Advice

[Mike81]

Hi. Just new to off road. I have an associated b5m which i have bought second hand. It needs a pinion. I will be running a 10.5 motor. What gearing do i need to be looking at? Also what wheels and tyres do i need to be buying. Do you need to use associated wheels or is there an alternative make that will fit? What do people reccomend as the best steering servo to use Any help much appreciated many thanks

[Pistol123]

JConcepts makes wheels as an alternative.

For a 10.5t motor (i believe the internal ratio is 2.6) you want to be in the 25 - 28 area - it's difficult without knowing the make of motor - some like being heated lower etc. Best to start off low and increase.

Tyres - you are best running what the local fast guy is running as it's very track specific.

Servo - i run bluebird servo - cheap, metal gears and fast.

This
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/bms-661dmg-hs-super-fast-digital-servo-mg-6-4kg-08sec-46-5g.html

[Mike81]

Thanks for that. Will have a look into the servo. Ive herd people say titanium gears is whats best for off road to prevent damage. Are these worth the extra money or is metal geared just as good? I also have a trackstar 8.5 motor would this be similar pinion sizes i would need to be looking at? Thanks

[charlesk]

Servo choice is entirely budget dependant. You need metal gears in off-road and preferably a full size servo (not low profile) for durability.
It is also a common misconception that titanium is stronger than a decent grade steel. Weight to strength yes, but not size for size. The problem with a lot of the cheaper servos is that although some advertise metal gears, some still have the odd plastic one, and others have brass gears. Titanium is certainly better than those but an all steel gearset is (for durability) best.
Also the speed, response and feel of cheaper servos tends to lack vs some of the more expensive and better made ones. The motor and pcb quality certainly affects those.
To some extent what you pay is what you get in the long term...
Some suggestions (not exclusive but as a starting point):
Alturn AAS752MG for around £18 will be ok
Absima 1614sg for around £53 are good and durable
KO rsx3 responce HC around £140 sublime and durable
If you give as a budget I can suggest a few alternatives for the range...

[Mike81]

Thanks for info. Budget for servo wud be around £30-50. I have also looked at second hand servos but was afraid mite just be buying sumone elses trouble and would be best with new. Do you recommend any make of shortie battery? Around about the same budget? Thanks

[daz75]

RLGfx on here sells loads or servos at good prices. Had 3 off him and all worked well for both me and my 2 novice kids. All metal geared.

[charlesk]

Thanks for info. Budget for servo wud be around £30-50. I have also looked at second hand servos but was afraid mite just be buying sumone elses trouble and would be best with new. Do you recommend any make of shortie battery? Around about the same budget? Thanks


With anything second hand it comes down to how much you trust the seller to be honest. Tbh most times on here people are, but it's entirely up to you. For that budget you can't go wrong with an absima 1614sg. Something like a savoy 1257tg or 1258tg will also be OK,but the absima is far more durable in my experience.

Battery wise at the cheaper end (and my personal choice) the pick of the bunch on my opinion is the absima 4500, good capacity, plenty of power and reliable. Alternatively the centro 5000 packs are also good.
For a 2wd some like the lcg shorties, they have reduced capacity, but are also lighter. Depending on conditions they can be a good choice.

[daz75]

Just get batteries off hobbyking I've got the BRCA legal ones and they were half the price of the name brand ones been awesome

[Mike81]

Thanks for that info. As mentioned above about jconcept wheels being an alternative to the associted, Where is the best place to buy these? thanks

[daz75]

Website sponsors on here or Google I guess modelsport mbmodels dms racing are all good

[charlesk]

Thanks for that info. As mentioned above about jconcept wheels being an alternative to the associted, Where is the best place to buy these? thanks

Any particular reason why not AE wheels?
Schumacher wheels are the same fitment/offset so they're also an option, as are yokomo ones, but AE wheels are decent...

[Mike81]

No particular reason. Was just was wanting to know what wheels would fit for buying second hand and if any deals were to come up on wheels. Thanks