Monster Truck Madness – Racing the LMTs

Hello everyone and Happy Thursday!

I just had my first monster truck racing weekend of 2023 and got to get my fleet dirty! I want to focus on my LMT’s here, though. Both are quite a bit different from each other given they are the same platform, but both trucks are my two favorite r/c’s that I currently own.

Let’s start with my new TLR Tuned LMT “Rotten Candy Apple”. That’s the truck above. Man, this thing feels awesome on the track!

I am using a sensored Graupner 5.5 system on 2S (it’s a 540 size motor and I’m using a Robinson Racing pinion shaft adapter). I have been having some brownout issues under hard acceleration though, so I think I may swap that powerplant out before the next race. More on that in a later column, as I want to focus on the handling of the truck.

The carbon fiber equipped TLR tuned truck feels fast, nimble and light. That long wheel base keeps it stable in the air. The feeling of the truck is somewhat similar to a mod Clod or aftermarket chassis’d SMT10 in that it has plenty of power on tap and is very reactive which I think is due to the link on trailing arm setup.

I set mine up with totally open front and rear diffs utilizing no oil, just grease, and I really liked how it felt.

My kit came in just a couple weeks before the event, and it was a mad dash to finish it. I’m looking forward to the race next month because now I have ample time to dial in the setup. It’s probably getting a new paint job soon too, as I rushed the current JConcepts Snoop Nose at the last minute thanks to an airbrush mishap, and I’m not really happy with how it looks. Initial performance impressions are extremely impressive though!

My other LMT is one that I’ve talked about a good bit, but I want to discuss it some more. Whereas my TLR Tuned Losi is light weight with trailing arm mounted shocks, my “Rotten Apple” LMT is totally kitted out in machined Treal parts, runs 3S through a Spektrum brushless system, and has the standard axle mounted shocks.

The Treal LMT is a heavy pig comparatively, and I love it. It’s got plenty of power on tap, and the weight helps it carve through the track in a very stable fashion. It’s not as reactive as the TLR Tuned LMT, but on a slick, loose dirt track like we were racing on last weekend, I think it was a positive.

That truck is riding on new JConcepts Firestorm Racers (blue compound) and Slam-Tech closed cell foams. Man, these things feel AWESOME. It’s hard to compare them fairly against Renegade tires, as this truck weighs more than other trucks in my fleet, but the tires and foams are a killer combo on this truck.

Both of my LMT’s feel very different from each other, but both are absolutely killer solid axle race trucks in their current configurations. I have a feeling that once I get more wheeling and tuning time in with the TLR Tuned version, it’s probably going to be my favorite on the race track (especially when running on high bite surfaces), but the Treal LMT feels a lot burlier and more “monster truck-y” and is where it’s at for bashing and freestyling.

Love ’em both. More to come soon on the TLR tuned truck after I have some more tuning and run time!

Until next time, keep it on all 4’s!