Pit Bull R/C Kronik Shocks Vision X XPR Light Bar Raceline Combat 1.9 Wheels & Growler AT/Extra Tires

Pit Bull makes tires for full-size street and pulling trucks, UTVs, and more, and is deeply entrenched in the off-roading scene, so it’s not a big surprise that Pit Bull knows what their doing with RC tires. But not just RC tires; the brand has expanded with shocks, “hard parts” and even LED lights, as you see here. I’ve got Pit Bull’s Growler AT/Extra 1.9-inch tires, 1.9-inch Combat wheels, Kronik shocks and an LED light bar ready for my Axial SCX10 II. Let’s mount them up and see how they work.

Specifications

Growler AT/Extra Tires
Part no.: PB9006NK
Price: $35
Size: 1.9-inch
Compound: Alien

Raceline Combat Wheels
Price: $110
Size: 1.9-inch
Material: Aluminum

Kronik Shocks
Price: $90
Size: 100mm
Compound: Aluminum body, cap and rod end W/ steel shaft

VisionX XPR Super LED Bar
Part no.: PBV06W
Price: $54
Size: 6-inch
Material: Carbon fiber infused plastic

Growler AT/Extra Tires

The Growler AT/Extra tires are available in 1.9 and 1.55-inch sizes and the tread pattern comes from their full-size tire line. According to Pit Bull, the multi-varied directional tread design used on the Growler gives the tire a directional look with non-directional functionality. The tire is molded using Pit Bull’s Alien rubber compound which is said to be super sticky but resilient. Firm foam inserts are used to support the carcass and come installed. The tires mounted up well and they do a great job of enhancing the scale look of my Axial SCX10II. They look just like real tires! On the trail, the tires performed a little better than I was expecting. The tread spacing is close the lugs are smaller than what I’m used to using but that didn’t slow them down at all; plenty of grip was had even when side-hilling. However, I would like to see a softer foam inside the tire that would let the tread conform a little better to uneven surfaces.

The Growler AT/Extra tread pattern looks real because the design came from Pit Bull’s full-size version.

Raceline Combat Wheels

Pit Bull’s officially licensed Raceline Combat wheels are also offered in 1.55 size, and you can get them in black or silver. They are realistic right down to the bolts, which is not just a figure of speech. The scale-size bolds that fill the holes on the front of the wheel are practically microscopic, and tedious to install (a “tool” is supplied for the job: it’s just a long set screw, and you use the opening that would normally be for a hex driver as a socket to turn the bolt). The heads strip easily, so go easy. The actual bead-locking force is supplied by an 8-hole ring on the back of the wheel, which is held in place by regular 3mm screws. The tires installed easily, and the clamping design holds tightly. The center cover of the wheel is a machined part of the face so you have to use six small screws to attach the wheel to the included aluminum hex adapter. This design makes for a great scale look but it makes installing and removing the wheels from your truck very time consuming. The hex adapter fit the hexes on my truck perfectly and the wheels held onto the tire well during testing.

The hex isn’t machined into the wheel, so that means that it needs to be screwed to a hex adapter. It makes installing and removing the wheel take longer but the scale appearance is worth it.

Pit Bull’s aluminum Raceline Combat Wheels look just like the full-size ones they’re modeled after. Lots of detail there!

Pit Bull’s aluminum Raceline Combat Wheels look just like the full-size ones they’re modeled after. Lots of detail there!

Kronik Shocks

Pit Bull’s premium coil-overs are officially named “BDS Suspension officially licensed Kronik shocks,” and come two in a package and include a wrench and decals. The shocks feature aluminum caps, aluminum threaded bodies, 3.5mm thick shafts and aluminum rod ends. Inside the shock are four shaft seals to keep dirt out and dual-stage springs support your ride. Pit Bull also includes a single stage spring for those who would rather use that. You can choose from a 70, 80, 90 or 100mm shock; I went with the 100mm units. My shocks came out of the package well built and ready for oil, and they didn’t take long to install onto my Axial SCX10 II—just unbolt the old, bolt in the new. The shocks are very smooth and work as advertised. Nice feature: you can slide the dual-stage springs and spring guide past the lower seal cap, so it’s easy to change to single-stage springs (and vice-versa). My shocks have a hard anodized coating but Pit Bull says that from now on they will be gold.

The shocks arrive assembled and ready for oil. Dual-stage springs are installed but you can put those aside and use the included single stage springs if you like.

The shocks bolted up with no issues and they are silky smooth.

VisionX XPR Super LED Bar

Pit Bull’s XPR Super LED light bars are officially licensed Vision X products and they’re available from one to six inches long and they jump in 1-inch increments. The housing is made using carbon-fiber-infused plastic for increased durability, and end caps are molded plastic parts. A small male and female plug with pigtails is included so you can install a receiver plug or a 9-volt battery clip to power it up. I skipped the included L-shaped mounting brackets and used the screws from the bar to attach it directly to the roof rack on my Axial Jeep Cherokee body with the help of a few bits of scrap plastic. The light bar is very bright and lit up way more than I needed on the trail.

The light bar pivots on L-shaped brackets that allow the light to be fitted directly to the roof or onto a roof rack. The brackets can be flipped so the “foot” is under the bar, if preferred.

PLUS
+ All parts look great
+ High quality
+ Easy to use beadlocks

MINUS
– Tire foams could be a little softer
– Shocks are pricey

FINAL WORD

I really like the products that Pit Bull Tires has to offer for the RC world. The Growler tires and Raceline wheels have a great look and performed very well on the trail. I would however like to see a slightly softer foam used in the tires. At $100 a pair, the Kronik Shocks are some of the priciest shocks around. They work well, but that’s a lot of dough to dish out. The nice thing is that they’re durable and easy to adjust thanks to their threaded bodies. The VisionX XPR Super LED Bar is a very simple piece that does its job well, and I like that you can get them in different lengths to go with whatever your project needs. Nice stuff.

–Kevin Hetmanski