From Cat SX to Durango. My experience

[Big G]

I decided christmas was coming early for me and bought a DEX410 brand new (thank you JE spares ).

I've been running the Cat SX for about 6 months now and been getting some good results with it in regionals and MAM rounds. Don't get me wrong the SX is a great car and very easy to drive, but I wanted to try out a Durango. I can never seem to buy the budget versions and ended up ordering the full fat version.

The build was pretty straight forward as expected. I like all the spot UV they use on the box and manual, but I think they should really spend a little bit more time on the insides of the manual. the step by step exploded diagrams are ok, but really a few notes here and there would go a long way. I loaded the shocks up with the usual 35/30wt oil. These felt really lifeless though and mega over-damped. Before drilling out the pistons to the common 1.3mm I filled them up with 25/20wt which felt a lot better. No leaks is always a good start with new shocks. These aren't quite as easy to build as the Cat ones, but still pretty good. The caps make setting the rebound pretty easy.

My electrics has been SP GT2.0 LPF and V3 motors for a long time now. I think the product is extremely good and very driveable. Downside is the size of the speedo. Never mind. I like a challenge lol... I also have the Futaba FAAST 2.4 system which their fairly large receivers. Managed to get the whole lot in there and also mounted onto the little plate so it can be quickly removed. Only trouble is the wires that come out of the receiver hit the side of the shell pushing it away from the side of the chassis.

1st outing with the car was at Ludlow club which runs a smallish track in the main hall at the local school on low grip polished floor. yellow pins is always my weapon of choice for Ludlow (others prefer mini spikes or full spikes). The car went well straight from the off. I've been running a Pro Stock 10.5 SP v3 for a while now in the cat and although it doesn't have the top end of everyone else the car was very easy to control and place when it came to overtaking. I'd decided to go back to the 7.5 in the Durango on a 21T pinion to start with. This went alright in the practice, but about 10 secs from the end of round 1 the car thermaled out with the motor reading 200°F opps

Down to a 19T pinion and all was sorted with temps around 160°F much better. Round 2 saw a flyer chasing Wezzer driving Keaton's B44. The car seems to just launch at whatever you point at it without any problems. there wasn't any hint of it snapping or misbehaving under acceleration. Down the 1 side of the hall are un-moveable posts which have claimed A LOT of wishbones in the years. something I didn't want to go near since I have no spares for the car yet. After round 2 I had no worries about going flat out past them. they do have go kart tyres around the bottoms, but they don't save you at full speed!

Round 3 underway and I ended up TQ'ing it by 7 secs. Not too shabby seeing as I hadn't spent any time setting the car up and trying things. The car lacked a bit of turn out of the corners all night, but I was dealing with that. I loved the way it could pick itself up out of corners and carry it's speed through light chicanes.

The final I was out in the front on my own. I think I'd lapped the field by the time 4mins was up when the car started to feel a bit flat... 5 mins was called and I was out of juice. Foolishly I'd put the wrong batteries in They'd only arrived that day and I'd charged 1 pack up and fitted another to adjust the strap. I'd only gone and put a pack which only had it's storage charge in lol. The A final is 7mins. No maiden win then.

Friday night saw Hereford club's night which is a tight carpet track which is pretty much made for micro's not 1/10th cars. Commonly featuring 1 or 2 table tops, a few kickers, doormats and doubles. The event in Jan 2011 will be a much bigger track. Right from the off the Durango felt sorted. There was a big double right at the start of the straight which a lot of cars where missing the lander and ending up off the track. This car has a lot of square up I find and combined with the geared diffs was getting a lot of traction to clear this jump no problem. I gave the car a bit of toe out on the front and added the ARB to the back and it felt really nice all night.

TQ'd round 2 and had a really close final. I found off the jumps even if you get it slightly wrong and out of shape it doesn't rotate in the air excessively and sorts itself out so well as soon as you land. It jumps lovely with just the brass skid plate added. I can't believe how balanced the car is!

Very very impressed with the Durango so far and this is only the start

[mikeyscott]

Nice write up

I've got a 511 / Durango for Petit and the SV for 2WD.

[Big G]

yeah I probably would of wrote more, but the mrs was lay next to me in bed saying "can you please stop all that tapping!"

[purplenut]

Cool right up there mate.
Can not wait to get mine there, allready (ish) waiting on the shell.
Might have to race my b44 if shell not here(just arrived).
Are you there tom night?.

[Big G]

At ludlow? no. We've broke up (lol it's a school) so we're not back now until the new year.