Looking for a buggy need advice

[jeresmith25]

I am looking for a NICE buggy to run around with. I will probably be driving on & off roads until I can find a track to go to. Not sure what buggies realy come with so.....Also whats BIG difference between buggies/truggies. I already have a couple trucks so maybe nice to have a buggy but if truggies are better let me know.

I have become used to the rotor starts and was wondering if buggies can be converted.
Looks like most come with pull start which I have never been good at doing.

What I am realy looking for is.....

1. RTR since I have not got into the building them myself just yet
2. Between .27 - .32 engine....I want one with some GOOD off the line power and that has some speed to it
3. Either 2 or 3 speed.....I have only seen one TRUCK so far with 3 speed and a few buggies with 2 speed.
4. Great steering control and reverse gear
Are all buggies 4wd? Which is what I want if there not.
5. Either 1/8 or 1/10 is fine
6. Maybe if it has good upgrades for later
7. Durability Durability Durability

Post what you can find with those qualities. Price is not a REAL big deal either. If a truck/buggy=truggy type would fit these better let me know.

Thanks for any ideas

 

[CessnaDriver]

Well if you are looking for a "nice" buggy, then I would stay away from RTR. If you don't want to build a kit, then look for a top of the line used one. Mugen MBX5 and Kyosho SP 1 or 2 are both top buggies.

I am not aware of many buggies that use a .27 - .32 engine size. A nice high quality .21 engine will have plenty of low and high end. Look at the Novarossi engines. Also the higher performance engines do NOT use pull start, as that robs horsepower. The top engines use starter boxes.

As far as rotor start, I can't answer that, as I have no experience with that.

As far as 2 or 3 speed ( I am assuming you are talking about forward) there is an aftermarket clutch that is a 3 speed, I believe it is made by RMV http://www.reidrc.com/rmv.htm

All the higher end buggies are 4WD, and if you want awesome steering, then you will want to pick up a aftermarket high torque servo.

Good Luck

 

[SpitFireV12RR]

All the higher end buggies are 4WD

All buggies have 4WD...it's part of being a buggy.

2. Between .27 - .32 engine....I want one with some GOOD off the line power and that has some speed to it.

Why do you want an engine that big in something meant to be quick and nimble? As Cessna said, I see no problem in a .21. As far as I know, the Hyper PBS comes with a .28 though.

3. Either 2 or 3 speed.....I have only seen one TRUCK so far with 3 speed and a few buggies with 2 speed.

I will probably be driving on & off roads until I can find a track to go to.

Those two statements together make an oxymoron(If you don't want to fry the engine that is)...

Great steering control and reverse gear

Buggies do not have reverse(Unless you somehow put an extra gear in).

As far as rotostart goes, I know that Ofna puts out a "PowerStarter" which is similar to rotostar and that makes starting easier.

It sounds like you want an MT...many of the things you want aren't meant for buggies but are for MTs. Savage has 2-3 gears, an optional reverse modual, it comes with a .25, but upgradable to the unknown and is very durable from what I hear.

I really don't know of a BUGGY that comes close to what you want. Like I said, MT would be best for you.

 

[AC48]

Any good buggy will not have a two speed. With a good .21 engine, the buggy will be very fast off the line, and hit mid 40's. If you are limited to RTR, you aren't gonna get all those qualities. A good one to look at is the Hyper 7 PBS. This one comes with a .28 if you want, is pullstart I think, but rotostart backplate could be added. Part of being a buggy is having a differential in the center, meaning its not possible to have a 2 speed. Buggies are plenty fast without em.

 

[jeresmith25]

I am guessing MT means monster truck. I guess since I dont have any exp with buggies I am going with what I like about my truck. I guess what I was realy looking for is a buggie that has the speed of a car.

From what spitfire posted that sounds like a good setup as I have seen many people posting about those same buggies. So as buggies go .21 is plenty of power, is that because trucks are alot heavier and they need more power to go?

The Hyper PBS says .21, but is there an option when you buy to upgrade? Whats that mutilator going to be like? I think most anything can have a rotostart put on. I have had pull starts, boxes and I just love the rotor start alot more.

 

[AC48]

There is a version of the Hyper 7 PBS that comes with the Mach .28. Buggies are lighter and the gearing is different than MTs, so they don't require huge engines to be fast.

To me, a buggy can fill all but one of things you are looking for, and thats the 2 speed/reverse. You can get a RTR buggy with a .28 that handles far beyond that of a MT, they are 4WD, hop ups are available, and are very durable.

 

[jeresmith25]

Even without the 2 speeds it can still hit a good TOP speed?

 

[SpitFireV12RR]

Why do you care? I mean...buggies are meant for off-road racing. If you want top-speed, look at a 2 speed touring car.

 

[jeresmith25]

Ok the three I guess are my best choices looks like the Hyper 7 PBS .28, Kyosho Inferno MP777 SP2, and the Mugen MBX5.

