New to 1/10th off road, advice please

[pipcars]

Hi, I am thinking of moving from 1/8th Nitro to 10th electric and need some advice please. My local track is Eden Park Raceway, I have been looking at the Madrat or a B4 rtr are these a could choice or are there other options people could recomend? Also any 4wd at a reasonable price? I have no electric gear, that is why I was looking at the RTR options.
Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers Paul.

[sosidge]

First bit of advice is to get down to an Eden Park meeting and see what the popular classes and cars are. I'm sure 2wd is popular.

You can't go wrong with the B4 RTR. For only a few pounds extra spent on different springs and maybe a few stronger parts like a front arm brace, you have a car that will compete with any of the B4's out there. The RTR electronics are very decent. Spares support is very good also.

The Madrat may be a little cheaper, but considering people are fitting B4 shocks to them, that takes the price up straight away - so you may as well stick with the original!

[pipcars]

I was thinking that after reading some of the threads, cheers. I have also seen the Kyosho ZX5, any ideas on that, looks good

[Si Coe]

If you are used to 1/8th anyway I'll assume you have some driving experience, in which case most of the RTR stuff will leave you a little cold to be honest. The electrics are well below the level of race quality stuff and will need completely replacing in order to upgrade.

The best bet starting out is probably a used B4. B4's account for most of the grid in the 2wd class (and most of the rest are X-6's which are converted B4s) so there are always a few going second hand. They are tough and durable so the used nature need not worry you, and they can be had for around £60-80, normally with a few spares.
Electrics wise your 1/8th radio gear will work, you just need a motor and speed controller. The Hobbywing Ezrun brushless system, which can be brought off Ebay for around £70 is far and away the best value for money system out there. You'll be wanting a proper sensored system eventually, but the Ezrun will easily see you through your first season and beyond. The 8.5t is the most suitable for 2wd.
There really isn't a good reason not to start with Lipo batteries from the off. For a start a decent 4000mah+ Lipo will run a B4 for 2 rounds without recharging, and can be topped up at any time. That means you only really need 1 pack and a good charger, rather than 4-5 NiMH packs.

Best bet though it to get down to EPR and speak to the guys there.

[pipcars]

Cheers for that, I will have a look on Ebay and what is around, thanks for the advice on the brushless gear and Lipos.
Cheers.

[JCJC]

and ask around trackside, I am sure there are always B4's, other 2wd's (losi, kyosho spring to mind) and 4wd cars and equipment to be had from other members. You will know where it came from and get some after sale help, a visit to eden park on a race day or one of the workonthetrack days would give you lots to think about.

[Col]

Si is right - RTR is a bad choice if you're halfway decent at racing (especially the zx5). By the time all the weak parts have been replaced you could have easily bought good stuff second hand. The B4rtr is a better option than the zx5, but will still need all the electrics replacing.

[mw02veg]

The first of the Winter series is on Sunday 4th oct come down and have a chat before you buy anything and see the cars people are running, that way you know you will always be able to get some set-up advice and help with your car also spares.

Mike

[pipcars]

Cheers guys for all the info, I'll see if I can make it down in October.