Recommendations for an off road buggy
06-25-2014, 04:29 PM
#1
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Recommendations for an off road buggy
Ok guys I think this might be a question many have asked before, I am looking at getting an off road buggy, bashing at the beach, around any open space, maybe I might even try a track, yes I know it will not be competitive but might give me a taste to get something better later on.
That being said what manufactures do you recommend (traxxas, hpi, losi, associated are common here)and what cars do you recommend, looking for electric, as nitro might be too noisy, looking for 1/10 scale also looking for it to come with radio gear, guessing budget should be considered too so lets say 250-300 again I know this might be low from what I have seen, but thinking used to start.
That being said what manufactures do you recommend (traxxas, hpi, losi, associated are common here)and what cars do you recommend, looking for electric, as nitro might be too noisy, looking for 1/10 scale also looking for it to come with radio gear, guessing budget should be considered too so lets say 250-300 again I know this might be low from what I have seen, but thinking used to start.
06-25-2014, 05:19 PM
#2
ive had a thunder tiger phoenix XB pro (brushless version) and it was a great buggy for the money.
It is basically a team associated B3 with updated electronics. The B3 is an older racing buggy, but it still handles well and is pretty tough.
The phoenix was $200 on tower hobbies last time I looked. For that, you get a RTR brushless 2wd buggy with a ball diff, nice 2.4ghz radio and CVD driveshafts.
I had a couple of small "out of the box" issues with mine. The ESC was not attached to the chassis (double sided tape sucked) and the slipper clutch was way loose (just needed to be tightened) and how the wires were run was sloppy (a few zip ties fixed that)
The brushless system provides plenty of punch. for some reason tho, thunder tiger geared it lower than is needed. A $5 pinion gear that was a few teeth larger gave much better top speed and it still ran fine.
Only other issue was that the rear tires did wear out fairly fast. They are a softer "race" rubber. But there are plenty of bolt on wheel/tire combos available.
The diff/driveshafts/chassis ect are all tough. I ran that buggy hard and I think other than the front shock tower I didn't break much.
factor in the cost of a $30 2s 5000mah lipo battery and a $50 lipo battery charger and you still stay under $300 for the whole package.
The traxxas bandit xl-5 is also in your price range. It wont be as fast due to its brushed system, but it is still fairly quick and being a traxxas there are tons of upgrade and hop up parts available. I think the RTR brushed verisions (with a battery/basic charger) run $225-250.
It is basically a team associated B3 with updated electronics. The B3 is an older racing buggy, but it still handles well and is pretty tough.
The phoenix was $200 on tower hobbies last time I looked. For that, you get a RTR brushless 2wd buggy with a ball diff, nice 2.4ghz radio and CVD driveshafts.
I had a couple of small "out of the box" issues with mine. The ESC was not attached to the chassis (double sided tape sucked) and the slipper clutch was way loose (just needed to be tightened) and how the wires were run was sloppy (a few zip ties fixed that)
The brushless system provides plenty of punch. for some reason tho, thunder tiger geared it lower than is needed. A $5 pinion gear that was a few teeth larger gave much better top speed and it still ran fine.
Only other issue was that the rear tires did wear out fairly fast. They are a softer "race" rubber. But there are plenty of bolt on wheel/tire combos available.
The diff/driveshafts/chassis ect are all tough. I ran that buggy hard and I think other than the front shock tower I didn't break much.
factor in the cost of a $30 2s 5000mah lipo battery and a $50 lipo battery charger and you still stay under $300 for the whole package.
The traxxas bandit xl-5 is also in your price range. It wont be as fast due to its brushed system, but it is still fairly quick and being a traxxas there are tons of upgrade and hop up parts available. I think the RTR brushed verisions (with a battery/basic charger) run $225-250.
06-28-2014, 07:49 AM
#4
Traxxas: Everywhere, LOTS of aftermarket upgrades available, tends to be expensive.
HPI: SOME good vehicles (careful what you buy), some pieces of crap.
LOSI and ASSOCIATED: Race-oriented, tend to be more adjustable, good rep.
Those brands are the most common at the local hobby store (LHS). But you may also see ECX, Duratrax, Durango, Tamiya, Vaterra.....
ECX and Duratrax are entry-level brands, but make decent platforms for budget prices. Vaterra makes some interesting RCs, some affordable, some more pricey and fancy. Durango is another race-oriented brand, and expensive. Tamiya specializes is scale stuff.
Those are the brands you'll typically see at your LHS. But if you're open to buying online, your RC world really opens up. Thunder Tiger is a well known brand and people seem to like them. There's also Redcat. And OFNA. OFNA makes (well, they don't MAKE them, OFNA is an importer. They're made by HoBao or HongNor) good vehicles. I bought a Hyper 10TT 4wd truggy from Nitrohouse for $189 as a "80% kit" roller. Came all assembled, with a clear body, minus the electronics. I installed my own motor system and radio gear. Aluminum chassis and other important bits, rubber shock boots, well built, easy to work on.
HPI: SOME good vehicles (careful what you buy), some pieces of crap.
LOSI and ASSOCIATED: Race-oriented, tend to be more adjustable, good rep.
Those brands are the most common at the local hobby store (LHS). But you may also see ECX, Duratrax, Durango, Tamiya, Vaterra.....
ECX and Duratrax are entry-level brands, but make decent platforms for budget prices. Vaterra makes some interesting RCs, some affordable, some more pricey and fancy. Durango is another race-oriented brand, and expensive. Tamiya specializes is scale stuff.
Those are the brands you'll typically see at your LHS. But if you're open to buying online, your RC world really opens up. Thunder Tiger is a well known brand and people seem to like them. There's also Redcat. And OFNA. OFNA makes (well, they don't MAKE them, OFNA is an importer. They're made by HoBao or HongNor) good vehicles. I bought a Hyper 10TT 4wd truggy from Nitrohouse for $189 as a "80% kit" roller. Came all assembled, with a clear body, minus the electronics. I installed my own motor system and radio gear. Aluminum chassis and other important bits, rubber shock boots, well built, easy to work on.
06-28-2014, 08:38 AM
#5
I will vouch for the ECX brand....well the torment anyway. I had a brushed version. I think it was $150. I had a lot of fun with that truck. IMO it does better handling than a traxxas slash. not as fast top speed, unless you use a better battery (torment comes with a 6cell and slash with a 7cell) but the tires and suspension work well. body holds up well. I beat on it for over a year, including some racing and didn't break often.
I have a team associated SC10rs. My opinion, one of the best RTR short course trucks. tough as nails, quick, handles well. all around good truck. but that costs $300 and you need a battery/charger as well.
I have a team associated SC10rs. My opinion, one of the best RTR short course trucks. tough as nails, quick, handles well. all around good truck. but that costs $300 and you need a battery/charger as well.
