Most of the Ready to Run Trucks come with a plastic servo horn. Replace this straight away. If you are reading this before you buy your truck, then purchase a metal servo horn at the same time as the truck.

Traxxas plastic servo horns are prone to stripping and this has been known to happen on the first run.

Part number: TRX8247X 

There are a number of free modifications that can be done to the Sport to improve it out of the box. There are many Youtube videos showing these. These do involve some trimming of the body.

1. Swap the front and rear bumper mounts and flip them upside down. This increases your approach angles. You will need to trim the body.

2. Raise the side steps so they are level with the chassis. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can print risers for this.

3. Sipe the tyres. There are many Youtube videos on this process.

By adding inner fenders to the TRX-4 sport, it gives you two performance options and a bonus.

1. Allows you to run a shorty battery pack across the front of the truck (moves weight forward)

2. Allows the rear shocks to be angled forward (place in first hole). This can increase articulation slightly and improve climbing.

3. Bonus. Keeps the interior cleaner.

PART NUMBER: TRX8080

A shorty battery pack can be used in two ways and helps to shift weight in the truck.

1. Used across the front of the inner fenders to move weight forward

2. Can be used in the smaller cut out in the battery tray to lower the battery

Upgrading your steering servo can greatly improve your trucks handling and allow it to get out of tight spots. There are many, many options for steering servos, ranging in price from £20 to over £200.

Examples include:

• Amazon Red and Blue Servos ranging from 25-35kg. 

• Savox 1210SG

• Holmes Hobbies SHV800

This is a personal preference and directly related to how much budget you have. Here we give three examples, one brushed and two brushless.

1. Brushed: Hobbywing 1080 esc and Holmes Hobbies Trailmaster Sport 21t or Crawlmaster Sport 15t

2. Brushless: Hobbywing Fusion 1800kv or Hobbywing Axe 2700kv

3. Brushless: Castle Creations Mamba X ESC and Holmes Hobbies Puller Pro V2 BL540 2200kv

Extending the width of the truck can mean steeper side hilling (does depend on the body).

You can install 10+mm wheel hexes to widen the truck, but these require extended axle shafts.

• Fastrax Trx-4 Brass Hex Wheel Hubs V2 +5mm (PART NUMBER: FTTX341BR)

• Traxxas Stub Axle Extended Portal Drive (PART NUMBER: TRX8255A)

Overdriving the front axle can benefit climbing as the front wheels spin slightly faster than the rear pulling a vehicle up climbs. It can also help with descending as the rear wheels drag slightly.

Front overdrive adds 12% speed to the front wheels.

The negative effect of overdrive is that the rear wheels slip on side hills.

PART NUMBER: TRX8287

Rear underdrive reduces the wheel speed of the rear axle by 13%. Adding this upgrade has the same effect as adding overdrive (above). These two options can be combined to gain 25% overdrive.

This is not a recommended upgrade for normal trail running, but can be an advantage in competitions.

PART NUMBER: TRX8288

Changing the Front caster blocks to brass, should be used if you still need to move weight forward to gain a 60/40% balance or if the truck is still tipping backwards when hill climbing.

This upgrade adds weight to the truck which goes against the rule of keeping it light, but may be required in some builds.

PART NUMBER: FTTX315BRB

Standard Traxxas Canyon Trail tyres are surprisingly good in UK mud for a RTR tyre. This is the reason they have been left until last. Your money is better spent elsewhere first, especially if you have done the free modifications found on Youtube.

Upgrading tyres is terrain dependent and you should consult with your local club for options before purchasing. Examples include:

• Proline Hyrax: Good for rocky terrain

• Proline Krawlers: Good all round tyre

• Duratex Deep Woods: Good for Mud