For the most part, under the hood (or body I guess) all the SCX24 models are the same. The electronics – motor, servo, receiver/ESC – are the same from vehicle to vehicle. The chassis rails, shocks, and axles are the same as well. So if you are upgrading any of those parts whatever fits one of the vehicles will fit any of the vehicles. There are, however, three places that there are differences in the vehicles – the body, the wheels/tires, and the suspension links.

Body

The body is the most visible difference. But aside from looks, how the bodies mount is also different. All of the bodies are hinged in the rear so that they can be easily lifted for changing batteries or working on the vehicles. But the bumper they mount to is different from vehicle to vehicle. In the front, the Jeep and Betty use a single body post and body clip, while the C10 and Deadbolt use two body posts and body clips. They also have front bumpers that are unique to each body style. While most of these differences may seem minor cosmetic differences, there are other things to consider. Out of all the four variations, the C10 body sits the lowest and has the least amount of clearance for tires, which will limit your tire upgrade choices unless you do other modifications. The Deadbolt has the most clearance, and can use the widest variety of tires without modifications. The Jeep and Betty are in the middle as far as tire clearance.

Wheels and Tires

Speaking of tires, they are another difference between the vehicles. The Jeep and Deadbolt both use the Axial Nitto Trail Grappler tires mounted on Axial KMC Machete wheels. The C10 uses Axial BFGoodrich Krawler T/A tires mounted on Axial Method MR307 Hole wheels. The B-17 Betty uses Axial Rock Lizard tires mounted on Axial Rockster wheels. For more info on tires and the upgrade options available please see our 1.0 Tire Comparison.

Suspension Links and Driveshafts

The main difference between the models is the length of the suspension links and driveshafts. The Jeep and C10 share the same links and driveshafts, and the B-17 Betty and Deadbolt share the same links and driveshafts. Take a look at the photos below. The highlighted areas show the parts that are different between the models.

Why is this important? There are a couple reasons. A popular upgrade is aluminum suspension links. If you decide to upgrade your links, you need to make sure you get the correct ones for whichever vehicle you have. There are several companies that make aluminum links, but the most popular ones are made by Hot Racing. They make two different sets of links for the different vehicles. The SXTF133A01 links fit the Deadbolt/Betty, and the SXTF133J01 fit the Jeep/C10.

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…

I have long been a fan of the Integy hex drivers. I have two sets that I have been using for over 10 years and they are still in great shape. You can get cheap hex drivers off ebay and Amazon, but I would recommend paying a little extra for a nice set of hex drivers.

The wheel nuts on the SCX24 are 4mm nuts. 4mm nut drivers don’t seem to be as common. I bought one of the cheap ebay sets (yes, I know I recommend against that…) and it’s working okay, but I’m on the hunt for something better.