I had the privilege of seeing the Traxxas Rally VXL for the first time in person at the 2010 iHobby show in Chicago. Initial thoughts were that this would be a cool little car, would lend itself nicely to a few upgrades and would probably be pretty fun to drive (for a bit). We were then given the controls of a few of the Rallys and let loose, and my thoughts on this little car changed drastically. Yes, it is cool, and yes, it would lend itself nicely to a few upgrades, but I was dead wrong about the pretty-fun-to-drive part. I spent a good hour driving the Rally in a pretty small room, drifting around all the other mag guys and having an absolute blast. Fact is, I wouldn’t give mine up!
WHO MAKES IT: Traxxas
WHO IT’S FOR: Everyone
HOW FAST: 50.09mph
HOW MUCH: $290
BUILD TYPE: RTR
VEHICLE TYPE: 1/16-scale 4WD Rally Car
THE BOTTOM LINE:
An affordable go-almost-anywhere machine that is actually REALLY fun to drive.
NEED TO KNOW
• The Rally VXL is based off Traxxas’ 1/16 Slash VXL. It includes the F1 inspired rocker-actuated suspension system complete with oil-filled shocks, threaded shocks and rally-tuned progressive-rate springs. The efficient 4WD drivetrain rolls on a full set of precision bearings, while power is transferred through Traxxas’ Torque Control slipper clutch system. Sandwiched between the lower skid plates and the molded, single piece chassis are a pair of stout gearboxes, Each containing fluid-filled planetary gear differential.
• To provide maximum muscle, Traxxas bolted in its waterproof Velineon 380 Brushless Power System. This system, running on the included 6-cell NiMh battery pack, launches the tiny Rally to impressive speeds more than 30mph. Load the Rally up with two of those NiMh packs and speeds jump to more than 50mph! I can imagine what two LiPo packs will do! (Editor’s Note: Yes, I am going to find out!)
• Traxxas has included its TQ 2.4 GHz High Output radio system with the Rally VXL. This radio system includes the normal steering and throttle trims, expo, dual rates and end points. What you don’t expect from this system is something called the Traxxas Link system. This system stores settings for up to 20 different Traxxas Link enabled vehicles. Turn on the transmitter and the vehicle and the Traxxas Link system will recognize them and bind them together—no naming or model-memory settings required. Pretty slick!
• The batteries slide into a pair of pockets on each side of the chassis. These pockets are low in the chassis for better handling, and will accept a “micro”-sized NiMh or LiPo pack. Flip-up doors keep the batteries in place and small air vents help keep the packs cool.
• The overall look of the Rally VXL is incredibly appealing. The styling of the body is sleek and sporty, and the white spoke wheels fit the rally-theme well. The officially licensed BFGoodrich rally tires add that little something extra to the entire package. As an added bonus, the wheels and tires are the same size and offset as a standard race-level touring car setup. This means you could mount up a set of pro-level kicks and get some serious track action out of your Rally!
PROS & CONS
+ Complete package, including brushless system, battery and charger
+ Includes the Traxxas TQ 2.4GHz radio system
+ Sealed drivetrain allows you to Rally almost anywhere
+ Tight, compact design
+ Fantastic looking body and wheel combo
+ Dual battery system provides ridiculous power
– You can’t get any traction with the supplied rally/drift tires
– Hard collisions sometimes cause the battery doors to pop open
DESIGN ANALYSIS
1. Cantilever suspension not only keeps the CG low for better handling, it also reduces weight by using smaller shocks.
2. The central-mounted transmission is slightly offset to allow the Velineon Brushless motor to mount as close to the centerline of the Rally as possible.
3. Everything on the underside of the Rally VXL is well protected. Molded cages protect the servo areas, and beefy skids protect the gearboxes and drivetrain. Even the battery boxes are slightly angled for greater ground clearance.
4. The Rally VXL uses Traxxas’ tried and true telescoping sliders. These units have proven to be extremely durable in high-power applications and require very little maintenance.
5. The battery compartments may be enclosed, but strategically placed air vents allow cool air in and the warm air out.
6. The ball-bearing equipped, heavy-duty transmission includes Traxxas Torque Control Slipper Clutch. This adjustable clutch system will help you keep the Rally’s monster brushless power in check on any surface you drive on.
PERFORMANCE
Test conditions: Many different surfaces:Wet/dry asphalt and concrete, dirt lot and carpet.
STEERING: Oversteer
The steering on the Rally VXL is controlled by a single Traxxas 2080 micro servo. Response and torque are surprisingly good, and catching the countersteer was pretty easy once you got used to it. The massive power made the rear tires break loose very easily, so I ended up steering with the rear of the car more than the front. Throttle control is key with this car (as, I guess, it iswith the 1:1 size rally/drift cars), and once I was able to master that, the steering was more for controlling the slide than actually steering the car.
