Two SCX24 Mods That Actually Make a Difference (And Won't Break the Bank)

In the SCX24 vs TRX4M comparison, I mentioned that a couple of simple mods could turn the SCX24 into a genuinely capable outdoor crawler. I promised to come back and detail those upgrades. Here we go.

Before I do, let me be clear about one thing: the stock SCX24 is not a broken truck. It doesn’t need to be fixed. It crawls, it’s fun, and it will give you a lot of miles without touching a thing. But if you’ve been running it for a while and you’re finding that outdoor terrain — real rocks, roots, loose dirt — is humbling it more than you’d like, these two changes will make you look at the little thing differently.

Neither requires soldering, programming, or any mechanical experience beyond knowing which end of a screwdriver to hold.

Mod 1: Wheel Weights

The SCX24’s biggest outdoor weakness isn’t really a mechanical problem — it’s a physics problem. The truck is light. Extremely light. That’s part of why it’s so much fun indoors, where the low mass makes it nimble and easy to maneuver through tight technical sections. But outdoors, that same lightness works against you.

When a tire can’t grip because the truck doesn’t have enough weight pressing it into the terrain, the wheel spins instead of biting. You end up skating across rocks or getting high-centered in spots where a heavier truck would just push through. The solution is wheel weights, and it’s almost embarrassingly simple.

Wheel weights for the SCX24 are small metal slugs that fit inside the wheel itself, sitting between the bead and the rim. They add rotational weight low and outside on the truck — exactly where you want it for stability and traction. They’re inexpensive, widely available, and the install is just a matter of dismounting the tire, dropping the weight in, and remounting it.

The difference on outdoor terrain is noticeable immediately. The truck plants more confidently, tires bite instead of spin, and the whole rig feels more composed on uneven ground. If you do only one thing to your SCX24 for outdoor performance, this is it.

Mod 2: Bigger Tires

The stock tires on the SCX24 are fine for indoor use and smooth surfaces. They’re small, which is appropriate for the truck’s size and great for indoor course work. But on real outdoor terrain, small tires mean small contact patches, which means less grip and less ability to bridge the gaps between rocks.

Going to a larger tire opens up terrain that the stock setup can’t handle. A bigger tire rolls over obstacles instead of butting up against them, and wider tires provide more side stability when the truck is angled on a slope.

The SCX24 runs on 1.0 inch wheels, so your tire options are more limited than on a larger scale rig. But the aftermarket has caught up — there are legitimate off-road options available for this platform now that weren’t around a few years ago. Look for compound tires designed for 1.0 inch crawling applications. Brands like Pro-Line and Pit Bull have both brought options to this scale.

One note: not all larger tire options fit without clearance issues on the stock body. Some combinations will rub against the wheel wells, particularly when the suspension is compressed. It’s worth checking what other SCX24 owners are running before you buy — the online community for this truck is large and very well documented, and someone has almost certainly already tested whatever combination you’re considering.

Can You Do Both at Once?

Yes, and if you’re going to mod the truck for outdoor use, doing both at the same time makes sense. Wheel weights in a larger tire gives you the full benefit — more mass, more contact patch, lower center of gravity. The truck you end up with will surprise you on terrain that previously felt out of reach.

I ran my SCX24 with both mods through a section of trail behind my house that had been consistently defeating it — a stretch with baseball-to-softball sized rocks that the stock setup would just scramble on. After the mods, it walked through it. Not perfectly, not without picking lines carefully, but it walked through it. That’s when I understood why the experienced crawlers talk about the SCX24’s ceiling being higher than its price tag suggests.

A Few Things I’d Hold Off On

There’s a whole world of SCX24 modifications beyond these two — motor swaps, servo upgrades, custom chassis, brass differential covers. If you’re three months into the hobby and reading upgrade threads at midnight, you will feel the pull of all of it. I’m not going to tell you to resist it entirely, because honestly the upgrade path is part of the fun.

But I would encourage you to hold off on the electronics mods until you’ve run the stock setup long enough to actually feel what’s lacking. The stock motor and ESC in the SCX24 are genuinely capable. A beginner who hasn’t learned to read terrain yet won’t feel much difference from a brushless upgrade. The wheel weights and tires, though — those you’ll feel immediately, even in your first run after installing them.

Get those two right first. Then go read the midnight upgrade threads.

The Short Version

Two mods, simple installs, meaningful results:

Wheel weights go inside the wheels, add mass where it matters, dramatically improve outdoor traction. Do this first.

Bigger tires open up terrain the stock rubber can’t handle, give you more contact patch and stability on angled surfaces. Check fitment before you buy.

Neither requires special skills. Both are reversible. Your SCX24 will thank you.

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See also: Best SCX24 Upgrades Under $50 · SCX24 Brass Upgrade: Is It Worth It? · SCX24 Platform Guide · Your First 5 Crawler Upgrades · Why Your SCX24 Keeps Tipping Over · Recommended Gear

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Product images courtesy of Axial/Horizon Hobby and Traxxas.