Kronos XTR Steering turnbuckle length

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pujozor

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Hello there. Got a good deal on a kronos XTR 2022. Basically brand new, no scratches on the chassis. Came with a hobbywing 4724 motor, max 8 esc, savox 1270tg, 2 x 6s NXE 50c 4500mah batteries, skyrc charger and a HSP tx/rx. All this for $350usd and spare clear body.

Anyway, my question is what is the length of you front steering turnbuckles.

I have it set to 72mm as per manual but I feel like the toes are too out.

Funny story, ran it for the first time today and I wasn't paying attention, full speed into the side of my foot. Doctor said it's fractured lol.

20230530_192754.jpg
 
pujozor said:
Hello there. Got a good deal on a kronos XTR 2022. Basically brand new, no scratches on the chassis. Came with a hobbywing 4724 motor, max 8 esc, savox 1270tg, 2 x 6s NXE 50c 4500mah batteries, skyrc charger and a HSP tx/rx. All this for $350usd and spare clear body.

Anyway, my question is what is the length of you front steering turnbuckles.

I have it set to 72mm as per manual but I feel like the toes are too out.

Funny story, ran it for the first time today and I wasn't paying attention, full speed into the side of my foot. Doctor said it's fractured lol.

View attachment 4051
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Yeah that toe out looks a bit extreme! Maybe you're on the wrong hole on the steering rack? I can't remember on which one it came stock. I never set these things exactly as the manual says.
1685449874985.png


Sorry about your foot, that must have hurt!!!
 
DaniC said:
Yeah that toe out looks a bit extreme! Maybe you're on the wrong hole on the steering rack? I can't remember on which one it came stock. I never set these things exactly as the manual says.
View attachment 4052

Sorry about your foot, that must have hurt!!!
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It's placed in the middle hole. Should I shorten the length of the turnbuckle?
 
DaniC said:
Don't worry, I've made this mistake before too!
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Now that I think about it, maybe my measuring was off, I was just using a ruler to measure. I guess it's time to invest on a digital caliper. Thanks DaniC for taking the time to read my post. Appreciate it :)
 
pujozor said:
Now that I think about it, maybe my measuring was off, I was just using a ruler to measure. I guess it's time to invest on a digital caliper. Thanks DaniC for taking the time to read my post. Appreciate it :)
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No problem, happy to help! And yes, a digital calliper is a must in this hobby! It's one of my most used tools for sure.
 
pujozor said:
Hello there. Got a good deal on a kronos XTR 2022. Basically brand new, no scratches on the chassis. Came with a hobbywing 4724 motor, max 8 esc, savox 1270tg, 2 x 6s NXE 50c 4500mah batteries, skyrc charger and a HSP tx/rx. All this for $350usd and spare clear body.

Anyway, my question is what is the length of you front steering turnbuckles.

I have it set to 72mm as per manual but I feel like the toes are too out.

Funny story, ran it for the first time today and I wasn't paying attention, full speed into the side of my foot. Doctor said it's fractured lol.

View attachment 4051
Click to expand...
your better of with the plastic turnbuckles front and rear they are more durable. I broke the stock ones a few times before changing them out (y)
 
hobo said:
your better of with the plastic turnbuckles front and rear they are more durable. I broke the stock ones a few times before changing them out (y)
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The down side of fixed turnbuckles is that you're stuck with whatever geometry you end up with.

This won't suit everyone. I like being able to adjust my toe and camber settings - especially when I take my XTR on-road.

I'm sure a set of titanium turnbuckles and aftermarket RPM rod ends (or the like) could be fitted for ultimate, light weight, adjustable - yet super durable solution for those that like upgrading stuff. 😁
 
Horatio said:
The down side of fixed turnbuckles is that you're stuck with whatever geometry you end up with.

This won't suit everyone. I like being able to adjust my toe and camber settings - especially when I take my XTR on-road.

I'm sure a set of titanium turnbuckles and aftermarket RPM rod ends (or the like) could be fitted for ultimate, light weight, adjustable - yet super durable solution for those that like upgrading stuff. 😁
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I bought the composite plastic ones but I just ended up replacing them with steel ones.

20230621_182323.jpg


20230621_182319.jpg
 
pujozor said:
Hello there. Got a good deal on a kronos XTR 2022. Basically brand new, no scratches on the chassis. Came with a hobbywing 4724 motor, max 8 esc, savox 1270tg, 2 x 6s NXE 50c 4500mah batteries, skyrc charger and a HSP tx/rx. All this for $350usd and spare clear body.

