ighhockey9

My Feedback: (2)

What advantages does one have over the other? i know that shaft is less prone to sand and small rocks but why would belt be better?

Tricksligger

Do a search, youll find lots of debates. I myself have belt drive and run on unswept streets with no problems. It does tweek a little to the right when it hits second gear, I hear thats because of the belt system but Im not sure.

cardriverx

oh god dont start this again...just do a sherch and ull find all the info u need

ighhockey9

My Feedback: (2)

cardriver- that was a very unneccesary comment. trick already told me to do a search but nice enough to give me some info. you on ther other hand.....

here is a quote that i once read:
"this is a message board, not a message archive."

ace_vwtech

I also run a belt drive car on well anything, street track dirt doesnt matter. i have had a pebble get stuck in my brake a few times, but I dont think shaft drive would help that. some people say that shaft drive cars will launch croked due to the torque of the engine, but that is probably negligable, as i have only noticed it on high powered cars, and my 4 tec that is belt drive and way overpowered will do what they call a tank slapper(motorcycle lingo) when it shifts into second it will spin the tires and waggle back and forth occasionally so bad that it will flip, but I have gotten most of that out with the setup. from my experiance shaft cars seem to have less rolling restiance then belts but thats speculation,

nitros_rule

na acctually i agree with cardriver we dont need another one of these

cardriverx

thanks nitros, but ighhocky just go with the car that your LHS has the most parts for and you will be fine. I have a belt drive rs4, and personally I like belt better because it has a smoother feel to it, and I get rocks stuck in it less than twice a month. but both drive good and like I said before just get the car that your LHS has the most parts for.

RcSuCkA

i too have the rs4 2. Its belt and just like cardriverx said, it feels smoother. I dont have any problems with my belt system.

ighhockey9

My Feedback: (2)

nitros- guess what, your opinion is great but "we dont need" anymore posts bashing this thread. the thread is here so live with it. the topic is not "come here to whine like a little kid!"

thanks to those that actually helped. the only belt car i was considering is the R40 but the tranny looks very vulnerable, it hangs right over the edge of the chassis in the path of the front tire.

ace_vwtech

the r40 is a good ride and i wouldnt worry about the gears being out there they tend to be self cleaning stuff flys right off them are you buying from local place or mail order? local may be better for support, and it also helps to see the product in hand

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

I have an RS4-2 and a Nitro TC3. they're both smooth as buttah.
lazy people like shafts because they dont have to replace belts, but then again i've never bent a driveshaft in my RS4.

danedelman

My Feedback: (25)

I just got the R40 and have already broken 2 belts. The front and rear. I also stripped out the front gear. However, I love the feel of the car and how it handles. I think I broke the belts because I drove a tank of gas in a very dirty parking lot and had millions of little stones that I think got in there and started tearing the belts. I also had a NTC3 and loved that too. For parking lot racing I would recommend the NTC3 and for racing on good tracks or good parking lots the R40 is great.

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

Belt tensioners exist for a reason.

danedelman

My Feedback: (25)

THEY DO NOT MAKE THEM FOR THE FRONT AND REAR ONLY THE SIDE......WHICH I HAVE NOT BROKEN!!

Philster

I've read about a 70 mph CEN car that uses belts that were prone to trouble when slamming on the breaks during high speed passes. Alot of owners had the same feedback about that car.

Other than that, I've yet to find belts that create constant headaches. Some very fast cars, very reliable ones too, use belts.

Most people who run a car on a lot will scope out a clean lot, to minimize damage to the car, especially the belts.

danedelman

My Feedback: (25)

I found a good one but was just lazy and ran closer to home and this caused me these problems.

Saboteur10573

Never broke belts on my R40. The Shaft think is good for more punch coming outta the corners. Other than that, the car itself you have to judge on. It sucks to get a rock lodged near the shaft scratching the hell outta the blue. I may pick up a NTC3 FT, but waiting to drive my friend's ride to see how I like it.

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

IMO, own both, and then YOU decide. opinions are like belly buttons-some you agree with ,and all others stink

Saboteur10573

Say wah? LOL. The plan was to go to our local track and dial both our rides in. Then, after that we will drive each others car to see how it handles. I don't intend to bust out $300+ just get. Still waiting for that 1:1 car

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

lol, have fun:P
my NTC3 and RC10GT are each worth more than my 1:1 car, LOL.
notice i said WORTH, and not "i have more into".
course, primer usually DOES halve a 1:1 car's worth, so maybe that's the problem, LOL.

thumpin347

My Feedback: (1)

shaft drive is better...belts stretch, shred, fray, break, etc. shaft drive has more rigidity than a belt system distributing power more efficiently.

cons...more rotating mass in a drive shaft

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

yes, belts stretch, shred, fray, break, but then again I've never bent a driveshaft in my any of my RS4s

when the belts are pulled taut, that argument goes out the window.

again, not true.
weigh a layshaft, pullies, belts, and diffs vs the shaft and the diffs.

if you're lazy and don't like to maintain your car and like to leave it all grimy and disgusting so it has about 3 lbs of slop all over it, get a shaftie.
beyond that, like i said, own both, THEN tell me what's better. I've owned both, and like both, but prefer belts all else being equal.

cardriverx

id just like to add that in the 4 to 5 years ive had my rs4, I have yet to replace a belt! but they are getting chewed up, im gonna get some new ones soon.

Philster

If you're responsible and not a knuckle head, you shouldn't let belt drive scare you from a vehicle.

If you are a dope who doesn't care for, or take an interest in, the mechanical pieces of a car, get shaft drive....although you'll probably screw something else up before the shafts so the point is moot.

The point: Competent RC-ers can look at cars that have belt or shaft drive and purchase the car on its overall merits, not just because it has shaft or belt drive. That shouldn't be a deciding factor. If it is, you aren't a real RC-er.

It's like jumping in and asking, "what is better, a V-8 car or a 4-cyl car?" It depends....that is the answer. Some V8 equipped cars are trash, and so are some 4-cyl cars. Some V8 cars are balanced reliable rockets....and so are some 4 cyl cars. But when you get into the quality performance market, the gap narrows considerably, and you ned to purchase the vehicle you want based on its overall ability. Same for RC.

Saboteur10573

I've ran all belts for 6yrs. Never broke one. Sure maybe on the front belt of the R40 it got frayed, but why? It was driven in a place where NO onroad should be really driven. Not even a shaft. I agree with Thunder. If you run to shaft because you think belts are a pain, you really are a lazy bum. (And) if you notice the best rated nitro sedan just happens to be a belt and is currently faster than the fastest shaft drive car-the Kyosho FW05RR.