Advice for buying first 1/8 Rallycross

[Brooke]

I'm going to buy a 1/8 buggy to complement my Associated B44.1 but don't really know which one to buy. I've been thinking about the Associated RC8b, Serpent 811 and the Tamiya 801X.

Can anyone give me some advice on which of the's would be the better car or even maybe recommend a better one without the prices going through the roof?

Cheers for any help

[ollie]

Looking for a really good deal I would suggest the RB One come’s complete ready to race with RB engine, pipe and savox servos etc.
Engine choice is pull start or bump which also comes with the starter box.
Both can be bought now for under £500 which is a good deal when you consider what you get in the box.

[eyeayen]

The Losi 8ight 2.0 RTR is a great buggy. Similar to the RB but with better radio but not as good servo's...

You can pick them up for £450. I went for that because I knew the spares back up would be good and it's a proven chassis unlike the RB which is all new. Swings and roundabouts though, at the end of the day it's personal choice.

I know people who race the Losi and when I had a problem with an ESC it went back to Horizon Hobby ( who distribute Losi ) and I couldn't have received better service. Also when I mailed them about the servo's I got replies straight back that were very helpful. Therefore the Losi was the one I chose.

[Brooke]

Are the RTR packages as good as the kit versions? I just imagined them to be a lot lower spec than the kits, however i'm most probably wrong. I have all the radio gear but it would be handy not having to fork out for an engine and servo's though.

Cheers for that

[steelie600]

what sort of level racer are ya?? experienced and can set a car up etc?? or numpty that runs box setup everywhere.

Personally id say pro kit every time with decent engine and starterbox and decent servos especially if you have your own radio.

IMO the top kits at the minute for ease of use, quality, parts support and speed round the track are:

JQ Products THE car
Durango DNX408
Agama A8 evo
Losi 8ight 2.0 EU
Mugen MBX6


Just to give you an idea of what I run and the level of kit to be competitive (pity my thumbs arent!! LOL)

I run a JQ products THE car http://jq-products.com/the-vehicles
OS .21vzb V-spec engine http://www.osengines.com/engines/osmg2068.html
Spektrum servos http://www.spektrumrc.com/Products/D...odID=SPMSS8000
LRP Lipo RX pack(no regulator) http://www.lrp.cc/en/products/vtec-b...y-74v/details/
Fastrax tuned pipe http://www.cmldistribution.co.uk/cml...tId=0000005914

Starter box and glow stick are what ever you want really same with tyres some like proline, some like aka/schumacher/jc racing/j concepts etc etc

My kit isnt all top notch but more middle of the road yet reliable, as to finish first, first you gotta finish! Dont just buy the latest and greatest, get tried and tested and reliable! you wont regret that one bit!

[960rc]

RC8 best for all surfaces not the Quickest, but safe. Losi good and if you get the none eu version good spec and cheap as a roller £250, D8 is also ok

[eyeayen]

The Losi I mentioned above is a very well spec'd car, as I said the servo's aren't the best and you will at some point need to replace these if you're racing at a competition level. To get going with they'll be fine. You might want to replace the shock caps and pistons. RC Racer magazine did a few articles saying what you can do.

I've been out of the hobby for a few years and have nothing worth using and felt like the challenge of Nitro. This kit comes with everything, even a starter box so for me it's perfect. If you've already got stuff that's cool but you'll still need, Engine, Pipe, good strong metal geared servo's, RX pack to power servo's and a starter box. If you take an average of the 'kit' buggies available which are all around about £400 you're going to spend a lot more.

This has a good Spektrum transmitter, is a good car with a good pedigree, includes almost everything you need to go racing and for £450 is the best bet.

I don't know what your budget is, you mentioned it not going through the roof ? You said about Serpent in your initial post which is £450 for the kit alone, then you'll need everything for it which even if you have the electrics is still going to be at least £200, I guess it boils down to the amount of spare cash you have and how competitive you want to be ?

If you got the Losi you can always sell the Spektrum gear if really don't want it to make some money back ?

[steelie600]

I have to slightly disagree here, where as the Losi RTR is a great start up kit, the servos really are gash! Very very slow, dont hold position when turning, and you will soon find the limits of the car, with regards the plastic shock caps, incorrect shock pistons and springs, flexi chassis and bendy shock towers!

Yes for the money you can do a lot worse, and it is a good and capable car, BUT for racing if you can afford it get a pro level kit!

Put it this way, would you run run a RTR B44 now youve had the factory team B44, with the better chassis, better turnbuckles, shocks etc etc etc!! The same differences apply in 8th as in 10th.

My advice still stands tho dont just buy the latest and greatest, buy reliable and proven, and if you can get to an 8th track, have a chat with the guys and see if you can blag a go of certain buggies to see which ones you like most.

[eyeayen]

Ah that's a fair point. I've not raced for years so I don't need or to be honest can afford top spec kit right now, so I'd go with their advice. I was just saying what I'm doing...

[Brooke]

I've been out of the hobby for a couple of years but got back into about 6 months ago. I'm no pro racer but also more experianced than newbie's, slightly above average i'd say (or at least I hope ) and understand the set-ups of the cars to a certain degree.

I'm a firm beleiver in ''always buy the best you can afford'' so prefer to buy something that will last me and not need to upgrade too much or even have to upgrade buggy completely. I have a reasonable budget and would probably pay upto around the 800 quid mark to get going but that would mean getting me up and running completely. I too often fall by going and spending too much on the buggy only to leave me either needing to wait to get the components I really wanted at a later time or worse buying lower spec ones which I don't really like doing. I think around 500 for the kit would be my maximum.

I've not heard much about the Serpent 811, does anyone know what this car is like?

[Chaz]

RC8B, Savox servos, Fastrax blue box, Reedy engine and Reedy 2039 pipe. Not OTT price and always a good team support from the factory drivers. Lots of set-up info available, good parts flow, doesn't wear much, easy to drive. Tried and trusted car, what more can you ask for??? Plus you own a AE car anyway so would look right to have same brand

[Fabs]

RB One ! Comes with SAVOX servos, RB Engine and EVERYTHING you need. It's not a top spec car, but it looks strong and upgradeable.

RTR cars aren't the same spec as race kits, but in the case of the RB One, and after speaking with the designer, I have to say it looks a steal (FYI I drive a Mugen and have no shares in RB ).