Easiest 4WD Buggy out of the Box

[4times]

I posted this in another forum, but you folks on this side of the water seem to run a wider range of buggies, so I thought I would ask here too.

Interested to hear what 4wd buggies you all found easiest to drive right out of the box.

Any modern 4wd is good with time and tuning...my question is, what do you all think is the easiest and quickest around the track out of the box without a lot of wrenching or tons of set up advice.

Hopefully, this doesn't turn into another parts availability, durability, or "drive what other local drivers are driving" type of discussion.

I remember Car Action did a shoot out where all the cars were equipped with Team Losi Blockheads (silver compound) up front and Team Losi BK Bars (red compound) in the rear. Pros were allowed to take the cars around the track and make final setup adjustments.

At the time, there was no Associated B44, Kyosho ZX5, Tamiya 501, or Hot Bodies D4, but they tested the following:

1. XXX-4 graphite plus (Mike Truhe's)
2. XX-4 W.E. (Travis Amezcua's)
3. X-5 (Greg Hodapp's)
4. Yokomo MR4-BX (Masami's)
5. Durango (Joe Pillars)
6. BJ4 W.E. (Ryan Cavalieri's)

Interesting article, they had 3 different driver's (one novice, and two expert level) drive these factory rides and each gave their opinions....

It's a 10 page article so too much info to include here...but here are some quotes from the article:

a) fastest lap times were recorded with the Durango, XX-4, and XXX-4;

b) the BJ4 and XX-4 were pegged as "most aggressive cars, so they were tougher to drive...had loads of steering...",;

c) the X-5 and Durango were "the easiest to drive,...had very nuetral setups, and neither were overpowered rockets";

d) the two advance drivers "prefer the feel of the Yokomo or XXX-4, they were fast, yet not too much to handle"

It seemed from all the comments (not just those above) that the driver's really liked the XXX-4 and the Yokomo MR-4BX.... as being easy to drive fast and balanced... they all agreed that the BJ4 W.E. was difficult to drive.

Pretty interesting, just wondering what similar experiences you all have with buggies that you just put down (whether a friend's or out of the box) and immediately liked without any real set up headaches or wrenching.

Again, let's leave the parts availability and durability issues to the other 4WD threads.

[Nolan BJ4WE]

The easiest 4WD buggy 'out the box' was the old Yokomo YZ-10

[Alfonzo]

Good thread, but I think you have most of the answers in your 10 page write up! Opinions are going to vary on this one, but speaking from first hand experience I'd say the XX4 has to be pretty high on the list. My own ride, Predator X10 (which I like very much) would not be

[RogerM]

Most people, who run one, on your side of the pond seem to be taking the ZX5-SP out of the box, building it to kit set-up and running it that way ...... I would say that tells a story.

I think the ZX5-SP is a fantastic car out of the box on this side of the pond too, although the kit springs are a little too soft for most of our tracks.

When I last ran a Predator it was straight from the box too with the addition one extra washer on outer end of the front camber link and some 40wt AE shock oil, rest kit. Hardly changed it at all anywhere ... if I did it was just rear roll centre of front springs by one grade.

[HVAC25000]

*disclaimer* do me a favor guys, these are my opinions, don't get all offended if my experiences differ from yours, this is the stuff that I have seen with my own eyes.


Well I've had a XXX-4, XX-4, X10, and BJ4.

The XXX-4 was my favourite, it was easy to set up, jumped like a dream, turned on rails, but broke like clay, and because it always broke, I sold it.

Got the X10, which was almost as good as the xxx-4, I think I didn't like the shaft drive bit (I'm a big fan of the XXX-4's single belt, sealed drive train), and it was also crumbly like the XXX-4 (but the new X11 isn't that way, and I'm very interested in getting one). The car was ran on big, rough, 1/8 buggy American tracks, and handled all that stuff very wincluding beating the 1/8ths. It was actually quite easy to work on, and despite what everyone who hasn't owned one thinks, very easy to set up. I just used the rough track setup from the instructions and couldn't have been happier.

The XX-4 is probably the best rough track handling/driving/jumping car out there, but the most difficult car to setup I've come across. It does rough stuff amazingly well. It's not as crumbly as the XXX-4, but compared to some other cars, it breaks easy. The shock towers, arms, hubs, and carriers are a bit weak. If you're running on a track with huge jumps, it will be an issue. Unfortunately, though, the kit is no longer made because the chassis mold was ruined, so you'd have to get a used one, and if you broke the chassis, you'd have to buy another used car. Simple answer to that is to get an X-5 if you've got the money and are running a rough track.

The BJ4 is bullet proof, but out of all the cars I've had, I like it's driving/handling the least. It also takes 30-45minutes to change a spur gear, which on my pebbly (tiny rocks) tracks get torn up very quickly. If you used some lexan to seal up the spur area, it wouldn't be an issue. The gearboxes are amazing, I never do anything to my diffs, they just keep going and going. The original BJ4 is very left side heavy if you're running NIMH, but with LIPO it's well balanced. The WE is balanced fine with NIMH.

