OFNA 9.5 Violator opinions needed pls

[griemar]

Been shopping around and the owner of my LHS told me about it. Not a high dollar rig, but not a "beginner" rig either. About $400 shipped if I would order it from RC Planet. Been doing some serious thinking about making the move to 1/8 scale and today while at the LHS I got to run a Associated RC8. It's official, I got the 1/8 bug for sure now, lol.

 

[olds97_lss]

Their fun to have, but without a track or open dirt around, they aren't so cool.
I really only run my buggy in the late fall and early spring when the grass is short. I lost all of my open dirt bashing area's due to development and overgrowth. I do throw street tires on it on occasion and beat it into submission at a local skatepark... they sure do like air!

 

[griemar]

Their fun to have, but without a track or open dirt around, they aren't so cool.
I really only run my buggy in the late fall and early spring when the grass is short. I lost all of my open dirt bashing area's due to development and overgrowth. I do throw street tires on it on occasion and beat it into submission at a local skatepark... they sure do like air!

Well then would you suggest that rig for off road racing? That's the primary use of the buggy should I get it. Many of the local drivers are making the change to the 1/8 buggies and I want to stay competitive.

 

[olds97_lss]

Oh, I must have missed that in your original post.

I'm hoping some of the actual racers will chime in. A base level buggy is fine for what I do as a basher. But it may not be the best handling rig out there.

 

[griemar]

Oh, I must have missed that in your original post.

I'm hoping some of the actual racers will chime in. A base level buggy is fine for what I do as a basher. But it may not be the best handling rig out there.

No you didnt miss that part, I failed to mention it. I'm looking for an "overall" opinion though, not so much just a race opinion. I've learned that it's not the rig you run but how well you drive it that matters. My main concern is more like durability, learning curve, reliability, ect. Honestly I feel that if a rig makes a really good basher and can take a beating, then it'll be just as good on the track with the right setup. Suspensions can always be tuned one way or another.

 

[olds97_lss]

I have the OFNA Jammin X1 RTR and it holds up pretty good. I replaced the shocks with OFNA 9.5 shocks though that I bought off ebay. I bought mine as a roller off a forum for around $100. Since it was well used, the shocks were all pretty shot. So, instead of rebuilding them, I just bought new ones.

The only thing on mine that is somewhat weak are the chassis braces. They are plastic instead of milled aluminum. They haven't really caused any issues yet though. The chassis is well worn, but it doesn't appear to be bent.

 

[Scrogg]

The RC8 will be cheaper in the long run. It needs nothing to be competitive.
It has a ton of steering throw, it will turn better than any buggy out there. Jumps nice, and it begs to be driven fast. I am in the buggy market myself. I have driven the Jammin, the 8ight, and a few others. I do a lot of pitting for the buggy guys at my track as well. The RC8 keeps impressing me.
The Violater comes with a non race legal tank and track width. You can adjust the width to race specs easily though.
Both will require a different engine to be race legal though. Your track may not mind the .28s though. We don't worry about it. A good .21 is still faster.
Oh yeah, a sponsored X-ray driver shows up to our races too. That is one slick buggy, i think it is going to better than anything else on the market. Amazingly smooth on the track.