Getting started in nitro: rs4 2 or rs4 3?

[scottcop24]

Wanted some info on what people suggest, i have purchased 2 rolling chassis, one rs4 2 and one rs4 3, 2 is belt driven 3 is shaft, which one should i devote myself to on a winter project, may get into racing but more for just my pleasure at home. and also what type of engine .12 or .15, or .18 for acceleration for under 200 dollars should i look at., going to be building piece by piece for a project please help the beginner. also anyone with hop ups for sale either drop me a line or let me know what i should start doing to it. i already have a 2 speed tranny and carbon fiber trays and shock towers.

 

[FRIDGE]

.12 engines are for low end grunt .15 for top end and .18 is all around crazy! alot of people recomend the O.S.18 engines if you are getting into racing build up the rs4-2 the belt drive seems to be alot of epoples racing choice but remember to have spare belts because they WILL break.

 

[scottcop24]

thanks I can use all the help i can get!

 

[Rex2342]

I would build the RS4-3 myself.Depending on what version you got (SS or RTR) the first thing i would get is a 2 speed.If you have the RTR version without the 2 speed get the Wolfpack radicals 2 speed.It is much better than the HPI one. The RS4-3 has tons of hop up parts to choose from too and since the Evo is the same as the SS and RTR versions there will be hop ups and replacment parts for a long time.I kinda miss my SS now that I think of it.I managed to get 60mph out of it with proper gearing and a Fantom FR15 engine.


Her are a few shots of mine before I traded it with RUSHRC

 

[joneser4u]

Shafts are better than belts for me. I do alot of parkinglot racing and bashing, I had the belt drive RS4 and oppted to sale it after I purchased the RS4 3ss shaft drive. I now have 3 RS4 3s and havnt broken a belt or a pully since.

 

[Skyline Racer]

rex. that rs4 was the sh!t. lol good job on it!

 

[parris001]

I love my old RS4 2 and I know first hand that belts will break. I've only ever had trouble with my rear belt and that was due to running in a parking lot that had quite a bit of loose gravel and I kicked up a rock and lodged it into my rear drive. I find that the belt driven cars are a lot smoother and quieter and less prone to chassis torquing than the shaft driven cars. A shaft driven car wants to twist the chassis which will plant the right rear and lift the left front (this is assuming we're talking about a car with a drivetrain that rotates clockwise when viewed from the front) This looks real cool if you're a drag racer but sucks if you're a road racer. It's also a little bit harder to tune the chassis to overcome this problem. Sway bars are a good way to tune this out. A belt driven car on the other hand wants to fold the chassis transversely driving the engine down and making the chassis squat in the middle and raise on the ends. This is easy to fix with a nice upper deck plate. This upper deck plate will also help eliminate chassis flex from heavy brake applications.

 

[scottcop24]

hey parris thanks that is what i am looking for in a response

 

[parris001]

Oh, and on a side note: a buddy of mine just got a really nice RS4 3 off of eBay for around $120 bucks complete. This is the first gen 3 RS4 I've gotten to wrench on. It's a nice car but it seems heavier than my gen 2 car. And when it's cruising by a part throttle it sounds like an electric kitchen mixer running (must be the shaft drive). My old belt drive car may be aging rapidly and the belts are worn (the front one is the original belt from when I bought it in 2000) but when it makes a pass in front of me good and strung out, lean, and out of fuel...... with the engine not running....... it's just as quiet as can be. I think the only noise you'll hear is the diff. Man, I love my old RS4. And it hauls a**.........................

 

[Hypedonrc]

I would build the shaft driven one, as it sounds like you are going to do alot more parkinlot runs, than racing. Under $200 bucks. I'm not up on my .12-.18 engines, but I can recomend OS, as they are esy to tune, and last a while if you don't wind the poop out them all the time with 30%. Stick with 20% high oil content, and you'll be fine. That is if you decide to go with an OS. Other engines like the lower oil content. Which part of Ohio are you in? I'm in the columbus area.

 

[scottcop24]

springfield

 

[parris001]

I picked up a .15 HPI SS on eBay for $35. I know these engines don't get a lot of press time but I run the piss out of it with 20% and never have any problems. I might get out horsepowered by some high dollar mills but for parking lot bashing I have a ball. Plus, I do outrun everything I run with.

 

[Nitro_Freak_22]

For the engine i think you should get the O.S. .18 cv-rx it hauls dude its pretty cheap too.