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requiem33
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If you're going to be racing check-in where you're going to be racing and verify what classes they run and see what's the "favorite" class at the moment. No point in getting a 4WD if they don't race that class....
chefb
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Very valid point
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Welcome!
The B74.1 series of cars are on sale because AE is trying to get rid of them as they released the B74.2 series of kits last year and they want people to buy the newer kits instead of the old.
I have the B74.1D which I race on mixed indoor carpet, and indoor clay. Most of the time, its on the indoor carpet. I am running 4wd 13.5 stock class. So far, I had been using stock setup which is not ideal for indoor carpet as it is more for clay/dirt as I got the dirt version. I switched to the red springs which are kit setup in the carpet version of the .1, I also changed out the center diff oil to 500K which made the car even better. The local guys are running 1-2 million in their center diffs, around 30k in the rear, 10-15k out front. I am getting more shock and diff oils soon so hope that I can get the car dialed in. Fact: I got the B74.1d last black friday on sale for 300 which is a steal, it was my birthday present, it was also my first 4wd car, and first race grade kit I built up so I had to get used to some new technology with the car (coming from 2wd bashers)
Now the B6.4 is the most current 2wd buggy from AE. The B74.1 is the older model from AE which came out in late 2020 I believe.
It all depends which class your local track / club races the most, also you have to find out if they are doing spec or mod, or open classes.
2wd buggy stock is 17.5T Brushless motors and the esc in blinky mode (zero timing, no turbo or boost timing, just motor can timing allowed)
4wd buggy stock is 13.5T Brushless motors and the esc in blinky mode (zero timing, no turbo or boost timing, just motor can timing allowed)
Well, atleast those are the rules for my local track/club, others might be different so always check in first.
My track, 2wd buggy is more popular but its mostly a mix. We do have a few stadium trucks and SCTs come out once in a while.
I would also check in with the local racers too see what they are running, what setups and stuff like that, what is best for the track ect.
Next is parts availability if you break something. My local track is just a track, no hobby shop so I keep a bag full of spare parts, but for the last 3 race days (5 track days) I had not broken anything on my 74.1 which is really awesome and amazing.
If your track has a hobby shop, see what parts they carry the most for the brand, and car.
AE is US based so parts are easy to find here in the US. Same with Losi and Tekno. Other brands from around the world like Yokomo, Schumacher, Xray, those parts might be harder to find, and more expensive. (Atleast here in the US, not sure where you are located.)
Also to mention, AE released the B74.2 series of cars currently, they offer some upgrades and updates from the B74.1. The biggest difference is the ball cups and 13mm bore shocks.
If your interested in the B74.1(/d) check out my build threads.
Build Thread: https://www.rctalk.com/forum/threads/team-associated-b74-1d-4wd-buggy-build.136702/
Build Thread 2.0 (for setup and races): https://www.rctalk.com/forum/threads/team-associated-b74-1d-4wd-buggy-build-2-0.136947/
As far as the locals at my track. Most of them for 4wd are running TLR 22X-4s, some are running other brands like Yokomo, and Xray but there are only like 1 or 2 racers with them. For 2wd, most are running the TLR 22 5.0, AE B6.3/.4, and again, some xray's and yokomo's here and there.
IMO, if you go with a 4wd, I would get the dirt version of the car, or which ever one comes with a center diff as many people these days run a center diff on clay and carpet. If you are racing on carpet with a dirt setup, I would immediately get some heavier diff oils like I mentioned, and some heavier shock oil (for the front)
I would also compare the dirt version car to the carpet version car for any other adjustments that are different between the 2. (This is what I did)
If you are racing on indoor clay, the dirt version kit setup should be able to work. Just talk to the locals and see what improvements you can do / change.
For more footage of my B74.1d in action, check out my YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@davidbulles5694
Some other racers might be able to chime in and give their thoughts. @bill_delong @Iowa crawler @Bogda89 @pl9171
The B74.1 series of cars are on sale because AE is trying to get rid of them as they released the B74.2 series of kits last year and they want people to buy the newer kits instead of the old.
I have the B74.1D which I race on mixed indoor carpet, and indoor clay. Most of the time, its on the indoor carpet. I am running 4wd 13.5 stock class. So far, I had been using stock setup which is not ideal for indoor carpet as it is more for clay/dirt as I got the dirt version. I switched to the red springs which are kit setup in the carpet version of the .1, I also changed out the center diff oil to 500K which made the car even better. The local guys are running 1-2 million in their center diffs, around 30k in the rear, 10-15k out front. I am getting more shock and diff oils soon so hope that I can get the car dialed in. Fact: I got the B74.1d last black friday on sale for 300 which is a steal, it was my birthday present, it was also my first 4wd car, and first race grade kit I built up so I had to get used to some new technology with the car (coming from 2wd bashers)
Now the B6.4 is the most current 2wd buggy from AE. The B74.1 is the older model from AE which came out in late 2020 I believe.
