Finally some legal offroading in Central New Jersey!

I went back to Kennedy Park with my Enduro Trailrunner this morning. It was awesome except for a couple times that the truck picked up fishing wire people left lying around on the ground. One time it just slowed down my truck, but the other was really bad. It wrapped around the axle, and when it was wrapped as much as it could get wrapped, a loop at the end of the fishing wire caught into the treads of one of my tires. While I was driving it, the loop caused the truck to torque the tire partially off the wheel. It tore it at the point where the tire meets the wheel on the inside, and the outside has been pulled out somewhat. I'm going to have to research how to mount tires on RC wheels. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to replace the one tire sooner or later. I may just run it until it falls off. That's what I did today, and it didn't completely fall off yet, so at least that's something.

Even though it was pretty fun and I got to drive the truck through a little bit of water, I may avoid the northeast corner of the park from now on since I think that's where I'm getting the fishing wire, but there are still other parts of the park that are pretty cool. I was able to get all the way up to the top of the mound of dirt with the Trailrunner today. It wasn't easy, but I was able to get up the hill with good positioning and a little bit of gunning it while sawing left and right. The truck was higher than I am tall when it got to the top, so that was fun to photograph. I was also able to bring it down safely on the other end of the hill. No flipping. Earlier, I found this narrow walking trail that led to what I call rock paradise. I may come back to this spot with my little Mini Z 4X4 4Runner. It looks like fun for the little truck. It was fun for my Trailrunner, too. I took it up to the railroad tracks then went down to the nearby apartment complex where I saw a stray cat.

 

Was Brian Setzer nearby with the band??

 

He was not! I was the only person around until I got back to the main park area.

 

This thread is great. I just got a notification that the new 4Runner R/C is available. Just in time for xmas....

 

I’m running 4S in my Mad Crusher!!

 

Which one? The Mini Z?

 

Tower Hobbies has the TrailRunner...

 

If I'm not mistaken, that's lipo lingo. My Trailrunner has 2 cells, 2S I think, and I've never run out of juice. It came with an alternative tray for a longer battery, but I haven't felt the need to change it. Once my current one dies, I'll probably get a longer one.

My Mini Z 4Runner has 4 AAA batteries, but they're NIMH rechargeables. I'm considering getting a single cell small lipo and a lipo saver to make the center of gravity less in the AAA batteries, but not today. I will be getting a couple things that might get some weight down low, though.

 

Oh, the one that's legally distinct Have fun! The only thing I've had to replace so far was the servo. I did a little work on the tire today, and it seems okay now. It's a beadlock, so no glue, but I tried gluing the tear back together. I'll have to see how long it holds up. I've already got some replacement tires coming my way with the Mini Z parts, too.

 

I have mini-Z’s I race them with a transponder...

 

Make sure you Pair-up/set the speed control when you first turn it on......Thing will take off across the yard!!!

 

Tires stink I wouldn’t keep them in your house.... Brushless motor technology has come a long way...

 

I usually wait until the kids are in school and take the Orange Camaro out for a spin at about 65 mph....And I converted the Ferrari to brushless....

 

Niiiiiiiice collection! And you have a boat, too! I remember seeing boats in the Christmas catalogs when I was a kid. They always looked like a blast. The closest I ever got was one of the Tyco hovercrafts. I wonder if you can even get replacement rubber pieces for those anymore.

My collection is only three. It might stay that way, but I like what I have! I might get another Mini Z car. I don't know if I'm going to go with an AWD drift or an FWD or RWD. I'm not itching to get one, though. I've seen the Mini Z buggy. The ground clearance on that might help. I don't get enough time with my Mini Z Trueno as it is now. The ground clearance is really low.



The good thing about the Mini Zs is that they come pre-paired with the transmitter from the box. The Enduro Trailrunner was, too. Though the Trailrunner and the Mini Z 4Runner aren't going to blow you away with their speed. They're more about the off roading.

I haven't had any problems with stinky tires with my existing Enduro Trailrunner. I got the exact same tires as replacements, so I'd expect the replacements to be as stink-free.

 

I converted the Mad Crusher to all-wheel steering...Sorry to thread jack. But you have really gotten me back into R/C’s with your post....

 

I don't mind. Thread-jack away!

