RS4 3 18SS or???

[AC48]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about getting back into the on-road secne come x-mas. If I do, I would only 'bash' it, but I want to set up cones and things and see how fast I can take the corners. My first nitro was a RS4 3 SS with the .12R SS engine. That thing gave me hell lol. It was most likely cause I was a noob but I could not get the engine running, and when I did something else would go. I believe this was due to me being a noob and me not having a license so all I could do was drive on my driveway and street, which is terrible. If I do go on-road use it only in parking lots just to play around with, maybe set up some half ass tracks with cones or somethin. Now I know I want a shaftdrive kit. Are there any other options than the RS4 3 18SS? I like the HPIs but maybe there is something else? I know of the NTC3s but I don't want to pay for a FT team kit, and I don't want RTR.

Also, does anyone know if the RS4 3 18SS is overgeard like the MT2 18SS is? It says it goes 50mph, any truth to that?

I'm basically a onroad noob still since I never really got that RS4 SS going lol, so any help would be great.

 

[rossb]

The 18ss runs taller gearing than the old SS 12 kit and IMO it will go at least 50 MPH. I had an RS4 18ss and IMO the TC3 does offer a more advanced pivot-ball suspension.

 

[AC48]

Yea I know it runs taller gearing than the 12SS, but is it too much for the .18SS? My friend has a MT2 18SS and he had to change it out cause it was geared for top speed. Will the RS4 3 18SS do fine on parking lots tho? Not looking for a racer, just to have some fun going very fast haha. I've always been more of a sports car person than a truck guy, but never had a good place to run onroads within my reach, now I have a license Good to know it really goes 50mph, sounds damn fast.

 

[rossb]

The gearing is definitely not too tall for the motor. In fact, you can gear it taller if you like and it will still rip. The car is very fast, but it does not have a very advanced suspension. It should top 55 MPH with a MotorSaver and a one piece pipe like a THS or a RD Logics.

It will do fine in parking lots if you run a lot of ride height. That motor will destroy rubber tires very quickly.

http://www.rbartick.com/hpi/

 

[AC48]

Ok thats good to know rossb, I was already planning on a THS pipe if I went with this car cause I hate that stupid plastic pipe lol. I would figure the tires would go, mine did on the regular .12SS, but I added the super radials and those seemed to last a while.

Did those roll bars make a big difference? That was the other upgrade I was thinking of. Anything else I should look into as far as upgrades?

 

[rossb]

Roll bars were cheap but I never found them to be very effective. The suspension was not designed for roll bars and there is a lot of slop in the ball end where they mount. Revo Rancher said they helped his ride but they did not do much for me. A front blade-type of stabilizer bar as found on the better cars is much better than the bar that comes with that RS4 option kit. In addition the rear bar on the better cars uses a solid mount without slop. It won't hurt to try them, maybe you will get better results with the bars than I did.

The racing clutch and a MotorSaver are good upgrades. A set of springs won't hurt either. You will need a lot of extra tires. The 18ss will chew a set of rubber in about 15 minutes. I stopped running rubber after 4 sets.

I am a big HPI fan and I've used a bunch of their cars and parts. With that being said I have to admit that the TC3 is a better car. It is a pretty impressive shaft car.

 

[Revo Rancher]

I'll second the TC 3 if it is anything like my electric TC4. The SS I have is a lot of fun for sportsman class races. The roll bars helped mine a lot, but my TC4 blows it away in handling. I love the SS's .12 engine, though. Neat little revver. Ross hit the limits in the performance upgrades for the RS4-3 SS and had to make the leap to the R40 for serious racing. I only do club style races with nitro, so it did not make a big difference to me. For my electric, I went wild. (Until the FT4 came out, damn them)

 

[AC48]

Lol I hated the .12 SS engine, but like I said it was my first engine so it could have been user error. I will look into a NTC3, its the factory team the only way you can get it as a kit? The FT will require engine/pipe/electronics right? What about tires? Thanks.

 

[SpeedKing]

Had lots of random problems with my kit, but I'm still a fan of HPI either way... even though it's my first R/C, the car is ridiculously fast and the gearing works great. You can easily adjust when it shifts, too.. though I think that system is a little primitive since I constantly have problems with the shifting.

Personally I think it's a bit too much for bashing and I would've gone with a smaller motor or cheaper kit. You'll be sliding all over the place from the power of the motor in parking lots.

I take it you've already bought it by now, but it sounds like you're having a lot more luck with it than me

 

[AC48]

No I haven't bought a car yet, just reasearching for a nice x-mas present

Like I said I had the RS4 3 SS, not the .18, and it was good but I had issues with the engine. I may be able to pick up a NTC3 RTR with hopups minus engine/pipe/radio. I may go with that but I really want to build a kit.

Is the NTC3 as good a basher as the RS4? I like great handling, but I want something that can take some abuse, I was never all that great at onraod but wanna give it a try again.

 

[Revo Rancher]

AC, after building my TC4, which is in many respects a updated TC3, I feel the quality and engineering of the parts equals the HPI kits. So, I would say it would about the same durability would be the same. I don't know about bashing, but for racing both seem to take a lot of abuse before bending or breaking.

 

[AC48]

Right now I am looking at a hopped up NTC3+ roller. Its not a kit, but o well. Its a brand new roller with lots of goodies already on it. I was thinking about dropping a .12TZ or something like that in it, or will that be too much for a parking lot?

 

[Revo Rancher]

I'm not familiar with that motor, but any race ready .12 will be more than enough.

Maybe Diver or RossB can tell you more about what motor to get.

 

[AC48]

I'm really just lookin for a engine with decent power, but reliable and easy to tune. Not looking for a full out race mill. I have an ofna chrome top starter box that I use for my MP777, so pull or nonpull would work for me. My budget for an engine would be 200 or under and the OS is right around there and I hear good things on the TZs.

 

[rossb]

The .12 TZ is a very good ROAR legal engine. You said earlier that you are not looking to compete in organized events and you want to fly. With that in mind you may want to consider an Outlaw OS .18 CV-R. Towerhobbies sells the .18 for $85 while the .12 TZ sells for $200. Power between the two should be similar. If you are willing to spend $200 and you are ok with Outlaw you could also consider the OS .18 TZ. That is a pretty sick motor.

 

[AC48]

Well I know that the .18 CV-R will have great power, but would it wind out as far as a nice .12?

 

[rossb]

The 18 is going to have more torque and you can run taller gearing to achive a similar top speed.

 

[AC48]

Thats true ross, and for the price difference I think I will do that. Do I need threaded or regular shaft for a NTC3?

 

[markallen]

The OS .18 CV-R is the strongest .18 on the market other than the TM and TZ..I know a guy who runs a .18 CV-R in his Super RS4 and he loves it..He said it runs really well..I am currently trying out my buds OS .18 TZ in my NTC3..So far it is badass..I have been running a NovaRossi NS12S3 and I totally love it..

For the NTC3 you can run the "SG" shaft or short shaft..

Mark

 

[photoman]

Need Help Deciding !

Well I am in the same boat. I am trying to decide between the RTR 3 EVO or the Associated Nitro TC3 RTR. I am going to use the car for fun in parking lots and streets. I own a Savage Monster truck and LOVE it. I will admit it is a bitch to tune correctly.

My questions are: Is the TC3 as fast and powerful as the EVO ?

Which one handles better ?

Which one has better components ?

I love the way the HPI looks on the inside. It's just got some cool things about it. The Associated is BOOOOORING looking on the inside.
I know I know, performance is MORE important. LOL

So what are your thoughts ?

I apprciate your replies.
Thank you,
-- Jason