The Team Associated CR12 RC Truck has become one of the easiest and most convenient ways to get your RC thrills.
But according to many RC enthusiasts and RC mod experts, this RC truck model still has potential room for several modifications and upgrades to reach its ultimate potentialities.
That’s why in today’s article, I will be addressing the five most effective yet affordable modifications and upgrades that will help you to boost up your CR12 truck’s performance-
How Much Does Its Cost to Upgrade Team Associated CR12?
The total cost of performing modifications and upgrades on your Team Associated CR12 RC Crawler’s will be around 500 up to 600 bucks.
You need to spend around $100-$150 for the Motor, $30-$50 for the Battery & Charger, $40-$50 for Shock set, and $50-$60 for other body kits.
Remember, performing quality modifications and upgrades can sometimes cost few extra bucks, based on your CR12 Truck’s current condition and your preferences.
5 Upgrades of Team Associated CR12:
Let’s have a look at the five most effective yet affordable upgrades for your Team Associated CR12 and also get an overall idea about how much they will cost to perform them-
1. Servo And Servo Horn Upgrade
Unfortunately, the factory assembled or stock Servo paired with the Servo Saver of the Team Associated CR12 truck is not up to many users’ expectations.
Even some customers claim that this truck from Team Associated is junk if you compare it with other available Servo options in the market.
Especially if you already own one, you can observe that this stock Servo is too weak that it can barely turn the tires.
That’s why I highly recommend changing the stock one with the ANNIMOS 20KG Digital Servo High Torque Full Metal Gear Waterproof for RC Model DIY, and the approximate price will be $15.99.
Along with the new Servo option, you should also replace the stock Servo Horns.
Recommended Options:
Apex RC Products 25T for Futaba Black Aluminum Dual Clamping Servo Horn (Price $9.99)
RC MISSION ADJUSTABLE SERVO HORN FOR FUTABA 25 TOOTH (Price $21.50)
2. Motor Upgrade
The CR12 Crawler truck generally comes equipped with the Reedy CR380 Brushed Crawler Motor as well as Reedy CR12 SC400 Brushed ESC with a T-style connector.
These two combinedly works great to deliver the job, but if you are looking for a faster motor, you can change the stock motor with the following suggested options.
Recommended Options:
Traxxas 7075 Titan 380 18-Turn Brushed Motor (Price $18.35)
Dynamite Tazer 25-Turn 380 Brushed Motor (Price $14.99)
The best part about this truck’s ESC is that it is not only compatible with the stock 2s or 3s batteries, but this electric speed controller is also compatible and works great with the 2s or 3s LiPo batteries.
So, even if you upgrade the stock battery and charger with LiPo options, you won’t have to replace the ESC too.
3. Battery & Charger Upgrade
The factory-assembled or stock battery and charger of these RC crawlers are pretty capable of providing a decent amount of runtime to enjoy your RC thrills.
But if you are still not satisfied with that and wish to enjoy more runtime, you can upgrade the battery as well as the stock charger with a new modification option.
Recommended Options:
ProTek RC 3S 90C Si-Graphene + HV LiPo Battery (Price $34.99)
ProTek RC “Prodigy 610ez AC/DC” LiHV/LiPo Balance Battery Charger (Price $65.99)
Venom Power UNI 2.0 Battery Adapter (XT60 Male To T-Style Female) (Price $3.99)
This battery upgrade option will not only provide you with higher capacity, but this upgrade will also add some extra weight over the front axle for improving climbing performance.
4. Wheels & Tires
The CR12 truck comes with decent-quality wheels and tires to deliver standard performance and comfort while driving down different terrain, trails, and rock-climbing surfaces.
But one of the coolest aspects of this CR12 RC truck is that if you want more from your truck, you can upgrade the stock wheels and tires with other better options.
Because although these smaller RC models are 1/12 scale, they use 1.9” wheels with a 12-millimeter hex.
So, upgrading the factory assembled wheels and tires with powerful and durable tires & wheelset is pretty easy on these CR12 trucks.
Recommended Options:
Traxxas TRX-4 1.9″ Canyon Trail Crawler Tires (2) (Price $24.00)
Pro-Line Racing Class 1 Hyrax 1.9″ (4.19″) G8 Rock Terrain Truck Tires (Price $28.86)
Besides those suggested options, you can also go for any of these 1.99” Beadlock wheelsets and/or these 1.99” Tires set.
5. Shocks Set Upgrade
One thing that might disappoint some RC Crawler enthusiasts is the stock shock sets of this little CR12 beast truck since that factory assembled shocks are originally made of plastic material.
However, these stock shocks of CR12 are bladder-type shocks that contain little rubber bladders, and the threaded body and spring adjusters of these shocks are pretty impressive.
So, if anyone still feels there’s a need to upgrade the plastic Shocks with something more durable, I highly recommend upgrading them with the newly released CR12 Aluminum Threaded Shock set from Team Associated. These amazing Shock sets are available at $42.50.
Team Associated CR12 Accessories Upgrades:
Here, I would like to mention all the necessary accessories or replacement parts for performing above discussed modifications and upgrades on your CR12 truck-
Initially, you will need a standard toolbox or kit, which includes all the necessary repairing tools such as a millimeter hex driver, smaller Wrench or screwdriver, nuts, bolts, tape, and connecting cables or wires.
If you do not have a decent quality smaller wrench or Hex driver set, you should get something like the Team Associated Factory Team 7 Piece 1/4” Drive Hex Driver Set.
In most cases, the upgrading or replacement kits come with required accessories or connectors, but if your selected option does not contain them, you will have to purchase them separately.
While replacing the Shock set with the Aluminum Threaded Shock set, you might also try the Associated CR12 0.8mm Shock Springs, if required.
If you are interested in modifying your CR12 truck’s look and styling, you should also consider the #41068 CR12 Toyota FJ45 Bumpers and Body Accessories and also, the Associated CR12 Black Roll Bar and Bumper.
You might also require the Team Associated CR12 Servo Saver & Servo Mount Set while changing or upgrading the Servo.
Besides that, visit https://www.rcplanet.com/ to check and access other available accessories and replacement parts for your CR12.
Conclusion
The Team Associated CR12 truck is considered realistic, highly capable, easy to operate, and absolute fun wherever there’s a challenge to climb.
But the earlier mentioned and discussed modification options or upgrades makes it perform even better and achieve its fullest potentiality.
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