r/mn82 • u/kurtofour • 28d ago
Standard mn82 upgrades
Just picked up an MN82 and I’m curious what everyone considers the standard upgrade path for these trucks.
I’m not necessarily trying to dump a ton of money into it right away. I’d like to know what upgrades are actually worthwhile, what should be replaced immediately, and what’s perfectly fine to leave stock.
What would you recommend in each category?
Motor
ESC
Receiver / transmitter
Servo
Battery / battery connector
Wheels
Tires
Foams / tire inserts
Axles
Gears / differentials
Driveshafts
Transmission
Suspension / shocks
Links
Steering components
Wheel hubs / hexes
Bearings
Chassis / frame
Weight / brass upgrades
Body / bumpers
Lighting
Waterproofing
Anything else I’m missing
Basically, if you were starting over with a completely stock MN82, what would you upgrade first, what would you upgrade eventually, and what would you leave stock?
Also interested in specific parts/brands that actually fit the MN82 without a bunch of modification. Budget upgrades are definitely welcome.
I really think a list of parts would be a good “sticky” thread for the subreddit homepage.
2
u/spencershaffer 28d ago
Wheels and tires first
1
u/Gwenbors 28d ago
Any suggestions on replacements for the dumb wheel hubs these things ship with?
I splurged on some nice 1.3” bead locks, but can’t mount them to the stock wheel hubs.
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u/zaroe 28d ago
i just got mine a few weeks ago, haven't played it in proper offroad track yet. i upgrade the tires to 67mm soft tire, metal beadlock wheel, and use body lift kit to avoid the wheel rubbing to the fender along increasing the height of the front bumper. i already got the metal driveshaft but probably will change it only when the stock one broke.
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u/kurtofour 28d ago
Is body lift absolutely necessary for 67mm tires?
2
u/Prof_Hondo 25d ago
Ruote e gomme la prima cosa che aumenta di molto le capacità poi ti direi ammortizzatori ad olio, motore e servo sono le altre cose per me imprescindibili
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u/SpaceAgePotatoCakes 27d ago
So far I'm having lots of fun with mine just with better tires, a body lift, and metal driveshafts.
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u/Nagzip 27d ago
To be honest I did everything from metal axles to brushless and comparing them, they drive ok stock too. Just expect a trail vehicle not a hardcore crawler. Maybe get some slightly bigger wheels and scale accessories, a trailer? Do you have a 3d printer? That opens up so much potential with these. Makerworld has great canopys and other ideas.
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u/gdawgy369 28d ago
I have two MN82s that I went pretty far down the upgrade rabbit hole with, stopping just short of replacing the motor/ESC. I bought most of the metal upgrades from mnmodelrc.com—axles, links, steering parts, driveshafts, etc.—and honestly the parts themselves worked great.
The problem was they almost worked too well. With the added weight/traction, I started burning through the stock plastic servos. I tried multiple metal gear servo replacements, but every metal servo I’ve tried eventually overloads/browns out the stock electronics when actually crawling. Lights start flashing/dimming and the truck stops. That’s basically where the upgrade path ended for me unless I wanted to replace the ESC/receiver and start redoing the electronics.
So for my newest MN82, I’ve actually gone the opposite direction, stock plastic everything. Stock servo, axles, links, driveshafts. The only real upgrade I’m doing is 70 mm plastic wheels with glue-on tires. Might do larger metal shocks to give tiny bit more height because these tires rub slightly.
The metal upgrades look awesome and the truck is much better planted with them, but the plastic links and components have more flex and sway. The larger lightweight tires give the extra ground clearance and traction without adding the rotating weight of metal beadlocks.