kerdon

I have experience with rc planes....and cars are attracting me now...

I really like the RS4's by HPI....im just looking for a car to rip around in up and down my street. What would you guy suggest for a starter with a good resale value later on?

thanks
Cameron

kevetz99

My Feedback: (3)

The best car for you would then be a HPI Nitro RS4 3. This is because since you are going to be street driving, it is shaft driven so no belt and rock problems. Second, it is RTR and cheap for what you get. There are many other positives, but those are the most obvious. I have an RS4 3 and plan to get another I like it so much.

speedoo

I agree. The HPI is very strong with excellent support from the factory and parts are easy to get. I started on the street with a HPI Nitro RS4 now I have a nitro Racer 2. I cannot tell you how many crashes I have had learning to drive and the HPI always took the pounding.

theclinch

also did you think about a yokomo gt4 rtr?? there a lot faster then the hpi and in my opinion a lot better. you dont all have to agree with me but check it out at www.yokomousa.com

kevetz99

My Feedback: (3)

Yes, they are faster stock, but once again, they use a belt drive, and this particular person said they want to just use it for the streets (I believe he said he wants to rip up and down his street). In this case, he would want a shaft drive.

MMallory

My Feedback: (1)

What would your opinion be for the best car and engine to get back into racing (paved lot). I used to race electric and this Nitro stuff is new to me.

Thanks,

Mark

TheHobbiest

Ive been reading a lot on the internet about the HPI rs4 nitro 3 and I would have to say i think from just seeing everything posted about this kit it is one of the best. A brand new RS4 nitro 3 by HPI RACING is most likely going to be under my christmas tree on christmas morning and will probobly be up and running that afternoon

MMallory

My Feedback: (1)

Hobbiest,

Thanks for your response!

Is the nitro 3 a good car to be competitive or a good entry level car? I want a car that will be A main capable. I don't need to ramp up as I raced electrics for years.

Mark

TheHobbiest

it can be good competitive level. What I have read is that it is awesome for street for the price. If you visit hpiracing.com and click a link to RS4 nitro 3 it will tell you everything you need to know. For the RS4 nitro 3 that I am getting I plane to put a new exhaust on it that I am buying off of Ebay. I feel from what I read that the car is probably fast enough for a beginner in the nitro RC car street deal. I can't offer you all the information you need, but hopefully this will help.

Thehobbiest

dg2b

HPI, IMHO, are good entry level car.

If you want a car that will be A main capable, look at the mugen mtx3, ntc3, v1rr, serpent 5xx (replacement of impulse). I admit also that the reflext NT will compete. Just don't like Trinity.

These cars mentioned are very tuneable/adjustable, no need to hop up to race unless you want to.

I started with RS4-2 like most do/did. Spent more money than I wanted to yet was still not competitive. You want a car that adjust to your driving style, not your driving style adjusting to the car.

Drop an mt-12 or rb x12 or novarossi or novamega engine in them and go racing.

MMallory

My Feedback: (1)

dg2b,

Thanks! This is what I am looking for. Where is the best place to purchase for the best price. Is there a chart to tell the difference between those engines? Do you choose a specific engine for a track or do you mostly choose the engine and gear for the track. The reason I ask is the track I want to race at doesn't have the longest straights so I want to make sure I have plenty of torque to pull out of the corners.

Mark

kevetz99

My Feedback: (3)

It depends on what you are going to do with the car. If you are mainly going to race competively there are better cars out there that use belt drive. But if you are going to race in the street and/or parking lot, you need a shaft driven car. The Nitro RS4 3 Has this. The NItro RS4 3 is a very capable racing car at the competitive level with some basic Hop ups such as tuned racing pipe, headers, air filter, racing clutch, fiber disc brake, and much more.

speedoo

At our club here in Thailand we have a track with a lot of hairpin turns and short straights. The track is rough asphalt and 15 out of 17 of us use HPI racer 2 and 3 nitro cars. The other two cars are Kyosho and Tamaya. The guys that win use the HPI Novarossi 1.2 engines with tuned pipe, HPI anti sway bars, 40 weight shock oil in the front shock and 80 weight shock in the rear shock, Yellow springs front and rear if you have the optional tuneable shock if not red springs in the front and white in the rear with single spring spacer in the front and rear. GRP foam 42 tires in the front and foam 40 in the rear. We also use the optional front and rear differentals so the outside wheel can spin faster than the inside wheel, a must for tight tracks.

dg2b

kevetz99 - sounds like Mark wants to race competitively.

