THE TRAXXAS FIESTA ST RALLY
Review by Evo RC
The Traxxas Fiesta grabbed my attention immediately. This is Traxxas’s 10 scale rally car. An RC car which was built and set up much like the slash with some key differences. It featured a rally car body with a lower center of gravity chassis. Traxxas has recently given their 10 scale rally car a cosmetic overhaul. The new Traxxas Fiesta ST Rally is a gravel throwing, dirt drifting machine, packed with fun into a sleek new body design. It features authentic Ford Fiesta ST design details.
Don’t let the sleek new shell fool you, this car was built to bash. It comes stock with a Titan 550 brushed motor, and XL5 ESC.
We all know that every RC hobbyist is going to upgrade that to 3S or even 4S, so that it comes brushed is a good thing. It means you get it cheaper and toss that brushed combo out with a new setup.
recommend UPGRADES
I suggest that you enjoy the Fiesta as is with the brushed combo for a while till you get used to the feel and handling of the car. I set it up for onroad but it was hard to keep it from rolling in tight turns. The chassis was more designed for offroad. Then I converted it to offroad and was astonished at how well it handles rough terrain. I kept mine stock for a while and at low rpms it’s fine but when you need some wheel spin, you just have to go brushless. I researched and asked some Slash fans locally and they all pointed to one combo, the Hobbywing MAX10 SCT 4000KV.
The motor and esc combo comes with an included pinion gear in the box. I recommend to use that with Traxxas models. If you’re doing a brushless conversion I also recommend changing your center drive shaft from plastic to alloy with part number TRX6855 and TRX6888X.
Also a center brace with part number TRX6730. I recommend to setup a fan on the motor for further cooling. I recommend the inner fender wells for Traxxas Slash 4×4 LCG by Scorched Parts. It’s not a direct fit but if you cut down slowly you’ll manage. I also installed the Hot Racing aluminium inner roll cage, looks awesome and will protect you against those heavy rolls and upside down impacts.
The MAX10 combo mentioned earlier is best run on 3S but is rated to run at 4S. On 3S it’s awesome and packs a punch to say the least. I ran the setup on 3S often and there is not much else you need to upgrade to keep running. On 4S, I have found that it’s too much power for the entire setup including drive shafts, drive train, bearings and differentials. I have done a speed run on 4S on road and it goes like a missile. The wind does catch it at high speeds and it flips up and goes into a roll, so either put massive holes on the back of the shell or just speed run it without the shell. I also suggest switching to a receiver with a gyro functionality that will make the car behave much better both on road and off road. The Radiolink RC series are my favorite.
Final thoughts, with the infamous Slash out there, you’re guaranteed to always find parts, many of which fit the Fiesta. If you’re looking for something different than your more common truck then go for the Fiesta, it’s awesome! There was a time where Traxxas was meant to stop production but it seems like it’s picking up again, fingers crossed.
