Your views on the best of the 4wd bunch

[jo90]

This isnt going to be a post about what is the best car out there, but more which is best all round for more than just the car.

With Maritime prmied to run indoor offroad during the week I might finally get a chance to buy a 4wd and go back to my roots.

Currently i run a Hotbodies TCX tourer, so have loads of HPI and HB bits and bobs.

So, given the below questions, which do you feel wuold be best suited

Tuneability from the pack - which of the current cars can you pull from a box and run without having to buy excessive amounts of upgrades ?

Parts - which is the easiest to get parts for (within a space of one week)

Aftermarket - which has the best team/forum/manufacturer backup

Really appreciate anyones answers !

[walden]

hi John

I'm kinda thinking of going back to off road too, bring back the good old dayz feeling , got so much TC stuff to get rid first though, all in all im thinking of getting a B4.1 2wd or might go for the kyosho lazer

[DaSloth]

cant beat a good kyosho! Slightly more expensive than some of the other cars, but very strong and very few aftermarket pars required so overall i think it works quite cheap!

lots of support in the region and have the importer just down the road

Easy choice really, kyosho fs2 all the way!

[AfroP]

The Durango is a good car but has a few niggles that could catch people out if they aren't aware of them. And right out the box is a car that needs a fair bit of work to get going right along with a few "optional" parts that have become standard kit, like the ball cups and diff rings. Support from Team Durango though is very good.

The new Cat SX3 looks to be good to go straight out the box(as long as you get the CF version) but as its still very new to market there aren't as many hints/tips and setups available.

The associated B44 factory team kit would probably best fit your needs, its fairly race ready right out the box, is well established and parts are a breeze to get ahold of. its also apparently a good car to get to grips with when first returning to driving

[Big G]

I'm still running the kit ball cups on my durango and have never had one pop off...

[peetbee]

Originally Posted by AfroP

The associated B44 factory team kit would probably best fit your needs, its fairly race ready right out the box, is well established and parts are a breeze to get ahold of.

I agree!

In terms of forum support for any of the manufacturers, I've never needed to look outside oOple. Where else will you find the top drivers sharing tips and advice in conjunction with those who've had to buy the cars?

[rondoolaa]

kyosho lazer ZX-5 all the way

[hide]

Originally Posted by Big G

I'm still running the kit ball cups on my durango and have never had one pop off...

Same. Although I do have the RPM cups to put on if they do come off.

[RogerM]

Kyosho ZX5-FS2 .... easy to build, hardly needs touching as so robust and reliable, easy to set up, great to drive (positive and forgiving at the same time).

Yes prices are a little higher than some others but then it is all in the box and as for spares ... no car is bullet proof but the ZX5-FS is better than any other I can think of right now!

[Chris-S]

Originally Posted by Big G

I'm still running the kit ball cups on my durango and have never had one pop off...

I've only ever had one come off, although I did hit a fairly large immovavle object that would of ripped the corner off a B44 or Cat

[traffman]

Ran B44 and was great , tough and reliable , steering was an issue or maybe i didnt persevere with it, then onto a Durango and its a great car with legendary build quality , but a tad too aggressive for me even though i still enjoy it.

Now onto a Laser fs2 and we will see how it goes but all positive at the moment ...just a lovely car to drive and you can really fling it over the bumps and thumps!

[jo90]

Thanks everyone for your input. It does look very promising now that Maritime have confirmed and i've seen the area the indoor track will be built on.

I used to run a Kyosho Lazer ZXR, so I know Kyosho are good with their kits. Only thing that might be a niggle is I heard the supoprt and parts where difficult to get for the Stallion (Tourer). Yep, I know its not the same car, but just wary that if the parts can't get into the UK for that, will the same be for the buggy ? If anyone can give me nakes of their best stockist, that would be great so I can just check up on parts available.

I have seen the progress of the B44 as well. It's always in the top 10 even from it's early days after the BJConcept cloned jobby. Only thing that puts me off is having to buy all new tools, and having to carry 2 sets of tools around potentially. Don't want to have two pithaulers (one for tourer and one for offroad).

Durango I have seen alot about, but parts are not cheap. But , gievn that if people have the confidence in the parts, then I guess that balances out cost.

As it stands then it seems no one favours or has commented on the Tamiya 502 ? Does anyone have any info on that ? I have tended to look that way as the tourer is good (417) so effectively id just be running tamiya gear rather than two different makes (tourer at the mo is a TCX, but I dont like the look of the D4).

Cheers though all, it is a great help

[Skye]

I have just returned to the sport from a long absence so am not best placed to give advice really, but I have just gone through the same selection issues as yourself and asked many similar questions.

The summary of what I was told was :

Kyosho Lazer FS2 is a great car, strong, reliable, relatively easy to set up and maintain.

Schumacher Cat SX3, there was obviously less info on these due to them being so new, but all was positive. A dream to build and early signs on the track look good. Belt driven though so maybe a little higher maintenance as its not so sealed from dirt.

AE B44.1 probably seem to have the most avid followers. Those that love these cars often seem to shout loudest. High performance, reliable, competitive straight out of the box. Similar comments in many ways to the FS2.

Durango DEX410, a top top car but not best suited to the inexperienced as they are more demanding when it comes to tinkering with them to get the right set up. You will probably spend more time in the pits with this than the other cars, trying to find the winning formula. Now available for £299 though which is a great deal considering they were £450+ not long ago.

Like I said, these are not my opinions but summaries of what others told me.

I was all for the FS2, I went to my local stockist last Sunday to buy it...... And walked out with the B44.1. I dont know why, I was just drawn to it....??

I notice your comment about a second set of tools, which may be a valid one. I bought metric everything to assembe my 2wd Kyosho RB5 and then had to go out this week and buy everything again in imperial which wasnt ideal. If your existing tools are metric then that may swing it in favour of something like the FS2.

That said, having built the Kyosho recently and am now building the AE, I have found the AE quicker and easier to build despite being 4wd which has more parts to assemble.

I cannot pass judgement on what performs best on the track as I havent driven them, but hopefully the above will help in some small way.

[RogerM]

Kyosho parts are no problem at all for the buggies (actually I have never struggled for the touring car parts either!).

I placed an order with JE spares on Monday ... 95% in stock so recieved them Tuesday, other 5% (mostly bits rarely needed so not supprised they weren't on the shelf) showed up yesterday ... good support I think you will agree!

[jo90]

Excellent, thanks for your info guys, i may swing towards the Kyosho, would be a bit rememniscent of having the old ZXR in a way.

[cmgreen]

Cat sx3 - just my 2 pence!

[JohnM]

My two pence would go on a Durango, and with the offers at the mo, you don't need much more then 2p

[cmgreen]

Had one - put simply you have to be very good to drive one fast, i am not .....

[Nick]

Well I would go for a 2010 Durango by far the best value you will find of any car! Out of the box its a great car. You maybe need a rear chassis weight plate and some P5 orings for the diffs! £20 tops. As for supports you won’t find better loads of setup on the site for most uk tracks and a very good bunch of people that will help out with ant questions on here!

[mikeyscott]

Trf511? Jt models and rc lazy for spares.