airwave1007

Ok me and my 2 teenage sons want to get into RC Buggy/Truggy nitro. We have a budget of 250 dollars per car. We are beginners but like to think we know a little about cars be it large scale lol we race rally cars. We would like to use the cars on/of road mainly grass and dirt. Guess we would like it to do a few jumps and just general messing about. I have trawled through sites and I just seem to get more confused. Also pricing seems to differ widely from site to site anyone have any good website where I could buy all these cars. I hope someone can give me some advice on our purchase so we can enjoy the world of RC.

Thanks in advance,

Darren
location: Ireland

vnmsgt

If your budget is only $250 then the only truggy you can really consider to buy new is the thunder tiger ST-1 from Amain hobbies. If not that one than you will most likely have to buy something used or save up some more for a different truck I would say.

Echelon

On top of the car also comes about $100 for things like the glowplugdriver, receiver battery and charger etc.

airwave1007

Thanks for that am aware of the required accesories will probably purchase them here in Ireland same as the fuel and batteries. What if I upped the budget to about 300 dollars. Also can you tell me what is the Sidewinder (windhobby) like and what is that Tiger one you spoke about like. Dont forget this is just a hobby car to mess about with we wont be racing or anything like that.

airwave1007

Sorry just checked that Tiger out on amain hobbies and it seems to be more for competition says it is arena built which means nothing to me but i guess it means racing indoor on a track.

Chedzter

Most buggy and truggy are made for racing. Truggy is also called arena truck. The thunder tiger is one of your best bets to start off with. I started with it and even started racing it with good luck. I have since moved on to another brand but still have the st-1 to mess around with. Monster trucks would be for more bashing if thats what your looking for.

Echelon

Yeah, the Thunder Tiger ST-1 can be race worthy. But that doesn't mean it's not bash worthy. I see you don't want to race, bit this car is very strong. The real racers have $500+ dollar kits. So this is a good car to start with.

Eganwp

My Feedback: (1)

Grab an ST-1 and you'll love it. So much better than trucks like the Hellfire, or Traxxas 1/10th scale trucks. Believe me, I've been doing jumps over 40ft long with mine and all I've ever broken was the rear wing because I landed on a sidewalk once! Have 3 gallons of bashing on my truck and it's rediculously strong. I did a lot of research before buying and here's essentially my conclusions:

Track Racing:
Grab the Losi 8ight-T RTR or a full blown kit to be competitive. (Expect to spend $1000-2500) If just club racing for fun then any truck will do, but stick with 1/8th scale.
Best racing (as in fastest/top quality) truggy kits on the market right now are the AE RC8T and the Jammin X2.

Bashing:
MT or Truggy works. I like truggy because they don't roll so easy, are lighter and thus break less, and faster/more manouverable, jump better.
For MT I would buy either the Savage (4.6 or XL) or the Losi truck hands down.
For Truggy you want something durable, and the Thunder Tiger ST-1 wins this hands down. Jammin X1 CRT & Hyper ST (heavier) are likely tied for 2nd in the durability department. Both can be raced also, but the ST-1 will require some upgrades. The others are all similar and quite durable also. Just stay away from a few of the older models like the Hellfire.


Also remember:
All RTR's will require new servo's, better radio gear, diff oil, engine upgrades, tires/rims, and some tweaking here and there to get them really competitive for racing. Plus a lot of backups and spare parts, as well as a lot of upgrades. The Losi 8ight-T RTR is pretty good in all areas however, if looking to get into racing cheaper.

For bashing you want fun. Fun = durability so you can actually drive your truck and not let it sit on the bench while you work on it constantly. The other thing is parts availability which is a bit of the downfall for my ST-1 in Canada. I usually order from amain in the US and get the parts in a few days however (remember these are upgrades, not replacement parts, lol. Durability saves you in so many ways). If you can get a truck your LHS supports, that's a good thing! Nice thing about the ST-1 is it's really cheap too. But any of the other trucks are good also.

REMEMBER! First thing to do when you get any truck... Blue Loctite ALL screws/bolts that tighten into aluminum!!! I cannot stress this enough. It will save you so many issues later it's not even funny. I really wish I had done this at the beginning; it would have saved me so much hassle of fixing stripped bells, blown bearings, missing pieces, etc. Sealing the carb is also a good idea, and will save you a big tuning hassle.


