The Axial SCX24 is a very capable vehicle right out of the box. Check out our video below that we made when we first got our vehicles.
As capable as they are, I still feel like there is room for improvement with upgrade parts. If you start searching for upgrade parts for the SCS24, you will no doubt find plenty of parts to choose from. In fact, there are so many upgrade parts out there that you could pretty much build an entire SCX24 just from aftermarket parts. So, which parts should you upgrade first?
Steering Servo Upgrade
What you should upgrade will depend on where you drive, how you drive, and your own personal tastes. There are a couple popular schools of thought in upgrading your vehicle. But before we get into that, let me start by saying no matter what you do the first thing I would do is to upgrade the steering servo. The stock servo is not very strong, and once you start upgrading you will see that the servo just isn’t up to the job. There are lots of servos out there at all different prices.
On the lower end of the price range is the EMAX ES08MAII 12g Mini Metal Gear Servo. This is what I run in my vehicles and so far it seems to work just fine. I haven’t had any issues. Hot Racing makes a new servo mount to fit this servo which makes for a nice clean installation. However, a lot of people (myself included) are just running the stock servo tray. The EMAX servo will fit in it. It’s a tight fit, but it does fit. You will need longer screws to mount it to the tray. My servo came with longer screws, but I’ve heard some people say that theirs didn’t. No matter which try you use you will probably want to trim the tops of the servo ears to keep them from hitting the frame rails.
At the other end of the price range is the Reef’s RC 99 Micro High Torque Digital HV Coreless Servo. These servos are definitely high end and have a high end price tag, but you will probably never have to replace it. I have not tried one, but if I ever need to upgrade my EMAX this is what I’ll be getting.
While it is not necessary, you may want to upgrade your steering link while you are upgrading your servo. The stock link is made of plastic and is somewhat flexible. So even though you have a stronger servo, you may still have steering issues because the steering link is flexing instead of steering the tires. There are a lot of different upgraded steering links out there. I like the Hot Racing Black Aluminum Steering Rod Set. It’s well made and not very expensive.
Tires, tires, tires…
Next on the list of upgrades would be tires. I feel like a better set of tires can really make a noticeable difference in the performance of the SCX24. There are lots and lots of tires out there. Everyone will have their favorite tire, but for me the best upgrade choice is the RC4WD Rock Creeper. It performs well in most all situations. It fits all vehicles without any modifications, although you will need new wheels to go along with it.
You will need to mount these on 1.0″ wheels. You can get one piece wheels like the stock wheels here. The tires will need to be glued to the wheels. I use thin CA glue to glue my tires.
You can also get beadlock wheels which are in pieces and screw together to hold the tires in place. There are lots of options out there. Two of the most popular are the Treal beadlocks and the RC4WD Stamped Steel wheels. There are also many many more and more hitting the market every day.
For more info about the various tires available please see this page.
Battery Charger
The charger that comes with the SCX24 is not very good. I hate to say that, but it’s true. They don’t last very long. And I’ve seen several people have them not work right out of the box. They also don’t do a good job charging the batteries. I highly suggest upgrading your charger as soon as you can. A good charger isn’t cheap, but it will last you for years. And even if you get into different kinds and sizes of RC vehicle, the same charger should work on every kind of battery.
There are lots of chargers out there. I have been using Hitec chargers for many years and have been very happy with them. A good, lower cost charger to start off with is the Hitec RDC1 Mini AC Charger. It packs a lot of features into a small package.
What next?
I feel like no matter what you do, you should definitely upgrade the servo and tires first. After that, there are tons of options depending on which way you want to go. We will take a look at the many different ways to upgrade soon…