5 Best Axial Capra Upgrades and Mods for ultimate rc rock crawling

use traxxas 90 mm white springs on stock shocks😊

I love your presentation. I just got my Capra build. Thank you.

I might have watched this video 20x (and most likely will watch again) just to get it all done correctly. I did 80% of what you got on this video and I couldn't be happier. Thank you for the excellent information!

You had my attn until you suggested brushless. Your answer too often is go brushless. Perhaps rightfully so, but many of us cannot afford brushless systems you suggest. What is wrong with a holmes 540, 1080 and a flysky? If you want to continue catering to the $ crowd that's your perogitive. For those seeking quality budget friendly reviews you need to decide which direction your channel will go. Apple or Android.

Also keep in mind, we have few specials. Brushless, reefs, 3 bros, mambas, etc. Just can't afford. My own problem i 'spect.

Thank you Francis. We have to differentiate trail trucks from dedicated rock crawlers. Two very very different things, minus bullies, customs, etc. No big advertising for crawler specific models that could really perform. Very upsetting to buy and have to spend the same to modify for pure crawling needs. Many of us only have rocks, not much trail. Thank you, you are the man

I'm not sure punch and wheelspeed are the answer. You're still the man :)

Treal or injora for brass and wheels for the Capra?

Any reviews on the new Capra 4ws models that just came out??

Sounds like a revolver in the red capra. Exactly my plans as I've just ordered the motor and esc. Then will get the sweet looking cf body parts.

Which springs did you use on your Capra?

great suggestions. Thank you!

Hi Francis. Could this Capra be a good choice to upgrade with GSpeed V3 chassis ?

Most of your videos are pretty good, but this one misses the mark. Advising to add rotational mass, getting rid of a key feature such as dig on a chassis that is meant for competition like crawling, and adding a brushless motor? It has higher gearing than a trail truck, therefore much faster wheelspeed.

Two questions. How heavy do you recommend for wheels and where did you potions your upper links?. Which holes?

Can you use the dig as free wheel instead of locking it?

Use a brushless motor???? First time i see somebody say that a brushless motor is a good upgrade and specially on a crawler lol 😂 sorry but in my opinion your extremely wrong and a other thing....all vehicule shoud have the same tires when you do test between them your doing great video but sorry those test are no good

For the springs, I run the soft springs up front and the mediums in the rear. Or, I'll run the mediums up front and the hards in the rear with my DSM kinetic recovery strap under both axles to provide a central negative spring as to not hurt articulation while being able to adjust it quickly.

I have watched dozens and dozens of people doing reviews your channel is the best . Thank you .

Element springs work the best

Why on all videos I see that talk about dig never mention the freewheel ability. I set it up for all three positions. The freewheel is awesome for steep climbs where rear wheels want to flip you over

Hey Francis! When you say to use the pen springs inside, does that mean to put the pen spring on the shock shaft inside the shock to start lifting the piston inside the shock to stop the shock from fully extending? Lol I think I got my idea out in that question. I first saw this vid a long time ago but didn’t get around to grabbing the Capra till now.

I have $1,200 into the Capra and it's still not done!

Just bought one, the shock issue isn't stiffness its droop. This thing need a TON more droop and a little bit more height. It hangs up on the body too much.

First thing I did when I built my SCX10.2: heavy wheels. Never used the kit wheels. Straight to heavy steel. Also added a bit of brass at the bottom of the shock and wherever possible. Plus Hyrax predators, very nice tires.

But I figured out that I'm not that much of a scale type of guy, I much more prefer to climb the craziest stuff, so I'm strongly considering the Capra. My son kind of took over the SCX10 anyway, he loves it. :)

Suspension tuning is something everybody should figure out. The spring rate is mostly dependent on weight. If the car sits too high with no preload (the adjustment ring that precompresses the spring), get a softer spring. It's better to sit a bit low and raise it with some preload than sit too high. If the rig bounces too much, consider the oil, both level and thickness are things you can experiment with. And if you have different "discs" (more or less holes), work with those too, it's basically damping adjustment. Unlike nice motorcycle suspension, there's no adjustable compression and rebound damping, but fortunately these shocks are easy to work on. :)

I love your videos, you always seem super excited, but still highlight any cons. Very nice!

Do you put pen springs in all 4 shocks...oh I have modded mine and I now have a axe 550 combo in it a 3300kv it crawls very slow when I want it to and very fast when I want it to. I recomend using the d.i.g. I just hooked mine up after all this time and I love it. I love turning on a dime. No question it’s a good thing to have

It was the crawler of the year. Probly best crawler of this year too,

Can the stock dig servo on the RTR version handle 7.4v? Or is there a replacement that can?

Thanks for the Video, i love all your videos, quick question on the shocks that you recommend, there's two options on the springs, 0.39 and 0.61 rate, what would you recommend, TIA.

Actually, locking the dig gives less control on descent vs a brake. The wheels slide and won't always follow the path the steering axle wants them to go. If your rig isn't point strait down then the dig axle can skid around the front.

With a drag brake and fully locked drive line all 4 wheels have to slide in order for the vehicle to become uncontrolled. The front wheels holding most of the weight on a descent are less likely to skid than the rear wheels.

So using a dig down hill makes the rig far less stable to maneuver.

The same concept, locking brakes on a stop causes the vehicle to go strait regardless of steering angle... turn on abs and the wheels now turn with the ground and the vehicle can steer even under extreme braking conditions.

You pretty much want your wheels to rotate with the vehicle and match the road speed. too much or too little can cause control issues.


I would only use dig going down hill to help make a turn.

Got mine and extended the wheelbase to fit 2.2's better and I'm going to the 3 gear scx10 style trans instead. Always like your take on the rigs helps me decide what I am going to do. It gives me a good start and what to expect for my builds.

It's already op what do you mean😂

I'd love it your review. 🙂🙂 What do you think to change pinion gear 11T ?

So did you install Traxxas TRX springs to lower the ride height? If so, which spring rate? The link in the description takes me to, "Traxxas TRX-4 PTFE Coated Aluminum GTS Shocks (2)".

I just drove my new Capra RTR in the snow, it is a fantastic snow basher.

I recognize that climb! You’re local!??

Thanks for the review. What kind of runtimes are you getting with 1550mah 3S batteries?

Reefs 99 servo will fix your dig. Its a beast of a tiny servo.

It's a kit aimed at comps the dig is very useful in those situations shock and link tuning is more beneficial as far as servo voltage a Bec takes care of having different voltages where needed

I got mine all wired then I had a puff of smoke and I haven’t got it going yet

Great list of upgrades (I've, essentially, already done variations on all five)...but, you missed one majorly important one - the driveshafts. Several people (myself, included) have replaced the stock driveshafts work the Vanquish Incision driveshafts for the SCX10.2. They're not only a perfect fit, and stronger, but they also help lower the COG.

As for your "Capra motor shootout", is like to suggest a third motor. In addition to the HW AXE w/ 2300kV, and Mamba X w/ Slate 2280kV, you should also include a Mamba X w/ HH PP 2200kV, as they're all fairly easily on the kV output (and, while you're at it, forget about the AXE 1700kV).

Except for the shock tuning, those are not upgrades. They are things that should be done when you build it.

I'm wanting to see how TRX-4 shocks do on a Capra

Awesome brother like Always,, can't wait to start my building mine 👍✌

is dig more useful than the overdrive provided by the sendero? also, what radio are you using? I heard spektrum radios sometimes don't work with savox servo

Great review as always. What tyres did you use on the reddish / brown Capra?