New 4wd off road for someone a bit out of the loop.

[Stalypig]

Hi, all.

Quick question. Well, no it's not. I'm lying. It might take a little bit longer than that.

I am looking at getting back into 1/10th 4wd off road after several years out and am hoping for a bit of advice regarding cars. Things have changed a lot over the past few years and so I am a little out of touch with it all. Having said that I am aware of and will be considering getting brushless and lipo for their ease of use and long term cost effectiveness.

The car itself will need to be strong, durable and easy to drive. Not too expensive to start with and able to take whatever punishment my rusty driving skills can throw at it. With this in mind plastic construction and shaft drive would probably be the most sensible option. Stick packs too would also seem to be the way to go. I am more than prepared for breaking parts on a regular basis and so being able to get hold of spares easily and cheaply will be important to me.

I have considered all the above and am looking at a number of cars as a result.

1. Yokomo Bmax. Reasonably cheap. Looks pretty hefty. Obviously a good car in the right hands. Some upgrade options available. Uses saddle packs though which I'm not as keen on. Don't know how easy it will be to get hold of spares either.

2. Schumacher Cat SX S1. Costs more but a good car. Plenty of scope for upgrading. Spares are readily available. Takes a stick pack which I prefer. Belt drive might not be as hardy and is it too adjustable for someone as rusty as me?

3. HPI Cyber 10B. Obviously not out in Britain yet. Hopefully not too expensive when it is released here. Must be pretty sturdy after winning the 24 hour. Shaft drive. Stick pack. Spares shouldn't be a problem. Good scope for upgrading.

I am aware that personal preference will play a big role in making a decision but was hoping that some people with a bit more experience would be able to offer some advice on the above cars as well as others that they feel I should consider and their reasoning behind it.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks.

Rowan

PS. Probably should have mentioned that I will be looking at using it at local meetings.

[Mike Hudson]

Had a similar thread not too long ago to this and I posted this:

For 4wd the Associated B44 is a good car for these reasons: parts are usually available trackside and it's a popular car amongst club racers, setup advice is 99% of the time always available and people will be able to help you with any problems etc and can be picked up from this forum 2nd for around £130-150 with a few spares etc and if you want one new they are still a really good price compared to other top end 4wd cars on the market and you don't need any upgrades for it as it runs great right out of the box!

Theres alot of 4wd cars on the market now and not going to write huge essay on them all as there are so many on the track that are all matched for performance now so the best I can say is choose which you like the looks of best and go for it! No car is the best!

Good 4wd contenders from the top of my head that are easy to get along with are:
Associated B44
Hot Bodies D4
Kyosho Lazer ZX5 sp
Schumacher Cat SX
Yokomo Bmax4

You will need a motor and speed controller, I recommend a brushless setup it's the way most people have gone now.
Good brands are LRP/Nosram, Novak, Speed Passion..., 6.5 or 7.5t motor is what most people use now,
A servo preferably metal geared and atleast .12sec/60deg speed or quicker with around 7kg torque or more,

Battery to power your car and a charger suit, lipo's is the in thing now... plenty of brands out there to choose from and you will only need one pack, just keep charging it up after each run. Some good brands to get these are trackpower, lrp/nosram, core rc, orion, reedy etc.

Think thats about everything, the popular tyre choice for indoor carpet tracks is schumacher minipins and minispikes in yellow compound

Hope this is of some help to you

Best regs.
Mike Hudson

[ashleyb4]

Tamiya Durga it is belt driven but with the modern belts belt driven cars are just as reliable as shaft driven cars belts last a long time as long as your drive train is free form dirt and is free running. But it also depends on your driving style i have always found the bj4 b44 d4 layout cars difficult to drive but others find it easy to drive. So its sort of hope and buy.

As for motors etc brushless is the way if your getting back into it get a 10.5 which is equilivent to a 19t brushed with lipo it will be nice and quick but not to insane.

A

[Welshy40]

I agree with Mike.

I am a belt nut, but the best all rounder for you would proably be an associated B44. Ok I dont like shaft drives but this one is a great all rounder and easy to keep clean, so no need to have a major rebuild after a rainy event, spares are readily available and not too many upgrades needed to be a contender right out of the box, and setting up is easy as the setups for this buggy can be found easily.

If you choose belts and choose Tamiya then go for the TRF501x or the newer version but the cost is more, as its a much stronger buggy than the Durga. Then again Schumacher which is a much better car even though it looks complex goes like stink, and then there is the best bit, Schumacher still supply spares for the original CAT so spares will be available for quite a long time in the future!

[Stalypig]

Thanks for the responses, guys. All taken on board and provided me with some food for thought. Weighing up the Losi ESC/motor combos at the moment. Seems to be very cost effective but heard that there are some issues with the software. Because of this I'm considering the new Orion 70A speedo with a Losi motor in order to keep the cost down and avoid these problems. Waiting for a little more choice with the lipos so just got to bide my time there and see what gets stocked. Only concern with buying a car is that with the carbon fibre being stiffer it'll be less forgiving to drive, easier to break and more expensive to fix. Are my concerns real or not?

[traffman]

Im slightly biased to the Bmax as i own one , its non carbon fibre whereas my yokomo bx was all carbn fibre.
Both great cars in there own way , the bmax is more forgiving to drive and yes i broke more carbon fibre than plastic parts in the past.
Have a look at the losi xx4 , theres still demand for these cars aswell.