scottywilkes

hi guys i am having real trouble trying to choose which one i want. The only thing letting the LST2 down is the fact that nitro is expensive and i dont have a real lot of cash but i think it has the most possibilities of both cause you can do more with it in my opinion. But with the baja it is massive, runs on normal fuel, engine lasts for ever but i am afraid that it will not have the durability of the LST2. What i am asking is what would you guys choose and why because i really want to make the right decision with them. And what do u guys think are the pros and cons of each of them? CHEERS im really bad at making expensive decisions lol.


BTW i allready have a Duratrax nitro evader so i am used to maintaining nitros and tuning engines. Still need a bit of help sometimes though lol

dannthenitroman

the baja will be a lot cheaper after initial purchase but very expensive in a nasty crash.

Dann

J_D

nasty crash? pfft?

i crashed my 1/5th traveller into a wooden fence, and i broke the fence!

go the baja, petrol is so much better than nitro engines, has a ton more torque, you can goto lunch while it idles if u like, the engine will NEVER stall, and never requires tuning. and then the price of fuel.... u will save thousands of dollars in fuel in one year.

u might not be able to do backflips with it, but least u'll be able to have tons of fun bashing, while all the nitro guys are tuning/rebuilding/refueling there grumpy little engines.

Wide Open

grumpy? i dont think our little nitros are grumpy by any means, as long as you take care of them. i cant afford the initial purchase of a 1/5 scale so i have to settle with nitro. and once you know how to use them you rarely ever have to touch the needles once its tuned. its weather and altitude changes that affect it the most, and thats true for any engine.

Medrivfast

I saw the Baja run at the RCX show. Lets just say it seemed slow and nobody was impressed with it....

Roscco

If you can afford the initial cost of the Baja, i'd go for it. As said above the cost of fuel being a big factor in my decision, plus the sheer size of the thing is definately goin' to bring smiles from all. Fair enough it may not have the jumping ability of the LST2, but if you have enough space i'd far rather bash with the big boy.

Have a look over at the baja5b forum. See what actual owners think and have to say. You can then make an informed decision rather than based on what people have read and their thoughts. http://www.hpibajaforum.com/modules.php?name=Forums

mkincy

If theres a track in your area large enough to run a 1/5 scale thyen i think it would be a great choice. but you might also concider if you want to race and no one else has a 1/5 then you would be out of luck. i think the initial cost would be off set in 6 mos. by the cost of fuel. no one really knows about the durability of the 5b yet. they just came out. if i had a place to race a 1/5 scale i'd buy one in a heart beat.

Vespah

I saw the hpi video of the baja and wasnt impressed, and I love hpi products. Like the others said though gas is cheaper at $3+ a gallon + 2cycle oil opposed to $20+ a gallon, motor maintenance maybe less but the big things to consider are where you live, who and where you bash with and how you want to drive. I think parts will be expensive for the Baja when they do break, and the motor prices later on may be even just as high.

Henry William French

I think you guys are way off on the fuel issue. 1 gallon of nitro gives more run time with nitro engines vs 1 gallon of gas with 2stroke oil in a rc gas engine. 1 nitro gallon is roughly 25 tanks. 1 gallon of gas is roughly 7-9 tanks for something like the MB5. I'll gladly pay 20 bucks and get 25 runs with my Nitro. Whats with the clown and his "save thousands of dollars on fuel alone". WHAT A JOKE!

Roscco

Comments like calling JD a clown will get you no where, he was making a point. I think your name is funny, but i won't lower myself to your level and insult you[]

What your missing here is the run times, nitro maybe 10-15mins (granted depending on engine and so on)on a good day, a gasser will run nearer 40-50mins on a tank.

By my simple maths your 25tanksx10mins = 250mins vs 9tanksx40mins = 360mins

NO JOKE

snowbl!nd

You'd have to go through a lot of fuel to make that kind of saving... [X(]

Henry William French

Ok sorry for the clown statement but the idea of buying the baja buggy and making up the money back by saving on fuel is nowhere near true. 1000 bucks will get you 40-50 gallons of nitro fuel... thats alot of driving/wrenching and replacing engines. I just hate to see people look at gasser cars and be afraid of nitros because of the $20 price of a gallon of nitro. Nitro is cheap. 1000 bucks for a car is not cheap.

scottywilkes

well fuel aint that big a issue really cause it only cost me like in USD $6.40 and in AUS it is $8.50 a litre which is really cheap here seeing in the shops it cost $20 Aus for a litre of nitro but a friend makes mine and it is reallly good fuel so i use that. I really think the LST2 will suit my needs more becasue i really want to get it to jump and be pretty fast do good wheelies and such and practice back and front flips so i think the LST2 will suit my needs more.

Tigger N. Bennie

I was also at RCX. Did you notice that the track was sort of SMALL? Did you also notice that the designer was using a stick radio? Or did you know that the other driver had his transmitter on the wrong model setting when he started out? I don't know who you spoke to, but the people who I spoke to were impressed with it especially if they were into large scale. This past weekend I also ran my HPI Baja 5B at the R/C Pro Series West Round 1 race. In addition, I let several factory racers drive it who were sponsored by various well known R/C manufacturers, but instead of quoting them, I'll just post a photo or two. For those who are not impressed, don't purchase one. Simple. Myself, I also own several nitro R/Cs, electric R/Cs, and other gasoline/oil R/Cs.





