HPI Racing Venture18 FLUX 1985 Toyota Hilux SR5 - Black

The kind of vehicle the maker sells it as. It sets what the car is built to do and which cars it is fair to compare it with.

• Crawlers are built for slow, controlled climbing over rocks: very low gearing, flexible suspension and locked axles.

All four wheels are driven. That gives more grip under power, especially on loose ground.

• The cost is more parts to maintain.
• A crawler needs every wheel pulling to climb.

A brushless motor has no brushes to wear, so it makes more power and runs more efficiently than a brushed one.

• It needs a brushless ESC.
• Crawler brushless systems are usually sensored, so the motor turns smoothly from a standstill.

Ready to run: built at the factory with the electronics installed.

• Some come without a battery or charger; the maker's box contents say which.

The maker's nominal size compared with a full-size vehicle. It works more as a class label than a measurement.

• A 1/10 monster truck is far bigger than a 1/10 touring car, so compare length and weight for real size.
• This one is 272 mm long.

The maker's product number for this exact version.

• A V2, a new color, or a kit instead of an RTR usually has a different number, and parts can differ between them.
• Check it against your box or receipt before ordering parts.

The small gear on the motor shaft. Fewer teeth gear the car shorter: quicker acceleration, lower top speed and a cooler motor. More teeth do the opposite.

• On this car one tooth changes the gearing by about 9.1%.
• Crawlers run small pinions for slow, precise wheel speed on climbs; a bigger one is quicker on the trail but harder to control on rocks.

The large gear the pinion drives. A bigger spur with the same pinion gears the car shorter.

• Pinion and spur must have the same pitch, or tooth size, to mesh.
• The Gearing parts table below shows this car's pitch and part numbers.

Every reduction after the spur, multiplied together: transmission, transfer case and axle gears.

• That chain is why a crawler's figure is much higher than other classes'.
• It is fixed by the design; the gearing you change is the pinion and spur.
• This is the high range, which sets top speed and is what the calculators load first.

How many times the motor turns for one turn of the wheels. A higher number is shorter gearing: more acceleration and pulling power, less top speed.

• Among 1/18 crawlers & trail trucks in the catalog, the middle half run between 20.4:1 and 44.9:1 on stock gearing; this one is 20.4:1.
• Crawlers run far higher ratios than other classes, so the truck can creep and hold on a climb.
• This is the high range, which sets top speed and is what the calculators load first.

The final drive in low range, where a crawler spends most of its time: slower and stronger, for climbs and fine control.

• It is 4.0 times the high range.
• Switch the calculators to Low to work in this range.

This vehicle has a two-speed transmission: a high range for speed and a low range for crawling.

• A small servo moves the shift fork, so the range changes from a switch on the transmitter, even on the move.
• Both ranges share the pinion and spur.

The nominal size of the hole that mates with the motor shaft.

• Match the pinion mounting method as well as its size. A press-fit hole cannot be inferred from motor shaft diameter.

The tooth spacing of the fitted gear, stated as metric module or diametral pitch.

• The meshing pinion and spur need matching pitch. A missing pitch can be inferred from the other fitted gear; module and diametral pitch are not silently converted.

The outside diameter of the mounted tire, tread to tread. A taller tire covers more ground each turn, which gears the car taller.

• This approximate diameter comes from a replacement advertised for the identified OEM tire. Calculated speed and rollout use this working size; measure your fitted tires for a closer comparison.
• Crawler wheels are named by rim size, such as 1.9 or 2.2 inches; that is the wheel, not this tire diameter.

How far the car moves for one turn of the motor: tire circumference divided by final drive.

• It lets you compare gearing across different tire sizes; more rollout is taller gearing.
• Here it is 9.3 mm.
• This is the high range, which sets top speed and is what the calculators load first.

How far the truck moves for one turn of the motor in low range.

• Here it is 2.3 mm.