The RS4-3 looks like it can be competitive with upgrades. Those upgrades you mentioned are good start. You will also need the two-speed, better y-brace, gear brace to compensate for the chassis flex. You will also need to upgrade your shocks to the super shocks. Also might want to add gear diff in front. Now add these up and you can get the better cars I mentioned.

Mark - if the track you are racing is technical (lots of turns and short straightaways), I would go with the mt-12 or rb x-12. These have great lows. If you are racing in non-technical (more straightaways and longer), go with the OS TR. The OS TR offers better at the top.

Tuneability is the priority. Driveability is another. Driver is foremost. Now you can have the best car in the world but if you don't go out and practice, you will never win races.

Someone mentioned before that if Joel Johnson drives a radio shack car, he probably will still win races. Why? Joel "Magic" Johnson is a world class driver.

kerdon

Awesome thanks guys!

TheHobbiest

dg2b,

how much do you think all those hop-upsincluding the kit would cost around... i think the lowest I have seen the HPIRACING RS4 nitro RTR 3 is $255.00.

speedoo

Go to the HPI web site at http://www.hpiracing.com/

They have the full catalog with prices.

Phelip

I own HPI, V1R ( which Trinity Reflex is based on ), Serpent and NTC3.

HPI cars are hopeless. The bodies are nice though.
V1R is cheap and cheerful-good for racing beginner.It will run pretty fast even if you do not set it up properly.
Serpent is very strong and technological advanced.
NTC3 is very fast and powerful-but weak construction.

Get the new Sepent 705 if your wallet can afford it. You will take a long time to outgrow it.

dg2b

V1R is cheap and cheerful? Good for racing beginner? I have to disagree although it is a two year old technology thus far. Back then, V1R is the car to have, along with impulse and mtx2. Remember that the reflex and ntc3 came out pretty recently.

I would compare the 705 with the mtx3 and v1rr. I think that they would be on the same comparison playing field.

As for the 705 and serpent in general, parts are still hard to come by in west coast U.S. Don't know where you are but any chance of sharing.

DeAdMaN

I have the GT4 RTR and I must say the car is the best bang for the buck. I added a Exhaust and I had even more gains. Ive been running only on paved roads and have had no problems at all with the belt or anything. Got to love Yokomo!!!!

astronut30

My Feedback: (5)

Hey, I'd say go with a Nitro tC3 all the way! Like mentioned above for street play, it is shaft driven, so no belts and pulleys to worry about, if u get serious into racing, you got a top notch racer which of course is A main capable as u were asking, in fact it wins A main races Nationwide. I haven't heard of too many RS4 3's doing it, don't get me wrong, the Rs4 3 , is a great quality car, but just wouldn't be able to keep up with a Nitro tc3 under the same driver's hands. U could get a RTR version for around $260 or so, I'd say add a 2 speed right off the bat if u got that version and u'll be pretty much set for a while. If u can swing the kit version, by all means that would be the way to go. Also the car is very durable, I race mine and have done some pretty bad crashes and flips and hardly breaking anything. The only weak point in my opinion is the diff case, which the shock towers connect to, if you hit the pipe hard, u probably will crack the diff case at the threads. It's only a $3 part, but that's not the point, anyway, there's a thing on ebay called "the fix" I've seen that bolts through the cases to the chassis and supposed to take care of that problem. I just ordered one. Other than that, Awesome car, and the resale value will hold up strong.

SNipER-RCU

The TC3 - TeamAssociated are excellent cars, here in Portugal we have a lot of parts and some good prices, i've strarted with the Thunder Tiger for now but soon i will buy one TC3

Bluehydro8

I recomend the HPI proceed, this is a vey well tuned car wit tons of upgrades available, The stock body sicks but you can replace them with a touring car body. Tons of graphite and 2.5mm inch alluminium chasis. Very fast too, with great handeling

dg2b

You are recommending the proceed for street use?

Very fast? Yes. It having a .21 size engine and being a 1/8 scale should be fast, handles better, etc. Cost a few more $$$ though.

untouchable4sum

If you want a good car get a Nitro TC3, it is the most easy to tune car that i have ever had. It is a little bit more that the RS4 but it is worth the extra. What ever you do dont get a belt driven car. But if you do get a tc3 put some standard long glow plugs in it and you will gain 8mph....
cya later
tony