Review: Kershaw Designs Grenadier III

I’m a huge 1:5th scale junkie. I’m not sure what it is…maybe the roar of the gas burning engines or the shear size of something 1:5th scale flying over some big jump. Whatever it is, I really dig it. At a recent 1:5th scale event, I saw a large, 4wd vehicle running around one of the tracks. Funny thing is it wasn’t making any sound! I walked over and talked to Dan from Kershaw Designs. He gave me the transmitter and let me wheel the silent terror around the track. It was super fun and had a ton of power! He told me a newer release was on the way and when it was available, he’d have one over to me. Readers, meet the Kershaw Designs Grenadier III. This could very well be the next big 1:5th scale class.

AT A GLANCE
WHO MAKES IT: Kershaw Designs
WHO IT’S FOR: Intermediate to Advanced
HOW MUCH: $899
BUILD TYPE: Rolling Chassis
VEHICLE TYPE: 1:5 4WD electric off-road buggy
PART NUMBER: Grenadier

FACTS
– The Grenadier III uses off the shelf parts from XTM and Traxxas. This makes finding replacements pretty simple when it’s time to rebuild or repair.

– Quite a few different thicknesses of aluminum are used throughout the Grenadier. Both the front and rear shock towers are a monstrous 7mm thick while the top deck is sized down to 5mm. The main chassis is an extremely thin 2.5mm thick.

– The front shocks are XTM aluminum 1:8 scale shocks, while the rears are Integy MSR8 units. Any Savage-based rear shocks will work too.

– Think a custom car can’t be without tons of tuning options? Think again! The Grenadier has multiple shock locations on the towers (however, only one on the arm), front and rear adjustable inner and outer camber links, ride height, Ackermann, steering knuckle positions, bumpsteer and anti-squat. Heck, you can even adjust the weight balance by moving the batteries front to back in 12mm increments.

– The huge, 7mm motor mount will accept most large-scale, 700-size brushless motors. The Leopard, 150A ESC mounts nicely to the top deck right in front of the rear tower. A zip tie secures it in place.

– What’s the fun of 1/5th scale if you don’t have lots of power? Depending on the power system you are using, the Grenadier will accept everything from a single, 2S pack to a whopping dual 4S-pack setup!

ITEMS NEEDED
– Electronic Speed Control
– Brushless Motor
– Battery
– Steering Servo
– Radio System
– Wheels and Tires

ITEMS USED
+ Leopard Ground 150A ESC
+ Leopard 4082 2000Kv 6S Motor
+ Kershaw Designs G2 5000mAh 11.1V LiPo
+ High-Torque Servo
+ Fly Sky Computerized 3-Channel RadioSystem
+ Traxxas All-Star 2.8-in Wheels
+ Traxxas SportraxxTires
+ Paint by Custom Painted RC Bodies

PROS
• Big, 4WD electric car means big, dual-battery power
• Speaking of dual batteries,large straps hold a pair of them securely to the chassis
• Suspension utilizes some readily available components
• Rubber boots help keep debris out of the CV drives
• Removable front differential, CVDs and drive shaft for some fun 2WD action
• Quite a bit of tuning adjustments for a custom built car
• Mod 1.5 differential gears for maximum strength

CONS
• Exposed center gear set
• Extremely thin main chassis

ON THE TRACK
STEERING – Understeer
As I expected, the Grenadier was lacking a bit in the steering department. The soft rear suspension and slight bump steer made turning a bit of a chore. A quick change to the shock angle and camber settings and the Grenadier turned in much better. A little fooling around with the front shock oil and camber links and I bet it will turn on a dime.

ACCELERATION – Excellent
I was a little timid the first time I drove the car. Sure it’s beefy, but we’re talking 6S of LiPo power and a monster 700-size motor! Apparently the Grenadier didn’t realize that was a lot because it launched so hard when I pulled the trigger that it dug a couple little holes under the wheels. The Sportmaxx tires worked ok, but a good set of racing rubber will set this car on fire! The sound it makes attracts quite a lot of attention. This thing boogies!

BRAKING – Good
While the forward motion is awesome, the braking could be improved. Under heavy braking, the Grenadier feels light and a bit uncontrollable. Maybe it’s the tires or rear suspension setup (or a combination of both), but there was a real pucker-factor after blasting down the straightaway and into a corner. I was never quite sure which direction the car was going to go. Again, a little tuning to the rear suspension (and better tires) and the Grenadier will fall right into place.

SUSPENSION – Good
The front and rear suspensions are XTM units that have been fitted to the custom chassis. This setup works well and has plenty of adjustments. However, the rear shocks were severely under-damped. The oil was way too thin, causing the rear end to be very bouncy through any areas of the track that were bumpy. I changed the rear shock oil to something a slightly thicker and that helped out quite a bit. It even helped with the landings.

DURABILITY – Very Good
Durability testing usually takes quite a bit of time to complete before a vehicle is ready to the market. I was a little skeptical about how much ‘Phalen’ the Grenadier could take, especially with all that power. Surprisingly enough, I had very few issues. I did have a couple screws back out but thankfully not all the way. The main issue was that aforementioned 2.5mm lower chassis deck. It’s just too dang thin and after a few jumps (and only one bad crash), I noticed the rear chassis tab (where the rear gearbox mounts) was bent down. While this whole area is pretty well secured, it made me a little uneasy that this could lead to further problems. After a couple runs, however, everything seemed to be ok.

THE LAST WORD
The Kershaw Designs Grenadier III is a cool car. It’s definitely got the ‘Go big or go home’ mentality, and with the ability to handle 6S of raging LiPo power (I could have run up to 8S), it also gets my nod for one of the most brutally fast cars out there. If you have some spare cash, go grab a set of paddle tires…I bet the Grenadier would be a hoot at the sand dunes!

LINKS
Kershaw Designs, www.kershawdesigns.com
Traxxas, www.traxxas.com, (888) TRAXXAS