It all depends which class your local track / club races the most, also you have to find out if they are doing spec or mod, or open classes.
2wd buggy stock is 17.5T Brushless motors and the esc in blinky mode (zero timing, no turbo or boost timing, just motor can timing allowed)
4wd buggy stock is 13.5T Brushless motors and the esc in blinky mode (zero timing, no turbo or boost timing, just motor can timing allowed)
Well, atleast those are the rules for my local track/club, others might be different so always check in first.
My track, 2wd buggy is more popular but its mostly a mix. We do have a few stadium trucks and SCTs come out once in a while.
I would also check in with the local racers too see what they are running, what setups and stuff like that, what is best for the track ect.
Next is parts availability if you break something. My local track is just a track, no hobby shop so I keep a bag full of spare parts, but for the last 3 race days (5 track days) I had not broken anything on my 74.1 which is really awesome and amazing.
If your track has a hobby shop, see what parts they carry the most for the brand, and car.
AE is US based so parts are easy to find here in the US. Same with Losi and Tekno. Other brands from around the world like Yokomo, Schumacher, Xray, those parts might be harder to find, and more expensive. (Atleast here in the US, not sure where you are located.)
Also to mention, AE released the B74.2 series of cars currently, they offer some upgrades and updates from the B74.1. The biggest difference is the ball cups and 13mm bore shocks.
If your interested in the B74.1(/d) check out my build threads.
Build Thread: https://www.rctalk.com/forum/threads/team-associated-b74-1d-4wd-buggy-build.136702/
Build Thread 2.0 (for setup and races): https://www.rctalk.com/forum/threads/team-associated-b74-1d-4wd-buggy-build-2-0.136947/
As far as the locals at my track. Most of them for 4wd are running TLR 22X-4s, some are running other brands like Yokomo, and Xray but there are only like 1 or 2 racers with them. For 2wd, most are running the TLR 22 5.0, AE B6.3/.4, and again, some xray's and yokomo's here and there.
IMO, if you go with a 4wd, I would get the dirt version of the car, or which ever one comes with a center diff as many people these days run a center diff on clay and carpet. If you are racing on carpet with a dirt setup, I would immediately get some heavier diff oils like I mentioned, and some heavier shock oil (for the front)
I would also compare the dirt version car to the carpet version car for any other adjustments that are different between the 2. (This is what I did)
If you are racing on indoor clay, the dirt version kit setup should be able to work. Just talk to the locals and see what improvements you can do / change.
For more footage of my B74.1d in action, check out my YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@davidbulles5694
Some other racers might be able to chime in and give their thoughts. @bill_delong @Iowa crawler @Bogda89 @pl9171
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I used to race both 2WD and 4WD stock classes and have experience on clay, carpet and turf.
2WD tends to be more expensive in the long run due to tire wear. I no longer run 2WD simply because of that issue.
The local track in my area ran a dry dirt glue track which offered amazing grip at the expense of fast tire wear. We ran a new set of treads for the mains, and then those tires were good enough for 3 quals the following race day and then they were ghosted and went into the trash. 4WD could run a second race day on a set of ghosted treads just fine but lap times were off pace as they turned into slicks.
Then the track switched over to turf which essentially doubled the lifespan with 2 race days for 2WD and 4 race days for 4WD respectively.
I have traveled to other tracks with high bite carpet and spray mister clay tracks which both run with slicks where these tracks can offer around 8 race days for both 2WD and 4WD where they run until the carcass starts to tear!
2WD is extremely challenging to tune and drive where I feel this class is better suited for more experienced drivers. I hear far too often that "2WD makes you a better driver" but I completely disagree, because if you don't have the skill to get the car tuned properly and don't know how to feather the throttle in the chicanes, then you're going to have a bad race day.
4WD is extremely forgiving and will let you get away with poor setup choices, they are literally "point and shoot" making them better suited for sportsman drivers just getting started.
I've raced at tracks from coast to coast and I can only think of 1 track in Kansas that only runs 2WD, everywhere else has enough turnout for both classes.
BEFORE you buy anything, talk to the local fast drivers first... ask them what electronics they recommend and what tires they're running to include their tire prep method. Ask for a setup sheet so you can build your kit right the first time and minimize their frustration with helping you setup your car at the track as you break it in.
Good Luck!
