- Serpent SRX4 - Frequent Asked Questions -

What do I need to build the kit?
Build Tools:
1.5mm Hex Wrench
2.0mm Hex Wrench
2.5mm Hex Wrench

4.0mm Hex Wrench Driver(Shock Pistons)
4.5mm Hex Wrench Driver(Shock Mounts/Captured Ends)
5.0mm Hex Wrench Driver(Steering Rack bolts)
5.5mm Hex Wrench Driver
7.0mm Hex Wrench Driver
Note: 4.0mm and 5.0mm are commonly found on a Tamiya style cross-wrench.

3mm Turnbuckle wrench

Needle nose pliers for E-Clips

9/64” Drill bit for the lower shock caps.

Serpent Ball-end tool is a nice to have.

Flat file/side cutters to remove extra plastic flashing.

Equipment:
LP Servo: Standard size will not fit. Torque appears to matter. Target 100oz-in/9kg-cm.
Saddle Pack: There are ways to make a shorty fit but you’ll need to do some work.

Any tips on building the kit?
Download the latest manual and use the correction page that was packaged with the shims when building.
Be careful not to overfill the diffs.
Don’t forget to compress the slipper spring!
The neutral spot for the steering arm is ~9:30. Both steering arms face a little bit outwards at neutral.
The belt spline takes some massaging for the first install. Once a few screws go in, the rest of the holes should start lining up.
Don’t over tighten the nylon shock nuts. Is it very easy to do this and the shocks will bind.
Pay attention when doing the inserts and pills. It is very easy to get this wrong.

Optional(my kit didn’t need this):
Enlarge the hole in the bottom shock cap to reduce rubbing. Drilling out the bottom shock cap with a 9/64” bit is the easiest and most consistent way to do this. Other ways are to use a reamer or leather punch.
(From Paul Ciccarello)
On the 4wd the front and rear shock eyelets are different length. I saw 2 cars over the weekend that had one short and one long front and rear, Also the front spring cups, the short goes on the rear and tall on the front.

Its almost a must to ream the bottom shock caps to make the hole bigger. The mold is being updated for the future. If you tighten the cap and the shock gets harder to move in and out then make the hole bigger. If its ok tight and loose then its probably ok.

I was using traxxas xrings in my 2wd shocks. I was having a hard time with having the shocks and having to go really light on the oil, more than normal and the car was not handling very well. I checked the shocks the the traxxas xrings swelled to the point the shaft was very tight. I installed the new serpent xrings, went back to normal oils and the car was a awesome! Shocks were smooth as butter! part number 500487

when you tighten the top shock nuts make sure the shock moves front to rear freely. If you tighten the nut too much the shock will get bound up. I've seen shock nuts too tight very frequently.

What’s the right way to put the inserts in?
The arrow always points towards the front of the car and the writing is the proper side up on the inserts. The rear hubs have Left and Right are labeled and the writing faces up.

What’s the right way to put the rear suspension pills in?
The back of the pills are labeled 0/1/2. The arrow points the direction that the hole is so 2 up means the #2 pill with the hole up. In this case, it means the number 2 pill is upside down in the writing stamped on the pill. In addition to the 0/1/2 numbering, there are narrow and wide versions of each number. Wide moves the hinge pins away from the chassis and narrow moves them nearer. The arrow points which way the hole is moving. If you want 2 down wide for the RR, you would have the #2 pill with the proper number side up and <-2 and 2->.

What’s the easiest way to get the rear inner hinge pins out?
Push the rear inserts out with a hobby knife, pick, or awl. Just something to push it back after removing the screw.

For the RF brace you'll need a pick or awl that is hooked shaped and small. Again to push it out.

Can I use the ball diff from my buggy?
Yes, it’s a direct fit for the rear diff. For the front diff, you need SER500460

What other parts from my SRX-2 MM will work? The rear suspension is the same. Rear Arms/Rear Shock Tower/Wing mount/Wing/Rear Rollbar/Rear Driveshafts.

The shocks will work all around but the SRX-4 rear shocks have longer eyelets than the SRX-2.

What wheels work? Front: Only Serpent wheels work at this time. If you want to use AE wheels, get the EOS axles and hexes. SER500473/SER500474.

Rear: Serpent SRX-2/B5/B44.x will work.

Are there any recommended parts? This is a really good kit out of the box. The included spur is a 86 tooth spur. If you plan to run stock, pickup a 70/72. If you plan to run 13.5, 72-82 should work. Personally I use a 76 and Paul Ciccarello found an 82 to work for both 13.5 and mod.

What size bearings does this kit use? 6 x 10x15x4 (Front/Rear diff outdrives/Rear Hub Inside)
4 x 5x10x4(Idler rear trans/Idler Mid Trans/Clicker Mid Trans)
5 x 5x8x2.5(Clicker/Steering rack)
1 x 12x18x4(Clicker Outdrive)
3 x 5x13x4(Idler Mid Trans/Rear Hub Outside)
2 4x7x3Flanged(Rear Roll-Bar)

What parts do I need to run the clicker? SER500480 and one of the following springs:
SER500452(Soft)
SER500453(Medium)
SER500454(Hard)

What parts do I need to run the decoupled slipper?
SER500447, SER500432, SER500482 and SER1311. 1311 is really 2(5x8x2.5) bearings so if you already have that, use it.

I have an early batch of front arms that broke, how to I get them replaced? Contact the retailer that you got them from. If you bought them from Serpent America, take a picture of the arms(broken or not) and they will replace them for you. Either call Serpent(305-677-3253) or fill out the form on the Serpent America website under Contact Us.

Where can I get parts?
US: If your LHS does not carry Serpent, serpentamerica.com is consistently cheaper than A Main. Signup to the newsletter to get coupons.

Please help update outside the US.

Billy’s thoughts on corner traction in low grip environments:
Hello guys.. I have been talking to a lot of customers and team drivers. They are generally happy with the car in med to high grip. Whether that be rear traction or front cornering.. The issue i hear a lot is that in low grip they struggle to find off corner traction.. I have to give you some feedback in regards to that. When i tested on dirt/clay i found that the thrust slipper was the best solution. It provided a better distribution of power and was more likely to accelerate the car in a straight line. It was originally supposed to be in the kit, however, we reached a point where we had a lot of feedback in regards to drive off the turn in high grip and carpet, which caused us to change to the FT 4wd setup. Basically, its tough to put all the parts in the box that you need for every condition, but I feel the Thrust slipper assembly would be more commonly used on Dirt/clay tracks of all grip levels low-high. If you are looking for more rear grip on these types of tracks, i would suggest getting your hands on a thrust slipper assembly.
Once you have this slipper assembly, the proper way to set it up is to actually hold all 4 wheels and touch the throttle, It should slip slightly and then grip. You can not set this slipper type by only holding the rear wheels, it will give you a false setting. If you have any more questions, i would be more than happy to answer them.
BE

Source:

S. Hagino