can ya help out a newb?

[Monas]

whats up all
as i said in the heading i am new to this hobby (flew RC planes for a few years, but that was a long time ago).
i have been doing some research and have been lurking around the forums for a little while. i am looking to purchase a car here in the next few weeks but i need your alls knowledge.

i dont really plan to race, but you never know what the future holds. i mainly plan to run around parking lots and vacant lots (small jumps, gravel, dirt) basically rally style driving. i have been looking at the HPI RS4 nitro rally car (kit) and the Kyosho landmax 2 (kit).
i was wondering if there was another good car out there that i am over looking? if so please recamend one.

thanks for your help :ale:

 

[Skyline Racer]

the hpi rally is a good choice, i wouldnt go with the landmax, its kinda old

 

[Error401]

I'd look into a buggy. There are road tires for them, and IMO, there's nothing that drives like them. I too love rally style driving, but a buggy (1/8th 4wd) offers speed, handling, and toughness for both onroad and off. There are some good kits and rtr offerings on the market. I ran a Hot Bodies Lightning RTR for a while, but the Ofna Hyper 7 variants are very good also. The Kyosho Inferno is a solid ride as well.

The rally style cars are more for onroad than off. I have seen some video clips of an unknown rally car going offroad, it didn't look all that impressive. Take a look at some of ImBroken's videos, as well as mine and El Piratas in the video section to see what 1/8th buggies are like.

Also, welcome to RCNT.
401

 

[FastEddy]

Ill have to second 401s advise.
You can run a buggy on road and kick some ass. Running an on road car off road will trash it in no time.
-Ed

 

[Monas]

i am looking for onroad handeling just as much as offroad. i own a Subaru 2.5RS that i am building into a rally car. i race it on road in local clubs so i love on road curvies just as much as a good dirt road.

would the 4wd buggy handle as well as the rally setup on road?

again thanks for the input guys

 

[Error401]

Oh hell yeah. The 1/8th buggies are 4wd, had 3 diffs and offer brake bias. They also have sway bars, you can adjust camber, castor and toe alignment. Pretty much you can adjust everything. My Kanai 3 buggy even has a limited slip diff in the front. The only real difference between them and a dedicated onroad is maybe areodynamics. Like I said, there are foam tires available for buggies, as well as onroad rubber. Almost forgot, you can also adjust the ride height on them as well.

 

[Monas]

about what is the onroad speed of one of the 1/8th scale buggies?
which buggy would you recammend? i am looking for something that is of high quality. oh yea, i am all about break bias and limited slip diffies :whhooo:

 

[Error401]

The top onroad speed is really dependant on engine choice. A decent mill will turn in the low to mid 30K range. A true race mill will add about 10K onto that. Run it through the drivetrain and you're looking at between 40 to the low 50mph range, flat out on pavement. Doesn't sound fast, but for the size that's bookin. My Kanai 3 with a Sirio 21 does probably around 50. El Pirata has shot his Kanai 1 with a Bushnell radar gun and it was doing a verified 50mph.

As for recommendations, it depends on your budget. I would however suggest checking out the 1/8th buggy section here and see what people are saying about each model. Kyosho Inferno series is solid. Mugen. Ofna Hyper 7. Lightning pro. and a few others. I liked my Hotbodies lightning, though the RTR version needs some upgrades right off. The Mugen MBX-5 and the Kyosho Kanai 3 are top of the line and the price reflects it. But all of them have 3 diffs and brake bias, as well as the suspension tuning features. The Kanai comes with alot of hop ups as standard (like the LSD front diff).

 

[Monas]

hey error,
i found this, it looks like a good deal, but i was wondering;
the lightning pro 2 is $430 for the buggy WITHOUT engine [http://www.lightninghobby.com/store/viewitem.asp?idproduct=10472] compared to the lighting RR RTR with, well ready to run for $295 [http://www.lightninghobby.com/store/viewitem.asp?idproduct=8898 ]
would i be able to build the RTR up to the pro 2 or is the Pro 2 a completely diferent car?

 

[Error401]

The RTR will get ya going. What mine lacked was: sway bars (I made some), front brace (also fabricated one, but you can get them). The stock RTR radio is ok at best, and the engine is decent. Pretty much all you have to buy is fuel, 12 AA batteries, 1 C battery and some CA glue. The brace is about $20, and I have yet to see the sway bars here, though I'm sure the ones from the pro will work.

Just make sure you don't mix version 2 parts with a version 1 buggy.