Article – Axial Racing talks XR10

Aug 252010

The XR10 is the newest rock crawler from Axial, the truck is packed of innovative features. Axial Racing has accepted to answer all our questions.

MyRCBox.com: When did you start working on the XR10 project?
Brandon Coonce: Axial started working on the XR10 in August 2009.

MyRCBox.com: What was the most challenging in the design of the XR10?
Brandon Coonce: The axles were very challenging, we wanted a compact and strong design that had all the necessary adjustments for competition built in.

MyRCBox.com: Who was involved in this project?
Brandon Coonce: I was the lead designer for the project. Matt Kearney and Brad Dumont contributed ideas and suggestions throughout the entire project. They helped with style and functionality and the project would not be what you see now if it wasn’t for them and the entire Axial team.

MyRCBox.com: What are the main features of the XR10?
Brandon Coonce: The XR10 is a dual motor crawler for the competition 2.2 class. It features a motor on each axle so you can independently control the front and rear axles. It also features a full adjustable chassis with optional shock mounting positions to suite every users needs.

MyRCBox.com: One of the nicest features are the cutting brakes. Can you explain more the concept?
Brandon Coonce: The cutting brakes are a feature that is used widely in 1:1 rock crawling. This feature will allow the driver to power each rear tire independently. You can lock the left tire, drive the right tire or the opposite. This feature will allow the XR10 to accomplish things that no other remote control rock crawler can do. It is definitely going to open up a whole new level of competition.

MyRCBox.com: I know you have already started competing with the XR-10. How things are going?
Brandon Coonce: Things are going great, and the more tweaking/tuning the team does the better they get. Axial is really looking forward to the USRCCA 2010 Nationals.

MyRCBox.com: What does make the XR10 a better crawler?
Brandon Coonce: The XR10 is the first to have such a large list of features and specs right out of the box. It’s the first to have purpose built competition axles made from plastic (slides better of the rocks) and it offers behind the axle steering on the front axle. The kit is also very competitive in stock form with its suspension geometry and basic setup created by hardcore RC Rock Crawlers.

MyRCBox.com: Do you have a base setup to share with XR10’s new owners?
Brandon Coonce: The XR10 instruction manual has a great starting setup. Axial even included the new Axial Internal Weight system in the kit for use in the front wheels. Beyond that a great place to start would be to add slightly more weight to the front wheels and adjust the ride height. Most of the team drivers are running around 3.25” of ground clearance. It would be easy to provide the exact locations for the shock mounts, but the ground clearance also depends on tire selection. The adjustments are so easy its best to start stock and see what works for you.

MyRCBox.com: Since the XR10 uses two motors, what motors/ESC setup do you recommend? More torque? More speed?
Brandon Coonce: There are quite a few options here, and this is dependent upon the complexity the end user wants. With the upcoming options for the cutting brakes it’s a good idea to be prepared and have an extra channel free with a 3 position switch for this option (rear drive, left lock, right lock). Currently most are running the Futaba 4PK of Futaba 6EX. With either of these you can run the XR10 to its full potential. We recommend Tekin FXR’s and 55 or 45T motors. I found that running the 45T’s with 13T pinions is a great mix of speed and torque.

MyRCBox.com: When we have published your announcement of a mystery new product from Axial, many of our readers speculated on what it would be. Some readers said that it will be a 1/8 buggy, some talked about a solid rear axle short course truck. What did have pushed Axial to release a new generation of crawler?
Brandon Coonce: With the AX10’s success we wanted to show the crawling community that we aren’t leaving them behind. That’s where Axial started and we will continue to develop this awesome segment of RC.

We have asked to RCCrawler.com forum members if they have few questions concerning the XR10. Here are the questions.

MyRCBox.com: Even if four wheels steering is not race legal, does XR10 support 4 wheels steering?
Brandon Coonce: Currently the XR10 does not support 4 wheel steering because the front and rear axles are different. However, the C’s and Knuckles can be installed on the rear axle, all that’s missing is the universals and servo mounting location.

MyRCBox.com: Will the XR10 be available RTR?
Brandon Coonce: Due to the complexity of the electronics in the XR10 it will be hard for Axial to provide this kit in RTR, however it’s not impossible.

MyRCBox.com: Will the axles be available separately?
Brandon Coonce: We like the idea of selling the axles separately but it’s too early to tell.

MyRCBox.com: When the XR10 will be available in Canada?
Brandon Coonce: They are in transit as we speak. Check out Hi-Performance for the latest ship dates of XR10 parts and the complete line of Axial products.

MyRCBox.com: Thanks for your time and collaboration, this is greatly appreciated. You can be sure that MyRCBox.com will continue to follow the evolution of your exceptional rock crawler.
Brandon Coonce: Thank you for your time as well. For full feature information and the latest information on the XR10, please check out www.axialracing.com and http://www.axialalert.com/

The Axial XR10 is packed of new features, the list is very long…

XR10™ FEATURES/SPECS

Complete “no-compromise” competition ready kit
All new front and rear specific strong durable composite plastic, lightweight axles.
- Low profile axle housing design for maximum ground clearance.
- Front steering axle with the ability to rotate (clock) the motor up/down.
- Rear axle is 16mm narrower than the front axle to squeeze through tight gate layouts.
All New Behind the Axle (BTA) Steering *pat. pend.
- Enclosed steering slide with turnbuckles to adjust toe in and toe out.
- 8° kingpin angle helps keep scrub radius to a minimum, which equals less stress on your steering servo.
- Durable composite plastic – strong double shear knuckle arms with replaceable aluminum draw link mount.
- Splined adjustable c-hubs provide caster adjustments in 15° increments.

Oversized Universals
- Oversized 12.5mm universals with 4mm and 2.5mm cross pins.
- Made of hardened steel
- No backlash like dogbone setups
- 45° of steering out of the box

37.9:1 gear ratio using the included 14T pinion. Gearbox allows for use of 12-19T pinions for gear ratios ranging from 44.2:1 through 27.9:1.
Dual motors allow you to easily adjust your front and rear gear ratios independently.
Compact and lightweight gearboxes keep the motor positioned closer to the axle housing and above the axle centerline for extra clearance.
Aluminum chassis plates with durable composite plastic skid plate.
Chassis provides multiple upper link adjustment holes for suspension tuning and adjusting anti-squat.
Adjustable upper shock mounts included for fine tuning ride height and can be catered to your own personal driving style.
Adjustable body mounts provide finite adjustments for different angles and heights.
Removable electronics tray for easy maintenance and installation
Waterproof receiver box with wire routing guides for cleaner electronic routing/configuration.
Multiple ESC mounting plates and configurations
Low profile battery mount places the weight of the battery at a lower position in the vehicle to help lower the center of gravity.
Oversized rod ends with large 7mm aluminum links and durable composite plastic sleeves (replaceable).
Light durable composite plastic upper links also aid in lowering the center of gravity.
Full ball bearings (oversized differential bearings)
Differentials: locked (spool)
Wheels: New Axial 2.2 Competition Beadlocks
- Includes CNC orange anodized rings.
- Compatible with Vanquish patented wheel weight systems (Licensed by Vanquish Products)
- Minimal beadlock hardware for assembly ease
- Narrow offset to increase steering response and strength
Suspension: 4-link, double triangulated
72-103mm shocks: includes aluminum bodies and 10mm machined Delrin pistons.
Axial Hardline Body
- Competition inspired body – design, layout, and size all catered for optimum performance.
- Meets all U.S.R.C.C.A minimum requirements
- Dove-tailed front and rear to minimize interference with tires.
- Rounded roof line and cab forward design to improve roll-over recovery.