Injora Planet Axles for the SCX30 (Review)
A new set of wider axles for the SCX30 have arrived, and they look like they're going to be awesome. Let's check them out and see if they're as good as their planet axles for the larger scale rigs!
Quick Specs
- All aluminum construction
- 3mm wider than stock
- Brass steering knuckles
- 2/13 front and 2/16 rear gears for lots of overdrive
- Injora U Joint axle shafts included
- 52.99 at Injora, or Check Price on Amazon
Overview
With the increased popularity of the Axial SCX30 it was only a matter of time before we started getting some serious upgrades headed our way.
I was particularly excited to test these Planet Axles because, outside of wheels and tires, axles are one of the most effective upgrades you can make. These come loaded with upgrades right out of the box, making them an easy way to improve multiple areas of performance at once.
What's in the Box?
You'll receive the Injora Planet Axles in a nice box with everything you'll need to get them installed including new ball studs that you'll have to install because the stock ones are too long. If you're using stock links, you'll need to press these ball studs into them, which can be a challenge, but it is doable.
Outside of those ball studs you'll find all the additional hardware you need, some O-Rings, and an instruction page, which is nice to see, because you usually don't get stuff like that with Injora parts. There is extra hardware included as well which is always appreciated from Injora. (Especially when we're talking about TINY SCX30 hardware)
Installation
Installation is fairly straightforward. The biggest challenge is getting the stock links onto the new Injora ball studs, but once they're popped in everything moves freely without binding. If you're using Injora links, this won't be an issue at all.
The axles themselves come assembled from the factory which is super convenient, and there is grease in the differentials already! I did take mine apart to add some additional threadlock to the screws, but I do think most people will be able to get away with just installing these axles as they come. Really happy with the preassembled axles, though because working on the 30 is fiddly enough!
Performance
The increased width does wonders for stability and they're not so wide that they look weird with the stock body. As a matter of fact I think they give a stock body SCX30 a very nice aggressive stance. I found side hill performance to be greatly improved with these.
The increased overdrive and the greater steering angle provided by these axles gave my SCX30 a ton of steering. It's such a welcome upgrade from stock, especially in tighter indoor spaces, and that's not even all the benefit you'll get from the over driven front end.
Overdrive in the front means that the front wheels are spinning faster than the rear wheels, and that really helps when you're dealing with tough climbs over ledges and things like that. The front wheels can pull you up and over things more easily without the rear wheels pushing you into a bad spot.
The increased weight from the brass steering link and the front steering knuckles is also such a helpful upgrade on any truck and the fact that they're included with these axles is just icing on the cake.
Was there anything I didn't Like?
Two minor things, one of which has already been corrected by Injora (gotta love when the manufacturer listens to the community).
- The axles without ramped diff covers will get hung up on things. It didn't happen often, but when it did, I noticed. -|Corrected by Injora|
- On a stock brushed truck, I do feel like I traded a little bit of smoothness for increased wheel speed. This is VERY minor, though, and not something I expect most people will even notice.
Final Word
I think these axles are really good, and I will absolutely buy another set for a future build. They look really nice too!
You get all the brass upgrades you'd want for a set of axles, plus increased width, steering, and overdrive. When you add up the cost of all the parts you'd need to bring a set of stock axles up to par (without the width) they seem like a no-brainer.
Overall, if you're considering these, I would say they're a great and fairly economical choice, and they'll make a massive improvement to the performance of your SCX30!
Here are those links again if you're interesting in picking up a set for yourself!
