needs a lot of practice to ride on the hills. So, for beginners, I suggest locking it if you don’t need it. You can lock it out with a zip tie into the normal function to get the full drive.
(So, you can say this is downgrading for some situations!)
Conclusion
By now, this blog has equipped you with knowledge of upgrading an already good RC crawler with more performance. Some of the essential upgrade parts are not cheap but worth the change.
Again, some parts need to be practiced. And manufacturers should be careful about the space for motors and batteries.
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