Anyway, my question is what is the length of you front steering turnbuckles.

I have it set to 72mm as per manual but I feel like the toes are too out.

Funny story, ran it for the first time today and I wasn't paying attention, full speed into the side of my foot. Doctor said it's fractured lol.

View attachment 4051
Click to expand...
I bet your 'toes' are too far out too, after a broken foot! 😝

For off road, based on today's floppyness, I run mine around 72.8 - 72.9mm (measured between the plastic rod ends).

IMG_20230621_090051.jpg


Excessive toe-out isn't good and ruins both the handling and steering response.

The trouble with the geometry on the XTR is that it is prone to being inconsistent. The front upper wishbones develop a lot of slop over time and require shimming. Leaving it as-is will result in variable toe, caster and camber!! 🤣

The pivot ball suspension on my example gave me positive camber at the front, which required some fettling to remedy.

pujozor said:
I bought the composite plastic ones but I just ended up replacing them with steel ones.

View attachment 4125

View attachment 4126
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Loving those!! 👍👍👍🍻
 
Horatio said:
I bet your 'toes' are too far out too, after a broken foot! 😝

For off road, based on today's floppyness, I run mine around 72.8 - 72.9mm (measured between the plastic rod ends).

View attachment 4127

Excessive toe-out isn't good and ruins both the handling and steering response.

The trouble with the geometry on the XTR is that it is prone to being inconsistent. The front upper wishbones develop a lot of slop over time and require shimming. Leaving it as-is will result in variable toe, caster and camber!! 🤣

The pivot ball suspension on my example gave me positive camber at the front, which required some fettling to remedy.


Loving those!! 👍👍👍🍻
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Well, I've not fully recovered. Side of my heel has a bit of pain still. That front bumper is hard as he'll.

Thanks for the tip Horatio. Up until now, I still haven't purchased one of those digital calipers. Most of the ones here at my local hardware store have bad reviews and say they are inaccurate.
 
pujozor said:
Well, I've not fully recovered. Side of my heel has a bit of pain still. That front bumper is hard as he'll.

Thanks for the tip Horatio. Up until now, I still haven't purchased one of those digital calipers. Most of the ones here at my local hardware store have bad reviews and say they are inaccurate.
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Ahem... What I meant to say was - sorry to hear about your foot.👍

Regards the calipers - unless you're using them in an ISO regestered engineering setting, pretty much any set of calipers (even ebay/amazon specials) are better than using a piece of string and a ruler! 😜

I think the ones I use for my rigs cane out of a cracker! 🤣

Recently when walking around B&Q, I noticed some quite nice looking calipers going for about £20, right next to the laser measuring tools.
 
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Just to add - with any slop issues with the upper arms -

IMG_20230621_195352.jpg


This readily removes play from the upper arms.

IMG_20230621_195400.jpg


There's a fine line between removing slop and creating a binding issue. If you fettle anything, whilst it might be tempting to smooth down the plastic caster spacers - don't - because otherwise you'll be altering your caster to different, unknown values each side.

Instead, either use thinner shims then add or take away as required, or, use a washer and fettle it to the required size like I've done. Yes - it's a PITA, but it's also less stuff to lose when you take the stuff apart.

Check play in the pillow balls. I noticed mine needed pinching up all round to remove the slop.

The upper pillow balls on both sides needed their washers removing. This is because on my rig, the washers were so thick it resulted in positive camber. With the washers removed, I can run with up to 2° negative camber.

Once all the variables are sorted, you can check your track rod length and set your toe. I like to to run 0° - 2° toe out.
 
Horatio said:
The down side of fixed turnbuckles is that you're stuck with whatever geometry you end up with.

This won't suit everyone. I like being able to adjust my toe and camber settings - especially when I take my XTR on-road.

I'm sure a set of titanium turnbuckles and aftermarket RPM rod ends (or the like) could be fitted for ultimate, light weight, adjustable - yet super durable solution for those that like upgrading stuff. 😁
Click to expand...
broke the plastic ends as well as the turnbuckles so just put plastic on for some reason the ends are like 10th scale to me should be more beefy but yes you are right about the downsides the rear could do with some ajustment there a bit toe out
 
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