I had previously posted a question of whether I should get Ofna Hyper 7 RTR or GS Racing Storm RTR Plus. Forget that! I have changed my mind. But I still need some expert advice please.

Ok here is the scenario, followed by the question. Please be patient for I am really wanting some expert advice, but I want to be thorough and state my scenario.

I have been in the nitro world for about 4 months now and love it (starting with the Revo). Now I am hooked and want more. I live about a mile from an off-road track and loved going out there and watching them run for about the past year, until I got bit by the bug. Now I want to go out there and race. I originally bought the Revo thinking I would eventually race it, which I still might. But I think I'd rather race a 1/8 scale buggey and leave the Revo for bashing.

I want to purchase a buggy that I can bash around as well, because that is what I will start out doing until I get used to it. And when I do race (important to keep this in mind when helping me out) I don't plan on being real competitive. I'd like to win races but I just want to go out and have fun. I have a family, so I won't be racing every weekend. That's why I am not going to purchase some high end $1000 + dollar deal.

Now please help me decide on a buggy. My price range is $400 - $500 (just for the car) I expect to upgrade parts down the road. I also want an RTR, because I don't want to have to buy engine and pipe. Very important to keep this in mind, I already have a JR XS3 for my Revo, so no matter what buggy I purchase, I will be getting an extra receiver and eventually servos to run in the buggy. So please don't include electronics in your decision (because I know everyone praises the Mayhem for this). Basically, what I am looking for is what buggy between my choices below will give me a better chassis, less breakage and be competitive minus electronics and upgrades (right out of the box, so to speak). These are my criteria.

Now for the choices: Sportwerks Mayhem RTR, Ofna Hyper 7 PBS RTR, (and possibly) Jammin X1 RTR. Should I possibly wait for the Hyper 8. I like the looks, but will it be available as an RTR and within my price range.

Thanks for your patience and help.

PS My LHS really likes the Mayhem RTR. The sell Ofna, but don't keep alot in stock. They said the Ofna customer support sucks. Is this true?

One additional comment. My LHS (the track) run a stock buggy class (or they may call it outlaw stock). So anyway, the Mayhem RTR won't be a problem. They will allow the .26 engine. Thanks again guys.

Since RTR radio gear is out of the picture... the Hyper 7 would be the best all around choice.
Mega parts avaliability,hop ups galore, and the PBS starter box are reasons why.
The Jammin would be second choice as it is probably the best on your list for the track, but would still cost more and you would'nt get the starter box included.
The Mayhem is a good car as well, but there is far more good setup info availiable for the Hyper.

Since you already have a radio, and plan on buying a receiver, why not get a kit? Why spend the money on RTR components you don't plan on using anyway? Pro kits are usually about the same price as RTRs (with the exception of Kyosho) but you get vastly superior components. Not just lighter for racing, but stronger for bashing too.

- Pro version of any of the kits you mentioned (especially the Jammin)
- Steering servo (at least 100oz torque, faster than .15 is good)
- Throttle servo (at least 50oz torque, the faster the better)
- Receiver (you already planned on getting)
- Engine (OS RG is a cheap solid racer, Sportwerks .26 is the best for the dollar if there is no size restriction)
- Pipe Jammin JP-1 or 2 are popular choices
- Starter box (OFNA Chrome Top is popular, but any 12 volt heavy duty box will work)
- 6 volt receiver pack (if you aren't using the one out of the Revo)
- 30% nitro fuel (why use anything less powerful than what you can get away with?)

I have to agree with kx250 here. No need to buy a rtr when you don't plan to use the electronics anyway.

You could get the Hyper7 tq, OS RG and a Jammin pipe and still be just at 400$

Only thing that I disagree with kx250 about is the fuel%. I think that running 25% in the RG gives enough power, whereas 30% reduces the lifetime. But that is just my opinion.

If you want to get rtr, then look at Hyper7 pbs or Jammin. No need to get the Mayhem, when you don't want to use the radio and servos as these are the Mayhems strongest assets. But doesn't Mayhem have an ARR version where you get the Pro-version with engine and pipe slightly cheaper than the regular rtr-version?

You guys have given me something to ponder -- hmmm? What is the difference between the Hyper 7 TQ and the PBS?

The PBS and TQ are the same I believe. The PBS is just a TQ, with an engine, Radio, and starter box (all of pretty crappy quality). I would say get a TQ, add your own gear, and be done with it. In fact, thats what I recommend to just about everyone (see link below):

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3456130

The tq is a kit without engine and electronics (at least in US), the pbs is a complete package.

Try www.ofna.com for the details.

the mayhem pro is 550 for the engine, pipe, and kit.

you can look on ebay for it cheaper. i'm sure you can find a brand new one on ebay for 500 dollars or less. with the .21 engine, and pipe. but you could always buy the mayhem pro w/ out the engine, and stick a O.S. Rg engine, with choice of pipe.

the mayhem pro w/out engine is 350 on horizonhobby.com, and can be found cheaper on ebay, i think

Sorry to keep asking questions, I just want to make sure that I get the right car. What about PBS? The TQ is C-hub, right? Which is better? I'm only familiar with PBS, because of that is the type of suspension used on the Revo. Also, doen't the PBS come with some better components over the TQ (like shocks - hardcoated bodies). Is the motor on the PBS (.21 8 port) any good? How fast do you think this motor would be compared to the sportwerks .26? How about the OS RG compared to the sportwerks. How do the components of the TQ compare to Mayhem? Why should I get a Hyper over a Mayhem? Thanks again guys. Please keep the info coming.

I believe you are actually correct. After digging around, I believe that the TQ is based off of a c-hub design. I am not sure about the shock differences though.