My little Trueno up there is AWD, too. Amazing in such a tiny vehicle. I've had the front end apart to change the differential, and I've given thought to converting it to rear wheel drive. There's no easy way to do it, though. You've got to take the whole front end apart to even begin to conceptually do so. I still haven't done it in practice. The Trueno got put on the backburner with covid, though. I was going to put together a smooth surface that I could easily assemble in the driveway for drifting with more space, but maybe next year. That's why I got into the Trailrunner. The whole world is my track. The Mini Z 4Runner will be my indoors fun in the winter vehicle.

 

Oya be careful of nearby heart monitor recipients? My neighbor has one and came running out of his house and my car started glitching real bad...

 

Thank goodness the interference hurt the RC car instead of your neighbor

 

Love the two-speed gearing in the Raikiri!!

 

That looks hardcore! I don't know if I'll ever do anything but electric. We'll see. Maybe one day. I'm having a lot of fun with my Trailrunner, so I might just be dedicated to that from here on out.

I played with my new Mini Z 4Runner earlier. I got out my Trueno and ran it over a handful of times

 

I went back to Kennedy Park again today with both of my 4X4s. I took my Enduro Trailrunner to the big hill. I had installed some brass weights on the wheels last week, and it was my first time using the truck since installing them. On ascent, the truck's waaaaaaaaay better. I barely had to saw back and forth to get up the hill today. I could even use minimal throttle, and the truck had grip for days. It was actually really good. On descent in the spot from last time, it wasn't as good. The truck didn't want to grip on the surface like it did when it was lighter, so it would slide down before coming to a stop in a spot where I'd rather it didn't stop. The more I did it, the more it would slide. It had been wet, so things were more muddy than last time, but I still think the extra weight didn't help it on the way down. Maybe I should have gotten the other type of weights. I think they were aluminum. I also tried descending in a couple alternative spots which I got photos of this time. There wasn't much to see after those pics because the truck just tumbled down from both spots. The whole face of the hill is super steep except for the spot where I ascended it, but it was still fun to try to conquer it on the way down. I took it to rock paradise, too. I was selective about where I drove it in order to avoid fishing wire. I think next time I go out with my Trailrunner, I'm going to return to the woods. I have the most fun there.








I took my Mini Z 4Runner to rock paradise, too. Unfortunately, it wasn't very much paradise for my Mini Z. The truck had a lot of trouble on those rocks. I guess they're just too big for the truck. I'll probably just keep it as an indoor truck from here on out. The Trailrunner is a whole lot more fun outside. Anyway, it was also my first time trying some of the new mods I made to my Mini Z. I got brass weights for the rear axle, and the wheels are new wheels that have brass weights premounted inside the tires by Kyosho. I'm still getting a feel for the new equipment. It seems it helps in some ways and hinders in others, but the other ways may be mitigated by careful throttle control. I'll use it a lot more in the winter. Oh, I also installed the light kit. You can see the headlights lit up in the shade in one of the pics.

 

I took a drive down to Old Bridge Waterfront Park today. I had heard of a rock setup on a Facebook group, but I couldn't find it. The only rocks I did find were uphill. I took it as an opportunity to have a nice beach drive, though. I also lost a couple push washers for the right front fender flare. I think I have some extras. Thank goodness I didn't lose the fender flare itself.

 

I went to NJ Devils Way again last Sunday. Nothing major, but it was fun. It was the coldest I've ever been out doing RC stuff. I noticed an old Penn State patch nailed to a tree. Weird.

 

I went back to NJ Devils Way this morning. I explored a new area of the woods. I didn't even realize the pond that I saw in the past actually stretches around a big peninsula of land. I was hoping to get up to the road, but I'd have had to trudge through the water, so I just explored the peninsula and went back. I also went to the usual place that I like going to, but most of the pics are from the peninsula area. Maybe in the summer the pond will be less full and I can get around better. I included a few bonus pics, too. I didn't take many pics when I went to Mill Pond Park last Wednesday, but I went there, too. I really just took one pic of my Trailrunner on the ice and a couple pics of the snow that started right after I got home. The old Jeep Cherokee is my neighbor's.

 

No ice fishing. Just off roading!

It's funny that I'm looking forward to a really cold day so a pond gets frozen and I can try driving my Trailrunner on it

 

Chains, studded tires??

 

Omg, I may have to get one, I have it’s big brother.

 

No. Believe it or not, these tires are filled with foam!