What Is a Traxxas Cush Drive and Its Benefits?

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Traxxas is a company that develops remote control models that are nitro and electric powered, including drones, vehicles, and boats. Since Traxxas racing has become very popular, racers are constantly figuring out ways to increase their vehicle’s performance. So, what’s a Traxxas cush drive, and what are its benefits?

A Traxxas cush drive is part of the drivetrain, designed to prevent stress on the engine torque of the car. A Traxxas cush drive will reduce wear on the transmission, protect your car’s gearbox, protect other moving parts during the race, and increase the ride’s smoothness.

If you want to get into Traxxas racing, you may be wondering if it would be worth installing. This article will cover it all, from what a Traxxax cush drive is, its pros and cons, and whether you should install it!

What is Traxxas Cush Drive?

A cush drive is part of the drivetrain. For beginners: the drivetrain is a collection of parts that give power to the vehicles driving wheels. It specifically prevents stress on the engine torque. If there’s too much stress, it could cause damage to other parts of the vehicle during throttle or gear changes.

How it works?

Many other vehicle models such as motorcycles or even scooters have a crush drive in the drivetrain. However, today we’ll be explaining how a Traxxas cush drive works.

It includes three main pieces:

the sprocket assembly
the wheel
rubber damper

The sprocket assembly and the wheel are attached with five sections or more. There are rubber blocks between those two parts; these blocks act as a dampening layer between the wheel and the sprocket.

Accelerating your car or switching gears can shock the system of the car. This shock can then damage multiple parts of your Traxxas model. The dampening layer mentioned above will prevent the shock from causing any detrimental damage. Furthermore, the rubber blocks will prevent the metal assemblies from wearing down.

Cush drive systems also have metallic compression coil springs. You’ll find these springs between the output and input shafts of the cush assembly.

The purpose of a cush drive on your Traxxas vehicle is to protect your RC car while racing. The cush drive will protect the engine of your Traxxas car when you accelerate hard. It’s an essential component to have while racing at high speeds.

Many racers won’t race without a Traxxas cush drive because it would help the racer to be more at ease during the drive since they won’t have to worry about how well their car can handle it.

What is Cush Drive Hub?

The cush drive hub will reduce the initial shock when the car accelerates and shifts gears. There are two main parts: the hub that’ll secure the rim and spokes and the hub’s housing that you bolt the sprocket to.

Both parts of the hub have fingers on them so they can fit together properly on your car, similar to how the sprocket fits into the chain links. The cush drive hub will fit right between the tabs or fingers.

Check out the Traxxas 7794 Cush Drive Elastomer Damper Pin if you’re interested in installing a cush drive.

Benefits of Traxxas Cush Drive

Traxxas cush drive is extremely popular for a reason. Hundreds of Traxxas car racers use them, and today we’ll find out why. This section will review all of the benefits of Traxxas cush drives. If you’re still deciding whether you should install one on your model or not, these points will help you make your decision.

1. Cush Drive Hubs Will Reduce Wear on the Transmission

One of the main reasons why racers install cush drive hubs on their Traxxas cars is to reduce wear on the transmission. It doesn’t matter how much power your vehicle is putting out or even the size of the Traxxas motor; the hub will always protect it regardless of those factors.

2. Cush Drives Will Protect the Gearbox & Other Moving Parts

Not only will a cush drive help protect your transmission, but it’ll also protect some other vital parts of your Traxxas car. For instance, cush drives will help protect the gearbox of your car. Installing a cush system will also decrease the chance of wear in many other moving parts of the car while you race.

3. You Won’t Have To Change Your Rear Tires As Much

A Traxxas cush drive will also lessen the amount of stress on your rear tires. When your tires experience less stress, they’re more likely to last a long time. Because of this, you won’t have to change your rear tires as much, which will save you a lot of money in the end.

4. Your Car Will Ride More Smoothly With a Cush Drive

Many racers love to install cush drive systems since it can affect how smoothly your car will drive. Cush drives won’t only protect your car’s engine but also increase the ride’s smoothness. This benefit, in turn, will make driving the Traxxas car a lot easier during competitions or leisurely drives.

You’ll notice a smoother ride the most when you’re accelerating or decelerating. Compared to when your car has no cush drive, the ride will be less jerky and will accelerate/decelerate much more easily.

5. They Reduce Effects of Single Cylinder Combustion Strokes

Another benefit of a cush drive hub is reducing the negative effects of a single-cylinder combustion stroke. Single-cylinder combustion strokes can affect your rear tires and the drive chain of the car. It can also affect the transmission of your Traxxas car. Using a cush drive hub will protect your car from possibly damaging effects.

6. Your Engine Torque Will Experience Less Stress

One of the main benefits of a cush drive system is that it protects the engine torque on your vehicle. The torque is important since the twisting force affects the engine’s rotational force, determining how much twisting force is available for when the car engine starts and exerts itself.

7. Cush Drive Systems Perform Well at a Lower Speed

If you race at lower speeds/lower rev ranges, you’ll really notice how much a Traxxas cush drive affects the car. It’ll be smoother and easier to maneuver. You’ll also have more control (and fun) on courses with lots of twists and turns. You won’t have to worry about whether your car will hold up or not.

Pros of Traxxas Cush Drive

Traxxas cush drives work well for stop-start traffic, slow, or racing speeds. You’ll notice the benefits of a Traxxas cush drive in slow, stop-start traffic or racing.
You’ll feel a big difference when your rev ranges are lower. While Traxxas cush drives will increase your car’s overall performance, you’ll notice it the most when you drive in lower rev ranges.
There’s less chain snatch while driving. If you install a Traxxas cush drive, you’ll notice less chain snatch while racing.
Cush drive benefits work like a domino effect. Cush drive systems will affect many individual things on the car, such as the transmission and engine torque. Since the cush drive will decrease the amount of stress on the car, it’ll work like a domino effect and improve the car’s overall function.
It will save you money in the end. As mentioned before, the main purpose of a cush drive is to protect your car’s engine torque. The cush drive will have a domino effect and will ultimately extend the life of everything on the car. This fact means that you can spend less money on replacing parts since they last much longer, despite how rough you are racing.
You won’t be distracted while racing. If your Traxxas car doesn’t have a cush drive, you may be distracted during the race as you evaluate how the turns and speeds are affecting your car. However, if you have a cush drive, you won’t need to worry about that.

Cons of Traxxas Cush Drive

Cush drives will add weight to your Traxxas car. Cush drive systems aren’t light, and they add a good amount of weight to your car. This extra weight, in turn, will slow down your car, which could affect your racing performance.
The weight of cush drive systems might also lead to wider turns. Another downside is that cush drives can also add weight to the rear hub. This added weight could then increase the unsprung weight of your car, which could lead to wider turns. This effect could also affect your racing, which is something to keep in mind.

You may not be able to accelerate or decelerate as fast. One of the main reasons why racers are hesitant to install a Traxxas cush drive is that it could affect their acceleration or deceleration speeds. Due to the added weight, your car will perform differently than when it didn’t have a cush drive. Acceleration and deceleration speed is vital in racing, meaning a cush drive could ruin your performance.