Traxxas SLEDGE Owner's Manual page 25

TEMPERATURES AND COOLING
Monitoring temperatures will extend the lives of the batteries and
motors. There are many options available that will help you monitor
temperatures and cool your components. The factory installed electronic
speed control cooling fan assists in cooling the VXL-6s in high-current
motor applications. A optional cooling fan will help pull the heat away
from the 2000Kv motor.
TUNING THE SEALED GEAR DIFFERENTIALS
Sledge's front and rear gear differentials allow the left and right
wheels to spin at different speeds while turning so that the tires do
not scuff or skid. This decreases the turning radius and increases
steering performance.
The performance of the differentials can be tuned for different driving
conditions and performance requirements. The differentials are filled
with silicone differential fluid, and are sealed to maintain consistent
long-term performance. Changing the oil in the differential with either
lower or higher viscosity oil will vary the performance characteristics of
the differentials. Changing to a higher viscosity oil in the differential will
reduce the tendency for engine power to be transferred to the wheel
with the least traction. You may notice this when making sharp turns
on slick surfaces. The unloaded wheels on the inside of the turn have
the least traction and tend to spin up to extremely high rpms. Higher
viscosity (thicker) oil causes the differential to act like a limited-slip
differential, distributing more equal power to the left and right wheels.
Sledge will generally benefit from higher viscosity oil when climbing,
rock crawling, or racing on low traction surfaces.
Note: Heavier oil will allow power to be transferred even with one or
more tires off the ground. This can make the vehicle more likely to
overturn.
From the factory, both the differentials are filled with SAE 50,000W
viscosity silicone oil. Only use silicone oil in the differentials. Traxxas sells
SAE 10,000W, SAE 30,000W, SAE 100,000W, and SAE 500,000W viscosity
oil (see your parts list). The differentials have to be removed from the
vehicle and disassembled to change/replace oil. Use the exploded
views included with your model to aid in the disassembly/assembly
process.
BASIC TUNING ADJUSTMENTS
CENTERING YOUR SERVO
If you have removed the servo horn from your Sledge's steering
servo, or the servo has been removed for service or cleaning, the
servo must be re-centered prior to installation of the servo horn or
installation of the servo.
1. Remove the servo horn from the steering servo.
2. Connect the steering servo to channel 1 on the receiver. Connect
the electronic speed control (ESC) to channel 2. The white wire on
the servo lead is positioned toward the receiver's LED.
3. Turn the transmitter power switch on. Make certain the
transmitter's batteries are not depleted.
4. Turn off TSM (see page 16).
5. Turn the transmitter's steering trim knob to the center "0"
position.
6. Disconnect both the blue and white motor connectors (see page
11) to prevent the motor from turning during the next steps.
Connect a fresh battery pack to the speed control and turn on
the ESC (see page 17). The servo's output shaft will automatically
jump to its center position.
7. Install the servo horn onto
the servo output shaft. The
servo horn should be aligned
one spline clockwise from
perpendicular alignment
with the servo case (not the
chassis).
8. Check servo operation by turning the steering wheel back and
forth to ensure that the mechanism has been centered properly
and you have equal throw in both directions. Use the transmitter's
steering trim knob to fine-tune the position of the servo horn so
the model tracks straight when the steering wheel is at neutral.
SLEDGE • 25