STRC Axial Wraith Hop-Ups – Part 1

We recently got our hands on a boatload of ST Racing Concepts hop-ups for the Axial Wraith. A large portion of the parts are cosmetic, but several are functional. Once we get them all installed and some wheel time with them, we will write up more of a complete review.

We decided to start with the Aluminium Motor Plate and the Aluminum Transmission Back Plate. Our man Wrench cleared a spot on the work bench and we were ready to go..

Most of the STRC products do not come with printed instructions. If you have trouble, they almost always have a step-by step version online you can follow on their web page. These two parts were pretty simple, and since they are basically direct replacement parts you can also refer to your Wraith manual on how to get these parts on or off.

The first step for both of these was to pull out the main motor group. On the Wrath your about 12 screws away from accomplishing this.

The STRC Motor Plate was almost an ounce lighter than the stock plate, and felt pretty strong. It features some fins to act as a heat sync to help keep the motor temps down, and it also features longer screw hole adjustments for those looking for some taller gearing that couldn’t be accomplished with the stock plate.

You can see the before and after versions here. Installation of the plate went smooth, and we didn’t encounter any issues during the install. (Wrench always makes this stuff look easy!)

As long as we had our powerplant in our hands, we took the time to install the Transmission plate. The STRC plate is designed to add more durability and take away any flex that may be seen with the use of a plastic piece. Once again this went very smooth. The bearing popped out of the old piece, and fit firmly into the new STRC plate. The STRC parts are known for being very precise and it shows when it comes to things like bearing housings that can sometimes be a pain with the aftermarket area.

Once we were all done, we put everything back into the truck (just reverse the disassemble) and we were good to go. We took our time, stopping for pictures and things, but installing both parts was probably about 30 minutes. The new parts look good, they give us some new options with gearing, and help toughen up some possible problem areas.

Come back soon for some additional STRC Axial Wraith part installs, and then watch for our final overall review.

Make sure to visit the ST Racing Concepts Webpage for specific information and details or ordering.