Traxxas Rustler: Top 10 Best Upgrades

Traxxas Rustler: Top 10 Best Upgrades

One of the most versatile and resilient RC vehicles on the market, the Traxxas Rustler is designed to handle a wide variety of uses – from off-roading and ramps to racing and obstacle courses. 

The Rustler already comes stock with great parts that are reliable to a degree, but you may want to upgrade your Rusty if you’re confronted with any of the following situations:

• You want your RC vehicle to be durable when bashing. To do this, you’ll need to upgrade some protection parts to keep your internals from breaking.
• You’re interested in making your Traxxas as fast as possible. This will require a few upgrades, like battery, engine, and tires.
• You need your Rustler to handle off-roading and jumping. To do this, you’ll benefit from some shock and tire upgrades.

These are just a few reasons why you might want or need to upgrade your Traxxas Rustler. If you’re looking to overall improve your vehicle’s performance, then upgrading should be your next step. So, let’s go through our top picks for the best Traxxas Rustler parts that you should use when upgrading your vehicle, and why each upgrade is so important.

Top 10 Best Traxxas Rustler Upgrades

1. Shocks

While the standard shocks that the Traxxas Rustler comes with are effective for normal use, they may not stand up under pressure of intense situations like mudding or bashing. To beef up your RC vehicle, we recommend upgrading with replacement aluminum heavy-duty shocks. Replacing the shock caps with aluminum shock caps is also a good idea, helping your RC vehicle achieve higher jumps with more stable suspension. Upgrades like shock caps are easy to install, only taking a few minutes to turn your Traxxas Rustler into a sturdy piece of machinery.

2. A-Arms

Within the shock and suspension department, we also recommend replacing the standard Traxxas Rustler control arms, which connect the RC vehicle’s suspension to the frame, with RPM front A-Arms. These control arms are much more durable and don’t break as easily as the stock parts because they’re made of a flexible plastic that can bend with the vehicle as its wheels turn and pivot.

3. Caster Blocks

To finish off your shock upgrades, replacing your Traxxas Rustler’s stock caster blocks is also a good idea if you run the risk of crashing your RC vehicle or hitting a curb while driving. By adding aluminum caster blocks in either anodized blue or red, you’ll be helping to improve the overall toughness and appearance of your RC vehicle. Aluminum caster blocks can be assembled and bolted onto your vehicle’s shocks quickly and easily.

4. Axles

If you plan on doing a lot of jumping or high-speed driving with your Traxxas Rustler, then it would be beneficial to also upgrade your axles. Since your axles connect and rotate your RC vehicle’s wheels, it’s important to ensure they’re resilient enough to handle a ton of action. The best option for an axle upgrade would be MIP axles that are made entirely of steel for optimal durability.

5. Tires

It’s definitely not uncommon to want to drive your Traxxas Rustler on all sorts of terrain, from slick roads to mud and grass. In these cases, you’ll want to upgrade your tires to have a set for each type of terrain. For street running, Anaconda tires are the best fit because they’re designed with a directional tread design that gives your RC vehicle a balanced feel and sticky on-road traction. On the other hand, off-road terrains call for a set of tires like the Pro-Line Badlands, which are designed with Motocross-inspired knobby tread for traction on any surface – even loose and loamy dirt, mud or grass.

6. Steering Blocks

To improve control and further boost durability, try adding some anodized aluminum steering blocks to your Rustler. Not only do these parts improve the overall appearance of your vehicle with pops of either red or blue, but they also help make steering more accurate and tighter by adding large ball bearings.

7. Battery

Since your RC vehicle uses a lot of battery power, it’d be a good idea to upgrade your battery to help you boost top speeds and improve overall run-time. One of the best options for a battery upgrade is the LiPo battery; however, upgrading to a LiPo means you’ll have to also buy a new battery charger. If you’re willing to do that, then you’ll enjoy faster speeds for longer in your Traxxas Rustler.

You may also need a battery expansion kit in order to make room on your Rusty for a larger batter; thankfully, Traxxas makes a kit that includes everything you may need to allow clearance for taller battery packs.

8. Engine

Just like you’ll want to upgrade your battery to boost speeds, you’ll also want to upgrade your engine to make your Rustler faster. One of the best options for an engine upgrade on your Traxxas is the Velineon Brushless Motor, which comes built with high-temperature magnets meant to provide linear power and torque while maintaining efficiency. You’ll be getting much faster speeds with this new engine in conjunction with a new battery.

9. Bulkhead

To protect your Traxxas when crashes happen, adding a front aluminum bulkhead will boost your vehicle’s resilience and strength. While the Rustler does come with a stock bulkhead that does a decent job and protecting your vehicle, it’s a good idea to upgrade to a stronger one to keep all of your new upgrades from getting damages while driving or bashing.

10. Bumpers

If you’re going to be upgrading all of these internal parts, then you’ll also want to improve your Traxxas Rustler’s protection to keep it all safe and secure. This means upgrading both the front bumper and rear bumpers to RPM bumpers, which will help keep your vehicle safe in head-on collisions and allow you to install a wheelie bar.

Takeaway

There’s a lot of options for upgrade parts on the market for your Traxxas Rustler, both on and off-brand. Above all, you’ll want to make sure that you’re getting parts made with the finest and strongest materials to protect your piece of machinery from any damage it may get into – whether on purpose or accident. 

At Absolute Hobbyz, we carry everything you need to upgrade and repair your Traxxas Rustler, or any other RC vehicle you may drive.