One buggy for all surfaces?

[Luke Muldoon]

I'm planning a return to 2WD and have been looking at the Schumacher range of KF/KR buggies.


I already have some saddle packs which I believe will fit in the KF, is that correct?


Also I know the KF is apparently best suited for Astro & carpet but will it still drive ok on Grass or Mud should I decide to take it outdoors in the summer?

Are there many 'hop-ups' to buy?

Open to other manufacturers but Schumacher seems quite popular locally and parts easy to get etc.


Thanks

[danmurphy]

Hi Luke, I would look out for a good second hand kf with some option parts in the for sale sections of the forum.

Although you already have saddles which will run in the stock chassis KF, I would look out for a car with the low grip chassis conversion. This chassis accepts shorty lipo's and moves the motor 20mm rearward for more rear weight bias. It won't fit the saddle packs in this layout.

This setup will be easier to drive on slippy/greasy tracks.

Also look out for cars with the ball diff and alloy upper rear transmission housing. The alloy housing allows the shocks to be mounted on the rear of the wishbones which also improves traction on lower grip surfaces.

I find the ball diff option makes the car much easier to drive on all but very high traction surfaces, where the stock gear diff works very well.

Hope this helps a little!

[Dazzieboy]

I would throw into the mix a kyosho RB6. They take saddles or shortie, can be picked up relatively cheap second hand and seem to be good on most surfaces. I'm really impressed with the one I picked up off here and it's a step ahead of the cougar sv I had previously.

[PaulRotheram]

I found the RB6 to be very poor in the wet / low grip.

[neallewis]

Yokomo Bmax2 platform is very versatile on both high and low traction tracks.
You can also build it mid or rear motor.

The new Yokomo YZ-2 should also prove to be very versatile. it's out next week.

[dpackster1980]

The new Yokomo YZ-2 looks good. I'd like to see one ran in anger as no one over here has ran it properly yet. By all accounts the reports from Japan are very good and they were testing on AstroTurf. It takes saddles down the centre or side by side. Chuck the shocks on the back and stick a ball diff in it I suspect it will be fine on low grip. As they've been testing them like this on clay.

The spec looks to be excellent with virtually nothing additional required apart from a ball diff.

The KF is probably going to be replaced soon so 2nd hand is the best option if you choose one.

The RB6 has been out a while probably due a revamp, there not that popular so trackside spares might be an issue depending where you race.

The FT B5M is probably not far away but there's mixed reviews on the current B5M from people some like them but some hate them.

The Losi 22 2.0 looks good and they're not too expensive with a good spec. They look pretty solid too.

The best bet is try before you buy so you're not stuck with something that doesn't suit you driving style as different cars suit different people.

[danmurphy]

Originally Posted by PaulRotheram

I found the RB6 to be very poor in the wet / low grip.

If anything, I found the complete reverse of that Paul. I couldn't get rid of the grip with the rb6!

[Luke Muldoon]

Thank you for all the replies, now I've looked at other buggies and gone off the Schumacher a little .


The Yokomo and Losi both very appealing but at different ends of the price spectrum too.

Can anyone say from experience if the Losi needs any money spending on hop-ups out of the box? Ran Losi all my previous off road years, Losi XX XXT XXX etc, good quality cars. I also like the fact both motor configurations come with the kit.

Yokomo - the photos on the CML site are excellent and it looks like a very high quality piece of kit, hence the price I guess.