Anyways, hope this helps.

Eganwp

NewKid

My Feedback: (1)

yea in that range a tt is your best bet and not a bad car...from what i've read here it's very durable which is always a plus no matter expert or novice driver..good luck with your new ride...let us know what you end up purchasing

bajaracer1501

My vote also goes to the ST1. It is definately one tough ride...like Eganwp said, durable = FUN. I originally bought mine for the woman and to use as my basher but I liked it so much that I have upgraded everything from the radio, servos, shocks etc....and with less than 2 gallons on it, I already have a modded turbo Picco p3-28 on the way for it!

Eganwp

My Feedback: (1)

Gotta quit reminding me baja!!! I seriously can't wait till Christmas 'cause the wife's buying me the JPX .28 also. Let me know when you get yours setup!

I will be running the engine with:
35mm OFNA flywheel (because of stock motor mounts that I don't feel like shaving down), 14T OFNA vented CB, dynamite max-life shoes, mugen 1.0 or 1.1mm (haven't decided), OFNA Picco med/hot turbo plugs or Trinity Drake med/hot's. I'll break in with 20% Byron's, stock shimming.

Will add another shim and a colder Trinity or Picco plug if I can find it, and run 30% Byron's later on if I see the need. Can't wait!

airwave1007

Wow fair play to you guy's (and ladies if there is any)! Although with all the feedback I am probably even more confused but definetly more educated that is for sure. Whenever I buy something of reasonable value i will research it to the last and hopefully make the right decision. Here I am just going back and forth reading reviews, taking advice, looking for websites that sell them at a good price and ship to Ireland. All in all I am lost very lost guess that is always the problem when there are so many options Nitro/Electric Buggy Truck Truggy Brands Engines the list goes on lol. I have to say I was only going to come to this site use all of your advice and dissapear but once I do decide and end up buying the wrong thing (hopefully not) I will be glued to this site reading previous posts and learnign as i go it is truly wonderfull how communities work. The only other site I would say is similar in people and replies is one I use for my landscaping business so credit to all of you.

bajaracer1501

At least Christmas is around the corner, buddy! I ordered a set of [link=http://answer-rcusa.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=6&zenid=161e8244a79016c2bd2c5786ae0b634a]Answer RC RC8 clutch shoes[/link] and Answer-RC 13T clutchbell last night. I'm probably going to try the .9 and 1.0 springs because Mike at AnswerRC USA told me in an email that just the stock Picco p-3 .28 will throw the ST1 around like a rag doll. Gonna run 30% right off the bat but won't convert it to roto-start til it's broken in.

Eganwp

My Feedback: (1)

Aah nice. I'm actually gonna get the Truggy version of the engine, instead of the pullstart/roto-start. I mean I like the roto-start, but I'm sick of OWB, worn/leaking shaft, maintenance, etc. I'm going to use my bump box on lipo's instead, as I've found it really isn't that big a hassle to take out with me. I was going to break in and just run 30%, but I've read a few places and talked to a few guys who highly suggest against doing so, as most of the 30% fuels have too little oil content. Though I somewhat disagree, I'll just break in a gallon with 20% and run 25 or 30 later and re-tune.

Which colder picco turbo plugs are you going to run w/ 30%? I can't really find any yet, but will keep looking. Even a medium plug would likely work if shimmed a bit.

Good luck man! Lets post some vids IMO.

bajaracer1501

Yeah, only getting the pullstart version because I am too lazy to carry around my starter box for bashing...plus I want to keep my track gear seperate from my bashing gear. I will be using Byrons 30%. BTW I have a 21-5KT being Hot Modded right now and Jim @ [link=http://www.fusionmotorsports.com/]Fusion Motorsports[/link] suggested adding a tablespoon of caster oil to 1 gallon of fuel to give it a higher oil content for break-in.

Supertib who is modding the Picco for me suggested this [link=http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/cPath/1_23_33/products_id/2114]OFNA Picco turbo plug[/link] which says for .12 but he has been using it with excellent results and that it is the plug to use for this engine and that it lasts a long time.