ACCELERATION: Very Good
The Rally VXL is a zippy little thing. Running it up and down my street, it seems like it has A LOT more power than it actually does, and 30mph seems a bit conservative. The tiny Traxxas Micro Power Cell battery provides plenty of oomph and makes ripping the throttle from a standstill quite exciting! The combination of hard tires and maximum punch make power-sliding the Rally a breeze at almost any speed.
BRAKING: Good
This was a hard category as the different surfaces controlled the outcome of how the Rally VXL brakes. On the asphalt (wet or dry), heavy braking sometimes caused the car to slide and facing the wrong direction. Short braking bursts were required to successfully slow it down. The same was true for dirt. There was no need to use short bursts on carpet, though. Heavy braking would bring the Rally do a standstill in no time without a hint of wiggle. Different tires (something with more grip) will definitely help the Rally out in this department. Just remember that short bursts (or adjusting the brake expo from the transmitter) will help slow the Rally down without incident.
SUSPENSION: Excellent
The suspension on the Rally VXL is fantastic. In stock form, this little gem worked well on all the surfaces I tested it on. Of course, because it’s so low to the ground, larger bumps wreaked havoc with it, but trail driving, drifting and even a couple laps on a real offroad track impressed everyone that had a chance to see it. While not a lot of adjustment, there is enough to tune the Rally’s suspension to your liking.
DURABILITY: Excellent
With multiple surfaces to test on and an eight day rain streak in SoCal, I had plenty of opportunity to not only test the durability of the actual Rally car, but also of the electronics! In typical Traxxas fashion, they’ve designed a pretty durable car that can take quite a beating. I encountered zero hiccups with the car, and days after running it through 4-5 inch deep puddles, it’s still running. The only issue I had with the Rally is that any kind of heavy impact would jar the battery door open, launching the battery out of the car. I swapped the battery to the other side and had the same thing happen. Make sure your battery doors are securely snapped shut.
SPECS & TUNING OPTIONS
DIMENSIONS
LENGTH: 14 in. (356mm)
WIDTH: 7.3 in. (185mm)
WHEELBASE: 8.1 in. (206mm)
WEIGHT: 34 oz. (964g)
SUSPENSION
• Camber (F&R)—Adjustable pillow-ball suspension
• Toe—Set length rods
• Ride height—Threaded shock bodies
DRIVETRAIN
• Diff stiffness—grease or silicone diff fluids
• Slipper clutch—tension
MAINTENANCE AND TUNING TIPS
• Traxxas states that all the electronics in the Rally VXL are waterproof. I can certainly attest to that, however, things like bearings are not waterproof. After every romp in the rain, it’s a good idea to blow out your car (with some sort of compressed air) and put a drop of lightweight oil on the bearings. This will help prevent them from rusting and needing replacement.
KEN BLOCK EDITION
I know for a fact that I wasn’t the first person to think “Ken Block Gymkhana” when I saw the Rally VXL. But even though I thought that, Traxxas was WAY ahead of me. In addition to the Rally VXL, Traxxas unveiled the actual Ken Block/Monster Energy Drink Ford Fiesta at the iHobby show. This will definitely be a game-changer in the onroad segment of RC.
The Ken Block Edition comes with the standard Rally features including the Velineon Brushless Power system and Traxxas TQ 2.4GHz radio system. To separate it from its “standard” brother, the KB Edition does have a few differences. For starters, the officially licensed Ken Block/Monster Energy Drink Ford Fiesta body is enough to give anyone chills! Then there’s the officially licensed Volk TE37 racing wheels wrapped in Gymkhana-compound slick tires. Finally, green pushrods and toe links are standard equipment.
THE LAST WORD
When it comes to deciding on its next project, I often think that all of the Traxxas Product Management team head into a back room filled with crystal balls and tarot cards. It consults with the Wizards of RC Product Development and, after a few weeks of conjuring at Hogwarts, HeadMaster Albus Dumbledore sends an owl to Traxxas with its new product wrapped and ready to go. With the amount of industry-leading product that comes from them, that could be true. OR, it’s more likely the team over at Traxxas is just phenomenal at knowing what the market wants. They have done their homework with the Rally VXL, and by adding the Ken Block edition, it’s catering to a completely new group of potential RC’ers.
LINKS
Traxxas, traxxas.com, (888) TRAXXAS
MRC, https://www.modelrectifier.com/, (732) 225-2100
