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.

[Stalypig]

I am very tempted by the Bmax but it's the availability and cost of spares that are of some concern to me.

[Mike Hudson]

B44 very few parts on it break so you only need few different spares and the car is easy to correct mistakes and friendly car to drive, was my first 4wd car at the start of last year and i was very impressed from the start and it's taken me all the way from the bottom to the top bunch now Only broken a few front wishbones and front shock shafts in over a year weekly indoor and outdoor races with a fair amount of abuse! Never had a problem with the carbon bits or had to replace any of the carbon parts! Rarely have to carry spares on me either as theres almost always what i need trackside for it at prices that don't break your wallet either

[Stalypig]

Cheers for that. Have to say that there is a growing number suggesting the B44 to me. Looking into it more and more. Seems a sensible option. What else would sell it to me?

[Spoolio]

Last year when we were getting $2 to the £ I would have said import a Durga and all the bits needed to make it bulletproof. Now the quid has gone down the toilet I'd agree with others and get a lightly used B44 to be honest. Nice and simple, lots of spares back up etc, plenty of advice from the multitude of peeps that run one.

[Mike Hudson]

Originally Posted by Stalypig

Cheers for that. Have to say that there is a growing number suggesting the B44 to me. Looking into it more and more. Seems a sensible option. What else would sell it to me?

The fact that it was the car that won the 2008 Brca national series driven by Lee Martin

[Welshy40]

Originally Posted by Mike Hudson

The fact that it was the car that won the 2008 Brca national series driven by Lee Martin

Your forgetting about a recent worlds title as well.

[Stalypig]

Originally Posted by Welshy40

Your forgetting about a recent worlds title as well.

Originally Posted by Mike Hudson

The fact that it was the car that won the 2008 Brca national series driven by Lee Martin

But they're good drivers! I am liable to be crashing and bashing and breaking bits off it left, right and centre! I need to know that it is built like a T34 and that parts are a damn sight cheaper and easier to come by!

[panch]

Hi there..

Just to back up a few of the reply's on here and to answer your concern ref Carbon parts breaking, I drove a B44 last year and did not break one carbon piece and I ran alot, inc a great deal of time on a dirt 1/8th track..

The only issue from standard was poor manufacture of the front wishbones, but the issue has now been corrected by Associated and to be fair at around £5 a pair they didnt really break the bank anyway..

Straight out of the box I was competative and regualry achieveing A Final podiums, The only thing as you mentioned in your original thread is that the car takes saddle packes which I see you were not keen on..

Many of the top manufacturers make Lipo saddles packs have a look out for TrackPower, I find them to be very consistent but there are many more.

What I would say when you are considering your purchase is to check the approved listings on the BRCA website because you will need to comply should you wish to race in any major events, plus it will save you shelling out again in the future..

Also parts are very much available, never had much problems obtaining any there are loads of good modelshops either online or trackside depending on your local club who will be able to help you out in that respect..

Because of where I live I have generally used Microtech ( www.microtechracing.com)they generally stock most parts for the B44, but also see DMS Racing (www.dms-racing.com) they also list nearly every part..

I have just switched to the Schumacher CAT SX and the only reason is because as a boy I drove pretty much the whole family of CAT's, plus it was nice and shiney !!

Hope that Helps

Lee