 

[SpitFireV12RR]

I thought you wanted RTR? 2 of those kits are not.

 

[RcTire]

id look at the XRAY XB8 also...top quality buggy

 

[jeresmith25]

How much do you have to know how to do with the kits? So is the Mach .28 the only one RTR?

 

[AC48]

The Mugen MBX5 and MP777 SP2 are top level buggies and are kits. The Hyper 7 PBS is an RTR and is available with a .28. The kits are very high quality, handle great, and are very durable. I personally own a Xray XB8 like RcTire mentioned. The three main top level buggies are the Mugen MBX5 Prospec, the Kyosho MP777 SP2 and the Xray XB8 TQ. If price does not matter and you want the best buggy those are the three to choose from. If you want a basher with a big engine the Hyper 7 is for you.

Kits are not too difficult to build, especially if you go with the XB8. The XB8 has a great instruction manual and is a very easy build. The MP777 isn't too bad, and I have no experience with the Mugen.

The kits cost 500+ without the engine/radio/pipe/tires etc. and the Hyper 7 PBS with the .28 is around 400 RTR.

As for top speed, they can hit 40 or so, for an offroad racer this is plenty.

 

[jeresmith25]

Hmm the kits dont come with engines.....onder2: That could be an extra few hundred $$$ just for the engine, plust the other stuff it doesn't come with. This is a hard decision to make.....onder2:

What engine do you have on your XB8? Also since this would be my first "build" what other specific items did you order for your XB8?

Engine -
Radio -
Pipes -
Tires -
Etc -

How do you know what will work with your buggy before it gets here so you can order everything at once?

 

[CessnaDriver]

Hmm the kits dont come with engines.....onder2: That could be an extra few hundred $$$ just for the engine, plust the other stuff it doesn't come with. This is a hard decision to make.....onder2:

What engine do you have on your XB8? Also since this would be my first "build" what other specific items did you order for your XB8?

Engine -
Radio -
Pipes -
Tires -
Etc -

How do you know what will work with your buggy before it gets here so you can order everything at once?

I feel you pain. I went through the same process about 4 weeks ago with my Mugen MBX5. It is my first 1/8 scale nitro buggy and I started with ZERO.

My approach was thru reading a lot and gathering information. I read magazines, forums, and visited my local hobby store.

After all my research, and I knew what I wanted, I started internet shopping and comparing prices. I went with A Main Hobbies www.amainhobbies.com

They have this neat feature that if you register with them, you can shop and add stuff to your shopping cart and it will save it.

So slowly over about 1 weeks time I added stuff to my list. Once I thought I had everything I needed, I called them and ask a sales rep. to go over my list with me and see if I was missing anything that I would need. They were very helpful and I discovered a few things that I needed still.

After all was said and done, my bill came to $1,998.xx including tax and shipping.

If you are going with a kit the main things you will need will be....

Buggy, Radio, Starter Box, Engine, Manifold, Pipe, glow plug igniter, battery pack, battery charger, after-run oil, air filter oil, tire glue, hobby scissors for cutting out body, paint, extra glow plugs, air filters, pipe springs, pipe gaskets, fuel bottle, nitro fuel, and if you want superior steering, a aftermarket high torque servo, locktite (blue).

That is all I can think of right now. I don't want to scare you away from kits, as they are far superior to anything that is RTR, HOWEVER, you do have to do your homework first. The kits come with buggy only and it's up to you to mix and match everything else that you will need to make it complete.

Wherever you decide to purchase your stuff from, have them go over everything with you and take the time to find out just exactly what you need. It will be time well spent.

Good Luck.

 

[AC48]

You can get a high level buggy kit for less $ then Cessna Driver. although they are not cheap.

For me, I got the XB8 kit for $580
A Novarossi P5 engine for $230 (I would suggest not getting an engine like this for your first buggy engine, probably a O.S. .21 RG for around 100)
Hitec HS-5645MG and HS-5625MG servos. $100 for both.
JR XR3i radio (used for $50)
Ofna Starterbox I already had (around 80-90 or so)
Jammin JP-1 pipe $60
Proline Badlands tires $40

So I did it for around $1150. If you went with a cheaper engine which I recomend you can keep the price down some, probably closer to 1000 is what you should expect for a kit buggy with everything you need. (thats assuming you already have normal running equipment like fuel, glow plug ignitor etc...)

 

[jeresmith25]

Ok out of these three what would be the best RTR. I am not going to be "bashing" and not racing much, but I want it to be pretty fast and durable. I have a nitro 4 tech but its kinda boring since it can't go offroad.....lol. Most of my driving will be onroad and through fields.

http://www.lightninghobby.com/ofna_1_8_ravager_68806_prd1.htm

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMAC4&P=PU

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=620