Of the motors you mentioned I would say in order of performance (lowest first)
Hyper 8 Port
OS RG
Sportwerks .26

In order of price (lowest first)
OS RG
Sportwerks .26
Hyper 8 Port

Comparing the kits (Mayhem, Hyper):

Comparing the kits is difficult. It is mostly personal preference, since neither have any major design flaws. I believe that the Hyper is a more rugged car, and is more popular. However, you mention that your LHS carries more Sportwerks parts than OFNA, so that could be an important factor. You can mail order parts for any car you want, but its handy to have local support when you don't want to sit for days waiting for something as simple as a suspension arm.

More than what your LHS suggests, look at what racers are doing well with at your track. The popular choice is often best here, not because it means that the car is superior, but it means that you can get setup tips from others. Going it alone with a kit that nobody else uses makes it tough to sort out car setup.


In the end, any of the three kits you mentioned are all excellent ones. Any one could put you in the winners circle.

if more racers have mayhem's they might share/ trade parts.

some racers are nice enough to give you parts for your car if you have the same car.

jammin is pry the best rtr race buggy out there. it doesnt have the best radio and servos. an ok engine. since you already have an xs3 you should only have to buy the servos.
mayhem is good. most of the money your spending on it though is for the radio and servos. good car but not as good chassis and parts as the jammin.

never seen a sportswerks .26, so know comments about it.

performance wise i'ld rate the hyper 8 port above an o.s. rg on anything more then a tight technical track. rg has alot better bottom end but a properly tuned 8 port will run it down with a little bit of room.

In saying that i'ld run an rg. over a 8 port 'cause the 8 ports aren't as good a quality motor.

i'ld chose a pbs over the tq.

i never broke a thing on my pbs, nor seen anyone else break one while at my track , but i've seen a few guys break knuckles on the tq. first time out at the track (i don't know how much upgraded knuckles are, but i'ld guess they would hurt your pocket a bit).

About how much would it cost to convert the TQ to PBS? Can it be done?

yeah it could be done. i'ld ask nitrohouse about it they are probably the best to go to.

why do you want to convert it?

Just sounds like C-hub might not hold up to hard bashing as well as PBS. If the price is too steep it might be cheaper just to break parts. Would it be worth it? I don't have this buggy yet but it's at the top of my list next time I run into some money.

the stock knuckles are cast and break pretty easy, you can get the cnc ones that are real tuff but they'll cost you, I don't know what is more the cnc knuckles or the pbs conversion. depending on your track if you race pbs and c=hub handle differently and you may prefer one over the other. once you upgrade the knuckles there wouldn't be much difference strength wise between the two set ups.

i'ld do a bit more research into things before you swap it out to pbs, if it cost a lot more to get the cnc knuckles then the pbs kit maybe get the the pbs. If you are breaking the cnc knuckles i'ld say try pbs.

are you having dramas? if so whats happening.

Not really any drama, just lack of money. Bills have to be paid and I don't work a lot because I'm also in school. Might try to sneak some of my airplane stuff on eBay without the wife knowing to pay for this (she'd rather the money go to more "useful" things). That should cover the kit, then I'd just need the engine, FM radio, starter box, new steering servo and anything else I forgot. Hopefully will have it all done by Christmas.

whats your definition of bashing? these things take alot too break, like big contact with stationary object or bad landings of big jumps.

I'm not meaning to scare you off, 'cause 1/8 buggies are as tough as they come, you'll be surprised by the punishment they take, they'll drive away from some incredible stuff.
you only break stuff by hitting stuff at full throttle, the difference is that the pbs and cnc knuckles drive away more often.

[8D]

so don't worry to much untill you break something, its not too often you stand there wondering how a part broke, but it quite often you stand there wondering how a part didn't break.

I bash pretty hard. Most of the abuse is in the jumps, though my Rustler can take 20ft jumps with a bad landing pretty well. Eventually something will break though. I'm sure if I got a buggy I'd soon confuse it with a plane a try to fly with it. I've seen them do pretty crazy jumps from some videos I've downloaded. Durability is key for me. I would like to get into the racing scene (not professionally) since I just found an off-road track in my city. I'm pretty good at not hitting things at full throttle except for ramps.

Just saw the PBS conversion at nitrohouse: $89.95. Kind of expensive to me. I'm guessing CNC C-hubs are up in that range, too. Anyone know for sure?

you should be able to get a front only conversion for pbs.

for serious bashing i'ld get a pbs pro. or a pbs pro. they have all the heavy duty stuff in them. if you got a TQ on its way i'ld upgrade what you break.

i think that the pbs is better for serious bashing ( big jumps and big crashes) but it comes down to how hard you hit stuff/ land. if your bashing that hard you break cnc towers you might be better of with standard and letting them bend all the time (and not break tabs of diff housings), etc etc.

talk to rob at nitrohouse he'll help you out. tell him exactly what you want to do and he'll tell you what you should get. Also you should check out the ofna forum go to www.ofna.com and follow the links. The link for the forun is on the bottom on the right hand side banner.

p.s. nitrohouse dosen't list everything they have so if your chasing something not on the site contact them direct.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it holds up to my driving. Won't be for a while though. I've been to the Ofna forum. That's where I just read about doing the conversion. I'll get in touch with nitrohouse if I feel like upgrading. Thanks for the help.

Could you guys tell me a little more about the Jammin' X1 RTR? Is it fairly new to the Ofna lineup? Doen't it come with a shaft starter? I've also read that it now comes with a .28 motor. Is this correct? How is the motor? Where's the cheapest place I can find the Jammin'?

Thanks for all your help.

Is the suspension on the Jammin C-hub?