Im going to buy a nitro, mostly dirt track/grass racing. Im wondering what do you think is best for me, XTM X-Cellerator,HPI Rush Evo or another one in that price range ($300 MAX)
Dave
P.S. Specs:
.15 or larger engine
nitro (obviously)
RTR
Truck
Not a Losi!!!

[link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDJL9**&P=ML]this is the one you want[/link] it's chep so wit the money you got left over upgrade to aluminum.

HOW ABOUT READ THE POSTER'S QUESTION.... Did he ask what, in your opinion he should get? NO. He asked between the XTM/HPI which should he get.....

I would buy the XTM. Out of the box it is faster than the rush (much stronger mill) and it will out-handle the rush too...

Id get the xtm xcellerator also, i just got mine in the mail today and i cant wait to run it.

At first glance it looks like the Xcellerator would be the better buy, but the Rush Evo has a couple of advantages:

1 RotoStart
2 Better Radio
3 Hop Ups.
4 HPI Support

It appears that the Xcellerator is getting a bunch of hop ups so that might be a non issue.

Still, I often wonder about the Xcellerator. It is supposed to be a great truck with a great motor and its 50 dollars cheaper than anything else. You would think they would be everywhere. Yet there is hardly any buzz about these trucks anywhere.

Maybe the reason is you can only buy them in California or off of the Hobby People on line. Not one local hobby store with in 100 miles from me sells them or their parts. If you are racing, you will need to be able to get the parts.

If you live near a hobby shop that sells XTM products go for the Xcellerator, but if not, I would go for the Rush. I did. I can't tell you its a better truck the XTM, but there are a lot of factors. The T-15 isnot slow and it's as reliable as rain.

If you are really going to race and you want to win, you might want to consider some other brands.

I do love some roto-start....

The Xcell comes with a different radio now though, a hi-tec, but I don't know the model. I do know it is better than whatever it used to come with.

On the local shop-thing... our local hobby shops rob people blind, I buy 95% or more of what I have from the web. The parts are available here w/no problems.

On the other hand the RUSH does alot MORE available hopups, and like you said, it's HPI...

Hey Frost,

I feel bad for you, for the fact that you feel you are not getting your monies worth from your LHS. I have started to buy more from mine, their prices are competative and they give GREAT advice. That in itself is worth the money.

I just don't want your experience with a LHS to scare other people from theirs.

You say it as if my experience is limited to one shop....

I obviously can't speak for everywhere, but I CAN speak for Richmond...

1. SERIOUS lack of selection - Even popular vehicles.... NO RC10GT or LOSI parts is BS... 1 out of 5 trips I found an item I needed for the Savage, it wasn't the item I wanted, I just settled for what they had to get back running. Every item I want they need to "order". It will be here in 3-5 they say... Thanks alot but I can do it FASTER, CHEAPER, and I DON'T have to DRIVE anywhere....

2. SERIOUS lack of knowledge - One of the shops in the mall... A lady wouldn't sell me some shoes for a BB 3-shoe cause she said they wouldn't fit, she was argumentative as hell (and wrong to boot, I bought them off the web) so I let her keep 'em.

3. SERIOUS attitude - I work with engineers, some MSEEs, and sometimes their knowledge makes them arrogant. If they are consistently right, it's something you learn to live with. On the other hand, arrogance borne from ignorance is intolerable. They need to stop trying to impress people with their "knowledge" and go read up....

4. SERIOUS high prices - An OS CVR that sells for $115 at Tower costs $189.99. This is a SPECIFIC example.... now you tell ME why i should pay that much for it? Another specific.... Tower sells a T-Maxx for $365 (not that I want one)... why on EARTH would anyone pay $479 for it? This is just the beginning.... I get sidewinder race for 6.99/qt off of Tower, the LHSs want $12.99/qt for CRAPPY Blue Thunder.

This isn't about ONE of the LHSs here, but rather the 3 (used to be 4) that have RC stuff that I know about.

I would rather go to the LHSs but I can find NOT ONE VALID REASON to do so

Very valid response.

I hope you get a good LHS in the future.

My LHS is also on the crap-tastic side. I've been waiting for an engine for over 2 weeks now (should have come in 3-5 days), and when I call to see what's taking so long, the kid who works there has no clue, and the boss isn't coming back in till this Saturday. Sheesh. I bought my truck from them a while back, said 3 days, that finally came in after 2 weeks. Not to mention, prices are much higher ($73 for a CVEC Exhaust from LHS, its $44 on Tower).
The only reason I ordered the engine from them was because I had store credit to use up, but after that's gone, so is my business. Time to look for a new shop that is at least decent.

PS I've tried to get parts to fix my truck numerous times, not once have they ever had a part in stock. HPI parts shouldn't be so foreign to them.
PPS I can agree on the ignorance of the help at some shops too. When I went in to order the HPI .18SS motor, the owner looked at me with a blank stare and didn't know what I was talking about. He told me I must have read something wrong, and maybe HPI had a .18SS coming soon. I had him call the distributor, sure enough it was available. I wish Tower was a brick and mortar store by me, I'd be all over that place.

My lhs is fine. They are starting to sell GT stuff so hey thats fine with me.[8D]

the xcellerator come with the better Hitec aggressor radio now.

Where are the selling Xcellerators with Hitec Agressor radios?

between the X-C and the Rush, I have a Rush, and an XTM X-Terminator...the X-T's overall quality seems to be higher than that of the Rush's...plus, in all honesty, the Rush sucks compared to my RC10GT, so it NEEDS all those hop-ups.
the X-C also comes with a wicked bad engine (XTM's .18). it's more truck than anyone REALLY needs IMO.
and no, I don't work for Global Hobby:P
oh yeah, and all 3 of my LHS's kick arse, I rarely use Tower nowadays. one Jackson bought me a set of RPM A-arms

Thats all well and good, and I am sure that the XTerminator is better than a Rush, but the question was about the Xcellerator. Do you have one? Have you seen one? Do they have them at your local hobby store?

I apologize if I didn't make it clear in my post...but the X-C I'm sure is far superior to the Rush

Thanks for clearing that up because it's apparent now that:

1 You don't own an Xcellerator
2 You have never actaully seen one either
3 Ant they dont have them at your local hobby store.

Can anybody who ownes one of these things post something?

Please, let me sincerely apologize for stating that due to my experiance with an XTM car and having owned 3 HPI cars previously, that I believe that XTM's off-road cars in general are superior to HPI's, and therefore would suggest the X-T (which appears, for all intents and purposes, to be a copy of the RC10GT)
I contributed, you didn't, and you can kiss my fuzzy white butt have a nice day.

I own an X-cellerator and I had a HPI Rush evo. I sold the EVO to get the XC and it was the best thing that I did. Get the XC. I also installed the roto-start on my XC, its a direct fit and well worth the money.

I was with you right up until here:


If you HAD to compare it to another ST, it is MUCH more similar to a LOSI than a GT...

Jee frost thats not a GT?! I've had one for 6 years and boy i still can't tell the difference between that and an XC!! lol I wish my truck came with "track ready" tires

Is it me or is the advertising sector of RC severely geared to a 2 year old?

TBird - Apology accepted. No thanks, to that other request.

I like what I have read/seen abuot the XCellerator, but I would like to see one first before I start singing its praises or trashing it.

get the RUSH EVO YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED I PUT A 18ss in mine it kicks some dirt![>:]

id say XTM xcellerator or the duratrax evader. both under 300$