RE: Tornado BB
Jenn...I think for although the vertex engine has more adjustments, it's easier to tune becaue you have multiple stages to tune from rather than trying to find a happy medium with one adjustment...That's why I spent to money to "downgrade" for that part...Aluminum shocks are stronger and more reliable, but once again, for the price difference, I don't think it's a huge deal to have fun with...I personally like the plastic parts...I haven't had a problem with them breaking and they're lighter which will make your car faster...plus they're cheaper to replace...Also just like anything...If you make one part stronger, it just means the stress has to go somewhere else and something else is going to break...and as gunda said...the bevel gear differentials are identical between the models...if you're looking for reliability over speed, I'd go with the lower model...but then again, the aluminum is prettier than the plastic...LOL...all depends on what you want out of it...they're basically the same vehicle...do you want looks, reliability, strength, durability, speed...
by the way...I watched the traxxas tuning video...very confusing...the nitro engine post has a lot better inforamtion and links...