Don't let anyone talk you into a B44, they break easier than anything else ever made.


Also keep in mind what batteries you're going to run. If NIMH, then car choice isn't an issue, but if LIPO, then you need to worry about whether you're going to run stick packs, or the new trak power saddle packs.


If i could find a way to make the XXX-4 stop breaking, I'd get another in a heartbeat just because it was so fun and simple. If I got a good deal on an X11, I'd get one of those, but I run stick LIPOs so I'd have to spend a ton of money on new batteries.


Given a choice of any car, money no object, I'd get one of the new breed of cars in a heartbeat and just copy someone else's setup. Either an Atomic Carbon S4, Aero A-one, X11, Serpent S500, or the Schumacher CAT SX. I really can't decide, other than the fact that the CAT is the only one that runs stick packs, so I'd probably go with it. Plus I have a Schumacher Mi-3 and LOVE how easy it is to work on, the CAT will be almost as easy.

[mattym0310]

I have found that a lot of cars in this hobby arent great "out of the box". A lot of cars need many hopups or tuning parts to make it quicker or more reliable but the pred x11 is different. Pretty much everything needed for the car to be strong and competitive is in the box.

[losixxx]

Originally Posted by HVAC25000

*disclaimer* do me a favor guys, these are my opinions, don't get all offended if my experiences differ from yours, this is the stuff that I have seen with my own eyes.



The XX-4 is probably the best rough track handling/driving/jumping car out there, but the most difficult car to setup I've come across. jumps, it will be an issue. Unfortunately, though, the kit is no longer made because the chassis mold was ruined, so you'd have to get a used one, and if you broke the chassis, you'd have to buy another used car. .

2 points, xx4 only really need's 1 setup so how you can say's its the most difficult to setup??
point 2, the chassis mold has been replaced, new chassis's are currently available and will continue to be!!

[Lee]

Originally Posted by RogerM

Most people, who run one, on your side of the pond seem to be taking the ZX5-SP out of the box, building it to kit set-up and running it that way ...... I would say that tells a story.

I think the ZX5-SP is a fantastic car out of the box on this side of the pond too, although the kit springs are a little too soft for most of our tracks.

.

Im shocked Roger



The aero was really good out the box, i just tipped it upside down and out it came

[ashleyb4]

that made me laugh lee i choked on my orange juice

A

[Welshy40]

Originally Posted by Nolan BJ4WE

The easiest 4WD buggy 'out the box' was the old Yokomo YZ-10

I actually agree with you there, yes the YZ10 can win events out of the box without modding, and I did just that with the standard kit and crappy black shocks, which did the job very well. standard kit springs as well.

Thanks must go to Jon Leonard's dad for making it for me (but it was the standard kit and no team extras from Team Yokomo).

I was handed it by Jon just before 4wd practice and from standard build it was half decent and easy to dial in. Qualified 7th and got the lead at the end of the straight due to a pile up with the leaders and never looked back. Great car!!!!!

[Chrislong]

Originally Posted by Welshy40

Qualified 7th and got the lead at the end of the straight due to a pile up with the leaders and never looked back. Great car!!!!!

So great it caused pile ups hit & run?

[Welshy40]

Originally Posted by Chrislong

So great it caused pile ups hit & run?

Hehe I suppose so, strong as well, but I did manage to break Dave Belstens YZ10 front wishbone in half when we had a head on and my Lazer was undamaged. Still I only raced it at two events with the Yokomo and it was good at both. Great design but too stable for me, I just couldnt get it to turn in quick enough, even with different castor blocks, it just kept understeering and I prefer major oversteer.

[Simon K]

Originally Posted by Welshy40

I actually agree with you there, yes the YZ10 can win events out of the box without modding, and I did just that with the standard kit and crappy black shocks, which did the job very well. standard kit springs as well.

Thanks must go to Jon Leonard's dad for making it for me (but it was the standard kit and no team extras from Team Yokomo).

I was handed it by Jon just before 4wd practice and from standard build it was half decent and easy to dial in. Qualified 7th and got the lead at the end of the straight due to a pile up with the leaders and never looked back. Great car!!!!!

They won a couple of National titles in Modified in NZ during the 90's(I had one) .

Really reliable cars that were almost indestructable, especially compared to the cars of today. Just look at the arms and see how beefy they were. In saying that, my B44 has done well so far with no major breakages(one DNF due to a centre CVD pin escaping). Most NZ tracks were clay based, hard and smooth. Tended to use the same tyre combo(TF390 and Proline flat fuzzies on the rear)and the cars were dialled...unless the track got a bit rough as thats when the cars would misbehave.