***UPDATE***
Side note... I mostly race 1/8 electric buggy and truggy lately and of the handful of tracks I raced which host 1/10 classes on a large 1/8 outdoor, the 4WD's do perfectly fine and the 2WD's are invariably a "poop show", don't even consider 2WD if you plan to race any tracks that are outdoor loose pack!
If you decide to go 4WD, get the dirt version with a center fluid filled diff, kits with a center slipper are going to be too twitchy for a sportsman driver.
2WD tends to be more expensive in the long run due to tire wear. I no longer run 2WD simply because of that issue.
The local track in my area ran a dry dirt glue track which offered amazing grip at the expense of fast tire wear. We ran a new set of treads for the mains, and then those tires were good enough for 3 quals the following race day and then they were ghosted and went into the trash. 4WD could run a second race day on a set of ghosted treads just fine but lap times were off pace as they turned into slicks.
Then the track switched over to turf which essentially doubled the lifespan with 2 race days for 2WD and 4 race days for 4WD respectively.
I have traveled to other tracks with high bite carpet and spray mister clay tracks which both run with slicks where these tracks can offer around 8 race days for both 2WD and 4WD where they run until the carcass starts to tear!
2WD is extremely challenging to tune and drive where I feel this class is better suited for more experienced drivers. I hear far too often that "2WD makes you a better driver" but I completely disagree, because if you don't have the skill to get the car tuned properly and don't know how to feather the throttle in the chicanes, then you're going to have a bad race day.
4WD is extremely forgiving and will let you get away with poor setup choices, they are literally "point and shoot" making them better suited for sportsman drivers just getting started.
I've raced at tracks from coast to coast and I can only think of 1 track in Kansas that only runs 2WD, everywhere else has enough turnout for both classes.
BEFORE you buy anything, talk to the local fast drivers first... ask them what electronics they recommend and what tires they're running to include their tire prep method. Ask for a setup sheet so you can build your kit right the first time and minimize their frustration with helping you setup your car at the track as you break it in.
Good Luck!
***UPDATE***
Side note... I mostly race 1/8 electric buggy and truggy lately and of the handful of tracks I raced which host 1/10 classes on a large 1/8 outdoor, the 4WD's do perfectly fine and the 2WD's are invariably a "poop show", don't even consider 2WD if you plan to race any tracks that are outdoor loose pack!
If you decide to go 4WD, get the dirt version with a center fluid filled diff, kits with a center slipper are going to be too twitchy for a sportsman driver.
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Yes. I started out with 4wd. Yes, it is more forgiving as I drove some other 2wd and 4wd buggies before. From coming from 2wd bashers, its extremally forgiving.
This is somewhat related to 2wd, but with my Mini B (1/16, we race on Saturdays) Its hard going back and forth from 4wd 1/10 and 2wd 1/16 in a couple of minutes. But after a few seconds of the next race, I know the car. The 1st race day was kinda hard. Second race day was smooth, easy, I greatly improved on my driving by 110%. (While also adapting with a new BL esc, and motor, and experimenting with throttle expo / curve)
This^^^^ Is key. Every track is different, every racer is different, track conditions are always different, we people can only give you a base line on what to do / go with, the locals can go even deeper as they know the track, conditions, everything.
I would always go with what is the most popular, but if you wanna go with something else, you can always get it and try it out. Like I said before, most 4wd racers at my local track are running the TLR 22X-4. Me driving the B74.1. My uncle running a Xray XB4, another local racer running a Yokomo YZ4 SF2.
Here is my cars.
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Buddy up with a fast guy, look for someone with their name printed on the back of their shirt, he's likely a sponsored driver and it's his job to help you out. Don't be shy, ask lots of questions about the program. If a sponsored driver is wrenching on his car then give him space to run his race program, wait to approach him when he's got time to kill. If he blows you off or gives you the cold shoulder at that point, then tell me which brand and I will contact their team manager to correct the situation. I always tell people to visit me after I finish a race to share questions or let them test drive my cars.
hood52
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I think everyone already answered your question, let us know what you decide on. I just got my first buggy, have been running sct and st. Liked stated find out what they run at your track. I was going to go 4wd mod till I realized they don't always have a mod class. So I'm going 4wd 13.5 for the time being. It would suck to drive over a hour not to have a class to race in.
That's the main reason why I run 13.5 as well, that class is pretty much a safe bet everywhere I've raced.
here's a YUGE advantage I've learned for running 13.5:
https://www.rctalk.com/forum/threads/2wd-wheels-on-4wd.136992/
here's a YUGE advantage I've learned for running 13.5:
https://www.rctalk.com/forum/threads/2wd-wheels-on-4wd.136992/
