One of the most frequent questions I get asked and see in forums goes a little something like this: "I am pickup up a 22 kit, what other parts should I pick up straight away?"

I am going to start by taking a look at the TLR 22 Kit, and will cover the 22T and 22SCT in future posts. Let me preface this by mentioning that some of the suggested parts to alter the setup of the car, and I will be suggesting components based on my "Standard" Setup which seems to work well for many racers.

The 22 is a great 2wd buggy out of the box there are some parts that our race team likes to use on their cars to improve performance and durability. Here is a list of the parts, in order of importance, that our team drivers prefer to run and short details of why we choose to do so. See what parts might fit your needs the best, and keep in mind that none of them are needed, but offered as potential upgrades.
Race On!
Frank Root


1. TLR1043-Front King Pin, Threaded, TiNitride (2). These Kingpins improve the durability of the spindles by not allowing the spindle halves to move away from each other in a hard impact. Since switching to this through kingpin, I have never broken a spindle.

2. TLR1555/TLR1556/TLR 1557-Aluminum Servo Horn. TLR offers three of the aluminum servo horns to support all of the different servo splines. The aluminum servo horn increases durability over the stock servo arms. TLR1555 is a 23t spline and supports Spektrum, Airtronics, and JR servos. TLR1556 is a 24t spline and supports HiTec servos, while TLR1557 is a 25t spline and supports Futaba servos.

3A/B. TLR2947-Tungsten Carbide Thrust Balls, 2mm (6) and TLR2951-Tugnsten Carbide Diff Balls, 3/32" (14). The 22 kit is equipped with steel balls. Granted these balls work fine, the tungsten balls for diff and thrust are much harder and add longevity to the differential. I usually never need to rebuild my diff until I am ready to replace the outdrives.

4. TLR5074-Low Friction Shock Shaft O-Rings (8). If you want ultra free shocks with very little o-ring stiction, these o-rings work the best. There might be a small amount of oil weepage from the bottom of the shock cartridge and shock rebuilds will need to be more frequenty, but the performance can be worth the work if you are serious about your racing. Some racers have had good luck running 1 standard gray o-ring and 1 low-friction black o-ring in each shock for a balance of low maintenance and low friction.

5. LOSB3992-4mm Aluminum Serrated Lock Nuts, Black (6). The serrated lock nuts will dig into the plastic of the rear wheel, creating a very positive lock that will not allow the wheel nuts to loosen during running.

6. TLR2984-Toe Plate, 3 Degree, Low Roll Center, Aluminum. As you already know the 22 comes equipped with a 4 degree rear toe pivot. Most of the team runs the 3 degree pivot allowing the car to be freer without taking away too much forward drive and really prefer this option.

7. TLR1058-Caster Block, 5 Degree. Once we really got out and testing the 22 on many different tracks and surfaces, we found that the balance of 25 degrees of kick, paired with 5 degree caster block (30 degrees total) was the ideal balance for the 22. The 25 degree kick shim is already included within the 22 kit, so you will just need to pick up the 5 degree caster blocks to try this tuning option.

8. TLR2931-Rear Hex, +.75mm Width, Aluminum: The .75mm hexes widen the rear track of the car .75mm per side, adding a total of 1.5mm for increased stability. Some of the team will run +1.5mm hexes (TLR2932) for a total increase of 3mm track width for further enhanced stability.

9. TLR6019-Ballstud/Hub Spacer Set, Aluminum: 22. I really like using the aluminum ball stud washers as they will not compress like the plastic counter parts and provide an accurate and trick looking way to adjust your roll centers, wheel base and front spindle height.

10. TLR1072-Front Pivot, Aluminum: The main reason the team likes to run the aluminum front pivot is the added weight on the front end. The aluminum pivot adds 7 grams of weight over the stock plastic pivot providing a smoother off-power feel and increased on-power steering. If you are interested in adding even more weight to the front of your 22 the (TLR1049)25 degree brass kick shim adds 8.8 grams of weight and the (TLR1048) 20 degree brass kick shim adds 16grams of weight.

11. TLR2060-Rear Camber Block, Aluminum. TLR offers this for added durability. The aluminum camber block offers superior durability and adds 6 grams off weight to the rear of the car aiding forward traction.

12. TLR4150 Battery Tray, Aluminum. This is not a necessity but the aluminum battery tray does allow you to move the battery 10mm forward in the short pack battery screw location. The 10mm forward location is exactly where our team runs the shorty pack.

13. TLR4167-Brass Weight System, Rear Motor: 22. This handy kit includes a 2 count of 7g brass weight pieces designed specifically to mount above the front mounting tabs of the rear motor transmission case. When extra rear grip is needed, this is one of our go-to adjustments.

14. TLR4166-Titanium Shock Mounts (4): 22. Although the steel mounts that come in the kit are very sturdy, you may seen a front mount bend in a really hard wreck. Since switching to the titanium mounts, I have yet to bend my first one and the reduction in weight is always welcome as well.

15. TLR6074-Titanium Turnbuckles, 22. The kit will shave a bit of weight off you 22, and add a bit factor of increased durability.

16. TLR2056-Rear Outer Threaded Hinge Pins. If you don't want any e-clips on your 22.