Of course, large scale has its possible cons:
[ul][*] Available running areas and lack of running buddies?[*] Available parts locally?[*] Storing and transporting?
[/ul]

And its possible pros:
[ul][*] No glow plugs,[*] Cheaper and easier access to fuel,[*] Little tuning if any for ambient temperatures,[*] Long run times,[*] Long life engine.
[/ul]

Then again, I know of LHS that don't carry parts for Kyosho, Mugen, Xray, and a variety of other R/Cs that I own and prefer than what is available at the local franchise R/C hobby store. The bottom line is that they are both two different types of R/Cs and only the owner can choose what is best for him or her since he or she is the person that is going to drive it and put up with the pros and cons of the particular R/C. That is also another reason I have various types of R/Cs--different models for different applications.

Many people I know spend $1,000.00 on an 1/8th scale buggy and still run nitro. Price out a Kyosho 777 SP2 kit some time--then add some high dollar electronics, an engine, a transmitter, a starter box, a glow ignitor, fuel, etc. If you don't go the cheap route, it will be more than $1,000.00.

dustin7837

My Feedback: (1)

*agrees with tigger*

Really you are comparing 2 totally diferent things. I mean a 1/8 scale truck and a 1/5 scale buggy aren't the same at all.
You really need to look at where you will be running and what you would like to do with it, rather than the power source. The difference between running gas and nitro isnt even close to the difference between the size and engineering of the two vehicles.

scottywilkes

thanks guys you have really opened my eyes. Well if i get a baja i will have someone to bash with casue my mate is getting one at the same time. I have good bashing spots nearby so that is not an issue. Do u reckon it would last on a BMX track cause there are a few of them around here? How fast do they go stock cause i have heard people say that they are really slow but in the vids they certainly do not seem slow. I really like the baja and it will proly be my choice but i just want to get as much info on it before spending the big $$$ cause i know it has not been driven and tested yet as it has only just came out.

Tigger N. Bennie

It's my understanding that it is 29mph with the extension pipe and 39mph without. Mine is running without it. It was also plenty fast on the track, especially when one considers how large it is and how it has to make the turns--it is 2WD. In addition, the Baja5B is a lot heavier and is not something that should be jumped like an 1/8th scale buggy. Oh wait, I was doing that the other day. Of course, it had the big awe factor at the tracks I've been running it on. However, if your mate is getting one, wait. Drive his first and then decide.

-Inverted-

LOOK! It's TNB from hpibajaforum.com

Tigger N. Bennie

I'm actually a member of several "specific" forums--that's also what happens when one owns lots and lots of R/Cs and needs a break from a more general forum. In other words, sometimes it is more like "work" here as a moderator. Then again, I also stay sort of busy at one of the "racer" forums as well but it is usually more in a fun way.

Timmahh

the fuel cost issue is a Major differance and should be a major consideration. with my math it adds up like this

1 gal nitro 25.00. i get approx 15+ minute runs on a tank. approximatly 18 tanks per gallon. ( 25.00 divided by 18tanks) so about 1.40 per tank for 20 minutes so 2.80 for 40 minutes runtime.
1 gal gas 2.89 today( tomorrow???) 1 can mix 3.00 so approx 4.50 for a gal of mixed gas. lets say you get 6 tanks of fuel out of a gallon of mix ( 4.50 divided by 6) so you end up at a price of .75 cents per runtime of 40 minutes.
im not sure about your math, but my math comes out to .75 cents per 40 minute run time on gas and is WAY less expensive than the 2.40 spent for the same 40 minutes of runtime from nitro..
im sure it will be more than 6 fills per gallon as i get 6 fills on my weedwacker and i know the gasser tanks are smaller than whats stock on a weedwacker.

or you could go the simple way.. one gal of nitro 25.00 one gal of mixed gas 4.50. 4.50 is just over 80% cheaper per gallon... ( 4.50 divided by 25.00) so i can mix 5 gallons of gas for the cost of 1 gallon of nitro... pretty self explanitory to me. lets go into it one step more.

if you were to burn a gallon a day in your trucks and drove everyday.
Nitro 365 days per year x $25.00 per day for nitro equals $9,125.00 per year...
Mixed Gas 365 days per year x $ 4.50 per day of mix gas equals $1,642.50 per year...
differance in cost per year for fuel alone equals $7,482.50 per year savings.

now lets say you only get 4 runs per gallon of mix gas, your gas cost has increased to nearly $2,500.00 per year, that is still a differance of $6.500.00 dollars per year.
even it you got 36 tanks per gallon on nitro, your nitro cost is now about $4,550.00, Still $2000 cheaper for gas..
Still looks like THOUSANDS to me! given these numbers, that CLOWN was right on mark with that selzter bottle!
Good Shot JD.
SO YES you COULD LITERALLY save Thousands in just the first year with fuel costs alone.
Timmahh

snowbl!nd

Do you know anyone who actually goes through this amount of fuel?

J_D

exactly!!

how often do u have to re-tune ur engine... every time the weather changes... and how often does the weather change? PRETTY MUCH EVERYDAY!

with a larger engine (almost 10x) , the affects of weather are much much much less.

Wide Open

is this really worth trying to defend? theyre two completely different types of cars and it all depends on what YOU want to run. me? i cant afford the initial purchase of a gasser, so i stick with nitro, simple as that.

Wide Open

and actually ive only had to tune my mgt engine twice since i got it. nitros arent really that bad, it comes down to what you want to do again.

snowbl!nd

I'd have to agree with Wide Open on this one - i really like the look of the HPI Baja and the fact that it's powered on regular petrol, but i can't afford one, simple as that.
If i had the money, i'd seriously consider it - but just for something different, not because nitro is such a pain as a lot of people suggest.