The hex on the axle that the wheel locks onto and is driven by. A wheel must match the hex size to fit.

• A small hex like this is used on mini and micro cars.
• The wheel nut is a separate size, so check its thread too before buying nuts.

Stock tire width: A documented stock wheel, tire, or axle measurement. Stock dimensions alone do not establish the largest size that will clear the body and suspension.

What the main chassis is made of and how it is built, as stated for this car. Braces, stiffeners and skid plates are not counted.

• Steel is heavy and strong; on a crawler that weight sits low and steadies it on climbs.
• A ladder frame is two rails joined by cross members, as on a full-size truck.

What the shocks are and how they are built, as the maker describes them.

• Oil-filled shocks damp with silicone oil; friction shocks, found on some entry-level cars, damp with a sprung plunger and cannot be tuned with oil.
• Threaded bodies set ride height with a collar you turn, rather than clips.

RPM per volt with no load on the motor. Higher KV spins faster on the same pack; lower KV on more cells can reach the same RPM with less current.

• On 3S (11.1 V nominal) this motor spins about 38,850 rpm with no load.
• Under load the real RPM is lower.

The diameter of the motor's output shaft. A pinion's bore, the hole in its middle, must match it.

The highest LiPo cell count the maker rates the electronics for. Each cell is 3.7 V nominal and 4.2 V fully charged.

• 3S is 11.1 V nominal and 12.6 V off the charger.
• Running more cells than this risks the ESC and motor.
• Many cars also run on fewer cells, only slower.

The current the stock speed control is rated to carry, as the maker states it.

• The continuous figure is what it can carry all run; the burst figure only for moments, such as a launch.
• A motor or pack that pulls more than this risks the ESC.

The stock servo that steers the car.

• Metal gears take hard knocks to the front wheels better than plastic ones.

How hard the servo can turn, at the voltage the maker rates it.

• More torque steers heavier cars and bigger tires more precisely and holds the wheels straight over rough ground.
• Kilogram-centimetres and ounce-inches measure the same thing; the other unit is converted for comparison.

How long the servo takes to turn 60 degrees, at the voltage the maker rates it.

• A smaller number is a quicker servo, which feels sharper when changing direction.

Stock servo spline: A documented servo or steering interface for this model. Matching torque alone does not establish mounting or horn fit.

• This working size comes from a replacement advertised for the identified OEM part. Confirm the fitted part before ordering; a replacement's size may differ.

Stock servo dimensions: A documented servo or steering interface for this model. Matching torque alone does not establish mounting or horn fit.

• This working size comes from a replacement advertised for the identified OEM part. Confirm the fitted part before ordering; a replacement's size may differ.

The same no-load ceiling in low range: how fast the truck crawls at full throttle.

• Low range trades that speed for pulling power and control.

Motor RPM times rollout, worked out on 3S at nominal voltage with stock gearing.

• It assumes no load, no battery sag, no wheel slip and no drag, so read it as a ceiling for comparing setups.
• On a crawler it matters little: the gearing is chosen for control on climbs.
• This is the high range, which sets top speed and is what the calculators load first.

The motor's RPM with no load: KV times pack voltage.

• Under load it drops, which is one reason real speed is lower than the theoretical figure.

The vehicle's weight as the maker states it, without the battery.

• Add your pack's weight for running weight.
• On a crawler, where the weight sits matters as much as how much: weight low and in the axles helps it climb.

Overall length as the maker states it, usually with the body fitted.

• Useful for comparing real size, since scale labels are loose.

Overall width as the maker states it, usually with the body fitted.

• A wider car is more stable in corners and harder to roll over.

Overall height as the maker states it, usually with the body fitted.

• Useful when checking it fits a shelf, a bag or a car trunk.

The distance between the front and rear axle centers. A longer wheelbase is steadier at speed and over bumps; a shorter one turns more tightly.

• On a crawler it also decides how well the truck clears a ledge without the chassis catching.