Airwave - sorry for hi-jacking your thread!

airwave1007

No worries BajaRacer. I think I may go for the Kyosho DST 1/10th 4WD Nitro Off Road Ready Set Truck w/ GXR18 Engine it looks pretty good and reasonably priced although have found the Thunder Tiger ST-1 4WD RTR 1/8th Stadium Truck (Red/Black) for 279 dollars only 30 more then the Kyosho but I am buying 3 of them so it does make a difference. Any thoughts?

rm85ccman

dude i woul go with steel gear center differential truggy or buggy that way you wont have any problems or troubles with the bug/trug when u get it and you just want to go drive on a peacefull sunsetted saturday with buddies,wife, and/or children

try checking into this truck http://www.airlandhobbies.com/catalo...7320216906.htm
i have it and have flipped it over to many times and never had a problem with it

Echelon

A 1/8 scale is more fun to drive and is more cabable of doing bigger jumps and drive in rougher terrains. Most people eventually end up in 1/8th scale.

rm85ccman

exactly echlon i had a cen fun factor and it was a total POS and then a t maxx and went to the track not twice but only onece and fell in love with 1/8th scale buggies and truggies and i finally got me xut and then my step dad liked it so much he went out and bought a crt rtr

airwave1007

Hi all,

I love some of the suggestions but the fact remains i just dont have a huge budget and at the end of the day my two boys just want something that goes fast will be durable and lots of fun.
I think I have it narrowed down to the TT ST-1 and I know it is more of a buggy the Kyosho DBX they are both in budget which is great and both seem to do the above.

Questions:
1: Which of the two would you choose
2: If you have a suitable alternative within the price range let me know.
3: I have priced it AMAIN but if you know of a better value site...
4: I know I have to get fuel and aaaa batts which I will purchase here in Ireland, what else do I need to run and what else is good to have at time of purchase.
reason I ask q4 is that i want to get the best value in this purchase as I only want to ship from US once costs, time etc...

That is it really thanks again for your help.

romax

Def go 1/8 scale. It will be more durable It is more stable & easier to drive. If you have an open mind about truggy verses buggy you might want to look at the ofna hyper 7. Towerhobbies has them for 299 & i think they have a coupon for 10% off 199.00 or more. I can ck. my email & let you know the code if you want. I bought one for my son a while back & he actually raced it & it was pretty competetive so it should be great for playing around & could also be raced if your sons decide to, which most evantually do. He ran through a couple gallons & has since upgraded & sold the hyper 7 & that kid is now racing it. Still no break downs. But you will have to upgrade to better steering servo.

McFly505

Here's some advice from a 35 yr old kid.......

Go straight to the big stuff.
The small stuff will take your money and make you mad.

The Thunder Tiger ST-1 is a great starter truck, parts are readily available for it, it will take a beating and come back for more.
There are also several upgrade/hop up parts available for the ST-1, as well as a 2 speed kit.

The Kyosho DBX stuff is relatively new and unproven, thus RISKY for someone just starting out.


I'd drop my $$ on the ST-1 if I were in your shoes.
Just make sure you get 3 different frequencies when you order.


Good luck with whatever you decide to buy and above all else, have fun!!!!!


Scott

rm85ccman

if i were u i would get the 1st kid a kyosho dbx the second kid a dst and then u automatically pick up 1/8 tt st-1 and they all will take beatings and come back for more as long as the truggy or buggy that you get is steel spur center diff thay all will take beatings like hell

the st-1 is very durable and if u get it you are going to want to take what ever the main bolt or srew that holds the truck together and tightin every single one of them and your going to want to lock tite (blue) the motor mount bolts 1 by 1 on the cars yo get
also some times the rtr kits make you blow ur motor the first time out because of tuning issues and carb and servo adjustments your going to want to take the air filter off and turn on the remote then do a range test get you =r son or whomever it may be and get him to stand by the car and then you walk away from the car untill you are out of range, while the air filter is off dab it with any kind of oil u have on hand also while it is off your going to want to check if ur carb is wide open when u turn the electonics on, some time s manufactureurs do this too cars to blow the engines on them trying to get you to buy their engine again.(that is called in need for servo switch or servo adjustment) all these tips may not be helpfull now but they will get you especially if you do not know what ur into except feul a car and remote.